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Item consists of Rick Searle interviews with David Stirling [part 2] and Yorke Edwards. Stirling speaks about tensions between park interpreters and park managers/operations, which he feels lead to decline of intepretation program. He also discusses the changing BC Parks structure, such as regionalisation, as well as funding cuts, resetting priorites and public pressure for other amenities. Stirling concludes by naming his mentors, including Yorke Edwards and Carey Joy.

Camera shots show David Stirling seated outside with trees in background.

Edwards speaks about his association with BC Parks and protected areas for over 30 years, including his employment with BC Parks (1949-1962), his work with the Canadian Wildlife Service (the late 1960s) and his time at the BC provincial museum. He names the parks he worked in, including Manning Park and Wells Grey and speaks of his goal to to help people to see the wildlife in its natural settings. He also worked as park interpreter. He discusses the changes he has seen in parks from being well looked-after to the influx roads and cottages, which make them seem less like parks. Edwards recounts memorable experiences, including waking up to a wolf near his camp and encountering caribou, and touches on his major accomplishments, such as making parks like Long Beach, Miracle Beach and Mitlenatch Island. In conclusion, Edwards talks about the "city-fication" of parks and influential authors like Grey Owl and Ernest Thompson-Seton, as well as personal reminiscences on birding and writing.

Camera shots show Yorke Edwards with books and bookcase in background.

Item consists of Rick Searle interviews with Ken Farquharson and David Stirling interviews. Farquharson speaks about his involvement with BC Parks and protected areas from the 1960s, including work with the Save Cypress Bowl committee, the Run Out Skagit Spoilers (ROSS) committee, the Sierra Club of BC, the Forest Land Use Liasion Committee, the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC and the Wilderness Advisory Committee under the Bill Bennett government.

Farquharson recounts memorable times spent in various parks and lists some of his major accomplishments, such as his perseverance in Skagit Valley; his work with the Wilderness Advisory Committee, Khutzeymateen and Tatshenshini; and the establishment of the Wilderness Act. Farquharson goes on to talk about his biggest challenges, namely natural resource industries’ interests and aboriginal interests. If he could do things differently, Farquharson says that he would revisit his work in Cypress Bowl. He speaks about lessons learned, including need for persistence in creation/designation, as well as his hopes for the future through funding, park management, advocacy and a stronger public constituency. Farquharson lists Bert Brink as a mentor, and counts milestones such as major expansion in the 1970s and grass roots movements. He ends his interview by touching on issues around resorts in parks.

Camera shots show Ken Farquharson outside on a patio with a plant in the background. Sometimes see interviewer.

In part 1 of his interview with Searle, Stirling speaks about his employment with BC Parks (ca. 1959-1980) and his interview focuses on his work with the park naturalist and interpretation programs. He lists his most memorable experiences as working with park naturalists and representing parks at the BC Nature Federation. Stirling goes on to recount his major accomplishments and he speaks of the challenges that grew out of working with BC Parks workers with different ideas about the importance of nature interpretation in the system. Stirling talks about how he met those challenges and the lessons he learned about cooperation at the branch and ministry levels. In terms of future hopes, Stirling discusses how he would like to see interpretation program come back to BC Parks; how he would like to see parks kept as natural as possible; how he would like to see more and all benefits government could realize from this investment. [Interview continues on Disk 2, Track 4]

Camera shots show David Stirling outside with shrubs in the background.