2009 - Page 14 of 21 - AHA Creative Strategies

Salmon Hero Honoured by Fraser Salmon & Watersheds Program

Newsroom

For Immediate Release – June 17, 2009

Vancouver, B.C. – The Pacific Salmon Foundation and Fraser Basin Council announced the winner of their annual Fraser Salmon Hero Award on June 9 as part of their joint Fraser Salmon and Watersheds Program (FSWP). The award honours a person who has made a tangible contribution to the preservation, enhancement and improvement of the Fraser River watershed and its populations of Pacific salmon over the past year. This year’s winner is Mark Johnson, Community Advisor in the Fraser Valley with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

A grant of $4,000 will be divided among ten organizations in Mr. Johnson’s name: Abbotsford Ravine Park Salmon Enhancement Society, Chilliwack River Action Committee, Chilliwack Senior High School Environmental Club, Cultus Lake Aquatic Stewardship Strategy, Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival Society, Fraser Valley Conservancy, Fraser Valley Regional Watersheds Coalition, Rivershed Society of BC, Skowkale Hatchery Revitalization and Education Project, and the Stave Valley Salmonid Enhancement Society.

The award, which is sponsored by Rocky Mountaineer Vacations, was announced at the Fraser Assembly. This annual meeting was established to promote information sharing and coordinated delivery of the FSWP among those working to enhance salmon and watershed health in the Fraser Basin. This year’s Fraser Assembly focused on collaboration, and the Salmon Hero was selected with special consideration for his outstanding ability to foster effective collaboration.

“It is an honour to recognize Mark Johnson as this year’s hero for his tireless efforts and dedication to restoring salmon in the Fraser Basin,” said Dr. Brian Riddell, CEO and President of Pacific Salmon Foundation. “Mr. Johnson is a partnership catalyst for a number of projects and initiatives in the Fraser Valley. He has supported and played integral roles in the Chilliwack River Action Committee, the Cultus Lake Aquatic Stewardship Strategy, the Fraser Valley Regional Watersheds Coalition, and many others. He is a great ambassador for what FSWP stands for.”

“We applaud Mark Johnson for his contributions to restoring ecosystems in the Fraser Basin,” said David Marshall, Executive Director of the Fraser Basin Council. “Champions such as Mark are an inspiration to everyone who cares about the health of local watersheds and wants to find a way to lend a hand.”

Interested citizens can visit ThinkSalmon.com to share their salmon stories and to learn more about watershed and salmon issues, projects and actions. To find out about local groups that work to preserve your watershed, contact Pacific Streamkeepers Federation at pskf@direct.ca.

“We have been a proud sponsor of the Salmon Hero Award for the last two years and it is an honour to recognize dedicated stewards such as Mark Johnson,” said Ian Robertson, Executive Director, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs of Rocky Mountaineer. “At Rocky Mountaineer, we are dedicated to preserving the national environment along our rail routes and encourage our guests to appreciate the beauty of the Fraser Basin ecosystems.”

Rocky Mountaineer Vacations (RMV) is a family owned British Columbia based business and the owners and operators of the internationally acclaimed Rocky Mountaineer train in Western Canada. As part of the company’s commitment to preserving the regions through which it operates, RMV sponsors PSF programs such as Fraser Salmon Heroes Awards, the Fraser River recovery efforts and a children’s book on the Fraser bear.

The Fraser Salmon & Watersheds Program is jointly managed by Pacific Salmon Foundation and the Fraser Basin Council and is funded by the provincial Living Rivers and the federal Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The FSWP mission is to inspire changes in human behaviour for the benefit of salmon and the watersheds on which we all depend. The program funds a range of projects to protect and restore the salmon habitat and water quality, integrate planning and governance, improve information and approaches for sustainable integrated fisheries management, and educate and engage the public.

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To set up interviews, please contact Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies Inc. at ruth@ahacreative.com or 604-303-1052. For further information on FSWP, contact Megan Moser at Pacific Salmon Foundation, at mmoser@psf.ca or 604-664-7664 ext. 113.

Twitter to Verify Accounts

There’s good news on the horizon for those businesses and celebrities that are being impersonated on Twitter.

Apparently, St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa sued Twitter. It was reported by the Associated Press that La Russa was “claiming an unauthorized page used his name to make light of drunken driving and two Cardinals pitchers who died, [it] damaged his reputation and caused emotional distress.”

Sports Illustrated’s website SI.com is reporting that the two sides have reached an agreement. Twitter is paying legal fees and making a donation to La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation.

These types of impersonations are happening more and more on Twitter. TechCrunch has a blog post reporting that this summer, Twitter is planning to add a feature called “verified accounts.” This will help ensure people using the accounts are actually the person and not an impersonator. To start, Twitter will be looking at famous people.

I am sure many can’t wait until the time comes for Twitter to verify business and brand accounts.

Rare Birds Strut Their Stuff-Exhibition by BC Women Metal Artists

Newsroom

For Immediate Release – June 3, 2009

Vancouver, B.C. – Art and metal come together in an exciting and dramatic showcase at the first Rare Birds Art Exhibition. Metal sculptures and furniture designed by female artists and fabricators from B.C. will be on display from June 22 – July 4, 2009 at the Pendulum Gallery in the HSBC Building at 885 West Georgia Street in Vancouver. Open daily (except Sundays), the art show is free to the public, will showcase works of 11 women and celebrate the evolution of women’s roles and status. The artists featured are: Sandra Bilawich, Fia Cooper, Stefanie Dueck, Tam Harrington, Corrine Hunt, Mimi Law, Amber Lyn, Sage MacGillivray, Lori Mairs, Claire Murgatroyd, and Nancy Smith.

Along with showcasing exceptional works of art, an important goal for the Rare Birds Art Exhibition is to demystify the relationship between women and metal. This event will offer insight, knowledge and inspiration to all women who may be considering metal work as a trade, as a design material or as a skill to further their creative pursuits. Women are major contributors to the economy and culture of our society, and through this event, the artists want to stretch the boundaries of how women participate in using metal. The women featured in the exhibition are from diverse backgrounds in conceptual art, design, and the trades. Never before in B.C.’s history has a group of women metal workers come together for such a show. For more information on the exhibit and the artists please visit www.rarebirds.ca.

The Rare Birds Art Exhibition is proudly sponsored by companies such as Advance Bending, Dickies, Fasteel Industries Ltd., FlexyShop Inc., IMW Industries, Manly Marine, Marine Workers & Boilermakers Industrial Union, MBM Metal Fabricators Inc., North Star Metal Recycling, Rustan Metals Ltd., Sea Breeze Power Corp., Sigma Phi Design Metal Fabricators Ltd., and Viking Profiles Inc. Their sponsorship is a true reflection of how much support and appreciation there is in the community for the advancement of women’s roles and status.

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For more information or an interview of one of the artists, please contact Paul Holman of AHA Creative Strategies Inc. at paul@ahacreative.com or 604-303-1052.

Are You Listening?

There was an interesting article in BusinessWeek last week about Web 2.0 and managing corporate reputations. I am often asked about the challenges that come with the open conversations created by social media. It’s a valid concern for organizations and one that should be taken seriously.

Some organizations choose to block employee access to social networking sites. That seems to be old paradigm thinking to me and it is a bit like locking the barn door after the horse has already walked out. There are all sorts of ways around being blocked. Think about how many staff members have an iPhone or a BlackBerry and can get online that way (and that number is only growing) or they can use an Internet stick (we use one quite often when we give presentations to organizations). And – there is always time away from the office.

Strategy Always Comes First

There is an interesting article in the New York Times about one of the “hot new jobs” – the social media specialist. Social media, emerging media, interactive media or online communication is becoming more and more mainstream. Communication has changed and organizations that want to engage with their stakeholders and community need to understand that and include social media in their strategic planning.

One of the key points that isn’t included in this article is where the social media specialist “lives” in an organization. Is he/she in the communications department, marketing, or sales? And how is social media being integrated throughout the organization? Is it being done in isolation, as an add-on, or “over there” kind of approach?