2019 Community Stewardship Nominee Profile – Bruce Russell

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Sustaining the Islands – Community Stewardship Awards Program 
 
 
 
2019 Nominee Profile 
 
Bruce Russell, Bowen Island 
 
Category:  Individual  
 
Project:       Ten years of leadership with the Mannion Bay Restoration Project 
 
Nominator(s):      Murray Atherton 
 
Project Description
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Bruce Russell is nominated for close to ten years of lobbying and conservation efforts with the 
Friends of Mannion Bay. Russell created the informal group to support the restoration of the 
beaches, foreshore and waters of Mannion Bay back to the community for recreational 
purposes, and for the environment for salmon to spawn, eel grass beds to grow and forage fish 
to use. Over the years the bay has become a home for a number of problem, derelict, 
abandoned and liveaboard vessels, plus there was a problem with dumping human and 
manufactured waste. Russell has spent hundreds of hours raising public awareness about the 
need for a healthy bay and successfully lobbying municipal, provincial and federal governments 
and officials to take actions that will return the bay to healthy state suitable for enjoyment by all 
species, islanders and the public. Russell also worked closely with the organizers of volunteer 
clean-up days/dives, which resulted in the removal of tons of garbage and boats from the 
bottom of the bay, and have educated the community about forage fish habitat.  
 
Russell continues to work with different levels of government and bring attention to marine 
pollution and marine restoration issues.  
 
 
                                                 
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 Information based nominee’s submission to 2019 Islands Trust Community Stewardship Award program.

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