BBQ and EGM Recap
Members enjoy the BBQ meal after the EGM. Photo by Justine Apostolopoulos.
On Sunday, September 27th, the Conservancy held an All Members BBQ and Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM). It was lovely to see so many friendly faces turn out for the event to enjoy the good weather, good food, and good company. The staff wanted to express our appreciation for the support our volunteers and members provide throughout the year, and we had fun working together to pull it off. There were door prizes! As well as burgers, dogs and delicious homemade salads contributed by the staff and… let us not forget to mention the cake! An incredible, jaw-dropping, fall-themed cake was provided by Ivana Percival. I say “jaw-dropping” because it was not only beautiful, but its towering, triple-layer construction required us all to unhinge our jaws to fit it in. The cake really capped off the celebratory energy of the event. Thanks, Ivana, for treating us all with your beautifully baked confection.
We took the opportunity to recognize our outstanding volunteers who have contributed so much over the past year. Did you know that over 80 people volunteered for the Conservancy during the past year? The total number of hours contributed goes well beyond the 400+ hours we documented for our restoration and shoreline care programs alone. There are a number of dedicated volunteers who consistently show up to support our restoration efforts, and Brock John and Thijs van Domburg went above and beyond by contributing over 40 and 28 hours, respectively.
Another place where volunteerism really stood out is in support of our Light Trap Monitoring program. This citizen science project collects important information about the abundance and dispersal of juvenile Dungeness crabs, called megalopae. We collaborate with the Hakai institute to carry out this project, and the volunteer efforts contribute to important regional insights on the population status and trends for an otherwise poorly understood, yet critical stage in the Dungeness crab lifecycle. Sam Hillier, Jenn Cassidy, and their kids Rose and Fern, as well as Jackie Henry and her kids Jasper and Danica have been all-stars in supporting these efforts.
Our board members are often unsung heroes of the organization, and we were glad to be able to recognize all the time and energy they devote to our mission. We also recognized the contributions of incredible committee members, as well as individuals who serve in roles that represent major contributions to our work like Lisa Siddons, who edits the Oystercatcher, and Bill Maylone, who edits our Mayneliner contributions. There are many volunteers who contribute in so many ways behind the scenes, and we greatly appreciate each and every one of you and all that you do. If we tracked and added up the hours spent by these dedicated individuals, I’m sure the sum would cause our jaws to drop yet again.
The BBQ also served as a reward for us taking care of an important piece of organizational business during the extraordinary meeting held just before the BBQ started. As part of this meeting, we passed a special resolution to modify our Constitution. The purpose was to adopt revised language for the charitable purposes of the organization that will be registered with the province and CRA. These changes align with the mission and values we have always held, and the modifications are intended to express our purposes in ways that better meet compliance requirements specified by the CRA. I’m happy to report that the special resolution passed with unanimous support.
All in all, the All Members BBQ and Extraordinary General Meeting was a great success. Thanks to all who joined us for the celebration!
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