A group of natural resource specialists and professionals have provided assistance with environmental issues and education for the past 10 years.
The 11 members of the Summerland Environmental Science Group are residents of Summerland who have knowledge in areas such as natural history, fisheries and wildlife biology, ecology, water resource management, soil science, forest management, land use planning and environmental education.
The group is dedicated to providing Summerland residents, elected officials and municipal staff with science-based advice on the stewardship of environmental values within our community.
“We want to provide an opportunity to have a positive influence on the identification and protection of our natural resource values,” said Lisa Scott, the chair and founder of the organization.
In 2011, the group was recognized for their efforts and awarded $2,200 through the BC Hydro Community Champion Award.
Those funds have helped to cover the costs of supplies required for various environmental initiatives in the community.
One of the core mandates of the group is to engage the community.
Lead by Scott, they have helped to plan, support and implement several community-based environmental projects during the last decade.
The group spearheads the annual Earth Day Celebration which also recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. More than 100 people attend this hands-on event every April and since its inception close to 1,500 native trees and shrubs have been planted in four locations.
“One of the key objectives of Summerland’s Earth Day celebration is to raise awareness and inspire environmental action,” Scott said. “We always promote this as a family event in the hopes that people of all ages will participate and realize that they can make a difference.”
Members of the environmental group also assist municipal staff to develop and implement processes that ensure the best available information on environmental values is accessed and used to guide planning and development.
The group has provided input into the Official Community Plan review and the development of terms of reference for environmental assessment, and has assisted in the preparation of successful funding applications to map sensitive habitat areas along Prairie and Eneas Creeks.