One hundred easily accessible picnic tables will be installed throughout 2012 in B.C.'s busiest provincial parks, marking BC Parks' 100th anniversary and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Environment Minister Terry Lake announced today.

Picnickers no longer need to swing their legs up and over the bench and under the table to sit down - they can just walk along the bench and sit at the table. Also, the new picnic table design can be modified by leaving one side shortened, to accommodate visitors in wheelchairs.

The new picnic tables will initially be found in Rathtrevor Provincial Park just south of Parksville on Vancouver Island, and Golden Ears Provincial Park near Maple Ridge. Ten to 20 per cent will be designated wheelchair-accessible and installed in time for summer.

At a cost of about $100,000 out of BC Parks' 2010-11 capital budget, the new picnic tables were built in B.C. by Nanaimo-based MacKay Precast Products, and offer access to people with varying degrees of mobility. Although significantly different from the old design, the new tables re-use the cedar tops of BC Parks' old picnic tables (where possible) in an innovative wood and concrete base design that was originally created by UBC engineering student Jonathan Lambert.

In 2008, Lambert won a BC Parks competition to design a new picnic table for its parks. Entries were judged based on:

• Creativity and originality.

• Accessibility.

• Sitting comfort and ease of use.

• Cost of building and maintenance.

• The use of provincially-sourced, sustainable materials.

• Enhancement of the natural environment of provincial parks.

BC Parks tested the new design in 2010 and its popularity provided the stimulus for this year's investment. It replaces BC Parks' iconic picnic table that remained unchanged for more than 50 years. Eventually, all of BC Parks' picnic tables will be replaced with the new model.

Quotes:

Jonathan Lambert, McElhanney Engineering Services Ltd. -

"I spend a lot of time in campgrounds and I wanted to design something that was aesthetically pleasing, durable and that was easy to get in and out of."

Quick Facts:

• B.C.'s first provincial park - Strathcona Park on Vancouver Island - was officially created in 1911. Its Centennial loop trail in Paradise Meadows is fully wheelchair accessible.

• Other provincial parks with wheelchair-accessible trails include Golden Ears, Naikoon, Inland Lake, Rolley Lake and Driftwood Canyon.

• Today, the province has nearly 1,000 parks and protected areas, including 65 new parks created since 2001.

Learn More:

For a downloadable photo of a new picnic table visit: http://flic.kr/p/aPpFoM

BC Parks website: www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/things_to_do.html

Connect with BC Parks on Facebook: www.facebook.com/YourBCParks

Contact:

Karen Johnston
Communications Director
Ministry of Environment
250 812-0495