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Rivershed Society of British Columbia media release

November 19, 2003

Sustainable Living Leadership Program "like cramming a semester into three weeks".

COQUITLAM - Last summer, seven young leaders from different Fraser River Basin communities embarked on an extraordinary journey, travelling 1,200 km by raft, canoe and foot down the greatest salmon-river on Earth – the Fraser.

Kendall Antoine, Nathan Bennett, Megan Fitzgerald, Juanita Heron, Patrick Kaiser, Sheldon Ketlo and Brenda Shaughnessy took part in the Rivershed Society of British Columbia’s (RSBC) first Sustainable Living Leadership Program (SLLP).

At the trip’s conclusion, Brenda said, “It was definitely the trip of lifetime.” Patrick said he was “blown away with the Fraser’s diverse landscapes.” And Nathan added, “It was like cramming an entire university semester of learning into three weeks.”

This unique outdoor education program involves combining emerging and current community leaders with the concepts of sustainability, deep ecology, bioregionalism, voluntary simplicity, green-economies, team-building, stewardship and traditional aboriginal ecological knowledge as they relate to Fraser River Basin rivershed ecosystems.

Last summer, RSBC facilitators Fin Donnelly and Doug Radies met SLLP participants in Mount Robson Provincial Park. Twenty-three days later they arrived, by water, in Vancouver’s False Creek, having experienced pristine riversheds in the Upper Fraser, remote riversheds within the Fraser Canyon and highly urbanized riversheds in the Lower Fraser.

They explored, hiked, discussed, wrote, questioned, listened and absorbed much of what the Fraser had to offer. “We threw everything we could at these guys, and they kept coming back for more,” Donnelly said.

During week one, the participants practiced their leadership, communication and team-building skills, and were introduced to the landscape of the Upper Fraser and to local community groups, whose members are active in conservation and stewardship work.

Week two involved learning about the four pillars of sustainability: deep ecology, voluntary simplicity, bioregionalism and choices for sustainable living, as the participants rafted through the Fraser Canyon, the heart of the Fraser River Basin.

In the program’s final week, the participants learned about traditional aboriginal ecological knowledge, eco-economies, stewardship and how they might earn a living making a difference, as they left the canyon and traveled through some of the most urbanized riversheds in British Columbia.

The RSBC is looking for eight young leaders, 19 years or older, who have a passion for stewardship and a desire to live sustainably, for this year’s Sustainable Living Leadership Program July 24 to Aug. 15. Anyone interested in applying should contact Fin Donnelly, Executive Director at (604) 941-5937 or visit the RSBC’s web site www.rivershed.com.

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For more information:

Fin Donnelly, Executive Director
Rivershed Society of British Columbia
Phone (604) 941-5937 Fax (604) 664-1600
fin@rivershed.com   www.rivershed.com 

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