HIGHLIGHTS OF FORED BC

Who We Are and What We Do:

Established in 1925, FORED BC SOCIETY is a non-profit society that engages citizens, communities and volunteers in activities and choices that protect, conserve, rehabilitate, enhance the environment and promote sustainability. At the same time, FORED helps communities understand the cultural and economic values of the natural environment and the wildlife therein. Through its community sustainability programs offering education, resources, tools and best practices templates, FORED aims to educate the public about the cultural and historic role of forests and other natural environments in BC, including, without limitation, the relationship of First Nations to the environmental legacy of BC. Through this work, the society builds citizenship skills for responsible, active participation in environmental decisions to secure the optimal balance of social, economic and environmental benefits.

Program Descriptions:

• As part of FORED’s AHEAD program (Aboriginal Heritage, Education & Dialogue), FORED works with its volunteer partner, the Aboriginal Forest Industries Council, and other first nations volunteers from all over BC, federal & provincial governments, business leaders & associations, delivering capacity building workshops on building sustainable forest-based businesses. Topics include non-timber forest products, cultural exports, elder mentorship to band members, and how to engage aboriginal youth in these new market opportunities. As a result of this partnership, FORED now reaches approximately 150 First Nations Bands and is actively involved with about 60 bands annually. AHEAD
• FORED’s most popular resource, Landscapes magazine, continues to receive numerous unsolicited accolades from communities throughout BC and beyond. Many readers also download the magazine from our website, adapting its best practices for their own sustainability goals. With website download and direct mail in BC, Landscapes enjoys global circulation of about 420,000 annually. Reader comments excerpted from page 2 of magazine:
1. “ Just saw my first issue of your magazine. Unfortunately, so did some of my colleagues. Now they won’t let me have it. I enjoyed the articles (those I got to read). To fully enjoy your magazine, I would appreciate my own copy. Thank you.” - Mark Backmeyer, Kamloops, BC
2. “ We find Landscapes magazine very helpful & a great addition to our resource area.” - Joanne Norman, Admin. Mgr., Fraser River Discovery Centre, New Westminster BC
3. “ I wanted to compliment you on your Landscapes Magazine. It is beautiful, well-written with interesting stories & great photos. Well done.” - Carolyn Mitchell, Fire Information Officer, Ministry of Forests, S.E. Fire Centre, Nakusp, BC
• FORED BC website http://www.landscapesmag.com with downloadable resources, tools, best practices models for communities. Our website alone enjoys 35,000 users per month from BC and North America.

Youth Engaging Sustainability (YES) program. The YES program’s youth forums, workshops, surveys and activity kits, provide BC youth with the means to identify environmental risks to health & quality of life in their communities & the media tools to bring their findings to the broader community audience, resulting in positive change. Through YES participation, youths acquire hands-on experience in constructive community action, increase their selfesteem and gain valuable media relations & communications skills. Youths also gain community volunteer credentials for their future career goals. Youth survey feedback is profiled in our magazine Landscapes and used in development of new YES community kits.
• Our resource packages, part of our SCAN program, Sustainable Communities & Neighbourhoods, are being used by many communities throughout BC, from Kelowna to Victoria. The Ministry of Education has officially “recommended” our aboriginal culture package entitled: Exploring Aboriginal Culture: Then and Now: as a suitable learning tool for all BC youths taking Social Studies 11. Each year, approximately 43,000 youths take Social Studies 11. FORED volunteers & staff are completing the FIRE Education (FIRE ED) component of SCAN for youths and community leaders throughout BC. The resource will provide practical recommendations and processes to safeguard homes & towns from future forest fires. Communities with similar risks as 2003 fires (i.e. Kelowna, Barriere) will be the first beneficiaries. FIRE ED will be pilot tested in 2005 and uploaded as a best practices template or community model in early 2006.
• FORED manages two environmental protection crews from May - September for our BC Ministry of Forests. These crews fight forest fires and conduct environmental rehabilitation projects.
• For over 50 years, FORED has coordinated the National Forest week poster contest for BC communities in May, working with governments, business & associations to highlight forest sustainability’s importance to our landscape, economy, lifestyle & First Nations. FORED receives 100s of poster entries from BC youths for judging by volunteers. Three youth winners receive cheques of $50 each & Youth Engaging Sustainability (YES) kits.

Awards:

In addition to the hundreds of unsolicited testimonials we receive, (see from the Readers on page two of each copy of Landscapes magazine), both the magazine and website have won a total of five awards, including two international awards in the past three years:
• the “Best Association Magazine in Canada” award (July 2001) from the Canadian Society of
Association Executives.
• In July 2002, we received the Best Association Website award from the same group.
(scroll down to Communication Awards)
• In Aug. 2002 , Landscapes also captured “Best Webzine” , the prestigious and international Dalton Pen award in
conjunction with The International Association of Business Communicators. (scroll down to 15B Electronic Communications-Webzines)
• In Oct.2003, we captured the North American Association for Environmental Education’s (NAAEE)Outstanding Service to EE (Environmental Education) award, presented in Anchorage, Alaska.
• In June 2004, we were presented with the City of Vancouver Mayor’s Environmental Achievement Award, which recognizes FORED’s contribution to the protection, preservation and enhancement of our environment through its magazine Landscapes, website www.landscapesmag.com and sustainable development youth forums.

Partnerships

• EECOM-Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication- (FORED BC sits on EECOM’s national steering committee as a volunteer.)
• Spirit Bear Youth Coalition and its international membership. The young man who founded Spirit Bear Youth, Simon Jackson, chairs our FORED BC board of directors, along with a teacher, lawyer, entrepreneur, and environmental education professor.
• Eco-Canada: FORED sits on its national advisory committee to revise the Enviro-Careers multimedia compendium for youths, adults, unemployed, & employers across Canada. The group pays all expenses for meetings.
• Aboriginal Forest Industries Council (AFIC)-working with first nations volunteers, FORED presents workshops on capacity building and community sustainability.

FORED BC Funding

• FORED BC members are drawn from labour, educators, conservation groups, industry, governments, First Nations and individuals throughout North America, and as far east as Japan, that support our mission. Besides membership funding, we also receive interest from foundation endowments and proceeds from charitable gaming (bingo license). However, the majority (over 75%) of our funding is derived through our provincial grant to manage two environmental protection crews for our BC Ministry of Forests.
*CCRA BN/registration number is 10681-1912-RR0001
(Charitable Number with Revenue Canada-tax exempt status).