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AWARE president stepping down

Stephane Perron looks back on a successful three years and forward to the challenges ahead The Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment will be having their annual general meeting in January, and according to president Stephane Perr

Stephane Perron looks back on a successful three years and forward to the challenges ahead

The Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment will be having their annual general meeting in January, and according to president Stephane Perron, there is much to discuss – past successes, current campaigns, the future of Whistler, and, sadly, his own replacement.

For the past three years, Perron has donated his time and energy to serve as president of AWARE, helping to lead the organization through ups and downs. Now, about to become a father in March, Perron doubts whether he will have as much time or energy to spare.

"I understand that things change quite a bit," he says. "It’s a whole new experience for me."

Perron feels he is leaving the presidency on a high note and that AWARE has accomplished a great deal since its last AGM, gaining recognition from industry and government as a strong voice for the environment in Whistler and the region as a whole.

Beginning with a strategic planning session in January, a first for the organization, AWARE divided its responsibilities into two key areas that it refers to as the Wilderness Backyard and the Whistler Valley Bottom.

"More people recognize Whistler as a line of wilderness, or a line of extinction for certain species," says Perron. "When you look South, a lot of species are in trouble; look North and those same species are still healthy."

In their backyard, AWARE was outspoken in its objections to logging in the Elaho Valley and in its support for the proposed Stoltmann National Park. The organization has also became involved with the Lillooet Land Resource Management Plan, which is nearing completion. As the so-called line of extinction for the grizzly bear, AWARE is committed to keeping key habitat areas in the LRMP intact.

AWARE also helped to convince the Squamish district forest manager to withhold approval for controversial cutblocks and a logging road to the back of the Elaho Valley through a petition and a letter writing campaign.

AWARE has received letters of support for these initiatives from organizations like the Chateau Whistler and Intrawest chairman Joe Houssian – "people who know that the success of the resort relies on visitors knowing that wild places and things are still out there."

In the Whistler Valley Bottom area, much closer to home, AWARE, has been outspoken in its defence of wetlands and green areas.

Over the past year AWARE was part of the municipality’s successful bid to secure protected status for the Emerald Forest. AWARE also spoke out against developments in the Millar Creek and Alpha Lake wetlands and in the Spruce Forest (kitty corner to the health care centre).

In the future, Perron feels a centralized compost program for the village is a priority, as well as programs to preserve wetlands and connect green space in the valley. He is concerned about development plans on a lot of RR1 properties and the proliferation of monster homes, and he believes backcountry recreation is going to be a hot issue in the near future.

"Five years ago, nobody would have thought that snowmobiles in the backcountry would become an issue, and now we have to think about what effect this is going to have on these watersheds," he says. "It’s always changing and someone has to be on top of things."

Perron first joined AWARE in 1994, concerned with the development of Nicklaus North Golf Course and residential development across the highway from his home in Alpine Meadows. "I was looking at it every day," he says. "I still have my objections when I think of what used to be there."

A friend took him birding in the area once and Perron says he was amazed by the variety and rarity of species they came across on a short walk. "Like bright yellow birds that you would only expect to see in the tropics somewhere. I wondered how I could walk the earth this whole time without seeing this stuff.

"A few years later all these bushes, which I once would have considered scrub, were being plowed under."

Concerned by the loss of habitat across the road, Perron hooked up with Ken Melamed and Max Goetz, who brought him into AWARE.

AWARE was well known for helping to establish a recycling program in the village and was slowly gaining recognition as an environmental advocacy group. Perron became more and more involved in the organization over the years, eventually becoming president.

While the golf course and surrounding developments went on as planned during this period, Perron says that the municipality and AWARE did manage to win a few concessions in respect to area wetlands and riparian zones around the River of Golden Dreams.

"Hugh O’Reilly was a green force in council in those days, and AWARE helped to revise the plan," says Perron. "We’re still not happy with it, but it’s better than it might have been."

But for all the progress AWARE has made, at times the group has been close to shutting down. As president, Perron’s first priority was to get AWARE more organized.

"It was hard to move ahead on issues. We lost a few key people, there wasn’t a treasurer or a membership system, there were no assigned responsibilities. My feeling was that people would rather be a part of a group that was organized."

Dedicated members stepped up to the challenge and media coverage helped to get the word out to the community that there were key environmental issues to consider, and that AWARE was a voice for these issues. There was a record turnout at the last AGM, and a recent membership campaign produced modest results.

From an organizational point of view, Perron thinks AWARE is the strongest it has ever been. The group is currently participating in the municipality’s environmental strategy and, very recently, became a member of One Whistler. One Whistler is a visionary group comprised of Tourism Whistler, the municipality, Whistler-Blackcomb, the RCMP, and various hotel and business representatives.

"That was a huge vote of confidence for us," says Perron. "We’re used to butting heads with government and industry, and now I feel like we’re at the birth of a new era of co-operation where industry and government want to talk to us.

"It’s not that we’re in bed with them, it just happened that government and industry have realized that it’s good business to look after the environment. AWARE will still be there to bark and bite if we feel things are getting out of line, but the co-operation has mostly been positive."

While he may be stepping down as president, Perron plans to remain involved wherever possible as a director.

"As president I was doing things on an administrative level. As a director, you have more freedom to concentrate on a few key projects and see them through. There is no shortage of ideas."

In the coming year, Perron would like to see membership and funding increase, and more Whistlerites involved.

"People for the most part are very aware of what’s going on, and that’s why I’m sometimes disappointed in how that’s reflected in our membership. I think if you asked these people directly, most would tell you that they would like to do something to help.

"There are those who just want to add their voice to ours – some people can’t get involved because they don’t have the time, but they have to realize that by just being a member and paying dues, they give us more clout. Then there are those who want to be actively involved. We need those people to step forward."

While having a baby may mean less time for AWARE, Perron says it has only hardened his resolve to act on behalf of the environment.

"As a father to be, it’s becoming more and more about saving what we have for future generations."

AWARE will be announcing the date and location of their annual general meeting once it has confirmed a guest speaker.