Would you like to spend 25 days exploring the Mighty Fraser this summer?
The Rivershed Society of BC is hosting its 14th annual Sustainable Living Leadership Program (SLLP) from July 19–August 13, 2017, and is seeking sustainability leaders who dream of starting, or who may already be working on, sustainability initiatives to apply for this once in a lifetime trip.
The educational program takes participants from the headwaters of the Fraser River near Mount Robson, to the shores of Vancouver, 1,400 kilometers downstream. You will travel by canoe, raft, shuttle van, and on foot, and will explore ‘off-the-beaten-track’ parts of BC, and learn about the geography, biology, and history of the landscape from skilled facilitators and guides.
Candice Ford, a 2016 SLLP participant living in Tatlayoko Lake who grew-up canoeing, hiking, cross-country skiing, and biking throughout the Fraser Basin, is working on a community sustainability project to help protect the Fraser Canyon Corridor and assist in the delivery of future RSBC leadership programs.
“Last summer’s SLLP Fraser River trip reignited my passion to help conserve and protect this lifeline of our province,” said Ford, who received a $1000 grant from RSBC for her SLLP project. “This generous contribution will help with the research, assessment, and mapping required to understand current land use and conservation patterns in the mid-section of the Fraser Canyon.”
Ford will be talking with a diverse cross-section of the community about their visions and concerns, exploring how both the conservation and economic values of the mid-section of the canyon can be sustained into the future.
Ford was part of a group of nine who took the SLLP trip in 2016. Other participants are working on projects that include eco-tourism, health care, tackling cigarette butt litter, watershed health and protection, recycling, compost, gardening, rainwater collection, and waste management education.
Team building, conflict resolution, communication, and critical thinking are important parts of the SLLP program. Throughout the journey, participants discuss sustainability issues, identify and build upon their own talents, and develop a formal plan for their sustainability projects.
To qualify, participants must be 19 years of age or older and physically fit. Community volunteer experience is an asset. The application deadline is April 30.
Get more information and register at http://www.rivershed.com.
