NMCA Newsletter, summer 2014, VICCS
THE COAST, SHORES & ESTUARIES OF THE SOUTHERN GULF ISLANDS
Economic Diversity & Sustainability = A Southern Strait of Georgia National Marine Conservation Area
Rich & resilient coastal communities …ours for the asking!
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Announced in 2002 a National Marine Conservation Area for the Strait of Georgia has been underway since 1995.
Talks, then studies …then 2011 boundaries announced by federal & provincial Ministers. All greeted with patience and enthusiasm.
But, twenty years of waiting …and still no Reserve? VICCS has written a friendly reminder, and invites you to send a letter too…
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August 2014
Dear Premier & Prime Minister,
It’s time to honour your promise, and declare the Southern Strait of Georgia National Marine Conservation Area. Please.
Canada would benefit from rich habitat and revitalized fisheries, and British Columbia, the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island would see healthy coastal communities take shape and prosper.
This is the best time and our best chance to build strong, healthy coastal communities. Let’s be leaders, nurture ocean biodiversity and habitat protection, and foster sustainable development.
An exceptional place and an ecological jewel, the Southern Strait of Georgia is a complex archipelago – part of a marine food chain that was once so prolific you could walk across water, “…on the backs of salmon.” – Merv Wilkinson
The saltmarsh wetlands, tidal pools and coves of the Islands and Pacific flyway offer food and sanctuary. And the recreation and educational opportunities make our coasts and shores more than the sum of their economic, social and ecological parts.
Rich in promise, with bays and waters diverse and alive, the southern Strait of Georgia, the Salish Sea, speaks of Canada’s beginnings, wonder and discovery.
As a gift to our common future a National Marine Conservation Area offers a practical and proven world-class sustainability and development model that respects nature, and benefits us all.
Sincerely yours,
…VICCS!
AN OPEN LETTER FROM THE VANCOUVER ISLAND & COAST CONSERVATION SOCIETY
P.O. Box 333
Cedar, B.C., V9X 1W1
www.viccs@vcn.bc.ca
<viccs@vcn.bc.ca>
SUMMER 2014