Collection AR447 - Elders Council for Parks in British Columbia / EKOS Communications video history collection

Collection consists of video history interviews with park pioneers, as well as some events, created by EKOS Communications in partnership with the Elders Council for Parks of British Columbia to commemorate the 100th anniversary of BC Parks in 2011.

The Elders Council is an independent society, whose members are retired parks system employees and conservation advocates who have dedicated a significant portion of their lives to parks and protected areas in BC. These interviews served as source material for the documentary BC Parks: Celebrating 100 Years of Recreation and Protection.

EKOS Communications first launched in 2005 as ekostv.com with the goal of creating Canada's first independent new media channel. ekostv was re-envisioned in 2007 as EKOS Communications, Inc. which providing environmental education and communication services. Clients included Parks Canada, BC Parks, Natural Resources Canada, Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, Metro Vancouver, and Union of BC Municipalities. EKOS Communications™ services included project management, video production, audio production, web design and development, community animation, group process and facilitation, research and writing, communications strategy, communications consultation, environmental education, curriculum design, development and evaluation.

In December 2010, EKOS Communications Inc. dissolved and was re-formed as EKOS Communications under the sole proprietorship of creator, president and executive producer Rick Searle. As of April 2011, other chief officers of EKOS Communications included Creative Director/Writer Starr Munro, Editor/Shooter Richard Fulop, and Webmaster Prarie Blake. EKOS Communications™ stated mission is "to assist with the rapid advancement of ecological literacy and sustainability through environmental education and communication; Combining video, audio, animation, and print with new media innovations, EKOS Communications connects people more deeply with each other to work together for the betterment of the planet."

Standard questions were used in most of the interviews and included dates of employment/association with BC Parks, parks worked in, greatest challenges, accomplishments and regrets, lessons learned, hopes for provincial park system today and mentors.

Interviewers included Rick Searle. Interviewees: Bob Ahrens, Victor Bopp, Bert Brink, Luc Campeau, Ric Careless, Jim Delikatny, Yorke Edwards, Ken Farquharson, Milt Goddard, Don Gough, Herb Green, Gordon MacDonald, Ed Mankelow, Ian McTaggart-Cowan, Tom Moore, Denis Gorman, David Stirling, Bob Williams and John Woodworth.