LiveSmart BC Community Hero
Denis Martel Fights for Wilderness
It's one thing to say you care about the environment but it's another thing to step up and do something about it.
Lake Cowichan's Denis Martel is a doer, and a passionate one at that.
The coordinator of the Valley Fish and Game Club's Wilderness Watch program is nominated for a LiveSmart award for his efforts in protecting the environment, especially the wildlife and their habitats.
Best known as the lead player in keeping a long-standing elk poaching trial in the public eye, Martel has a special aim to restore the Roosevelt Elk population to a safe number in the Cowichan Valley.
"To me the elk around our area are very dear to my heart," says Martel.
He recalled noting the elk were getting depleted in the region -- almost to the point where they were going to vanish in the Little Shaw area.
"It really, really got to my heart and we stepped up our patrols in terms of trying to do the right thing," he said. "I believe in equal opportunity as far as the elk being harvested as long as the numbers allow us to do that."
He spends cold nights outdoors making sure that all sorts of wildlife is well protected from today's dangers along with other volunteer Wilderness Watch participants. Together they patrol rural problem areas to observe, report and record infractions of environmental legislation (for example: illegal fishing or wildlife poaching; pollution, vandalism, etc.).
"Valley Fish and Game has always been the front-runner as far as habitat, conservation and our environment as well and we've always tried to be a leader in whatever we could do to protect the environment," said Martel.
It's that dedication that had him nominated for a 2006 B.C. Community Achievement Award as well.
