Executive Director of Canadian Parks Council joins Sustainable Forestry Initiative Board of Directors

June 30, 2020

Dawn Carr, Executive Director, Canadian Parks Council, and SFI and PLT Canada Board Member

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and Project Learning Tree Canada (PLT Canada), an initiative of SFI, are pleased to welcome Dawn Carr, Executive Director of the Canadian Parks Council, to SFI’s 18-member Board of Directors. Carr has a successful track record of collaborating with SFI and PLT Canada. Notably, through the Canadian Parks Council and its network of national, provincial and territorial parks, she has supported, and continues to support, hundreds of high-quality work experiences for youth across Canada as part of PLT Canada’s Green Jobs program.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the SFI and PLT Canada Board of Directors. It is a welcome opportunity to contribute to an organization that is clearly committed to sustainability and growing the community of future forest and conservation professionals,” says Carr. “Nurturing a conservation ethic among young professionals is critical for sustaining nature and our collective health and wellbeing. I’m really looking forward to contributing my time and energy to help make a positive difference.”

PLT Canada has placed youth in over 2,500 jobs since 2018 with the help of the Canadian Parks Council and SFI employer networks. These job placements range from Park Rangers, to Environmental Monitors, to Forestry Technicians, and many more. The skills that youth acquire through these placements provide essential building blocks as they pursue careers in the forest and conservation sector.

“Dawn is a respected leader who understands how to build strong, productive relationships at the regional, national and international levels to achieve shared goals,” says Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI. “Dawn’s ties to the conservation and recreation communities at home and abroad will provide invaluable insight as SFI continues to offer practical nature-based solutions, through forest-focused collaborations, to address climate change, species recovery, and environmental education.”

Carr is the first woman to hold the position of Executive Director at the Canadian Parks Council since the organization’s establishment in 1962. She also currently serves as member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s World Commission of Protected Areas, and sits on the Board of Directors for the IUCN’s Canadian National Committee. Prior to joining the Canadian Parks Council, Carr worked for the Government of Alberta’s Department of Parks and Protected Areas. She holds a Masters of Public Administration from Queen’s University.

About the Sustainable Forestry Initiative^®

SFI advances sustainability through forest-focused collaborations. We are an independent, non-profit organization that demonstrates our commitment to forests through our work in standards, conservation, education, and community. SFI works with the forest sector, conservation groups, academics, researchers, brand owners, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and governments to achieve a vision of a world that values and benefits from sustainably managed forests. Learn more: www.sfiprogram.org 

About Project Learning Tree Canada

An initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Project Learning Tree Canada (PLT Canada) believes in a society that values and benefits from sustainably managed forests and the great outdoors. PLT Canada is committed to using the outdoors to engage youth in learning about the world around them—in rural, Indigenous and urban communities—and using trees and forests as windows on the world to inspire action and grow the next generation of future forest and conservation leaders. Learn more: www.pltcanada.org

About the Canadian Parks Council

The Canadian Parks Council (CPC) exists to connect and coordinate action among Canada’s national, provincial and territorial park agencies.  Together the CPC represents the interests of 14 governments, over 2700 parks, and a shared mandate to enhance the environmental, social and economic values of parks and protected areas throughout Canada.  Since 1962, park agency leaders have served the CPC as board members where they share information and leverage opportunities to improve the management effectiveness and sustainability of parks for current and future generations.  The work ethic of the CPC is to design for impact by always considering the benefits of parks within the context of larger systems – by working with aligned partners collective prosperity is cultivated allowing more people and organizations to experience the powerful benefits of nature. Learn more: http://www.parks-parcs.ca