In July 1984, a small group of people who enjoyed Elk Island National Park started the Friends of Elk Island Society. One of the projects this group took on, was called the "The Great Grebe Run", was monitoring the Red-Neck Grebe during the spring nesting period, using canoes to conduct surveys on Astotin Lake. With the Grebe survey being one of their first projects, they chose the boldly plumaged waterbird with pale cheeks and a dagger-like yellow bill for the group's logo. This logo has been the symbol of the Friends for the past forty years.
It is now 2024, and the Friends' Board of Directors decided it was time to find a new logo to better represent the Friends and their commitment to Elk Island National Park and the Beaver Hills Biosphere. A logo contest was launched to solicit a new logo. We received over 35 original submissions, making the final selection process difficult for the judges. We are pleased to announce the logo contest winner as Steve Smith, of the Greater Oxford area, England. The logo features two of the iconic species which presently inhabit Elk Island National Park: (1) the elk, which played an important part in the founding of the Park; and, (2) the bison, a focal species for the Park, and of global importance for bison conservation efforts.