BCATW Symposium 2015 Grand Prizes

‘T’is grand!’ as the Irish would say of all things green.

When I set out to acquire prizes (and grand ones at that!) for the British Columbia Association of Travel Writers (BCATW) Symposium 2015, I was excited. I’ve had a long-term ECO-love towards small-scale businesses that conserve and educate with low impact. It’s how my husband and I travel—by bike, kayak, x-c ski, foot… with camera at the ready.

What a terrific response from generous donors with their commitment to sustainability and conservation.

Now it’s time YOU heard about it…April 18, 2015 at the Century Plaza Hotel, Vancouver. Check out BCATW‘s website for a full guideline for the day. Become a member, and you’re in store for a network-full-day of learning from two professional panels.

We know BCATW members will get the word out! With IMPACT!

Ross Campbell, of Mothership Adventures invites one lucky BCATW writer aboard for six nights on the historic Columbia III in the Great Bear Rainforest marine environment off the coast of Bella Bella, British Columbia. The winner has a choice of an early or late summer kayak tour, pending availability. Take several blank journals. Here’s what Ross says on his website:

Hitting the beaches, part one.

kayaks fit on to

Eat like kings & queens

Hitting the beaches, part 2

Mothership Adventures is a family-run business dedicated to providing you with a wilderness adventure vacation beyond your expectations, in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. We are passionate about sharing our love of British Columbia’s coast with our guests. Our goal is to provide you with attentive service, great food, a spotless ship and a warm family atmosphere while exploring this spectacular part of the Canada. We hope our guests return home with a new appreciation of and a deeper connection with the natural world. Whether you are joining us for kayaking, a special interest cruising tour or a custom charter we’ll do our best to ensure that you’ll want to return!

Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort has donated a spa bungalow overnighter, surrounded by the forest and located steps from their award-winning Grotto Spa. Each bungalow is appointed with upscale furnishings, a private patio, Jacuzzi tub, full or partial kitchen and gas fireplace.

Wild Spring Guest Habitat is an ecofriendly resort overlooking the ocean in Port Orford, south Oregon. The perfect escape from your daily life, it’s a place to let the ocean and the woods work their magic. A one-night stay for two poeple in one of the cabins, on five acres of park-like setting, is what Michelle Duarte, owner and new BCATW Industry member provides. Take a moment online to check out their meditative video.

Speaking of new industry members, Josh Bloomfield from Cycle City Tours is aboard the BCATW Industry panel and donated a Grand Tour of Vancouver.

Kiwi Cove Lodge has also donated an overnighter. Stroll the ten acre park-like property and linger on the estuary waterfront on Vancouver Island to observe the wildlife. The large dining room at Kiwi Cove Lodge provides warm, old fashioned breakfast hospitality with an eye level view of the kiwi vines, mountains, and Ladysmith Harbour.

Galleries featuring West Coast Art are part of our ECO heritage. The Bill Reid Gallery has been very generous with twelve tickets. The Bateman Gallery on the waterfront in downtown Victoria has donated two tickets. In addition, Parks Canada donated four authenticated lithographic Bateman prints and White Rock Tourism, three artistic calendars.

Museums support biodiversity, too. Most well-known is the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, but what about the Beaty Biodiversity Museum at UBC? Fall in love with the diversity of life as you explore over 500 natural history exhibits, showcasing myriad fossils, shells, insects, fungi, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and plants from around British Columbia and the world.

Active holidays are a given in ecotourism. We’ve got prizes from Deep Cove Outdoors if you want to produce your own steam from a kayak or stand up paddleboard. Or, be taken away, on an Eagle Wing whale watching tour (Victoria), a Sewell’s Sea Safari (Horseshoe Bay), a Grouse Mountain Adventure, a Sea-to-Sky Gondola Ride (Squamish) or a soak at Scandinave Spa (Whistler). BC Ferries kicked in with a return trip for two to Vancouver Island.

For cultural diversity, take in the Comedy Mix at our host venue’s Century Plaza Hotel, (nothing sustains like humour),or mix it up in Deep Cove with a hike to Quarry Rock followed by a Deep Cove Shaw Theater comedy, ‘When The Cat’s Away’, running June 12-27^th. Grab a Honey’s snack après-theater. A second prize from Deep Cove Outdoors enabled us to create an awesome prize, ‘The Taste of the Cove’ with paddling, theatre and dough-nuts (in no special order!).

Take in the Edge Café for lunch while checking out their full range of services: full catering and event planning, built by a team of dedicated professionals passionate and meticulous about what they do. Dockside, Granville Island Hotel’s eatery, has donated a $100 certificate. Located on the waterfront where Granville Island faces the city, guests can enjoy panoramic views across False Creek to the world-famous cityscape of Yaletown and beyond to the mountains of the North Shore.

Family and the environment go hand in hand with tickets to the Vancouver Aquarium, Science World, Van Dusen Gardens and Capilano Suspension Bridge. Take the kids or grand kids. Their ECO- love is our future!

Come share in the BCATW’s love of travel writing and ecotourism. British Columbia outdoor splendours ARE our cathedrals, our sightseeing wonders, our shopping malls…take it in, let it go…in impactful statements combining flora/fauna and cultural awareness.

If you love to write AND travel, this one’s for you. Over half our attendees are likely to be lucky winners. Thank you to our donors. You are GRAND!!

St. Paddy’d say, ‘T’is a splendid thing, to be sure!’ and who knows, with a bit o’luck, more BCATW Symposium 2015 Grand Prizes may surface (and they did):

BC Parks
BC Ferries
Butchart Gardens and
Cycle City Tours as both an industry member and donor

BCATW Symposium 2015 Grand Prizes