History and purpose of the Council
In March 2004, Bob Peart and Chloe O’Louglin from the BC Chapter of Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society(CPAWS) met with Colin Campbell and Peter Heron (Retirees from BC Parks and Parks Canada) to discuss the creation of a new entity. This entity is to support parks and engage retirees from BC’s National, Provincial, and Regional Parks. The four formed a working committee and in October 2004, the Elders Council for Parks in BC was formed.
The three purposes of the Elders Council can be divided into three broad objectives:
- To recognize the heritage of the regional, provincial and national park systems;
- To build citizen understanding, engagement and support for all public parks; and
- To enable the effective sustainable management, both ecologically and financially, of parks in British Columbia.
To achieve these outcomes, the Elders Council has developed programs and activities to educate the public, governments and the news media about public parks in British Columbia, by:
- Providing outreach programs including; courses, seminars, and workshops about public parks;
- Supporting the long term well-being of public parks and their preservation, use and enjoyment by the public through direct communications with Government;
- Recognizing persons and organizations that have made an extraordinary contribution to the creation and stewardship of public parks;
- Acquiring, protecting and displaying artifacts related to the history of parks.