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Whistler’s environmental advocacy group — the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment — has lost some teeth and is foundering as it heads into the new millennium.

Whistler’s environmental advocacy group — the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment — has lost some teeth and is foundering as it heads into the new millennium.

The future of the organization will likely be determined at the annual general meeting Thursday, Jan. 20 when members vote for a new president and executive. Current president Stephane Perron will not be standing for re-election. Neither will any of the executive. Perron, who will stay on as a director, said AWARE is at a turning point and it would be sad if the group were to collapse.

“It would be a loss if, through lack of community involvement, AWARE had to fold. It has taken a long time to get to this point. We have asked ourselves if there is still a need for AWARE and the answer is yes. If we lost the organization we would lose a watchdog. There would be a lot of things in the community no one would speak to.”

Perron said some Whistlerites prefer to maintain an independent voice on environmental issues, like the Stoltmann. “But we definitely can speak louder as a group.”

He said it is becoming clear new leadership is not going to come from within the organization. “We need someone from the outside. I think it is time for some new blood to come in. I have had some weak points in my term as president... as far as raising funds and so on. Perhaps someone may be able to do a better job in that way.”

Perron said environmental issues haven’t gone away and there are people in the community who could do the job. “There just seems to be this perception in the community that AWARE is fine and doing great and everybody is happy we are there and they haven’t felt a need to get involved.”

AWARE was founded 11 years ago when Michele Bush placed a notice in the paper inviting interested Whistlerites to meet at Citta’s to discuss recycling for the community. It sowed the seed that gave birth to the organization. Although recycling and waste management remained a strong focus for AWARE, the scope of the organization expanded to include environmental education, habitat protection and forestry issues. A key strategy was to see a sense of environmental responsibility instilled in Whistler’s municipal organization.

That battle has, in a sense, been won. The municipality has drafted an ambitious environmental strategy that will serve as a backdrop against which to weigh up all future development decisions. That strategy is designed to mesh with other comprehensive municipal plans, including the Transportation Strategy and the long-term financial plan.

Although the proof will be in the implementation of the strategy, which could take several years, Perron concedes it has taken the teeth out of that fight.

“Maybe now it’s more about working with the municipality,” said Perron. “Our present administrator and mayor and council have definitely been more open minded to the environmental issues and have more of an appreciation of the important role environmental stewardship plays in the future of this resort.”

Perron attributes this shift, in part, to AWARE’s past president Ken Melamed now serving his second term on council.

“People might perceive there is less of role for AWARE now because the municipality is doing a better job than it did before.”

For example, said Perron, AWARE has routinely objected to BC Rail applications to spray pesticide along the tracks running through the resort. For the first time, at the prodding of Melamed, the municipality is starting to respond to those applications.

“BC Rail has been applying for permits for years. Who would have spoken for the community if AWARE hadn’t been there? Now the municipality is doing that. This year is the first time we had something come out of the municipality from the engineering department. It was an excellent letter — better than anything we could ever have come up with. The municipality has the muscle and the expertise. They can hire consultants to back them. We don’t have that power,” said Perron. “We reviewed their response. It is very solid and we will now take the stance of supporting the municipality.”

Perron said Whistler Animals Galore experienced a similar lack of direction when the municipality took over the responsibility for the dog pound. “WAG was basically the dog pound and the muni took over that role and WAG pretty much disappeared off the map. But now they have new blood and new direction,” said Perron.

Whistler’s new naturalist group has also knocked some of the stuffing out of the environmental organization. The naturalist society, launched in November last year, has a mandate to increase local knowledge and appreciation of fauna, flora, geology, geomorphology, glaciology and limnology in the Whistler area. The society will also support studies on specific areas of scientific interest, such as local biology and ecology. Two of its founding members — Max Gotz and Michael Thompson — have traditionally played key roles in AWARE. Gotz took over the presidency on Melamed’s departure in 1996.

AWARE has traditionally been both an environmental and an advocacy group. “We wore two hats. We did the birdwalks. We brought in speakers and held slide shows on birds and plants. Now with the naturalist club forming we are left to focus on being strictly an advocacy group,” said Perron.

Whistler Naturalist Society president Bob Brett said when the second group was formed that members would share interests with AWARE but not function in an advocacy capacity.

“While local environment and natural history will be a focus the goal is not to compete with AWARE,” said Brett.

“They didn’t want to make AWARE obsolete,” said Perron. “We talked about it and we figured there wasn’t really a risk as long as AWARE remained solid because there are a lot of things the naturalist club won’t touch that AWARE will.”

In addition to new direction AWARE needs to do some administrative housekeeping. When the group was formed membership reached around the 100 mark. Now there are about 50 members and the $10 membership rate hasn’t changed for 11 years. Fund-raising has become a weak point in the organization. Several years ago AWARE was in a position to afford an executive secretary but that paid position has since been axed due to lack of funds.

The organization still has an office, resource library and computer in the old museum building in the Function Junction area but it is costing the group around $1,700 annually. The group receives about $4,000 from the municipality in the form of a grant-in-aid. Otherwise funds are raised through the sale of bird boxes, posters and collections from donations jars. The jars bring in around $200 per month.

“My biggest concern right now is keeping house... the administrative side of things,” said Perron. The group needs volunteers at two levels, he said. AWARE needs help running the organization and help for projects and advocacy work.

“It’s hard to be an advocacy group it you haven’t laid the administrative foundation,” said Perron.

“This is a particularly tough year. I am looking to this AGM and I am hoping to reach out to the community. We need a new executive and new directors. We need administrative help. It would take a long time to rebuild a similar organization if AWARE were to fold,” said Perron.

“Maybe people are intimidated thinking it is a huge commitment to be involved but they have to get over that. We are all there to learn. We are green not only in the environmental sense, we are learning as we go. It’s fun. None of us are experts... just concerned people.”

The AGM kicks off at 7:30 p.m. in the Millar Room at the Myrtle Philip Community Centre.