Annual Report
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GSA ANNUAL REPORT / 2014 / 1 Georgia Strait Alliance SeptemberJuly 2014 2015 ANNUALANNUAL REPORT REPORT Georgia Strait Alliance www.GeorgiaStrait.org Caring for Our Coastal Waters Photo: Evan Leeson - flickr Recognizing 25 years of successful conservation y husband and I spend many months of the year in our 25 years of making a significant difference to MVancouver garden where we take advantage of every these waters we call home. square foot we can, expanding our crop space a little bit every You’ll read in these pages the many year. When you garden, you’re in a continual state of balance successes we’ve had and how our voice – and between observation and action. You plan your garden based on your message – is reverberating further and past learning, and then you watch as those plans come to fruition, having an impact. By telling these stories adjusting to the unexpected along the way. Your goal is to harvest and sharing our vision for this region, we a diverse and delicious crop – having learned from the experience are inspiring people of all ages to speak while making an incredible contribution to your family’s health for the Strait and be part of the solution to and wellbeing. what threatens it. Our unique regional focus The ebbs and flows of an environmental charity like ours are no remains as important and necessary as it was different than life in the garden and, after a period of change and when a group of concerned citizens started strengthening, this past year has seen our efforts bear fruit – all “Save Georgia Strait Alliance” in 1990. Photo: Tim Matheson signs of a healthy and effective organization that is celebrating In each of these examples, you’ll see that we did not achieve these accomplishments on our own. Collaboration is at the heart of how Georgia Strait Alliance has led these diverse initiatives to protect these waters, because our belief is that for every OVER THE PAST YEAR, WE HAVE: threat, there is a solution. We believe that change comes from • Registered a 23 per cent increase in the number of not simply opposing things but by being for something. In our marinas participating in our Clean Marine BC program, case, that something is our vision of a Strait of Georgia where we which was recognized with the President’s Award from have clean water and air, healthy wild salmon runs, rich marine the Environmental Management Association of BC. life and natural areas, and a viable and protected shoreline, with sustainable communities that have healthy economies. • Launched our first annual Water’s Edge Day in After 25 years, awareness about the importance of this body of Vancouver, with upwards of 1,000 attendees. water and the role it plays in our way of life has never been higher. For me, this recognition is truly gratifying. Having been involved • Witnessed a growing understanding of the risks and with GSA for 13 years, I’ve seen programs start, evolve and change. impacts of oil spills, coupled with recognition that our At GSA, we’ve learned from each initiative, but together – with you region’s current capacity to respond is limited. This is and alongside our communities – we have grown into a strong, only strengthening our resolve to oppose the proposed trusted, experienced and successful conservation organization. dramatic increase in bitumen tanker traffic. Today, we have a new generation of people speaking for the Strait • Worked with scientists, managers and a wide range – and we at GSA will too, thanks to your generosity and support. of professionals on solutions to contaminants in Thank you for the last 25 years, and we look forward to sharing the marine environment that impact at risk marine more with you in the years to come! mammals. ~ Christianne Wilhelmson • Created a network to help build a viable and healthy shoreline for Vancouver - 150 representative stakeholder organizations engaged. 25 YEAR25S YEARS #GeorgiaStrGeoGeororgiaStrStStrait25ait2aitait25 #GeorgiaStrGeoGeororgiaStrStStrait25ait2aitait25 GSA ANNUAL REPORT / 2014 / 2 Photos: Michael Wheatley (left), Chris Brownlee (right) TANKERS & SPILLS Let’s stop oil spills before they start his year, we have been squarely focused on protecting the Strait of Georgia from oil spills by ramping up advocacy for stronger Tprevention and response, and campaigning to stop the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and other new fossil fuel projects that would increase the risk of a spill. The high profile fuel spill in English Bay validated what GSA has been saying for years: we are not prepared to cope with even a relatively small spill of bunker fuel, let alone a catastrophic spill of diluted bitumen. On the positive side, the spill further invigorated public concern and created opportunities for us to continue effectively protecting vulnerable coastal communities from oil spills. OVER THE PAST YEAR, WE HAVE: • Contributed as intervenors in the for strengthened local spill response are a stark reminder of the places, National Energy Board’s Kinder planning. We also collaborated with environments and activities that are at Morgan review, working with an the City of Vancouver to put forward stake. expert research team to investigate a resolution that calls for additional to Save the Salish Sea by the capacity that Georgia Strait resources to assist local governments • Pledged launching our cross-border campaign municipalities have to prepare for and in strengthening their oil spill to stop new fossil fuel exports through respond to oil spills. We interviewed preparedness, and secure meaningful our shared coastal waters. With the emergency managers around the involvement in planning initiatives. Wilderness Committee and allies Strait, examined spill response plans, The City Council passed the motion south of the border, last summer we and learned lessons from US local unanimously and sent it forward to organized an epic and inspirational leaders who have spill experience. We the Lower Mainland Local Government rally at the Peace Arch. Over 600 also used our intervenor status to keep Association for endorsement. Americans and Canadians committed the GSA community informed about our Salish Sea Spill to work together to stop the Salish key developments in the review, and • Continued Map partnership with Raincoast Sea from becoming one of the world’s to speak out about the serious flaws in Conservation Foundation, using drift largest exporters of fossil fuels and, the NEB process. cards to map the path of a potential ultimately, from being transformed Courtaux Teddy Photo: • Surveyed 125 candidates on oil spill in the Salish Sea to highlight into a global gateway for climate Vancouver Island and the Sunshine the risks of an oil spill along the Kinder change. We now have 2,500 people Coast during the 2014 municipal Morgan tanker route. Last fall, we signed on to an action pledge, allowing election for their views on Kinder launched a new round of drift cards the cross-border community to stay Morgan and oil spill response, and at the pipeline crossing point in the connected, share stories and ideas, shared their positions with local lower Fraser River. We asked people and reach out to decision makers at voters. We secured commitments from to snap a ‘selfie’ to report where they critical moments. 10 newly-elected councillors to call had found a drift card. These photos 2 GSA ANNUAL REPORTGSA ANNUAL / 2014 /REPORT 3 / 2014 / 3 CLEAN MARINE BC all adopted the CMBC policy and are aiming to move from enrollment to certification. • Continued our membership in the Pacific Oil Spill Prevention Education Team (POSPET), a working group of the Pacific States - British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force. POSPET has a mandate to certify environmentally sound marinas and clean harbour authorities, and to collaborate on industry best practices and small fuel spill prevention. • Spread the word on environmental best practices to marinas and his year, our Clean Marine BC (CMBC) green boating and marina eco-certification boatyards through distribution of our Tprogram continued its incredible growth. We focused on having a strong green practical and informative Marina Best boating presence at boat shows and community events, and saw sound boating practices Practices Handbook, which provides being adopted by thousands of boaters in the region. A growing number of marinas, yacht support and advice to certified clubs, boatyards and harbour authorities embraced the program’s environmental best members and other boating facilities. practices, contributing to the protection of our cruising waters for future generations. • Promoted the green boating ethic to OVER THE PAST YEAR, WE HAVE: thousands of boaters, including those at the Vancouver International Boat • Expanded the number of members in our voluntary eco-certification program to 26 Show where we had a booth. We also (10 certified and 16 enrolled for certification), representing 32 marinas, government engaged in conversations on social wharfs, boatyards, and yacht clubs. Okeover Harbour Authority is the latest to media, we were called on for media be flying the CMBC flag, having passed their site verification audit in March 2015. interviews, and published articles in Crescent Beach Marina, Stones Boatyard, and the West Vancouver Yacht Club have Pacific Yachting and SunCruiser West Coast Boating Guide. Photo: Photo: Michelle Young 3 GSA ANNUAL REPORTGSA ANNUAL / 2014 /REPORT 4 / 2014 / 4 Photo: Ryan Butler WATERFRONT INITIATIVE t was a big year for the Waterfront Initiative. We celebrated our iconic waterfront, Idefined