Nature Vancouver

 

The 90th Annual General meeting of Nature Vancouver was held on 24 April 2008. After the business part of the evening the Nature Vancouver Annual Awards were presented to volunteers by President, Cynthia Crampton. A power point presentation by Libby Coyner highlighted the important milestones and events in the 90 year history of Nature Vancouver.

 

 

Daphne joined the Vancouver Natural History Society (VNHS) in 1985 and ever since then she has devoted a very large part of her life to the Society. She became a director shortly after she joined, participated regularly in the Conservation Committee as it then was, and became Membership Secretary at a time when we had quite a few more members than we have today. Daphne became VNHS President in 1990 and during her term of office she was instrumental in initiating several significant projects. First was the establishment of the Nature House by Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park, which is now looked after by the Stanley Park Ecology Society, with which Daphne continues to be associated to this day.

 

Other projects on which Daphne can look back with just pride for the role she played as President, were the publication of the first edition of A Birdwatching Guide to the Vancouver Area, edited by Val Schaefer; the restoration of the marsh at Iona Island Regional Park, overseen by Patrick Mooney, and publication of the early history of the VNHS, written by Jim Peacock. An index to Discovery was also produced by Roland Wahlgren at that time. She later received the Davidson Award for Conservation from the VNHS.

 

Daphne went on to serve as one of the VNHS directors to the Federation of BC Naturalists (FBCN) and became its President in 1993 at a time when it was embarking on a major reorganization. After being it’s President Daphne served as the Federation’s Regional Coordinator for the Lower Mainland.  Daphne received the Elton Anderson Award, the FBCN’s top award, in 2002.

 

The crowning glory of Daphne’s time with the VNHS has been her gift of the Young Naturalists’ Club of British Columbia to thousands of young people throughout the province. After the Federation of BC Naturalists tried to introduce a young naturalists program for some years without success, Daphne rolled up her sleeves, designed a program and succeeded in persuading the VNHS Board of Directors to sponsor it in 1998. She hasn’t stopped since and in the past ten years more than 5,000 youngsters have experienced nature, thanks to Daphne and her YNC leaders in various BC communities. Her efforts culminated in 2006 when she was able to incorporate the Young Naturalists’ Club of British Columbia Society. It is no longer a project of Nature Vancouver and it is flying successfully on its own wings. Formation of the YNC has been a remarkable achievement and we can all be very proud of Daphne for what she has managed to achieve in the name of the Society with limited financial resources.  (Citation by  Jeremy  McCall).

 

As the long time co-chairs of the Boundary Bay Conservation Committee, Mary Taitt and Susan Jones have made an extraordinary contribution to the environment in Boundary Bay and in Delta’s farmland and wetlands. They were instrumental in the founding of the Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust, in which the BBCC is one of the two partners (the other is the Delta Farmer’s Institute). Dr. Taitt is the present Chair of the DFWT and Susan Jones is a director, and the DFWT continues to be a strong influence for protecting the environment of Delta’s farmlands.

 

Over a long period they have monitored the management of the Alaksen National Wildlife Area and Boundary Bay Regional Park and made suggestions for improvement. They have ensured that the BBCC submits a detailed and extremely well researched critique for the environmental assessments of all the recent major projects which are threatening Delta’s farmland and wetlands (including Burns Bog), such as the expansions under way and proposed for Deltaport and the South Fraser Perimeter Road.

 

Above all they have ensured that the BBCC is a fearless advocate of the retention of all farmland in the Agricultural Land Reserve, even going to the extent of seeking a judicial review of the decisions of administrative tribunals if they consider them to have been The conservation efforts of Nature Vancouver have benefited from its long time membership in and association with Mary Taitt and Susan Jones and the Boundary Bay Conservation Committee.

 

 

He involved many groups through active promotion and contact and with this hard work helped to save the West Creek Wetlands. His ability to communicate well and his enthusia stic passion for the preservation of this property, to the owner, played an important role in the successful conclusion of obtaining the property.

 

 

 

 

For the many years of effort and hard work in establishing and promoting the popular Young Naturalists Club program and her assistance in the spread of the concept to create new clubs across B.C. and in Eastern Canada. The YNC has flourished and now stands as a society on its own. The hands on Explorer Days, organized field trips and the magazine Nature Wild are fun and effective nature education tools.

Nigel has applied initiative in our Outreach Program for new members and communication skills in presenting what Nature Vancouver is all about to the public. His idea of a tent kiosk with action photos strung around it, of people hiking, camping and enjoying nature, has been effective in attracting attention and questions. He has spent a lot of precious time at nature groups, farmers’ markets, and annual event venues. He has created a good presence, interest and result for Nature Vancouver.