2010 Eagle Point - Blue Rapids Parks Council Year-in-Review

The past year has proved to be very exciting for the Eagle Point – Blue Rapids Parks Council as it moved substantially closer to achieving a number of its objectives. Early in 2010 the Parks Council demonstrated what was possible in public consultation when the organization asked the community for feedback on its preliminary draft Management Plan’s objectives and strategies. Responding to the initial feedback received, the Parks Council then released a number of facility concept plans in June; with the entire draft Management Plan being released to all Albertans on July 22, 2010. Public Consultation on the draft Management Plan wrapped up on September 30, 2010 and the formal approval to submit the plan into the Alberta Government came on December 6, 2010 in a motion moved by the Town of Drayton Valley and seconded by Brazeau County.

The Parks Council also partnered with the Push to Open Nature Society and co-hosted the first annual Parkland Adaptive Challenge. Participants traveled from all across Alberta to enjoy the wonderful amenities that our Park System has to offer and expressed gratitude to many of the local businesses, participants, volunteers and Parks Council members who made this event memorable. The Push to Open Nature Society promotes teamwork, creativity, and adaptation to break down barriers so everyone can connect to nature, participate in outdoor recreation, and just belong; more information and event photos can be seen on the Parks Council’s Facebook page.

This year also saw a number of changes on the Parks Council’s Board of Directors. Jolene Shannon resigned as Treasurer to accept a fulltime position with Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation. Jeff Wardlow (Evergreen Shooting Club) rejoined the Parks Council and accepted the position of Treasurer. Other notable board resignations included Dean Shular (Town of Drayton Valley), Les Forsyth (Alberta Parks), Robert Kitching and Pat Vos (Brazeau County), John Mulligan (Eagle Point Park Trails Association), Jody Seely (Association of Adjacent Landowners) and Rob Pettifer (ARC Resources). As volunteers their continued input and dedication to our organization will undoubtedly be missed. New board appointments included Corey Pebbles (Town of Drayton Valley), Tom Sutherland (Alberta Parks), Shirley Mahan and Kara Westerlund (Brazeau County), Alex Blais (Eagle Point Park Trails Association), Tammy Orban (Association of Adjacent Landowners) and David Elmer (ARC Resources).

In 2010 our administrative team was enhanced when Kerri Widenmaier joined our organization as our Science and Reclamation Coordinator. She was assisted over the summer by Andy Whitman, our Summer Environmental Field Technician. Christine Cripps-Woods also joined our summer staff as our inaugural Parks Watch Coordinator and our organization also said a tearful good-bye to our Office Administrator, Marcella Kidwell in October. It wasn’t long before we realized we needed to fill the void Marcela had left in and we welcomed Susan Hogan as our part-time Administrative Assistant in November.

Looking forward, 2011 is evolving into a very busy year. With the submission of the draft Management Plan into Government of Alberta; the Parks Council will be focusing on establishing a larger presence within the Park System and will begin improving a number of existing recreational facilities. Preparations are already underway for the 2011 Push to Open Nature Initiative and the continuation of our Parks Watch Program. The Parks Council will also be in a number of local schools over the winter months engaging the community’s youth various educational programming initiatives.