The Friends of Caren will hold a public meeting June 10 in Madeira Park to discuss a new Jervis Inlet national park reserve or bio-reserve.
In 2010 Canada signed the Convention on Biological Diversity, making a commitment to conserve at least 17 per cent of Canada’s land resources and 10 per cent of our marine and coastal areas by the year 2020. The signing took place in Aichi, a town in Japan. These commitments are known as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Ottawa is inviting proposals for candidate marine and terrestrial areas to meet these targets.
In May 2012 Joe Harrison and Paul Jones, members of Friends of Caren, made a proposal at the Sechelt biodiversity meetings in Sechelt to conserve 3,000 square kilometres of land and marine areas as a new park reserve similar to the Haida Gwaii National Park Reserve.
At the June 11, 2016 gathering in Madeira Park to discuss the new Jervis park, a committee was formed and arrangements made to begin studies and set up funds to steer the park into being. Early this year preliminary discussions were held with MP Pam Goldsmith-Jones in respect to the Aichi targets.
Several other national park proposals have been put forward to Ottawa, including the Southern Strait of Georgia and Gambier and Bowen islands in Howe Sound.
The Jervis proposal received the blessing of the Sechelt Elders in 2012 with some small revisions of the boundaries to include sacred areas of Jervis and other inlets included in outstanding shíshálh First Nation land claims.
June 10 has been set aside to discuss the Jervis proposal for national park status or as a bio-reserve.
The public is invited to this Friends of Caren initiative at the Pender Harbour School of Music, June 10 between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Volunteers are needed to draft a new proposal for Ottawa. Please bring a potluck item to the meeting.
– Submitted
