Right now, the BC government is claiming to “protect” nature in areas that allow mining, logging, and more. To make sure nature truly thrives for future generations—and forever—this needs to change. Read more about BC’s other conserved areas below (or read our report), and add your name to the petition telling the BC government to protect nature and clean up their protected area accounting.
Do you feel that its wrong for the provincial government to claim that areas are protected when they don’t meet the government’s own minimum standards? 78% of British Columbians would agree. Add your name to the petition telling the BC government to protect nature and clean up their protected area accounting:
The beautiful coast of British Columbia has sustained people for thousands of years. But now fisheries are edging closer to collapse, iconic wildlife is on the brink of extinction, and vital marine ecosystems are disappearing. To keep British Columbia prosperous for our children, grandchildren and future generations, marine protected areas (MPAs) are being created to restore fisheries and fight climate change. Creating marine protected areas in BC today will set the course for coastal communities to thrive and show leadership in ocean conservation for generations to come.
But what’s an MPA? How does it help protect ocean life? And what does CPAWS-BC do to create more MPAs and make them stronger? Dive into our new MPA 101 series to learn the basics.
Subscribe to our newsletter to learn more about our conservation work.
CPAWS-BC Young Leaders in Conservation Program (YLICP)
Youth lead the fight for climate and for nature. We want and deserve to shape the world we will live in and save the planet we will inhabit.
Youth have the vision and passion to transform and heal our relationships with the earth and each other – but we need more opportunities to be heard. Young people are often excluded from accessing the resources, skills and opportunities to shape environmental policy. Too many feel that their voices and concerns are not being fully represented in Canadian political discussions and decision-making spaces.
That’s why we’re backing youth – the conservation movement recognizes the need to change course and leverage the knowledge, expertise, and lived experiences of community members on the frontlines of the nature emergency, especially those who are oppressed and disadvantaged.
This program is an opportunity for youth to connect with like-minded, passionate people who care for nature and wish to make meaningful connections, network with youth leaders and conservation experts across BC, get coaching for skills relating to conservation advocacy in BC, and co-create ways of catalyzing change. We know that by bridging a network of like-minded peers, we’ll have a stronger impact, together.
About the program
The 2024 Young Leaders in Conservation Program (YLICP) provides youth with knowledge, skills and opportunities to advocate for conservation issues in BC.
Key topics include:
Advocacy and lobbying skills.
History of conservation in BC.
Indigenous-led conservation and knowledge.
Government, community and media relations.
Strategic campaign planning and management.
Radical self-care in the environmental movement.
Participants are also coached and supported.
Program structure
Delivered over six months (August 2024 – February 2025), the YLICP consists of the following:
Webinar Workshops: ~Six virtual webinar workshops over three months taking place on weekday evenings in Fall 2024.
Provincial Election Townhalls: in-person conservation and youth-focused election townhalls and candidate Q&As in strategic ridings ahead of the 2024 BC provincial election.
In-person Summit: A multi-day, in-person summit on the Traditional lands of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) People, known today as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations (Victoria, BC).
The in-person Summit will consist of a Lobby Day with the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, where participants will get training and the opportunity to speak with government officials about conservation. Accommodation, travel expenses, and meals are provided at no financial cost to participate.
Opportunities
Make meaningful connections with like-minded youth who care deeply about stewarding BC’s beautiful natural spaces.
Gain skills and knowledge to understand and advocate for conservation issues in BC.
Receive training and engage with Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and other government officials about conservation.
Participants will receive a certificate upon successful completion of the program.
Who should apply?
YLICP seeks young leaders—ages 18-30, who permanently reside in BC and are connected to environmental issues. Our goal is to bring a diverse group of young folks together to build meaningful connections and provide skills training.
CPAWS-BC believes that Indigenous, Black, and Racialized people of the Global Majority, people from working class backgrounds, women, people with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities must be centred in conservation. As such, we strongly encourage people with these identities or who are members of other oppressed communities to apply.
This program has room for up to 25 participants.
*Applicants must be a resident of BC and be between the ages of 18-30 when applying*
Photos by Adam Combs
Advisory Committee Members
Joanne Nellas
Joanne is committed to uplifting the voices of underrepresented groups through meaningful, inclusive and intentional engagement. She strives for an equitable and just city where all people feel empowered and equipped to lead positive changes in their communities. Joanne has a Masters in Community and Regional Planning from UBC with a concentrated focus on planning for equity-seeking communities, and a Bachelors in Environment from SFU. Merging her two passions and knowledge, Joanne feels most energized when working within the intersection of climate action and the needs and interests of marginalized communities. She has worked on engagement projects and research with various organizations on municipality-level climate justice, urban and rural Indigenous housing, homelessness action, equitable transportation, civic engagement for racialized groups, and more.
Brennan Strandberg-Salmon
Brennan is a researcher, project manager, and volunteer coordinator with a passion for youth-led climate justice advocacy and climate policy. Brennan works as a Policy Analyst for Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Policy Priorities Division. Outside of work, he co-leads the youth Climate Change Branch of the BC Council for International Cooperation, which empowers young people to build skills for climate careers and advocate for equitable climate action through hands-on research, communications, and climate conference delegations. At university, Brennan led efforts with student club SFU350 to successfully mobilize SFU to commit to fossil fuel divestment and declare a climate emergency.
Lucero Gonzalez
Lucero is a young Mexican immigrant of ñha-ñhú ancestry who currently resides as an uninvited guest on the continuously occupied territories of the q̓ic̓əy̓ and Kwantlen First Nations. She currently holds the Conservation and Policy Campaigner role at the Wilderness Committee. She has been involved in the social and environmental justice movements since she was sixteen and is passionate about the power of policy change driven by grassroots movements and communities. Lucero brings years of experience working in at-risk species protection and legislation, mostly in marine conservation spaces. She is also incredibly passionate about youth involvement in policy spaces, especially in ensuring those spaces are safe for BIPOC youth, like herself, to thrive in.
How to apply
Applications for 2024 are now closed and under review. Questions? Email youth@cpawsbc.org.
Applications are now open! Apply by completing the application form linked above. This application should take anywhere from 30-60 minutes to complete. You can respond to the questions in whichever way suits you best. You can either respond in short written paragraphs or respond to any or all questions in an audio or video format and attach the file to the response box. The maximum file size is 100MB (you can upload max. 7 files).
Access to a reliable and stable internet, a personal computer, pen and paper. Virtual workshops will run on Zoom. If you’re unfamiliar with this free video conferencing tool, check out some tips.
We’re committed to ensuring accessibility in this program. We encourage applicants to specify any accessibility needs and/or accommodations we should be aware of to support them throughout the duration of the program.
Language: Sessions will be conducted primarily in English
Captions: We will aim to provide captions during all the virtual webinars.
Recordings: We will record the sessions if you can’t make all of them/need to leave early
Discomfort is optional: We encourage you to make yourself as comfortable as possible during this program. For the virtual sessions, take breaks, turn off your camera, make yourself a tea; for the in-person Summit, let our YLICP team or another supervisor know what you need to ensure your comfort and/or feelings of safety.
Financials: If the financial burden of participating is concerning (re: childcare or time off work), let’s connect! youth@cpawsbc.org
After you apply, you can expect to receive an email with the status of your admission to the program within one week after the closing date (June 5, 2024 11:59 PM PT). Priority for Indigenous, Black, and Racialized people of the Global Majority, people from working class backgrounds, women, people with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities will be given to support our organization’s policy for equitable recruiting. To ensure the best experience, up to 25 participants will be selected and we’d like more than half of the spots to go to marginalized folks who self-identify on their application.
We ask participants to commit to the full length of the program:
In-person kick-off summit in late August 2024 (date TBD)
Attend 1 in-person election townhall in September 2024 (dates TBD)
Webinar Workshops (~six virtual webinar workshops around ~1.5-2 hrs in length throughout Oct-Nov 2024),
Multi-day In-person Lobby Day (January 2025 – date TBD)
Lobby Days offer the chance for grassroots advocates to meet with policy decision makers, chat about the importance of conservation with politicians, and use the legislative process to create change!
No, this is not a paid position – participation in the YLICP is voluntary. However, we will cover travel, accommodation, and meal expenses for the in-person summit, lobby day, and election townhalls.
Check out our careers page for current opportunities.
Statement of Solidarity: Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders
Content warning: Contains mentions of police violence and settler colonial violence
November 23, 2021, Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories / Vancouver, BC – CPAWS-BC stands in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en clans who have re-occupied and taken control over their Yintah (territory) and condemns the arrests of land defenders and journalists.
Those occupying the land do so under Inuk Nuatden (Wet’suwet’en law) and Canadian law. In 1997, the Supreme Court of Canada issued the Delgamuukw-Gisday’wa decision, which asserted that the Wet’suwet’en people, as represented by their hereditary chiefs, had not given up rights and title to more than 20,000 square kilometres of territory in northern British Columbia. Despite this ruling, the colonial Canadian and British Columbian governments continue to permit resource projects without the free, prior, and informed consent of Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs.
Like many, CPAWS-BC applauded the BC government’s commitment to uphold the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) through the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) in 2019. UNDRIP protects against all forms of violence and discrimination for Indigenous Peoples of the world. However, the province continues to deny Wet’suwet’en and other Indigenous Nations across British Columbia these human rights.
CPAWS-BC Executive Director Kevin Barlow said, “The main purpose behind UNDRIP, and by default DRIPA, is to prevent resource extraction from Indigenous territories without their full consent. Throughout the world, over 50 per cent of Indigenous people now live in urban areas due to encroachment, primarily from resource extraction. Government has a great responsibility to handle these situations with integrity and without armed force.”
The increased and on-going RCMP action on Wet’suwet’en lands in recent days is deeply concerning. As the climate crisis intensifies with record floods, fires and heatwaves, so does the violence against land defenders and the journalists sharing their stories. Providing safe access for journalists to cover events falls well within their charter rights. Indigenous voices and stories have historically been, and continue to be suppressed in mainstream media as a measure to uphold colonial systems and capitalist agendas. The RCMP must end these acts of aggression immediately.
BC is currently in the grips of a crisis. Across the province, highways and roads have been completely destroyed, huge swaths of agricultural land are under water, thousands have been evacuated, and many more were stranded far from home without adequate food, water, and shelter. Yet the province deployed emergency resources that could have been directed to relief efforts to instead intimidate, harass, and arrest Indigenous Peoples who are exercising their rights to self-determination and stewardship of their lands—and opposing the very type of fossil fuel extraction project that worsens the catastrophic weather we’ve recently experienced.
CPAWS-BC urges the immediate withdrawal of the RCMP from Wet’suwet’en Territory and the release of those detained. We stand in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en and all Indigenous Peoples who are reasserting their relationships with land and water in order to strengthen their culture, traditional practices, and stories. We are grateful for their leadership and vision for a just future.
Wet’suwet’en means people of the Wedzin Kwe River (Bulkley River) Yintah means territory. Inuk Nuatden means Wet’suwet’en laws.
The Wet’suwet’en Yintah, is located in the central Interior of B.C. around Smithers, Burns Lake, Broman Lake, and François Lake.
Wet’suwet’en Nation is comprised of five clans: Gilseyhu (Big Frog) Laksilyu (Small Frog), Gitdumten (Wolf/Bear), Laksamshu (Fireweed), and Tsayu (Beaver).
The clans are divided into 13 Houses and each House is represented by a Hereditary Chief.
Statement of Solidarity: Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders
Content warning: Contains mentions of police violence and settler colonial violence
November 23, 2021, Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories / Vancouver, BC – CPAWS-BC stands in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en clans who have re-occupied and taken control over their Yintah (territory) and condemns the arrests of land defenders and journalists.
Those occupying the land do so under Inuk Nuatden (Wet’suwet’en law) and Canadian law. In 1997, the Supreme Court of Canada issued the Delgamuukw-Gisday’wa decision, which asserted that the Wet’suwet’en people, as represented by their hereditary chiefs, had not given up rights and title to more than 20,000 square kilometres of territory in northern British Columbia. Despite this ruling, the colonial Canadian and British Columbian governments continue to permit resource projects without the free, prior, and informed consent of Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs.
Like many, CPAWS-BC applauded the BC government’s commitment to uphold the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) through the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) in 2019. UNDRIP protects against all forms of violence and discrimination for Indigenous Peoples of the world. However, the province continues to deny Wet’suwet’en and other Indigenous Nations across British Columbia these human rights.
CPAWS-BC Executive Director Kevin Barlow said, “The main purpose behind UNDRIP, and by default DRIPA, is to prevent resource extraction from Indigenous territories without their full consent. Throughout the world, over 50 per cent of Indigenous people now live in urban areas due to encroachment, primarily from resource extraction. Government has a great responsibility to handle these situations with integrity and without armed force.”
The increased and on-going RCMP action on Wet’suwet’en lands in recent days is deeply concerning. As the climate crisis intensifies with record floods, fires and heatwaves, so does the violence against land defenders and the journalists sharing their stories. Providing safe access for journalists to cover events falls well within their charter rights. Indigenous voices and stories have historically been, and continue to be suppressed in mainstream media as a measure to uphold colonial systems and capitalist agendas. The RCMP must end these acts of aggression immediately.
BC is currently in the grips of a crisis. Across the province, highways and roads have been completely destroyed, huge swaths of agricultural land are under water, thousands have been evacuated, and many more were stranded far from home without adequate food, water, and shelter. Yet the province deployed emergency resources that could have been directed to relief efforts to instead intimidate, harass, and arrest Indigenous Peoples who are exercising their rights to self-determination and stewardship of their lands—and opposing the very type of fossil fuel extraction project that worsens the catastrophic weather we’ve recently experienced.
CPAWS-BC urges the immediate withdrawal of the RCMP from Wet’suwet’en Territory and the release of those detained. We stand in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en and all Indigenous Peoples who are reasserting their relationships with land and water in order to strengthen their culture, traditional practices, and stories. We are grateful for their leadership and vision for a just future.
Wet’suwet’en means people of the Wedzin Kwe River (Bulkley River) Yintah means territory. Inuk Nuatden means Wet’suwet’en laws.
The Wet’suwet’en Yintah, is located in the central Interior of B.C. around Smithers, Burns Lake, Broman Lake, and François Lake.
Wet’suwet’en Nation is comprised of five clans: Gilseyhu (Big Frog) Laksilyu (Small Frog), Gitdumten (Wolf/Bear), Laksamshu (Fireweed), and Tsayu (Beaver).
The clans are divided into 13 Houses and each House is represented by a Hereditary Chief.
Recently, Gillian Staveley—a member of the Kaska Dena in northern BC—sat down with CPAWS-BC to talk about protecting a large swath of ancestral and traditional Kaska Territory. Read on to learn more about Dene Kʼéh Kusān andhow you can support this Indigenous-led conservation initiative.
Editor’s note: this interview has been transcribed, condensed, and formatted with consent.
Kristina: Hi Gillian! I’d love to start by asking you who are you, and who the Kaska Dena are.
Gillian: My name is Gillian Staveley—I’m the Director of Land Stewardship and Culture with the Dena Kayeh Institute. I am also Kaska.
The Kaska Dena are a nation of people who are connected through our culture, our land, our language, our laws. We are a fairly large nation in terms of geography, with our communities placed throughout our ancestral lands in northern BC, southeast Yukon, and a small sliver of the Northwest Territories. We call this area Dena Kayeh, or “the people’s country”.
Kristina: Tell us more about Dene Kʼéh Kusān. What is this project about? How did it begin?
Gillian: Dene Kʼéh Kusān is the Kaska’s Indigeous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) proposal within Dena Kayeh—we’re trying to protect 4 million hectares of land and water through it. To us, the phrase Dene Kʼéh Kusān is a reminder that we will always be here. Dene Kʼéh Kusān: as long as our lands are here, and our languages are here, and our laws are here, and our culture is here, then we will be here as Kaska people. It’s all tied together because we believe in the principles of relationality: we are all one.
Kristina: What’s unique about the landscapes and ecosystems in Dene Kʼéh Kusān? What do you see, smell, and hear?
Gillian: When I close my eyes, I think of the regions that are very sacred to me, personally, within the Kaska traditional territory.
I visualize the very sacred headwaters that we have, and the confluences of large rivers. I can also smell the moist moss that’s in the deep soils of our boreal forest. We have such an intact, beautiful forest in our territory—it brings me joy to feel those smells. There’s also other aspects of our lands, like hearing the wind in some of the highest peaks of the Northern Rockies, and being able to traverse them.
You can also feel the heartbeat of our people in certain regions of Dena Kayeh, too, like the subarctic terrain. That’s where we’ve hunted and gathered since time immemorial. It’s those areas that are so important to us as Kaska Dena. We truly believe that we are our land, and it’s up to us to ensure that it remains healthy, because we will also be healthy as a result of that.
Kristina: With Dene Kʼéh Kusān being so large, it provides one, huge, connected landscape for animals that call that land home. What are the animals and plants in this area like?
Gillian: Many different animal, plant, and fish species and medicines also call Dena Kayeh home. I think we know that keeping these regions intact is of utmost importance to their survival. As soon as we create those linear disturbances and development areas, they are impacted greatly.
Creating habitat corridors for these really biodiverse regions in places like Dene Kʼéh Kusān is a very vital conservation strategy. It’s an Indigenous-led one, too, because we know that we can’t just protect pockets of landscape. We need to protect very large areas to be able to ensure that—for example—some of the last northern mountain caribou in our province are thriving, and not just surviving. That’s part of what our IPCA proposal is intended to do.
Kristina: Often, nature and culture are very intertwined with each other. In your eyes, why is it important to protect Dene Kʼéh Kusān from a cultural perspective?
Gillian: In Dene Kʼéh Kusān, we’d be protecting half of the recorded cultural heritage sites in our ancestral territory, Dena Kayeh. That’s the kind of stuff that gets me all choked up! Yes, it’s a wild place, it’s remote, it’s an incredibly vast beautiful area, but it’s also our homeland. Our ancient trails are still walked on today, and our people still go into those remote areas to this day, and celebrate the fact that our people have lived there for over 8,000 years.
They’ve created such wonderful memories in those places—and for us, it’s about reconnecting to what that means to us today, and knowing that we want it to be wild, yes, but we also want it to be cultured.
Kristina: What does leading the protection of your own traditional territories mean to you and the Kaska Dena?
Gillian: For me, protecting Dene Kʼéh Kusān is everything, truly. There is nothing more important than this in my life, and I know I am going to be spending the rest of my life ensuring that happens. I’m not the only one, either. This is who we are as Dena: it’s intrinsically who we are as stewards of our land, in wanting to see it protected. It’s a natural response we all have, and it’s what ties us together in knowing that we’re a nation of people that want the same things. There’s tremendous power in that.
Kristina: Why should Indigenous-led conservation projects be important to other people in BC?
Gillian: While it’s existed since time immemorial, we’re finally at a time in our country where there’s more recognition for Indigenous-led conservation. As the original people of this country, we have valid knowledge sources to witness and respect to help create a more just and sustainable world. In BC, we can be the ones leading that convo—we have that opportunity! Dene Kʼéh Kusān is just one example of what’s possible, and people are starting to realize that the time is now.
At the end of the day, it’s our collective responsibility to ensure these areas are protected and conserved for future generations. It’s something that all of our future generations can benefit from, whether you call that area home or not.
Kristina: To end us off: what can British Columbians do to support Indigenous-led conservation projects like Dene Kʼéh Kusān?
Gillian: There are four things, I think, that British Columbians can do. Four is a sacred number to us, after all—it connects us to the medicine wheel teachings.
For folks who are interested in what we’re doing: visit our website, Dena Kayeh, and learn about our IPCA proposal, and what the Kaska people are trying to achieve. While you’re there, sign our letter of support as your first step.
I would really recommend that people begin to pay attention to Indigenous-led initiatives in their own backyard—or wherever they call home—and find ways to stand in solidarity with these nations.
I would advise that the BC public look into what IPCAs stand for, and the meaning behind Indigenous-led conservation efforts. IPCAs are rooted and grounded in the Indigenous nations who are putting those proposals forward, and they’re incredible proposals—more attention needs to be given to what we, as Indigenous people, are collectively trying to achieve.
If people believe that their personal health and well-being is connected to proposals like ours, Dene Kʼéh Kusān, then I would really ask people to stand with us. Stand with the Indigenous nations who are trying to put these proposals forward. Call on government and public interest groups so that they see the importance of this initiative, especially in northern BC. There’s a collective duty and responsibility to ensure the success of proposals like this.
CPAWS Calls For Urgent Adoption Of Minimum Standards To Prohibit Bottom Trawling In Marine Protected Areas
Today, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) released The MPA Monitor, to assess the quality of Canada’s marine protected areas (MPAs). British Columbians are proud of the coast’s natural beauty and bounty. However, we are shocked and disappointed to find that the MPAs in BC scored quite poorly: over 60% of BC MPA waters do not have the strong, high-quality protections in place that support thriving ocean life and healthy communities, mainly due to destructive bottom trawling.
Bottom trawling causes large amounts of bycatch as everything that happens to be in the way gets swept up in the net, including unwanted and endangered marine species that should not be caught. Corals and sponges and other habitat forming wildlife are destroyed as the heavy net is dragged on the seafloor. Bottom trawling also causes marine life to choke by kicking up large clouds of sediment as the net moves.
Bottom trawling actively occurs on nearly 15% of the Scott Islands marine National Wildlife Area on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. This harms the food sources of seabirds like tufted puffins the MPA was designed to protect.
At less than 1km wide in most places, the buffer zones in the Hecate Strait/Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area on BC’s north and central coasts are too small. New research has shown that bottom trawling from as far away as 6 kilometres can cause glass sponges to choke.
But Canada already has a solution to these problems! In 2019, Canada committed to implementing minimum protection standards for federal MPAs that would prohibit bottom trawling, oil and gas, mining, and dumping. In fact, SGaan Kinghlas-Bowie Seamount Marine Protected Area off the coast of Haida Gwaii effectively bans all these activities and scored as strongly protected in the CPAWS analysis.
We now need the federal government to implement their 2019 minimum protection standards for MPAs that would prohibit bottom trawling, as well as oil and gas, mining, and dumping. This would provide a critical basic level of protection for all of BC’s MPAs.
For this report, CPAWS used the recently published MPA Guide – a standardized assessment tool that evaluates the protection level of MPAs based on what activities are allowed within the MPA – to evaluate BC’s MPAs.
Bottom trawling causes large amounts of bycatch and habitat destruction as everything that happens to be in the way gets swept up in the net, The Narwhal.
Hundreds of millions of pounds of untargeted and unwanted fish and other marine animals are killed and wasted, including endangered species such as bocaccio rockfish, CBC News.
Sediment clouds caused by bottom trawling from as far away as 6km can cause glass sponge reefs to “choke” and stop filtering ocean water, study.
New research shows partially protected reserves are largely ineffective, Hakai Magazine.
It’s been quite a year and a half! Despite many restrictions and challenges, nature has been there for us when we needed it most. Nature was ready to welcome us, enveloping us in its safe bubble where we found recreation, rest, and rejuvenation. Whether you enjoyed the greenery from your balcony or ventured into local parks and the untamed wilderness, join us in celebrating the great outdoors by sharing a photo of how you found solace in nature’s bubble!
Prizes
– One $500 MEC gift card (based on judging criteria)
– One of two $250 MEC gift cards (randomly selected at end of contest)
– One of two survival kits from BMG Industries, awarded randomly and biweekly
How to Enter
Post your photo in nature’s bubble from the last 12 months on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Photos must be public so we can see them!
In your caption, tell us why nature matters to you, and what’s special about your memory.
Tag and follow CPAWS-BC and the Guide Outfitters Association of BC. Multiple entries are encouraged—up to one entry a day! CPAWS-BC: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram Guide Outfitters Association of BC: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Make sure that your profile is public so that we can see it. Posts must be put in a feed, unfortunately Instagram stories will not be eligible to win.
Don’t have a social media account? No problem! You can also email parks@cpawsbc.org with subject line “Nature’s Bubble Photo Contest”.
UPDATE: Contest closes on Friday, November 5, 2021. Find the full contest rules here.
Statement of Solidarity: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
September 30, 2021, Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories / Vancouver, BC – CPAWS-BC stands in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples as we observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We acknowledge the role of colonization on Indigenous Peoples, and we in the conservation movement remain committed to working actively towards healing and reconciliation.
We honour thousands of Indigenous children lost to residential schools by also recognizing September 30 as Orange Shirt Day. We stand with the communities and Nations grieving the confirmation of their long-held knowledge: 215 children at Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, 104 in Sioux Valley Dakota territory near Brandon, 751 on Cowessess First Nation, 160 in Hul’qumi’num Territory on Vancouver Island and 182 in Ktunaxa Territory. The National Centre For Truth and Reconciliation confirms the identities of 4,117 children. And we sadly acknowledge there will be more gravesites found.
The legacy of residential schools and colonialism continues to negatively impact Indigenous Peoples today. CPAWS-BC has a responsibility as a leader in the conservation movement to take steps that can begin to heal relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and the lands and waters where we work.
We recognize that reconciliation and decolonization is an ongoing process that requires all of us to be actively involved and responsible as our collective learning evolves. CPAWS-BC makes a firm commitment to uphold decolonization as a cornerstone in our conservation work.
As we work toward the protection of diverse ecosystems, CPAWS-BC will do so in the spirit of decolonization , recognizing the essential leadership of the Indigenous stewards who have cared for these lands and waters since time immemorial. We are committed to deepening our relationships with Indigenous partners and we recognize that it is our responsibility to support Indigenous Peoples to safeguard their land and water.
As a team, we are advancing awareness, knowledge, and capacity on our staff and board by providing cultural competency learning opportunities and workshops with Indigenous speakers, Elders, storytellers, and facilitators.
Every fall, the BC government asks British Columbians like you about what they want to see funded in next year’s budget. This budget consultation—which happens every year—is a big opportunity for British Columbians to have their say and tell the BC government that investing in nature should be a top priority!
BC’s parks and protected areas are home to culturally important places for First Nations, thrilling sites for outdoor adventures, and protect precious habitat for animal and plant species. As we enter the last days of the budget consultation—which closes on September 30, 2021 at 5pm PST—it’s key that we take action to speak up for BC’s wild places and spaces that don’t have a voice.
Will you join us in standing up for nature? Here are three more reasons why you should.
1. Investing in nature conservation will help BC meet international biodiversity targets
Time is ticking closer to the 2025 international biodiversity targets, in which Canada has committed to protecting 25% of its land and inland waters by 2025, and 30% by 2030. To slow the rapid loss of biodiversity in BC, we need to make sure that more land is protected to shelter at-risk species and preserve our forests, rivers, lakes, grasslands, and more through a changing climate.
2. Protected areas return on their investment through opportunities for tourism, job creation, and increased GDP
From Hope to Revelstoke, we don’t need to look far to see the economic benefit that visitors bring to a community. When visitors spend time and money in parks, they bring in a 44% return in government investment through taxes. Tourism—which heavily relies on BC’s wildlife and wild places—can also increase our GDP, or the value of our economy. In 2016, tourism contributed $7.9 billion to BC’s GDP—a bigger contribution than the mining, forestry, and agriculture/fishing industries.
3. Protected, safe, and accessible provincial parks will result in happier and healthier British Columbians.
In aCPAWS-BC survey last year, 94% of British Columbians said that access to nature was somewhat or very important to their mental health. Parks double as places for people to connect with nature, and with each other in our urban and screen-based lives. Accessible nature with safe infrastructure means that more people can get outside. It’s a big bonus of increased investment in parks and protected areas.
Ready to stand up for nature in BC? Take action and tell the BC government that they need to invest in nature.
CPAWS-BC’s response to the discovery of the remains of Indigenous children in residential school mass graves across Canada
Acknowledgement of the impact of residential schools is required for reconciliation and healing
July 05, 2021, Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories / Vancouver, BC – CPAWS-BC is heartbroken over the recent confirmation of the existence of unmarked burial sites at four former Indian Residential School locations across Canada.
We grieve the loss of 215 souls at Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc near Kamloops, 104 souls in Sioux Valley Dakota territory near Brandon, 751 souls on Cowessess First Nation near Marieval, and 182 souls in Ktunaxa Territory near Cranbrook.
First Nations communities have always known about unmarked burial grounds on the sites of Indian Residential Schools, but their requests to uncover the truth were not heeded until now.
Indigenous staff and board members at CPAWS-BC and other CPAWS offices across the country have been impacted directly by the actions of Canada’s colonial system. CPAWS-BC’s Indigenous partners and collaborators are Survivors and intergenerational Survivors of the Indian Residential School system. We have spent recent weeks making space to mourn, rest, listen, and reflect during this time of trauma and healing for our colleagues, partners, and their communities.
The conservation movement has played and continues to play a role in the violent displacement of Indigenous peoples from their home lands and waters, which are integral to their spirituality, their health, and their healing. The whiteness of conservation still remains in both leadership and values, which continues to perpetuate systemic oppression and erasure of Indigenous Peoples.
CPAWS-BC has a responsibility as a leader in the conservation movement to take steps that can begin to heal relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and the lands and waters where we work. We must decolonize our work to ensure that we are supporting Indigenous stewardship, resilience, and resurgence. We recognize that reconciliation and decolonization is an ongoing process that requires all of us to be actively involved and responsible as our collective learning evolves. We also acknowledge that it’s not up to non-Indigenous people in Canada to determine if our actions are effective.
As we work toward achieving the protection of diverse ecosystems, CPAWS-BC is committed to doing so in the spirit of truth and reconciliation, recognizing the essential leadership of the Indigenous stewards who have cared for these lands and waters since time immemorial. We are committed to deepening our relationships with Indigenous partners and we recognize that it is our responsibility to support Indigenous Peoples to safeguard land and water for future generations and advance shared conservation priorities based on relationships, respect, and reciprocity.
These recent confirmations of burial sites on the grounds of so-called schools must serve as a crucial reminder to non-Indigenous people of the reality of the genocide that was committed against Indigenous Peoples in Canada. But Indigenous Peoples have resisted and endured. We remain hopeful that these findings and the powerful collective response helps further our learning and remind all those who reside here of the important work that must be done to create change for the future. We know Indigenous-led conservation can help advance reconciliation in BC. We encourage the federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) to ensure survival, dignity and well-being of Indigenous Peoples .
