July 20, 2016
METRO VANCOUVER LEVERAGES LEGACY GIFT FOR REGIONAL PARK IMPROVEMENTS
PACIFIC PARKLANDS FOUNDATION AWARDS FIVE GRANTS TO VOLUNTEER PARK ASSOCIATIONS

Metro Vancouver launches the George Ross Legacy Stewardship Program, a funding program created to support hands‐on citizen stewardship projects by park partners in Metro Vancouver Regional Parks. Administered by the Pacific Parklands Foundation, a registered charity that raises funds to support Metro Vancouver’s Regional Parks, the program is funded by the interest from a generous endowment created by George Ross. George Ross, a park lover and long-time resident of Burnaby, passed away in 2012 and left a bequest of $2.8 million dollars to fund stewardship activities in Metro Vancouver Regional Parks.

“Mr. Ross was a true visionary for our parks and, by leaving a gift in his will to Metro Vancouver Regional Parks, he created a timeless legacy for our regional park system,” said David Pohl, President of the Pacific Parklands Foundation. “His generosity will have a ripple effect throughout our park system for generations to come, allowing us to provide volunteer associations with the financial support they need to help protect and preserve our regional parks.”

The grants range from $3,000 to $10,000, and total more than $30,000 from the newly established George Ross Legacy Grant Fund for volunteer-led stewardship activities in the regional parks such as restoring ecosystems and planting native species.
“Metro Vancouver applauds the integral role of the Pacific Parklands Foundation in administering the George Ross Legacy Stewardship Program, and the extraordinary contributions to enhance our regional parks made by Regional Park Associations,” said Heather Deal, Chair of Metro Vancouver’s Regional Parks Committee. “These dedicated groups of volunteers work hard, year in and year out, quietly undertaking the work of enhancing our regional parks for the benefit of everyone.”

In the 2016 inaugural grant cycle, five Regional Park Associations were awarded grants:

• Burnaby Lake Park Association: North Avalon Restoration ($4,000)
• Campbell Valley Equestrian Society: Northwest Perimeter Trail Buffer Planting ($3,500)
• Campbell Valley Park Association: Perimeter Trail Wetland Phase 2 Planting ($10,000)
• Colony Farm Park Association: Sheep Paddock Riparian Planting ($3,000)
• Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership Society: Kanaka Creek Watershed Stewardship Centre Phase 3 Constructed Wetland Planting ($10,000)

See full press release here.