Created in 2020, the BC Conservation & Biodiversity Awards Foundation granted over $200,000 to the 2022 Award recipients.
Vancouver, BC (May 17, 2022) — The BC Conservation & Biodiversity Awards (BCCBA) are pleased to announce the thirteen Award recipients for 2022. The recipients are BC-based charities and non-profit organizations honoured for their work contributing to the improvement of the natural environment of BC and the preservation of its wilderness and biodiversity. The Awards focus on land and ocean based initiatives, clean air and water, climate change, and science-based studies.
The 2022 Award recipients, and a summary of their conservation initiatives:
- Bring Back The Bluebirds (BC Conservation Foundation) for restoring Western Bluebird habitat in Garry Oak meadows, SE Vancouver Island
- Creekside Rainforest land purchase of rare habitat at Cusheon Creek, Saltspring Island
- Environmental Youth Alliance for engaging marginalized youth to restore a 1.4 hectare urban wetland in the Strathcona area of East Vancouver
- Georgia Strait Alliance for protecting and restoring the marine environment of Georgia Strait and the lower Fraser River
- Lake Cowichan Restoration (BC Conservation Foundation) for riparian habitat restoration
- Lake Windermere Ambassadors Society for restoring the health of Lake Windermere
- Okanagan Nation Alliance for restoring Trout Creek, the second largest watershed in the Okanagan Basin
- Peninsula Streams Society for habitat restoration of 2.5 km of the Kennes watershed, Greater Victoria area
- Raven funding to Indigenous Peoples’ actions to curtail unsustainable development and drive systemic change
- Rivershed Society of BC for restoration of the Fraser and Salmon River corridor in the Langley area that has been degraded by development and agriculture
- Synod of the Diocese of NW for its work with Lower Mainland Anglican congregations and Indigenous communities for wildlife habitat improvement
- The Sierra Club of BC for protecting black bear dens and adjacent old growth forests through education and legislation
- Wildsight for old growth forest outreach and the protection of Inland Temperate Rainforest and Mountain Caribou
“I’m so proud to announce this very first group of BC Conservation & Biodiversity Award recipients. The responses, project quality and enthusiasm from all of the applicants really wowed us—which is quite the achievement given the credentials of the scientists, professional conservationists and educators on our Selection Committee,” says Dennis Perry, spokesperson for the BCCB Awards Foundation.
The structure of the Selection Committee makes the BCCB Awards unique in the field of environment and conservation-based funding. As an independent body, this is what differentiates the Awards. It is currently comprised of The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Sierra Club of BC, the Wilderness Committee, The Nature Trust of BC, the Faculty of Environment at Simon Fraser University and the Faculty of Environment at the University of Northern BC.
Applications for the 2023 BC Conservation & Biodiversity Awards are now being accepted through to December 31, 2022. Applications are open to conservation-based charities and non-profit organizations across BC, and application forms can be found on the BCCBA website. The 2023 Award winners will be chosen by the Selection Committee and announced on March 1, 2023.
Charitable contributions are heavily skewed to the humanities relative to the environment, with less than 5% of all charitable donations going to conservation and environmental causes. However, without the environment, we have no humanity. The BCCB Awards are one small step toward addressing this imbalance. The Awards are made possible only through public donation. As the endowment increases, future Awards will also be increased.
The BCCB Awards Foundation is a donor advised fund at Canada Gives, a registered charity and public foundation. Canada Gives manages the administration and reporting for the BCCB Awards Foundation and issues the grants (awards) once the recipient(s) has been chosen and approved.
To donate and to support conservation efforts in BC, visit the BCCBA website.
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For more information please go to the website or contact:
Zahra Alani, Account Manager
Coldwater Communications
mobile: 604-787-2930
email: zahra@coldwater-communications.ca