Recipients of 2015 BC Parks Volunteer Awards announced

The recipients of the 2015 BC Parks Volunteer Awards have been announced by the provincial government.

The volunteer of the year award goes to Genevieve Singleton, a biologist who has been volunteering with parks in the Cowichan-area for more than 35 years, contributing more than 300 hours per year. Her work has included acting as a nature interpreter at Goldstream Provincial Park, installing nest boxes in the Cowichan Valley, and helping to remove invasive species in Cowichan River Provincial Park.

The award for volunteer group of the year will go to Friends of Cypress Provincial Park (FCPP). The organization has long been a driving force behind the protection and stewardship of Cypress Provincial Park. In recent years, members of FCPP have spent hundreds of hours on conservation-related work, including native and invasive plant inventory, invasive plant removal, raising awareness of park values and invasive plants, and advocating for strong environmental management in the park.

The volunteer legacy award will be given to the late Tim Jones, who saved more than 1,600 lives, including many park visitors. Over the course of his volunteer service, Jones led the North Shore Search and Rescue team on countless searches in Cypress and Mount Seymour provincial parks.

Jones was an outspoken advocate on the importance of backcountry preparedness and safety, and was regularly in the media promoting such safety tips. In January 2014, Jones died from cardiac arrest while hiking in Mount Seymour Provincial Park.

The community partner of the year award will be given to the Camping and RVing British Columbia Coalition (CRVBCC), a non-profit group raising awareness about the wide range of camping and RV experiences available in B.C.

The coalition helps enhance visitor experiences by allowing visitors to easily search, plan and book their camping or RV trip in B.C. Through social media, newsletters and mail campaigns, the support of the Coalition has been essential in helping promote BC Parks events, Discover Camping and other BC Parks projects to the public.

Finally, the park operator of the year recipient for 2015 is Marnee Allison, a dedicated worker who has spent more than a decade spreading her enthusiasm and love of the outdoors to the public. Allison has worked in several provincial parks in the northern region of the province, including her current efforts at Boya Lake Provincial Park.

From creating and developing wildflower posters to helping visitors identify plants found around Boya Lake, to hosting and developing a variety of interpretative programs for visitors to enjoy, Allison is passionate about parks regularly goes above and beyond.