Maple Ridge Pitt
Meadows Environmental Council (MRPMEC)
Environmental
organizations and stewardship groups in the Maple Ridge/Pitt
Meadows area exchange information and communicate the consensus
positions of the environmental community to government representatives
and civil servants as members of MRPMEC, which was formed
on November 28, 2005. Consensus position statements
are listed here.
MEMBERS
Adopt-A-Block
Alouette Field Naturalists
Alouette River Management Society (ARMS)
Blue Mountain Kanaka Creek Conservation Group
Campaign for Pesticide Reduction! Maple Ridge (CPR!MR)
CEED Centre Society
Haney Horsemen Association
Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership Society (KEEPS)
Pitt Polder Preservation Society
Residents for the Preservation of Thornhill
Silver Valley Neighbourhood Association
Thornhill Aquifer Protection Study (TAPS)
Most
MRPMEC communications take place via email and the group
site (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mrpmec/)
to avoid time-consuming meetings. We welcome eligible new
group members.
Maple Ridge Pitt
Meadows Environmental Council
Executive
Summary
MRPMEC
was created to enhance inter-organization cooperation and
help guide the process of rapid growth that Maple Ridge
and Pitt Meadows are expected to undergo over the next three
to five decades.
Overview
We
have an opportunity to make a good situation better. The
Districts of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows are at a critical
juncture in their development as they decide the policies
and practices that will shape their communities into the
distant future. We are lucky to have a diverse array of
people and organizations interested in taking an active
stewardship role in the environmental field. The present
opportunity is to use that diverse interest to make our
collective stewardship more effective.
MRPMEC is intended to reflect and utilize the diversity
of its constituent stakeholders to help guide the process
of rapid growth that Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows are expected
to undergo into the future.
Objectives
MRPMEC
has two main purposes. Its first function is to facilitate
the exchange of information among constituent groups. Each
organization prepares a monthly summary of its activities
and issues. This information is circulated to all members
as well as relevant municipal offices, public libraries
and institutes. The collected reports are published periodically
as a record of the Districts' environmental involvement
and initiatives. The reports include a directory of organizations
and spokespersons, serving as a tool to improve the inter-organizational
flow of information.
On the basis of this information, the constituent
groups and stakeholders coordinate activities, identify
areas of concern and set District-wide priorities.
The second purpose is to provide strong and consistent advice
on environmental issues on which consensus can be reached
in the Districts to all levels of government. The role of
the council is not to override the position of any one stakeholder
if opinions differ, but to serve as a vehicle for communicating
consensus positions. A secondary purpose will be to facilitate
informal feedback between stewardship groups and governments.
Benefits
Participation
in MRPMEC and monthly reporting provides the stakeholders
with information on other groups' activities to avoid scheduling
conflicts and duplication and to solicit assistance. We
hope that opportunities for collaboration will also increase.
The collected reports provide a comprehensive ongoing record
of environmental activities and collaboration in Maple Ridge
and Pitt Meadows that can be used in funding applications.
It may serve as a model for other jurisdictions.
The Council can also serve as a vehicle to quickly distribute
information and mobilize people on fast-moving issues. Governments
are able to efficiently collect opinions of the most active
stakeholders in the community on environmental issues.
The monthly summaries dispense with the need for frequent
meetings, making the Council very efficient.
Eligibility
Membership
on the Council is open to any organization or collective
entity involved in environmental activities, stewardship
of natural resources, or in the non-industrial use of natural
resources. Membership is limited to organizations and multi-person
entities, and does not extend to individuals.
Requirements
The
underlying philosophy is to achieve the objectives without
adding significantly to the stakeholders' administrative
burdens.
Each MRPMEC member provides a brief summary (one
page or less) of its activities in electronic format by
the first week of each month. The Council meets thrice annually
in person and corresponds via email. Additional meetings
may be held from time to time, but these are kept to a minimum.
Organization
and Procedures
MRPMEC
has a general assembly and a spokesperson. The general assembly
is open to all members of the constituent groups, but each
group is only entitled to a single vote and must designate
a single representative. The MRPMEC only publicizes issues
that have the absolute consensus of the general assembly,
which is solicited electronically.
The spokesperson is responsible for collating member
votes and communicating consensus positions to the public.
Christian Cowley, Executive Director of the
CEED Centre Society, is the current spokesperson.
Charter
Members
Adopt-A-Block
Alouette
Field Naturalists
Alouette
River Management Society
Blue
Mountain Kanaka Creek Conservation Group
CEED
Centre Society
Haney
Horsemen Association
Kanaka
Education and Environmental Partnership Society
Pitt
Polder Preservation Society
Residents
for the Preservation of Thornhill
Silver
Valley Neighbourhood Association
New
Members
Membership
on the Council is open to any organization or collective
entity involved in environmental activities, stewardship
of natural resources, or in the non-industrial use of natural
resources. Individuals must be a member of a constituent
group to be included in the email list. For more information
email the Spokesperson
or call 604-463-2229 during office hours (Monday to Wednesday,
10:00 am to 4:00 pm).
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