Media Release

---

For immediate release
May 12, 2006

Bow Valley builds interactive web portal for idea share in environmental, social, and community issues

When it launches on May 26, the Bow Valley Mountain Forum will bring together people from across the Valley with ideas and comments to share on a variety of community issues. Hosted by Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre, with a generous assist from the Calgary Foundation and Parks Canada, the Forum will be an online meeting place for residents, visitors, and not-for-profit organizations with an interest in sustainable communities, social and economic issues, and conservation and the environment in the area from the towns of Exshaw, Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise, and all the wilderness surrounding them.

Designed as a place to connect and learn, the Forum has been established to promote communication, collaboration, and accessible ways to help shape the future of the Bow Valley. It is anticipated that the forum will encourage active citizenship and foster local leadership ― providing tools such as a community initiatives listing, discussion space, and a wishlist for local projects.

Based on the collaborative framework that sustains the international Mountain Forum (which is hosted in North America at The Banff Centre), this local portal will include a comprehensive calendar of events, email newsletter for upcoming events, a community initiatives directory, and non-partisan briefs about local issues. Additional features will be added to the forum throughout the year, which will evolve in part based on feedback received from people accessing the site. The forum will have a dedicated staff person for three days a week who will solicit, moderate, and update content on the site, and liaise with local organizations.

The Bow Valley Mountain Forum is generously supported by The Calgary Foundation and Parks Canada.

Find it here:
http://www.bowvalleymountainforum.org/