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Nature’s Bubble Photo Contest

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210930 photo contest - IG-0101

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

  1. 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!

  2. In your caption, tell us why nature matters to you, and what’s special about your memory.

  3. 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.

ID: Person raises arms over mountain peak sunrise.

BC’s parks get a boost to support economic recovery

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For interview please contact:
Skye Vallance
Communications and Development Coordinator
skye@cpawsbc.org
604-685-7445 ext. 22

BC’s parks get a boost to support economic recovery

Economic recovery package announced Sept. 17 includes support for BC Parks trails, campgrounds and facility upgrades

Sept. 17, 2020

Unceded Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, BC – The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC), is welcoming the new injection of money for BC’s provincial parks. Today, the Premier announced a $5 million increase to BC’s provincial parks as part of a $1.5 billion investment to help build BC back better.

“BC Parks are the backbone of outdoor recreation in the province, which has seen a spike in interest over the past few years. This five million dollar bump for BC Parks will go a long way to improve trails, campgrounds and backcountry infrastructure,” said Tori Ball, Terrestrial Campaigner for CPAWS-BC. “Funding for parks has far-reaching benefits for nature and wildlife that are in crisis globally, as well as providing opportunities to relax and adventure close to home.”

Data shows that park usage has been steadily rising throughout the spring and summer of 2020. This is on top of annual increases in visitation to BC Parks, which has risen from 21 million in 2014/15 to over 26 million in 2018/19. A recent survey conducted by CPAWS-BC found that 89% of respondents were more or as likely to travel to provincial parks in the next 12 months, compared to last year.

That same study found that 94% of respondents agree or strongly agree that local businesses near BC’s provincial parks benefit from park visitors. “Our research demonstrates that BC Parks provide  economic benefits to communities through visitor spending, in addition to providing jobs in conservation and tourism,” said Ball.

“This injection of extra resources will help the provincial park system to adapt to the continued rise in visitors, and mounting environmental challenges,” continued Ball. “Continued increases to the BC Parks budget are integral to a well managed, resilient parks system. Proper funding will ensure that these areas can support people and wildlife, and adequately protect and prepare for the years to come.”

CPAWS-BC is also encouraged to see funding and resources for watershed restoration to support wildlife recovery and jobs for communities hardest hit by the pandemic.

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For interview please contact:
Skye Vallance
Communications and Development Coordinator
skye@cpawsbc.org
604-685-7445 ext. 22

Key facts:

✔ A boost for BC Parks: $5-million to maintain and expand trails, campgrounds and other necessary park infrastructure.

✔ Money for restoration: Nearly $50-million will fund wetland conservation and species conservation, employing 1,000 people, focused on those hit hardest by the pandemic. 

✔ Cleaning our coast: Nearly $15-million towards the removal of marine debris and derelict vessels. 

✔ Conservation jobs for youth: The $1.8 million Youth Employment program is creating 25 new youth park positions and 18 positions in the conservation officer service.

 

ID: Person raises arms over mountain peak sunrise.

 

About CPAWS-BC 

Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC) supports the creation of large, well-managed, connected protected areas where native plants and animals thrive, now and forever; and where people and communities can live off the land and ocean without impacting the ability of future generations to do the same.

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Staycations and local spending: Survey finds parks provide local getaway opportunities amidst pandemic lockdowns

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For interviews, please contact:
Tori Ball
Terrestrial Campaigner
tori@cpawsbc.org
(604) 685-7445 x24

Staycations and local spending: Survey finds parks provide local getaway opportunities amidst pandemic lockdowns

For Immediate Release

September 15 2020

Traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples/Vancouver, BC — A new online survey from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – BC Chapter (CPAWS-BC) highlights the benefits of provincial parks to BC’s economy, with 79% of respondents agreeing that tourism to parks can help the economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People are visiting parks more than they ever have and are spending money in local communities when they visit. This is helping keep jobs in small businesses that have been among the hardest hit by the pandemic and underscores the importance of BC’s parks in rebuilding our economy,” says Tori Ball, Terrestrial Campaigner with CPAWS-BC. 

 

Key findings of CPAWS-BC’s new survey include:

  • Parks are an essential part of BC’s recovery: 79% agreed that tourism to BC’s provincial parks plays an important role in BC’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Parks are providing getaways close to home: 70% of respondents said they were likely to only travel within BC in the next 12 months
    • 89% of people said they were more or as likely to travel to provincial parks in the next 12 months, compared to last year.
  • Tourism to parks benefits local communities: 94% of respondents agree or strongly agree that local businesses near BC’s provincial parks benefit from park visitors
  • Local businesses cash in: The majority of visitors to BC Parks spend money on accommodations, restaurants, and other local businesses.
    • 80% of people said they spent more than $50 in or around a provincial park on a recent trip
    • 53% of people said they spent more than $100 in or around a provincial park on a recent trip

This summer was one of the busiest on record for BC Parks, with Google mobility data reporting between 150 – 200% increases in visits to parks across the province throughout spring and summer 2020.  Looking ahead, the majority of British Columbians expect to travel to parks just as much or more than they already do. This is raising concerns about whether or not parks will be ready to support more visitors when they’re already struggling and well over capacity. 

“We’re already experiencing the consequences of an overburdened park system, with overcrowded trails and campsites being the new norm. This is really frustrating for people trying to follow provincial health orders by spending more time outside and close to home, who are unable to get a day use pass or camping reservation for their family,” says Ball. 

CPAWS-BC is advocating for an increase in operational funding for BC Parks, to support British Columbians through the public health crisis and to help build back a better and more resilient provincial economy. 

“The public health benefits of parks are widely recognized at this point, and the economic returns from investing in these places are well within reach. Parks need to be part of the solution, and now is the time for the province to cash in on these benefits by reinvesting in parks,” says Ball.

This survey was conducted online between September 3 and 8. Responses were collected from 979 British Columbians, with a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of plus or minus (±) 3%.

 

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For interviews, contact:
Tori Ball
Terrestrial Campaigner
tori@cpawsbc.org
(604) 685-7445 x24

ID: Infographic shows British Columbians agree BC Parks are essential to economic recovery

ID: Person walks through mountain meadow

BC Budget Committee Recommends Increased Funding for BC Parks, Conservation Groups Applaud

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For interview please contact:

Tori Ball

Tori@cpawsbc.org

604-685-7445 ext. 24

BC Budget Committee Recommends Increased Funding for BC Parks, Conservation Groups Applaud

CPAWS-BC recommends that the BC Parks budget be increased by $60 million, and that parks and protected areas be used as a key driving force for economic growth and recovery during and post-pandemic.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 24, 2020

Traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples/Vancouver, BC — The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC), is celebrating the BC Budget Committee’s recommendation report which advocates for an increase to the BC Parks budget.

Last Friday, the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, the Budget Committee, released their Report on the Budget 2021 Consultation. The Committee recommends to:

Increase operational funding for BC Parks and Recreation Sites and Trails BC to support staffing, monitoring and enforcement, maintenance, land management planning, oversight of public health and safety, and recreational infrastructure and services, including promoting and supporting volunteer efforts. 

“We are thrilled to see this recommendation from the bi-partisan Budget Committee which recognizes the deep need for system-wide upgrades to BC’s beloved but beleaguered parks,” says Tori Ball, CPAWS-BC Terrestrial Campaigner. “Decades worth of underfunding is catching up with our parks, and the cracks in the system are showing.”

The BC Parks budget remained stagnant for decades while the system grew in size and demand of outdoor experiences soared. Compared to the 1980’s, the BC Parks budget and staffing levels have suffered a 90 percent decrease. The agency’s budget saw a modest increase after the BC Parks Future Strategy was released in 2016 yet fell again in the recent 2020 budget.

“The BC government has added $8.1 million this year as part of their efforts to address increased use during the pandemic, but this cannot cover the years of neglected infrastructure, unmonitored illegal activities and overflowing parking lots that have plagued the system for over a decade,” explained Ball. “Parks and protected areas are seeing a record number of visitors this year, and this is only from domestic tourism. We need to fix these problems before international tourism returns and we have to shut areas down because we didn’t prepare for the additional pressure.”

CPAWS-BC recommends that the BC Parks budget be increased by $60 million, and that parks and protected areas be used as a key driving force for economic growth and recovery during and post-pandemic.

“We are hopeful that BC Parks will see a $60 million increase in the 2021 BC Budget,” continued Ball. “Outdoor experiences have been critical to the health and wellbeing of people throughout the pandemic, and support economic recovery for communities across the province. This will continue to ring true as people prepare for further lockdowns and distancing measures as part of the second wave of the pandemic this fall.”

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For interview please contact:
Tori Ball
Tori@cpawsbc.org
604-685-7445 ext. 24

ID: DownloadDownload Media Release PDF

 

Resources:
Report on the Budget 2021 Consultation, Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services

ID: Person walks through mountain meadow of wildflowers.
Photo: Heather trail, Manning Provincial Park (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr

 

About CPAWS-BC: 

Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC) is part of one of Canada’s oldest non-profit conservation groups. We protect wilderness in every corner of BC and deep into the ocean. We have been defending BC since 1978, and are dedicated to keeping BC’s natural environment thriving forever. Nature is BC’s best hope.

www.cpawsbc.org | @CPAWSbc

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Protecting BC’s Provincial Parks

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BC Parks deserve a raise!

The COVID-19 public health crisis has shown us just how essential BC’s parks are for our physical and mental well-being. The pandemic has highlighted the urgent need to re-invest in BC’s parks, which have been chronically underfunded since the early 2000’s.

Throughout the month of June, the BC government is collecting feedback on how to set their priorities for next year’s budget. Send your comments by clicking the button below, letting the government know you would like parks to be prioritized with an additional investment of funding.

Our parks and the staff who take care of them are ill-equipped to support an influx of visitors as they gradually reopen. Staff shortages are making it difficult to enforce physical distancing requirements and maintain higher standards of facilities cleaning needed to keep visitors safe.

BC’s parks are in dire need of a funding boost to ensure that they’re able to support. 

Speak Up for Parks

Click the button to edit your letter. A personalized letter triples your impact so add a personal note at the start of this letter. When you’re done, click send.

 

 

Protecting BC’s provincial parks

As British Columbians, we should be proud of the system of parks that has been created to safeguard some of our province’s most beautiful and unique places. From high alpine meadows to towering ancient forests and sweeping grasslands, BC is the most biologically diverse province and our parks steward some of the most spectacular natural wonders on planet earth. But with wildlife facing extinction and our parks facing humans pressures, we need to expand our parks system and give nature the protection it needs.

The Threat

BC’s provincial parks system is the largest in Canada – but it is also one of the worst funded.

Snowshoers at Cypress Provincial Park near Vancouver. Photo credit: Tori Ball

What does this funding crisis look like on the ground?

  • Massive shortage of park rangers: in 2016, there were just 7 full-time park rangers responsible for monitoring BC’s millions of acres of park lands. That means that during peak season, each park ranger was responsible for an area roughly two-thirds the size of Vancouver Island. Seasonal hiring has tried to fill gaps, but there’s still chronic understaffing in BC Parks. That means regulations meant to protect nature are left unenforced.
  • Doing more with less: with over 20 million visitors per year, BC Parks staff are under enormous pressure. But without adequate funding, they often don’t have enough resources for proper equipment or vehicles that help them monitor our parks.
  • Broken and missing infrastructure: tent pads, pit toilets, bridges, paths – these things cost money to build and maintain. Proper infrastructure makes for more enjoyable and meaningful park experiences for visitors, while also providing vital protection to sensitive ecosystems.
  • Threats to nature and wildlife: without enough park rangers, sufficient resources, or safe infrastructure, BC’s parks are becoming “paper parks” – protecting in theory but not in practice. That means severe degradation of irreplaceable ecosystems from the influx of visitors and their litter. For wildlife, it means losing habitat and more dangerous interactions that lead to conflict. Without adequate funding, our parks cannot do the job they are legislated to do: protect and conserve wilderness for generations to come.

Parks don’t protect themselves. We can see a better future for BC’s provincial parks and the wilderness that they protect, but only if we stand up and demand action from our government.

CPAWS-BC volunteers #StandUpForParks – Photo credit: Moe Nadeau, Wedge Lake in Garibaldi Provincial Park.
Speak Up for Parks
CPAWS-BC - New Survey on BC Parks

New survey shows British Columbians want increased funding for BC Parks

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For interview, please contact:

Tori Ball, Terrestrial Campaigner

604-685-7445 x 24

tori@cpawsbc.org 

New survey shows British Columbians want increased funding for BC Parks

 

For Immediate Release

May 29, 2020

Traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples, Vancouver BC  — A new online survey from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – BC Chapter (CPAWS-BC) confirms that parks are a key priority for British Columbians, and that 73% want the BC government to increase funding. Parks present affordable and accessible opportunities to spend time outdoors, which has consistently been a top recommendation from BC’s Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.

“As more people turn to parks through this pandemic, concerns for the health of our parks are becoming increasingly connected with concerns for the health of British Columbians,” says Tori Ball, Terrestrial Campaigner with CPAWS-BC.

“This week saw a record-breaking number of camping reservations with BC Parks and widespread challenges in accessing the online reservation system because of the surge in interest,” says Ball. “This, along with the new survey results, underscores the important role parks are playing in supporting communities through the current public health crisis.”

It also highlights an urgent need to address long standing issues with chronic underfunding of the parks system. For decades, the province has struggled with increasing visitation, while trying to protect wildlife and nature in these special places. BC Parks once again had its budget cut by 4% this year, leading to understaffing across the province that has restricted or cut core functions such as monitoring and enforcement, research, and education. 

“Decisions are being made right now about how BC will spend $1.5 billion in economic stimulus funding. This is a huge opportunity for the province to recognize the value of parks for the province’s health, and economy,” says Ball. 

“Investing some of this funding into the park system to better support what British Columbians are asking for is a no-brainer, and something that will pay off in the long run,” she adds.

Key findings of the survey include:

  • Access to nature provides mental health benefits. 94% of respondents said access to nature is important to their mental health.
  • Supporting parks supports communities. 75% of respondents ranked the reopening of parks as a priority in BC’s pandemic response plan.
  • Investing in parks should be part of BC’s Restart Plan. 71% of respondents support an immediate investment of economic stimulus funding into BC Parks for jobs and park infrastructure projects that will improve visitor experience and better support health and safety of park users.
  • British Columbians support a long-term investment in parks. 73% of respondents support more funding for BC Parks in the long term to protect wildlife and nature, and to support visitor health and safety.

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For interview, contact:

Tori Ball, Terrestrial Campaigner

604-685-7445 x 24

tori@cpawsbc.org

 

Media Release PDF here.

 

Additional Images here.

Key findings of the survey:

About CPAWS-BC:

Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia Chapter (CPAWS-BC) protects wilderness in every corner of BC and deep into the ocean. CPAWS-BC supports the creation of large, well-managed, connected protected areas where native plants and animals thrive, now and forever; and where people and communities can live off the land and ocean without impacting the ability of future generations to do the same.

In the past 50+ years, CPAWS has played a lead role in protecting over half a million square kilometres – an area bigger than New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador put together.

BC Provincial Parks banner - snowshoe - Tori Ball

BC’s Provincial Parks

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ID: Line of snowshoers wear sign that reads Stand up for BC's parks.

BC’S PROVINCIAL PARKS

It’s no secret: if you’ve ever hiked, paddled, or rode on horseback through one of BC’s provincial parks, you’ll know they contain some of the world’s most beautiful and wild places. From high alpine meadows bursting with wildflowers to towering ancient forests and crystal clear lakes, BC’s +1000 parks are places of peace—places we can connect to nature and find reprieve from the hustle and bustle of city life. 

GOOD NEWS

Sadly, all is not quite well within our existing parks. With human pressure increasing in these places, we need to take care of our parks, like they take care of us. 

CPAWS-BC and its partners have been campaigning for bold budget action for years. Provincial parks are key players in the fight against climate change and species extinction—crises that we hope to halt, so that nature can thrive forever.  

Thankfully, our call was heard! In early 2021, the BC government announced a historic $80 million boost over three years to BC’s provincial parks—one that’s been overdue for decades. These funds could help hire more parks staff, build more backcountry trails, repair old guest facilities, and more.

TIMELINE

  • 2000: BC’s Parks receive huge budget cut
  • 2010: BC Auditor General finds that BC Parks isn’t meeting mandate to preserve nature in parks
  • 2016: $35M budget boost over three years, BC Parks Foundation created
  • 2021: $83M budget boost over three years announced in Budget 2021

 

PRESSURES CONTINUE IN BC’S PARKS

Though the 2021 budget increase was welcome news, our parks continue to face tremendous pressure as more people visit them. This massive increase means that park rangers are still stretched thin, trying their hardest to enforce regulations that protect nature.

Nature, animals, plants, and humans suffer in parks without enough funding. As visitation increases, so does littering, dangerous wildlife interactions, and off-trail ventures. When bridges, paths, outhouses, and tent pads break or go missing, they aren’t repaired or replaced—ultimately taking away from enjoyable and meaningful experiences in parks.

Together, let’s make sure the provincial government knows that having world-class provincial parks is a top priority for British Columbians.

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CPAWS-BC
#241-312 Main Street
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Unceded territory of the səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations

info@cpawsbc.org
Tel.: (604) 685-7445

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