[CANUFNET] CANUFNET Digest, Vol 33, Issue 3

[Jill Browne]

Hi Kim,

What a problem to have.  You say this is a "major problem" so I am going to treat it like one.

It sounds like you're open to suggestions so I hope you don't mind if I make some.  These come from things I have learned about public participation and community engagement more than anything else.

Things that might be lacking in your case:

Citizen awareness - calls for a communication / PR / information solution
Citizen action - calls for leadership, organization, management (especially of volunteers)
Citizen pride - calls for recognition of the beauty of PG, sense of ownership, recognition of people who do the right thing
Citizen accountability - calls for informal and formal measures to promote behaviour which does not harm the public spaces.  Everything from peer pressure to police enforcement.  

The first step is to see which of the four "citizen" things above, if any, are missing in Prince George.  Decide where the problem most seems to lie, if you were forced to pick the top one.  That's where you start, especially when resources are limited.

I wonder if PG has the critical mass to form a citizen's group to be "friends of the greenbelt" to help with some of this.  In Calgary we have an annual river cleanup that started about 15 (?) years ago through the actions of one young person.  It's huge now.  In some of our parks we have a program of volunteer "rangers" who are meant to be the eyes and ears of the park staff.  

I suspect that there are many right-minded people in PG who would lend a hand if there was a plan of action.

Finally, I wonder where in PG there might already be expertise in some or all of the things I mentioned above.  In a community your size I would expect so. Possibly churches, community groups, police, schools, etc. - think broadly and talk to people who are used to working with people.  Within the city staff you may be surprised at the depth and breadth of expertise.  For example, there may be social workers with a lot of community development experience who could add this initiative to their portfolio.  (Said with a note of cautious optimism, as the reality for social workers is often quite different).  

>From a quick look at your City website I see that someone there does an annual Quality of Life Survey, and that there are statements about being committed to having a great environment - so it's time to find out who is saying that and what they are willing to do to make sure it happens.

I hope this didn't sound like overkill, but you said it was a "major problem".  If it were less severe, my remarks would have been shorter and more limited.

Best of luck.

Jill Browne
Calgary
Observer of this list.
----- Original Message -----
From: canufnet-request at list.web.net
Date: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 9:59 am
Subject: CANUFNET Digest, Vol 33, Issue 3
To: canufnet at list.web.net

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> Today's Topics:
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>    1. Greenbelt Dumping info (Menounos, Kim)
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> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> -----
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:16:53 -0700
> From: "Menounos, Kim" <kmenounos at city.pg.bc.ca>
> Subject: [CANUFNET] Greenbelt Dumping info
> To: <canufnet at list.web.net>
> Message-ID: 
> <48BB7FE7FDD2944F98B22936E5050D6FA829E0 at mail.city.pg.bc.caContent-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> Hi, 
> 
> We seem to have a major problem with greenbelt dumping. Every 
> time I
> visit a rustic park or natural greenbelt in the city, I find 
> heaps of
> yard waste, debris, old fence remnants and general yuck! We do 
> have a
> bylaw in place to protect our green spaces, however enforcement 
> is a
> challenge with limited staff and "bigger" issues. 
> 
>  
> 
> Does anyone have a good education program, or at least 
> suggestions for
> one, that does not vilify the dumpers but gets the message 
> across that
> this is harmful to our natural spaces? I'd be interested to hear
> anyone's thoughts on this issue.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks,
> Kim
> 
>  
> 
> Kim Menounos, RPF
> 
> Urban Forester
> 
> City of Prince George
> 
> Phone: 250.614.7874
> 
> Fax: 250.561.7519
> 
>  
> 
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