Back row: Nelson Heritage Working group chair Berdine Jonker, Izu-Shi Friendship Society member Will Taylor. Front row: society members Grace Nanako and Jim Sawada, mayor Janice Morrison, and society member Bernie Zimmer.

The City of Nelson and its Heritage Working Group have presented present the Nelson Izu-Shi Friendship Society with the 2024 Heritage Award and a $1,000 honorarium for its Cottonwood Park signage project.

A non-profit volunteer group that supports the sister city relationship that has existed between Nelson and Izu-shi, Japan since 1987, the Nelson Izu-shi Friendship Society holds seasonal cultural events and workshops to introduce Japanese Canadian culture, arranges multigenerational exchange visits and stewards the Friendship Garden in Cottonwood Falls Park.

As part of their park caretaker role, the Society undertook a huge initiative to develop display signage telling the stories of Cottonwood Creek. Over a five-year span, it has worked closely with researchers, Indigenous leaders, local historians, Nelson families, and the Museum and Archives to research and develop this project, publicly launched in October of this year.

Ten signs in black steel frames and protected by tempered glass take us through the fascinating stories of the wildlife, the people and their histories, and the environment of Cottonwood Creek.

“The Nelson Izu-shi Friendship Society is surprised and very pleased by this unexpected honour,” says president John Armstrong. “We really appreciate the recognition of our work and the contributions of others over the past five years. We hope the signs will inspire greater interest in the little-known parts of Nelson’s history and lead to a new awareness of the value of Cottonwood Creek and the potential for its restoration as it flows through our community.”  

"The dedication and commitment of the Nelson Izu-Shi Friendship Society's members and volunteers to undertaking the Cottonwood Signage Project has been impressive,” said Berdine Jonker, chair of the Heritage Working Group. “The extensive knowledge imparted, the attention to historical accuracy and the engaging design of the signage makes the Nelson Society the ideal recipient for the 2024 Heritage Award.”

The city’s Heritage Working Group established this award in 2015 to recognize individuals, groups, businesses, or other organizations that have made an outstanding contribution towards the preservation and/or promotion of Nelson's heritage. Previous winners are the Hume Hotel, the Nelson Electric Tramway Society, Nelson CARES, the Nelson Museum & Art Gallery, Joern Wingender, Peter Bartl, Greg Scott, the Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce and Cartolina.