Garry Merkel joined ORCBC’s February webinar to talk about BC’s paradigm shift and explain what the changes may mean for recreation. His basic message: “This model that we’re working with is unsustainable in the long term and we’re leaving our kids a really ugly mess to clean up.”

The provincial government says it wants to make a few small changes to align the Land Act with the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. The opposition parties and the media suggest it is quietly changing public access to the land and giving First Nations veto power. Learn more about what the proposed changes are and aren’t.

During the Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C.’s January webinar titled Reconciliation and recreation: Indigenous perspectives. Roxanne Joe and Saya Masso discussed how recreation groups can work with First Nations and be their allies in reconciliation. The main message: it’s a relationship-building process that begins and ends with listening.

The Outdoor Recreation Council of BC (ORCBC) welcomes the BC Government’s commitment to a new approach to managing forest, land and water resources and ensuring they are healthy and resilient for future generations, and outlines concerns and recommendations.

While the snow and more seasonal temperatures are helping us to finally embrace the winter season, it’s not too early to start planning your camping adventures. The BC Parks campsite reservation system is open with a four-month rolling booking window, which means reservations are open for early May.

In recent years, the provincial government has rolled out a bewildering alphabet soup of agreements, frameworks and policies: land, water and marine planning, cumulative effects assessments, old growth reviews, managing for ecosystem health, biodiversity commitments, tripartite cooperation, conservation finance, plus so many acronyms (UNDRIP, MLUP, IPCAs, FRPA). It’s all part of a dramatic shift in how lands and waters are managed in B.C.

“Critical lack of volunteers…” “Not-for-profit struggling to recruit…” “Fewer people giving money and time.” It’s a trend mirrored by what the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC hears from many of its members. It’s why we hosted a webinar in December focused on recruiting and retaining volunteers. But the webinar’s three panellists had an alternative take on the crisis.

Volunteers are the heart of outdoor recreation. Most non-profits couldn’t function without them. To help the outdoor recreation sector tackle the volunteer crisis ORCBC hosted a webinar focused on recruiting and engaging volunteers. Here are our key takeaways.