Live in South Vancouver? Take the Fraserlands Community Garden Survey!

A group of neighbours have recently formed the Fraserlands Community Gardening Group with two goals:

1.      To work towards establishing a community garden in our neighbourhood;

2.      To complete reclaiming and beautifying the pedestrian/cycling pathway that runs along Kent Avenue parallel to the train tracks between Kerr and Elliott streets.

In an effort to determine our neighbourhood’s support of a community garden as well as to gain information in applying for grants, the group has developed a short online survey.

Please make the time to take the survey as we want to collect as much information as possible. You can link to it here. The survey will be available until October 15, but we encourage you to take it as soon as possible as it’s easy for these things to get forgotten!

GardenWorks at Mandeville and Chevron Canada have generously donated gift certificates for a prize draw. We will be awarding one prize of a $25 GardenWorks gift card, one prize of a $25 Chevron gift certificate, and one prize of both a $25 Gardenworks gift card and a $25 Chevron gift certificate. You have to take the survey to be eligible for the prize draw.

Please forward this message to all the contacts you have who live in Fraserlands… we really appreciate receiving as much input as possible as this will provide valuable information as we move forward.

Sincerely,

Jill Lunde

Member, Fraserlands Community Gardening Group

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Vancouver is teeing off over city-owned golf greens

 Developers, and the city itself, would like to see affordable housing, rather than affordable golf, on the publicly owned land

by Emma Teitel Maclean's Magazine , Tuesday, July 10, 2012 

VIEW IN CLEAN READING MODE »

WHAT IS THIS ?  

Rebecca Bollwit/Flickr

Vancouver’s publicly owned golf courses—Fraserview, Langara, and McCleery—are currently protected “green zones” out of reach to interested developers. But pressure from none other than the city itself, and its mayor, Gregor Robertson, might change that.

Last week Robertson revealed his plan to establish a housing authority that would manage the development of taxpayer-owned land. He also revealed he’s open to leasing some city public golf courses to developers for the construction of public housing. Referring to Langara golf course in particular, Robertson said, “It is debatable as to whether that is valuable green space. The public can’t access it, it is not bio-diverse and there is no strong business case.” The mayor might agree then, with Vancouver Sun columnist Don Cayo’s argument that “selling 20 per cent of just one of three city-owned golf courses could net $675 million that could be used for providing affordable housing to lowering taxes to approving amenities.”

This argument isn’t unique to Vancouver. Since October, the city of Winnipeg has received 32 proposals from private companies interested in leasing one or more of its public golf courses, which lose about $1 million a year.

Community activists in both cities, however, are concerned that development will eliminate valuable green space. And in Vancouver, some argue while affordable housing is very important, so is affordable golf: Vancouver’s supervisor of golf operations, Howard Normann, recently defended the city’s public courses, arguing they make golf accessible for those who might not otherwise be able to afford it.

Source:  http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/07/10/vancouver-is-teeing-off-over-city-owned-golf-greens/

Former Vancouver park board commissioner Stuart Mackinnon questions new meeting schedule

By Matthew Burrows, Straight.com Publish Date: July 25, 2012 

 

A former Green park board commissioner by night and a schoolteacher by day, Stuart Mackinnon admits he’s “a bit of a process wonk”.

Having served one term on the board, from 2008 to 2011, Mackinnon told the Straight he finds the board’s new meeting structure “peculiar”. Earlier this year, the Vision Vancouver–dominated board adjusted the meeting schedule so that committee meetings happen right before meetings of the full board, all on one night.

“There is a reason why committee, for me, happens at least a week before the park board,” Mackinnon said by phone. “That’s so that, if something comes up, staff has time to go back and research and make changes. Quite often, an idea would be brought to a committee, commissioners would bat it around and listen to people, and then we would send off staff, saying, ‘We need to look at this, and we would like to see this.’ And it gave them a week, at least, to tweak it or to rejig it and then bring it back. That made sense to me.”

Ian Robertson, a Non-Partisan Association commissioner from 2005 to 2011, told the Straight of the new arrangement, “It’s ridiculous for a couple of reasons. First of all—and I think most importantly—it significantly limits the public to have discussion and debate, and to understand the issues by doing that. Secondly, it just jams everything into one night. Therefore, you’re not able to get a thoughtful and good discussion around an issue.”
Vision park board chair Sarah Blyth told the Straight one reason commissioners decided to change things was for greater simplicity.

“Take, for example, the seawall [motion from July 23],” Blyth said by phone. “We severed it, and we are putting it back to committee—because it was at committee—but we need to do a bit more…we want to bring up the issues of the past [relating to the foreshore in question].”
She admitted there may be initial “bumps” with the new approach.

“But I think that, overall, it’s a lot better,” Blyth said. “It saves money, which we can put back into our programming, and staff time to work on other things.”

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Source URL: http://www.straight.com/article-740306/vancouver/former-vancouver-park-board-commissioner-stuart-mackinnon-questions-new-meeting-schedule

One Misstep After Another: Where is Vision taking the Park Board?

First it was housing on the Langara golf course, now paving the last natural foreshore on English Bay. Where are the Vision Vancouver park commissioners going? Do they even know?

If you look at the their 'policy' statements from the past two elections you would see that they really stand for nothing and have no real ideas. Follow lock-step to where ever their City Council colleagues lead them. Cuts to park maintenance, cuts to community centre maintenance, cuts to renewing the aging infrastructure. Gauge public opinion and then jump on the band-wagon. They have closed programs and raised fees for children. In their first term they tried to undo decisions made by previous Boards while postponing making real decisions in the present. This is hardly leadership.

Vancouver deserves better than this.

The recent debacle of the Seawall extension from Kits to Jericho is a good case in point. A poorly worded motion that was based on an amorphous and mysterious 'anonymous' donation of a reported $10 million dollars. Good public policy is not made on ephemeral promises. Good public policy engages the public and understands the economic, environmental, and social costs of all decisions. This hare·brained scheme missed the mark on all three of these benchmarks. And once again, the decision was not made but deferred.

But this is not surprising; as the election campaigned showed, the only desire of the Vision team was to be re-elected. And re-elected they were. We have another two and half years of missteps and political theatre. Pontificating and grandstanding. Perhaps their plan is to abolish the elected Park Board as an anachronism. If this is the case they are certainly making their point.

KEEP KITS BEACH WILD. Say NO to the Point Grey Foreshore Seawall

Please visit  the KEEP KITS BEACH WILD website to sign the petition. The following information is from the website.

The Vancouver Parks Board is proposing to extend the seawall from just west of Kitsilano Pool along the quiet wild beach to Spanish Banks. Vision Vancouver has lined up a private donor who is offering $10 million to pay for the costs. Park Board Chair Sarah Blyth introduced a seawall motion on July 9, 2012, “ which, if approved July 23, will see staff developing options to connect the seawall and provide a timeline and estimate of costs for the job ... That preliminary work will include city engineering reports, community consultations, meeting with residents along the route, discussions with the federal department of Fisheries and Oceans, which manages the foreshore along that stretch of beach, and nailing down the cost and funding." (Vancouver Courier July 11, 2012)

This beach is called the “POINT GREY FORESHORE”. It is the last natural beach in the City of Vancouver. On this foreshore a bounteous intertidal zone provides a rich feeding for waterfowl that come in large numbers, especially during the winter months. More than 150 different bird species have been identified here, at which at least 70 are regular winter residents.

As a concerned citizen wrote on a sign at a beach access point: “This is the very last publicly accessible undeveloped beach in the City of Vancouver, a recovering marine habitat. The media has portrayed this beach as a preserve of "the very rich mansion owners of Point Grey Road. Most of them have no access from their property: they may or may not be on the beach. The Point Grey Foreshore belongs to those who love and use it, who do not want to sit with 10,000 others in an artificial environment, who want to watch the herons fish, seals pass by and cormants sun themselves on floating logs. Vancouver has many kilometers of wheel-accessible beach paths, only one "primitive" beach for the general public.

Another concerned citizen wrote in a Letter to the Editor of the Vancouver Courier on July 13, 2012: “One of the wonderful aspects of living in Vancouver are the pockets of relatively unspoiled nature that the public can enjoy if they want to. So now the two parties at city hall want to ruin the quality of life that many of us enjoy by marketing (and therefore ruining) the very thing that makes Vancouver special. The beach beyond Kits all the way to Spanish Banks is a joy to use for the very fact that there isn't any formal seawall or path way that the hordes can use... and therefore makes it a gem in Vancouver. When my family and I are down there for our walks and mooching around, it is almost like being on a Gulf Island but with a city view. No crowds, no frenzy, just a wonderful peaceful retreat within the city. It's a luxury within Vancouver.”

This is another attempt to homogenize the natural world that we live in. It's remarkable that we have such a treasure in our midst -- a place where one can walk and see the city -- but feel like one is not in the city. Let’s keep it that way. Don't turn it into another noisy seawall of cyclists, joggers and skateboarders. We have plenty of those.
We urge the Vancouver Parks Board and City Council to take a walk on this quiet beach and reconsider your plans to extend the seawall. Keep Kits Beach Wild. Say no to the Point Grey Foreshore seawall.

We also ask that you reveal the anonymous donor. We're entitled to know this information so that we can determine if there are any vested interests.

Just because we can build a seawall extension doesn’t mean we should

 July 12, 2012. 4:00 pm • Section: Opinion
The Province, Vancouver BC

There has been some discussion at Vancouver city council about an extension of the seawall. A motion is coming to the parks board on the feasibility of extending the seawall from Kitsilano Beach to Jericho Beach. This is on the heels of an anonymous donation pledge to help defray some of the costs.

I think the city and the parks board are putting the cart before the horse on this one. And I have to ask: just because we can do something, should we?

I asked this questions several years ago when the proposal to prop up the dead stump in Stanley Park, known as the Hollow Tree, came before the board. Vision Vancouver said yes and the tax payers are now on the hook for maintaining it in perpetuity.

I asked the question again a year later about keeping whales in captivity in Vancouver parks. Vision Vancouver said the citizens didn’t have a right to answer for themselves and my motion for a plebiscite was rejected. Now it is an extension of the seawall.

The seawall is a tremendous amenity, surely one of the most used public features in the city. Tourists and residents alike take great delight in the grand vistas of the cityscape seen from it, whether on foot, rollerblades or bicycle. It is a place for serious fitness and casual pleasure. Yes, it would be nice to have a continual path around the city, but is it necessary?

The seawall cost millions of dollars to build and further millions to maintain. It is a never-ending job keeping it safe and secure. Time, storms and natural erosion take their toll on the structure.

With limited budgets for maintenance, we have to ask ourselves if an extension of the seawall is a good use of tax dollars. Look around Vancouver this summer. It seems we don’t have enough money to maintain the parks and amenities we already have. So why are we looking at an expansion we can’t afford?

A seawall extension would also dump tons of fill and concrete onto one of the last sections of natural foreshore on English Bay. Is this what we want? Do we really want a cement, fortress-like structure surrounding our city? What about leaving some space for natural waterfront?

There is another foreshore walkway along the Fraser River. This path is a mixture of soft walkways and shored up breakwater support. This is part of the flood-control system and serves a purpose as well as providing a lovely amenity. There are no concrete retaining walls. But what do concrete slabs hugging the last rugged shorelines of English Bay serve? Other than once again spending countless millions to show that yes we can do this, not much.

I would suggest a better use for the millions of dollars required to build and maintain a seawall extension would be to maintain the parks and community centres we already have. Vancouver used to be a city with flower baskets and beautiful gardens maintained by parks employees who were proud of their work. Today, our parks and public gardens are neglected and ragged. Boulevards are unkempt and public litter bins are overflowing. Many of our community centres are aging and need replacing. Outdoor pools have been closed. There are only so many tax dollars to go around. Let’s use them wisely.

Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should. Let’s have a discussion about whether a seawall extension is a good use of our money, time and the environment.

Let’s have the discussion about whether we should before we have the discussion about whether we can.

Stuart Mackinnon is a former Vancouver parks board commissioner. He blogs at: betterparks.org

Source URL: http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/07/12/stuart-mackinnon-just-because-we-can-build-a-seawall-extension-doesnt-mean-we-should/

Developing Vancouver's municipal golf courses could be "disastrous for biodiversity"

By Matthew Burrows, July 12, 2012 Straight.com

Mayor Gregor Robertson may downplay the value of city-owned golf courses such as Langara for their green space and biodiversity—and dream of housing developments on bulldozed links—but nature experts disagree.

“In recent years, a lot of the golf courses, particularly in Vancouver, have changed their tune to a much happier degree for wildlife,” Mike Mackintosh, urban-wildlife manager and 30-year veteran at the Vancouver park board, told the Straight by phone. “The reduced use of herbicides and fungicides…has been very good.”

Asked about biodiversity, Mackintosh said the courses generally have ponds, thickets, hedgerows, and areas of planted trees “that do provide habitat for a much greater diversity of species than we used to see”.

Last month, Robertson told the Vancouver Sun it was “debatable” whether Langara Golf Course “is valuable green space”.

“The public can’t access it; it is not biodiverse and there is no strong business case,” the paper quoted the mayor as saying on June 26. Robertson went on to say that he was amenable to the idea of allowing housing on the golf-course lands.

The mayor was not available for an interview with the paper before the Straight’s deadline.
Then, at their July 9 meeting, Vancouver park-board commissioners voted 4–2 in favour of Vision Vancouver vice chair Aaron Jasper’s motion to ask staff to “compile and report back usage and revenue metrics” of Vancouver’s golf and pitch-and-putt courses; the motion was amended to state that there was no suggested use of golf-course land for commercial or residential developments.

According to the park-board website, Vancouver’s three major municipal 18-hole courses—Fraserview, McCleery, and Langara—together comprise 186 hectares, almost 15 percent of the city’s parkland. The site also states that all three provide “prime habitat for numerous
species of birds, mammals and aquatic wildlife”.

The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System of Canada has certified all three courses, the board site also notes.

Jasper told media last week that Langara could be turned into a nine-hole golf course and the rest of the site made into parkland or the entire property could become a public park.
Jude Grass, a naturalist who worked for 24 years with B.C. Parks and Metro Vancouver Parks, chairs the birding section of Nature Vancouver (formerly the Vancouver Natural History Society). She said the consequences of developing housing on the Langara course are obvious: “That would be disastrous for biodiversity,” she said by phone.

Grass said the results of turning the course into parkland might not be much better for wildlife. “I think I would be against turning it into a park, because the city always seems to want to put in playing fields and lights,” she said. She added that Nature Vancouver’s 2011 bird count for the Langara course identified 70 species, and “I suspect it’s a lot more than that.” She also noted that it probably even supports deer.

Robyn Worcester, a biologist with the Stanley Park Ecology Society, told the Straight that lots of wild animals make their homes on the properties. “I know the golf courses are hot spots for coyotes, and I know that they have some waterfowl in the ponds, like geese and mallards and gadwall, and I know that they do have a variety of songbirds in the spring and fall entering into there, as well as bats,” she said by phone.

Worcester said she wasn’t sure how high the “small mammal” population was on the courses, but she noted that coyotes eat mice, rats, and other such animals and that there is probably at least one coyote den on each of the properties.

The Cambie Corridor Plan approved by city council in May 2011 includes the provision of “much needed habitat for local wildlife”, as well as strategies that “enhance and connect both aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity” in the corridor, which includes Langara Golf Course. The plan also included the Langara course in a list of the corridor’s “significant natural habitats”, and noted that the opportunity to “enhance…biodiversity within parks” was “especially high, given the scale of open space such as Queen Elizabeth Park and the Langara Golf Course”.

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Source URL: http://www.straight.com/article-729471/vancouver/golf-course-biodiversity-could-be-threatened

Speaking of fluff: Too good not to share

via Sandra Thomas, Courier Staff Writer July 9, 2012

Duck walk
Former Courier writer Pat Johnson sent us a YouTube video to enjoy and we thought it was too great not to share. According to the story, a mother duck and her many ducklings were wandering around the parking lot of the Jewish Community Centre on West 41st Avenue at Oak Street this past weekend when Kyle Berger and building manager Jason Marques became concerned the birds were going to be killed by a car.

The men scooped up the babies and placed them in a cardboard box with a plan to drive them and the mother to VanDusen Garden. But when the mother duck refused to get in the car, the men walked the entire family over. The journey included harrowing trips across both Oak and West 41st, all caught on video. Enjoy.

sthomas@vancourier.com
Twitter: sthomas10

© Copyright (c) Vancouver Courier

Read more: http://www.vancourier.com/Central+Park+eagle+landed/6907285/story.html#ixzz20F46LrRF

More fluff than substance at Park Board meetings

Last night the Commissioners of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation passed two more fluff resolutions that could have been left to staff directions. The first, concerning a review of the golf courses, is something that staff regularly reports on. Each year I was a Commissioner a report on the state of revenues and maintenance was brought by staff to the Board. It would have been easy to ask staff to add a review of usage and alternatives to that regular report.

The second concerning the level of chlorine used in public pools--to cap at 3 times the minimum required--could also have been a direction to staff through its regular reporting schedule. A pool report is also done on a yearly basis.

These motions would appear to be simply exercises in public relations and getting Commissioners names in the news. Aaron Jasper often accuses his detractors of 'political grand-standing'. These motions are little more than that. Despite fierce opposition to the golf motion, there was little chance that it would not pass. With a majority on the Board, Comm. Jasper and his Vision colleagues can pass whatever motion they choose. Decisions are rarely made around the table. By the time a resolution gets to the Board it is generally fait accompli. The rest is just theatre.

Are we any further ahead for having these debates at the Board? I don't think so. The system is broken and the more broken it becomes the more the general public turns off. This is seen with each election as fewer and fewer people vote. But as long as the system works for the party in power, there will be no change-- the status quo is the only winner.

Reality Check: Langara Golf Course

There is a lot of misinformation floating around about Langara Golf Course.

Some say it is private--wrong. It is a public course owned and operated by the Vancouver Park Board.

Some say that it is open only to golfers--wrong."Langara Golf Course’s treed greens are surrounded by a popular walking and jogging trail. Along with the tennis courts and playground along the way, the tree-lined trail has wonderful filtered views of the golf course and surrounding neighbourhood."

Some (the mayor of Vancouver for one!) say there is a dearth of bio-diversity--wrong. There is a huge variety of trees, shrubs and flowers. It teems with birds, mammals and insects. I would venture to guess that there is far more bio-diversity there than most playing fields in the city.

By all means let's have a debate about the land, but let's get our facts straight. Personally I have no objection to some or all of the land being converted to parkland--though the golf course does bring in much needed revenue to the park system--money that would otherwise come from tax dollars. But the idea that this land could simply be usurped by the city to build housing is wrong--unless of course they would trade land on a 2 to 1 basis for land of equal or better value. Then we could talk about housing. But that will never happen because land values are far too high. The very reason we should not lose this parcel. It would be impossible to ever replace it.

Stanley Park: An Urban Wilderness Teaser Trailer

The good folks at Beautiful Earth productions are completing a documentary film on the history of Stanley Park. Here is the first of what they promise to be several trailers. Please watch and enjoy.

Does Mayor Robertson really want to build condos on parkland? (Updated)

A story in the Straight quotes Vision Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson of supporting the idea of building housing on a portion of the Langara golf course.

"Meanwhile, Vision mayor Gregor Robertson told the Vancouver Sun last week that he's open to the idea of putting housing on the Langara course, which is just south of a Canada Line station. 'At this point, it is debatable as to whether that is valuable green space,' Robertson told the Vancouver Sun. 'The public can't access it, it is not biodiverse and there is no strong business case'."

Does the mayor really believe that parkland isn't valuable? Does he honestly think a public space isn't open to the public? Does he think that the trees, shrubs and grasses don't clean the air and produce oxygen for the city? Has Vision Vancouver really strayed so far from its origins that the Mayor doesn't think green space is valuable?

Jordan Bateman with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation told the CBC he also supports the idea of developing the land.

"If you even developed half of one of those courses, you’d probably generate enough revenue to hold taxes in line for probably another two or three years, or you could use that money for other infrastructure, things that people actually need and expect municipalities to provide," Bateman told CBC News Tuesday.

What Bateman doesn't seem to realize or care about is that after those 'two or three years' any gain would be lost and the parkland gone forever. He also doesn't seem to think that parkland is an important part of urban infrastructure. He seems to believe that somehow people don't need or want parks and green space.

One can only imagine that they all have become so beholden to the idea of development at any cost that they would sell off public parkland for a quick buck. Even the NPA never advocated selling off parkland for development.

What a sad commentary on civic governance. What a sad state of affairs.

It’s a water sport–enjoy it!

Stuart Mackinnon June 16, 2012 citycaucus.com

The Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival brings paddlers on False Creek

Why not enjoy the 24th Annual Dragon Boat Festival in all this wet weather?

The 24th Annual Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival has begun under grey skies and intermittent rain showers down at False Creek near Science World. One hundred and eighty teams from Canada, the USA, and far away countries are here to enjoy Vancouver' hospitality and some fine competition. Youth, women’s, men’s and mixed teams compete for medals and bragging right. There are cancer survivor teams, teams with vision impairments, teams with mental health issues, recreational teams and the best competitive teams in the world. Mostly they compete for the camaraderie and the pure joy of an amazing water sport.

This year because of the on-going labour dispute my high school team is racing under new colours and with a corporate sponsor. Clarkdale Volkswagen (Main & 29th) stepped up to sponsor us as the Jetta Dragons. It is great that local companies like Clarkdale Motors help kids stay safe and learn new skills.

There is something for everyone at the Dragon Boat Festival with live music, food and a variety of specialty vendors. For adults there is also a beer garden.  So come on down and join the fun. Public transit is easy. Take the Millennium or Expo lines to Main st./Science world and walk across the street.

Some might complain about the weather here in Vancouver but it won’t be a dragon boat racer. Dragon Boat racing is a wet wild and wonderful workout. As the teams come off the water soaked and smiling you can always hear someone say: Hey it's a water sport!
- post by Stuart Mackinnon

Fraserlands Strikes Back: Take Back the Path!

Park neglect resonates within the community

My article on the reduction of maintenance at Riverfront Park has resonated within the community. As well as being published on the City Caucus blog, it has now been pick up by the Vancouver Courier's Readers Soapbox feature. If you see your neighbourhood park is neglected and deteriorating, you should take a picture and send it to the Park Board at: pbcomment@vancouver.ca

A crappy way to treat a neighbourhood

Stuart Mackinnon May 30, 2012 CityCaucus.com

Riverfront Park, seen from Romer's Burger Bar

A former park commissioner watches a waterfront park lose its lustre

The Fraserlands neighbourhood in southeast Vancouver is truly a hidden gem. Riverfront pathways meander along the Fraser and awesome bike paths make access to the outdoors very easy. The neighbourliness is something I have not experienced anywhere else in the city. This camaraderie might be due to the accessibility of outdoor activities, so that one tends to see more of their neighbours.

When I moved here the City, through the Park Board, had a dedicated gardener for Riverfront Park—a green space extending along the Fraser from the foot of Victoria Dr. all the way to Kerr St. The paths, verges, lawns and fields were well maintained and the gardens bloomed throughout the summer with a riot of colour. Picnickers and sports enthusiasts flocked here year round. Along the bike path, which runs the length of the railroad tracks, the grass was trimmed and the shrubs were pruned regularly – 3 to 4 times per season – making this a model neighbourhood.

Riverfront Park view

This all changed with the election of a Vision Vancouver majority to both City Hall and the Park Board. Since Vision was elected in 2008 they have cut the parks maintenance budget every year. In my neighbourhood this has meant that the dedicated gardener has vanished, the gardens are neglected and the lawns and fields have been cut fewer times. The picnic area is often covered in litter and the garbage cans overflow. Along the boulevards and verges the grass and shrubs have not been maintained at all. This has resulted in a sharp increase in the amount of litter and even household garbage piling up.

When the City no longer takes pride in its property, people tend to disrespect it as well. Several times I have seen individuals urinating on the verges and in the park, and this morning I saw someone defecating along the bike path—simply because he thought he could not be seen hidden by the uncut grass. A few years ago the Park Board talked about closing washrooms—seems some people thought they had.

I called 3-1-1 (thanks Sam!) and was told a Streets crew would come out within the next week to ‘take a look’, but I really don’t think it should take someone defecating in front of my home to get the city to clean up its land. Some of my neighbours are so disgusted by the lack of maintenance that they have started guerrilla gardens—a move I applaud. A motion I brought to the Board last term allows them to do this, but unless they are granted approval from the City they run the risk of losing their flower beds.

I have always encouraged people to help keep their neighbourhoods clean. I have participated in neighbourhood and beach clean-ups and I have supported neighbourhood gardens. However, if the City doesn’t do its part in keeping neighbourhoods clean, trim, and safe, neighbourhoods will continue to deteriorate. Then citizens will become increasingly alienated from each other and our gorgeous city will lose its charm and beauty. It’s time the city made neighbourhoods a priority. We pay taxes for a safe, clean and beautiful city, let’s spend them to keep Vancouver a livable city.

published 30 may 2012 @ www.citycaucus.com

World Migratory Bird Day celebrations in Vancouver

from the Park Board:

 

Vancouver—with some of Canada’s most important bird habitat—is the perfect place to lead the country in celebrating World Migratory Bird Day.

 

To recognize the importance of birds to a healthy ecosystem, a series of events will be held across the city on May 12.

 

9:30 am Proclamation
Vancouver Park Board Chair Constance Barnes will make a proclamation of World Migratory Bird Day in Vancouver, and will be joined by Vancouver-West End MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert and ornithologist and author Dr. Rob Butler, who will talk about the significance of birds in our city, at the heron colony in Stanley Park, 2099 Beach Avenue

 

10 am    Bird Walks Around Town
Bird experts will lead bird walks in five different Vancouver parks

• Stanley Park (leave Heron colony at 10 am; three walks, one in Punjabi)
• Everett Crowley Park (meet in Kerr Street parking lot at 9:45 am)
• The Sanctuary at Hastings Park (meet on the N.E. corner of Hastings and Renfrew streets at 9:45 am)
• Jericho Park (meet in east side parking lot at 9:45 am)
• Queen Elizabeth Park (meet in front of Bloedel Conservatory at 9:45 am; two walks, one in Mandarin)

 

1 – 4 pm         Open Bird House

Exhibits and activities for all ages in the Alice MacKay Room of the central branch of the Vancouver Public Library, 350 West Georgia Street

 

2 pm             Feature Presentation

Bird biologist Russell Cannings in the Alice MacKay Room of the central branch of the Vancouver Public Library, 350 West Georgia Street

 

There is also a birding display at Tourism Vancouver’s downtown Visitor Centre, 200 Burrard Street through to May 31 (daily 8:30 am – 6 pm).

English Bay and Burrard Inlet are designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) of Canada. The IBA program is coordinated by BirdLife International and aims to identify conserve and monitor essential bird habitats around the world. Numerous waterbirds use the protected waters of Burrard Inlet for feeding. Waterfowl numbers peak in midwinter here, while species diversity of waterbirds peaks in October.

 

World Migratory Bird Day was initiated in 2006 and is a global awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the protection of migratory birds and their habitats. On the second weekend each May, people around the world take action and organise public events such as bird festivals, education programmes and bird watching excursions to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day.

 

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Media enquiries: Daria Wojnarski, Communications Coordinator, at (t) 604-257-8440 or (c) 604-561-6925

Cherry Blossom Festival Walks and Talks in Vancouver Parks

More info from the Vancouver Park Board

Apr 19, 2012 (No. 16) - Celebrate the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival in Vancouver parks this weekend by participating in Tree Talks and Walks hosted by Vancouver Park Board.

Stanley Park

Saturday, April 21, 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Meet at the Rose Arbour at the Lower Rose Garden, on Pipeline Road in Stanley Park. This spot will be a focal point to discover many of the beautiful and unusual ornamental trees and plants in Stanley Park’s Shakespeare Garden. This talk will also discuss some of the history of the park and how the Park Board balances demands of the public with the need for open green space. Presented by City Arborist, Bill Stephen.

Queen Elizabeth Park

Sunday, April 22, 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Meet at the parking lot (33rd Ave and Cambie) under the west end cherry trees. A guided tree walk highlighting the many exotic and native trees at Queen Elizabeth Park's arboretum, founded in 1949, contains tree species from around the world. This walk will focus on the ornamental qualities and garden-worthiness of the wide palette of trees which grow in Vancouver. Presented by Alex Downie, Supervisor of Neighborhood Parks.
The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival runs from April 5 through April 28 with events and celebrations across the city. Through a variety of programs from Cherry Jam Downtown, Haiku Invitational, Bike the Blossoms, BC Blossom Watch Photo Contest, Tree Talks and Walks and the Cherry Blossom Viewing Map the festival captures the exuberance of the blossoming with cultural programming for the whole community to enjoy. Visit the website for the events calendar and locations at www.vcbf.ca .

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Media enquiries: Jason Watson, Communications Coordinator, at (t) 604-257-8438 or (c) 604-362-5032.
The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation maintains over 220 parks and 40 major facilities throughout the City of Vancouver. The Park Board's mission is to provide, preserve and advocate for parks and recreation to benefit all people, communities and the environment.

Earth Day celebrations in Vancouver parks

From the Vancouver Park Board website:

Apr 18, 2012 (No. 15) - Celebrate Earth Day festivities in various Vancouver parks starting this weekend.

Everett Crowley Park

Saturday, April 21, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Vancouver’s longest running Earth Day celebration takes place at Everett Crowley Park. Hosted by the Everett Crowley Park Committee, the day includes the planting of 1,000 native trees and shrubs supplied by the Park Board, educational games and kids’ activities. Visit earthdayvancouver.org for details.

Stanley Park

Earth Day Ivy Busters: Community Invasive Species Management in Stanley Park
Sunday, April 22, 1:00 – 3:30 pm
Stanley Park’s natural habitats are being overtaken by alien invasive plants. Join Stanley Park Ecology Society for an enjoyable and empowering afternoon of careful conservation weeding efforts.
To RSVP and for info on where to meet and what to bring, contact Greg: stewardship@stanleyparkecology.ca or 604-718-6547
Earth Day Nature, Nurture and Renewal: Forest Fundamentals in Stanley Park
Sunday, April 22, 1:30 – 3:30 pm
Join Stanley Park Ecology Society’s nature educator on an easy walk to explore the importance of forests to wildlife and people, their structure and function, how they change over time, and how to recognize some of their most important and endearing inhabitants.
Fees apply: Adults $10, seniors and children $5. To pre-register, contact Krystal: programs@stanleyparkecology.ca or 604-718-6522
Stanley Park Nature House on Lost Lagoon
Weekends, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Indoors, along the shore trail of Lost Lagoon by the confluence of Chilco and Alberni Streets, engage in nature displays and stories by Stanley Park Ecology Society educators. Enjoy the complimentary spotting scope to watch for eagles hunting gulls, or the return of swallows to the lagoon’s nest boxes. Free. For more information visit: stanleyparkecology.ca/education/nature-house/

Hastings Park

Saturday, April 28, 6:00 am
“Dawn Chorus” Walk for Earth Week, with naturalist Al Grass. Meet at the north-east corner of the Sanctuary for a walk that will last about two hours, rain or shine! More information at hastingspark.ca
Celebrated every April 22, Earth Day is the largest, most celebrated environmental event worldwide. More than six million Canadians join one billion people in over 170 countries in staging events and projects to address local environmental issues.
Earth Day began in 1970 as an environmental awareness event and now provides an important catalyst for change for the many environmental challenges found locally, nationally and globally. Visit www.earthday.ca for more information.
Participants are encouraged to walk, bike or take public transit and leave cars at home.

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Media enquiries: Daria Wojnarski, Communications Coordinator, (t) 604-257-8440 or (c) 604-561-6925
The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation maintains over 220 parks and 40 major facilities throughout the City of Vancouver. The Park Board's mission is to provide, preserve and advocate for parks and recreation to benefit all people, communities and the environment.

VanDusen Botanical Gardens: From Golf Course to Garden

Last Monday I was honoured to be elected a Governor of the VanDusen Botanical Garden Association. The VBGA operates the Gardens in association with the Park Board. It is also responsible for fund-raising and managing all the volunteers. With over 1600 volunteers there is certainly lots to do! I look forward to working with a terrific board to promote and preserve this gem in our city. Below is taken from the Vancouver Park Board website:

Until the mid 1960s this site, owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway, was one of Vancouver's first full-length golf links known as the Old Shaughnessy Golf Course. Destined to become a housing development by the 1970s, a dedicated group of citizens joined forces with the Vancouver Park Board to set aside 55 acres of the site for a botanical garden. This parcel of land also included the still undeveloped land (11 acres) located on the east side of Oak Street just south of Eric Hamber School. Through a unique partnership at the time, funding for the land, then valued at $3 million, was made possible by three contributors: Provincial Government ($1 million); City of Vancouver ($1 million) and W.J. VanDusen ($1 million). Mr. VanDusen's generosity was recognized by naming the garden for him.

This spectacular garden in the heart of Vancouver has matured into a botanical garden of international stature since opening to the public in 1975. The mild Vancouver climate allows the cultivation of an outstanding plant collection which is a delight any time of the year. There are over 7,500 different kinds of plants assembled from six continents.

The garden design features displays of plants in picturesque landscape settings. Specific garden areas are planted to illustrate botanical relationships, such as the Rhododendron Walk, or geographical origins, as in Sino Himalayan Garden. These areas are set amidst rolling lawns, tranquil lakes and dramatic rockwork with vistas of the mountains and Vancouver cityscape.

The VanDusen Botanical Garden is operated by the Vancouver Park Board and the VanDusen Botanical Garden Association.

http://vancouver.ca/parks/parks/vandusen/index.htm