BCIT: UN recognition

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Thu, October 07 2004

International river stewardship advocate earns United Nations recognition

United Nations International Year of Fresh Water Science, Education & Conservation Awards

The awards are being issued for the first time, in recognition of International Year of Fresh Water and the Wonder of Water initiatives.

The head of B.C. Institute of Technology's Fish, Wildlife, Recreation Program is slated to receive a United Nations Award later this year. Mark Angelo has been selected as one of the inaugural recipients of the United Nations International Year of Fresh Water Science, Education and Conservation Awards.

The awards are being issued for the first time, in recognition of International Year of Fresh Water and the Wonder of Water initiatives. Activities, spanning the past two years, increased public awareness about the importance of the planet's water resources, threats that confront them, and the need for better water stewardship in future.

Angelo is the sole recipient in the stewardship category of the UN awards program.

In part, the award recognizes Angelo's role in founding and coordinating BC Rivers Day. The initiative has become the largest of its kind in North America. BC Rivers Day celebrates the many values of our rivers. On Sept. 26, British Columbians will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Rivers Day. The event is expected to involve more than 60,000 people.

Angelo continues to work with river conservation groups throughout the world. Riverworld, a slide show and presentation based on Angelo's travels, returns to the Lower Mainland on Sept. 22 for a showing at the Shadbolt Center for the Arts in Burnaby. Riverworld takes the audience on an around-the-world adventure by river.

Said Angelo, "It's an honour to be recognized in this way. The International Year of Fresh Water was a very timely and important initiative and I believe the UN can play a vital role in efforts to improve water and river stewardship around the world."

Angelo heads B.C. Institute of Technology's Fish, Wildlife, Recreation Program and chairs the polytechnic's new Fish, Wildlife, Recreation Centre of Excellence.

He is the Rivers Chair of the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC. In 2001, Angelo received the Order of Canada for his river conservation efforts at home and abroad. Among his other honors are the Order of British Columbia, the National Recreational Fisheries Award and Canada's National River Conservation Award.