The Pacific Salmon Foundation announced the results of its annual Stewardship Bursary Program today and one of the winners is from Campbell River - Teagan Wardrop, who is currently attending Vancouver Island University.
“It’s important that young people get the support they need for a well-rounded educational experience, which is where our Stewardship Community Bursary program comes in,” said Dr. Brian Riddell, president and CEO of the Pacific Salmon Foundation.
The program provides cash awards to post-secondary students currently enrolled in their second year or later of a salmon conservation or aquatic stewardship program of study.
Applicants must demonstrate volunteer experience in environmental stewardship.
This was a banner year for its bursary program, with the foundation awarding a total of $19,000 to 14 post-secondary students in B.C. The number of students and total amount awarded was the largest in the program’s history.
Since 2005, the bursary program has awarded almost $88,000 to 67 students entering environmental fields.
“Volunteers are a critical component of salmon recovery in British Columbia,” added Riddell. “Often-times, student volunteers bring new science and conservation methods learned in the classroom to the programs they volunteer for outside the classroom.”
The bursaries are made possible through fundraising by the Pacific Salmon Foundation, including a major donation made in 2016 by TransCanada Corporation.
“We strive to support environmental initiatives that matter most to our local communities - so we are very pleased to support educational opportunities for students who display leadership in environmental stewardship in B.C.,” said Andrea Jalbert, vice president of environment, land and Indigenous relations at TransCanada. “Through the work of these dedicated students, TransCanada is proud to play a role in the protection of wild salmon habitat and is committed to collaborating with Pacific Salmon Foundation around the sustainability of this important resource.”
Donors can support student bursaries with tax-deductible donations to the Pacific Salmon Foundation on-line at psf.ca, by phone at (604) 664-7664, or by mail at 300-1682 West 7th Avenue, Vancouver B.C. V6J 4S6.
The Pacific Salmon Foundation was created in 1987 as an independent, non-governmental, charitable organization to protect, conserve and rebuild Pacific Salmon populations in British Columbia and the Yukon.
Visit www.psf.ca