After a month of trudging through the vast wilderness of South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park, Robin Naidoo is starting to enjoy the fruits of his labour.

During a recent routine check of a marmot colony near Castlecrag Mountain in Strathcona Provincial Park, a pair of researchers discovered a welcome surprise.

Visitors to BC Parks and forestry recreation sites have another reason to celebrate Canada’s Parks Day, with the addition of 431 new campsites throughout the province.

BC Parks has sold 100,000 specialty licence plates, generating $2.3 million toward protecting and preserving provincial parks.

To get more students out of the classroom and into the great outdoors, BC Parks is contributing $30,000 from the sales of specialty licence plates to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation’s (HCTF) GO Grants Program.

With rakes, saws, loppers, shovels and a heavy Pulaski axe in hand, six student rangers head out onto a trail at Cultus Lake, ready to take on whatever lies ahead.