A busy Saturday (May 10) in Squamish saw events of all shapes and sizes take over the town, but inside the new StartUp Squamish facility, some of the best environmental minds in town assembled to share and learn.
The first-ever Citizen Scientist Initiative (CSI), presented by the Squamish Environment Society (SES), saw voices from various local environmental groups share their visions and take questions from those who packed the facility.
Event organizer Larry Murray said it was great to bring the Squamish environmental community together.
“The CSI project brought together many new faces to engage with the speakers and the regular crew of environmentalists and naturalists,” he told The Chief. “It was good to see the wide variety of speakers and the commitment they bring to their environmental projects. So many great questions were asked and in most cases, very effective answers were provided.
“There was a general positive sense of trying to better understand the workings of the corridor environment and that individuals and groups demonstrated a variety of approaches to the environment.”
Some of the featured speakers included Edith Tobe from the Squamish River Watershed Society, Marcia Danielson from the Breeding Birds Atlas and local environmentalist John Buchanan.
Murray said two of the most valuable lessons learned were the value of networking and advocacy for local groups.
“Networking is a key to enhancing environmental projects, as so many disciplines are intertwined,” Murray said. “And advocacy is a vital and key way to getting things done properly in the environment, but it is the one activity least well done by most. So many projects and so little funding sources — this was addressed by two speakers who outlined where the money is and how to access it.”
He said he received nothing but positive feedback from the event and hinted that another CSI meeting could take place in early 2015.
Murray said next up for the SES is an event sponsored by the Vancouver Aquarium’s cetacean research program. Tessa Danelesko of the B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network hosts a presentation on some of the species found in Howe Sound and how locals can help them thrive.
The “What’s in Our Waters” event occurs on May 21 at 7 p.m. at the Brackendale Art Gallery.
