Will FIre Open Burns Bog to Development?

The Burns Bog Conservation Society is a registered charity founded in 1988. We began as a small group of dedicated people determined to "conserve and preserve Burns Bog for all life in perpetuity." Our members and donors currently number more than 5,000.

Burns Bog is the largest undeveloped urban landmass in North America, and is thus constantly threatened by human development. The Burns Bog Conservation Society has successfully spearheaded a number of campaigns against its development, most recently defeating a proposal to move the Pacific National Exhibition to the bog in February 1999. Through a continual and concerted public education campaign, the Society has turned the preservation of Burns Bog into an issue of provincial and even national significance. Not only has the bog been in the political spotlight, its unique flora and fauna have been featured on such television programs as The Nature of Things, and The Canadian Gardener.

At the same time, much of the Society's efforts are at the grassroots level. Our staff conduct tours through the bog, make presentations in local classrooms, and set up displays at local events. Every year, the Society organizes International Bog Day, a community celebration in the bog. The Society maintains a research library in its office for local residents and produces educational literature on the bog, including The Teacher's Guide to Burns Bog. We also publishes a quarterly newsletter for its members.

Most of our funding comes from donations and memberships. Human Resources Development Canada finances its summer students.