A society dedicated to the protection, conservation and restoration of the health of watersheds in B.C. is celebrating its 20th anniversary with some visits to the Royal City.
Fin Donnelly’s 1996 Swim for Life down the length of the Mighty Fraser sparked the formation of the Rivershed Society of B.C. In the past 20 years, the society has offered a variety of public education programs and community initiatives.
The society kicked off its anniversary celebration in June with its annual general meeting and annual dinner cruise aboard the MV Native of Paddlewheeler Riverboat tours. The event raised $8,500, with proceeds benefiting the 13th annual Sustainable Living Leadership Program which takes participants on a 25-day, 1,400-kilometre wilderness travel experience down the Fraser River.
“We are excited to see these nine individuals learn and grow over the course of the program,” Donnelly said in a press release. “We look forward to the positive impacts they will make in their communities after the Sustainable Living Leadership program wraps up its 13th summer.”
The Sustainable Living Leadership Program trip began on July 14 and will see participants travelling through 10 of B.C.’s 14 biogeoclimatic zones. Along the way participants will study watersheds, salmon and resource management and learn how to lower their ecological footprint.
“The New West stop at the Quay usually involves tying up at the Paddlewheeler dock,” Donnelly said of the Aug. 5 stop. “Then we make our way to the Fraser River Discovery Centre for a tour of the facility, followed by lunch, a group photo at the bust of Simon Fraser, then back in the canoe to paddle to Richmond.”
The Rivershed Society of B.C. will cap off its 20th anniversary celebrations at FraserFest 2016, which features a series of family-friendly festivals in communities along the Fraser River on Aug. 27 and 28. New Westminster city council recently approved a $5,000 grant for the society to help with its anniversary events.
