EKOS Communications, Inc.

Yesterday was a very exciting day for the Wild Coast project. Daphne Goode and Mark McAmmond from the local Shaw cable station offered to assist with our public education and social marketing campaign with the in-kind airing of 30 sec. public service announcements, and possibly a 1:30 min. informational piece (you can actually convey alot in either of these two spots). 

They have also agreed to assist with our BC Parks 100th project with in-kind air time, not just to local communities but province-wide, and maybe even into Alberta and Ontario!

With the letters of support I'm waiting to receive in the next few hours, I'll be able to leverage the necessary partnerships and financing to realize the vision at the core of each project. 

It's intriguing, isn't it, how quickly social media and citizen journalism are revolutionizing communication and, by extension, education. I firmly believe that we who wish to preserve as much of the Real World Wide Web as possible must learn how to work with them. They are enabling the emergence of a fundamentally different social ecosystem. One in which people who care about something can come together across time and space to share their mutual passions; these people some commentors have called "tribes."

What many of these tribes are seeking is leadership. They are often looking for guidance as to where to direct their energies. With respect to the environment, and in particular, with respect to the protection of wild species and their habitats, we can provide some of that leadership if we learn how to work with social media to engage, educate and empower individuals and organizations in doing the right thing.

In fact, I'm convinced we must learn out of a deeply-felt sense of responsibility and to remain relevant. To lose relevancy is to become disconnected. A very scary place to be. And yet many great organizations are facing this prospect.

Last Thursday afternoon, I met with the CAO of the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District and the City Manager for Port Alberni to discuss the Wild Coast project and to invite the participation of their respective jurisdictions in making it happen with financial support.

During the meeting, the City Manager mentioned that a WCB (aka WorkSafeBC) inspector visited a municipal crew cutting bush at the edge of town. The workers passed every test, except one. The inspector asked them what training their employer had given them for encounters or conflicts with wild animals. They had received none.

The City Manager thought a man with a chainsaw was not likely to be attacked. I countered "Not so". If he is bent over sharpening the blades, he makes an easy target for a cougar to suddenly spring onto him, lock its fangs on the back of his neck and drag him down away from the chainsaw in a heartbeat.

I can see why WCB is starting to inquire about this training for workers.