Members of the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club help plant trees at PGG&CC

Prince George, BC – It is 1,000 days and counting until athletes from across the country converge on Prince George to participate in the 2015 Canada Winter Games…

To mark the milestone, volunteers from local sports organizations were at four sites throughout the city today planting 1,000 seedlings. 

2015 Games CEO, Stuart Ballantyne, told the young members of the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club who were gathered at the Prince George Golf & Curling Club that he was "a little bit nervous" to be going to three-digits in the countdown as of tomorrow.  "But there’s nothing better than for us to give back to the community and for you guys – the youth of our community – to be able to do something that will have a lasting legacy for, hopefully, hundreds of years."

At right, 13-year-old Mark Hartley helps local MLA and Justice Minister Shirley Bond tap in a seedling near the 9th hole.  It’s one of two spots where head groundskeeper, Murray Kutyn, felt the seedlings would have the highest survival rate.  The seedlings were donated by Canfor for today’s commemoration.  Kutyn plans to transplant the trees throughout the golf course in two or three years when they’re larger.

For their efforts, the local sports organizations taking part in today’s treeplanting received a donation to bolster their individual fundraising efforts.  The biathlon head coach with Caledonia, Pierre Beaudry, thanked the Winter Games Committee, City, and Province, saying "donations are always welcome."

Beaudry, his daughter Sarah, and four other members of the local biathlon team were part of Team BC at the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax.  Beaudry says it’s a rare feat to have one club take five of eight spots on the provincial team (there was one Prince George skier on the cross country team, as well). 

He’s says it’s pretty early to say what 2015 will hold – both Sarah and Arthur Roots are graduating from high school this spring and will be moving to the National Training Centre in Canmore, Alberta this fall to get to the next level of training.  "If they really succeed – will they even be available for the Canada Winter Games?  They may be on the World Cup circuit," he says.  "(But) We have some very good potential athletes.  We’ll have to wait and see."