Vancouver Island, July 18, 2007 – The Honourable Iona Campagnolo, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, has presented the 2007 Forest Stewardship Recognition Program Award to Warren Cook and his son, Bruce Cook, of Bowser, B.C. The forest stewardship award, which recognizes outstanding stewardship in Canada’s forests, has been presented to the Cooks to honour their exceptional commitment to habitat protection.

“The forest stewardship award is a national awards program that promotes stewardship and biodiversity conservation,” said David Brackett, President of Wildlife Habitat Canada. “The Cook family has established a legacy of habitat protection, thanks to the dedication of Warren and Bruce Cook.”

The Cooks operate a selective logging and aquaculture business on the family’s 86-hectare oceanfront property on Vancouver Island. Five generations of Cooks have lived on the property, and the family has a strong tradition of stewardship. Over the years, the Cooks have supported various conservation projects and fisheries research. In the mid-1990s, the side channel pond to Chef Creek was constructed. The Chef Creek restoration project has been a great success, resulting in more than 5,000 square meters of new spawning and fish-rearing habitat in a forest environment. These habitat improvements have also contributed to healthy local waterfowl and amphibian populations.

Winners of the FSRP award receive a limited edition print of a painting entitled New Morning, by British Columbia artist Don Li-Leger. Wildlife Habitat Canada commissioned the painting to symbolize the forest stewardship award. The founding partners of the Forest Stewardship Recognition Program are Wildlife Habitat Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the Canadian Forest Service and the Forest Products Association of Canada.

Wildlife Habitat Canada is a non-governmental conservation organization, founded in 1984, that has become one of Canada’s leading advocates of stewardship. Since 1985, WHC and Environment Canada have been partners in the Canadian Wildlife Habitat Conservation Stamp and Print Program. The conservation stamp is required to validate the Migratory Game Bird Hunting Permit, but it is also sold to collectors. More than $32 million has been raised for habitat conservation initiatives in Canada through this successful partnership program.

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Lynn McIntyre,
Director of Stewardship Programs
Wildlife Habitat Canada
800-669-7919 ext. 234