Earthwalks in Vancouver - Summer and Fall 2012

Three local non-profit groups – Little Mountain Neighbourhood House, Village Vancouver and the False Creek Watershed Society have partnered to offer a series of 10 “Earth Walks”.

We live in the city of Vancouver with almost a million other residents. We are blessed to be surrounded by mountains, forests, oceans and rivers. But how well do we know about nature in our own backyard? The Earth and the natural world are present everywhere – from the gardens of Kitsilano to the Lost Streams of False Creek to the mighty Fraser River and even at the local shopping centre!

Please join us for this exciting series of free walks this summer and fall. The leaders are amazingly knowledgeable in their specialty - so come along to listen to their words, connect with the land and ask lots of questions!

Earth Walks Vancouver Summer/Fall 2012:

Please register for the event(s) of your choice.

1) July 21 “Bee Walk” through Kitsilano with Mary Bennett. From bee-friendly gardens to hives to eco-art; how bees fare in the big city. 1:00 – 3:00

2) July 29: “Who ever heard of a nature walk in a shopping centre?” Oakridge Mall with Celia Brauer. Come check out the fact that Mother Nature is everywhere. 10:30 – 12:30

3) August 11: “A walk through history on the Fraser River’s North Arm” with Terry Slack . Listen to tales about the Fraser River on the skytrain bridge over the North Arm – some history, some discussion about the fish and how a river works. 10:30 – 12:30

4) August 18: “St. George’s Street Rainway – bringing a creek back to a city street” with Greta Borick Cunningham. A walk along the historic creek which will one day be daylighted and the new painted mural. 1:00 - 3:00

5) August 25: "Cottonwood Community Gardens –Paradise in the City”. How community and nature come together to produce paradise. 10:30 - 12:30 Leader TBA

6) Sept 9: “A Lost Stream Walk - Gibson Creek” with Dan Fass. A walk along the path of an old creek, showing how the creek influenced the development of this part of the city. 2:00-4:00

7) Sept: 15: “Fish in the City - Fisherman’s Wharf to Granville Island market” with Louise Towell. Fish from the sea, fish from False Creek, fish from the ocean. What is the history, where our fish come from, how they are faring in the deep ocean? And how the Stream of Dreams teaches children about fish and watersheds. 10:00 – 12:00

8) Sept 23: “How the Forest Works” Pacific Spirit Park with Terry Taylor. Forest ecology and how the forest does our work for us – in Pacific Spirit Park. 10:00- 12:00

8A) Sept 29: "A Poetic Walk Through Nature - Among Forests and Shorelines" with Elaine Woo, Stephen Collis, Mary Woodbury, Bernice Lever and others. A collaboration with "100,000 Poets for Change". 10:00 - 12:30

9) October 7: “Economics in Place and Time” False Creek Sewall with Michael Barkusky. A walk on the false creek seawall from Leg-in-boot square to Granville Island to look at the history of False Creek and how the natural capital of the water and shoreline has changed over the last 150 years. 1:00 – 3:00

10) October 14: “Connecting with the Land” with Pamela Zevit. A walk along Wreck Beach – one of the last close-to-wild beaches in Vancouver – including discussions about how we connect to the land in our fast-paced techno-industrial urban society and meditations to help forge stronger links. 10:00 – 12:00

Water is Life summary:

We had a very successful event on May 19th, 2012 at the Roundhouse Community Centre. We discussed what "healthy waters mean for us all".

The speakers brought up some very important and fascinating discussions. There were many environmental group table and a very engaged audience.

Speakers:

Here are the list of speakers and the Powerpoints that some shared.

Celia Brauer- False Creek Watershed - sewers, runoff, beach health, special events, engaging the public Download PDF
Bryn Davidson - St. George's Creek Blueway - daylighting a city street Download PDF
Dr. Jonn Madsen - Squamish Streamkeepers - herring in Howe Sound Download PDF

Christianne Wilhelmson Christianne Wilhelmson- Georgia Strait Alliance - sewage treatment in Vancouver Download PDF
Dr. John Richardson - Professor Forest Science UBC - The Fraser River - North Arm and Estuary health Download PDF
Ben West - Wilderness Committee - tankers in Burrard inlet Download PDF

Andrea Reimer - City of Vancouver Councillor - Greenest City Initiative - Water Advisory Board and Blueways Program discussion

Blog Posting on the event by Eryne Donahue (with photos):

http://www.bcwfbogblog.com/2012/05/22/water-is-life/wwa.org

http://http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcwfwep/sets/72157629838754214/

Film: "Rise of the Salmon People" by Jeremy Williams

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhxQBSU-npw

(Movie starts at 1 minute 10 seconds)

Environmental Group Tables and Partners:

BC Water and Waste Association - http://www.bcwwa.org

BC Wildlife Federation - http://www.bcwf.net

Camosun Bog - http://www.camosunbog.org

City Studio - http://www.citystudiovancouver.blogspot.com

False Creek Watershed Society - http://www.falsecreekwatershed.org

Gibby's Field - http://www.vcn.bc.ca/gibbys

Georgia Strait Alliance - http://www.georgiastrait.org

Hastings Park Conservancy - http://www.hastingspark.ca

North Shore Wetland Partners - http://www.nswetlandpartners.com

Renfrew Ravine - http://www.stillmoon.org

Roundhouse Community Centre - http://www.roundhouse.ca

Salmon are Sacred - http://www.salmonaresacred.org

Squamish Streamkeepeers - http://web.me.com/jackcooley2/streamkeepers/Welcome.html

St. George's Blueway - http:// mtpleasantwatershed.wordpress.com/

Stop the Pave/ Burns Bog - http://www.stopthepave.org

http://www.burnsbog.org

Vancouver City Sewers and Water - http://www.vancouver.ca/engsvcs/watersewers/sewers/index.htm

Vancouver Greenest City Action - http://www.greenestcity.ca

Village Vancouver - http://www.villagevancouver.ca

White Water / Black Gold - http://www.whitewaterblackgold.com

Wilderness Commitee/ No Tankers - http://www.wildernesscommittee.org

Wreck Beach Conservation - http://www.wreckbeach.org

Partners: (see links above) City of Vancouver Greenest City, City of Vancouver - Sewers and Water, St. George's Blueway, Wilderness Committee, Georgia Strait Alliance, Roundhouse Community Centre, Village Vancouver, North Shore Wetland Partners, City Studio, Gibby's Field.

Many thanks to our generous donors:

Famous Foods (Kingsway near King Edward) for food donation

Canada Safeway (King Edward and Oak) for food donation

Terra Breads (SE False Creek) for food donation

Starbucks (Mainland and Davie) for food donation

The Long Table from City Studio for bringing "The Long Table"!

Staff and Board of the False Creek Watershed Society

All the speakers, Eryne Donahue and Jill Weiss for help with conception and publicity

OTHER PROJECTS BY THE FCWS:

Mapping the Spirit of the False Creek Watershed:

From March 2010 - March 2011 we brought together a Community Mapping Project in the False Creek Watershed. http://www.mappingfalsecreek.com

Lost Streams Walks:

From 2009 - 2011 we offered Lost Sreams walks every September to celebrate Wild Salmon Month in Vancouver.

Salmon Celebration:

"The Salmon Celebration -Remembering Our History, Celebrating the Living" was a BC Rivers Day event that we created and produced from 2004 - 2009. It grew from a startout audience of 400 to well over a thousand participants annually and it also supported other events such as craft workshops, community tables and Lost Streams walks. The event showcased local artists and performers, featured First Nations groups and individuals and provided a venue for Environmental groups who were working on salmon issues to discuss their work with the public. All-in-all, it was a fun and informative event in the context of BC Rivers Day and over the years thousands of people locally were exposed to the very important discussions of Lost Streams history and the state of salmon today.

Downloads

September is Salmon Month in Vancouver. Download the official Proclamation from City Hall. (pdf, 780 kb)

View Salmon Celebration photos in the "Gallery"

Event Posters: 2004 – 2009

From 2006-2008 the False Creek Watershed Society created the 3 consequtive events - Interspiritual Salmon Blessing for Earth Day. We offered discussions by local faith leaders, education on the Lost Streams of Vancouver and First Nations participation. And most important, we invited the community to come down to the water's edge to offer a blessing to the millions of juvenile salmon who are starting their epic ocean journey.

In 2005, there was a request put out by Alexandra Morton, a prominent biologist who works on the West Coast of Vancouver Island and is very concerned about the serious effects of fish farming on wild salmon. She asked that we offer our concern for the fate of our salmon by heading down to a local waterway and gathering with community members to offer blessings to these very young creatures as they head out to their life at sea.

For 2006, two organizations – the False Creek Watershed Society, and the Sierra Club of Canada BC Chapter, joined together to expand on this idea.

View Interspiritual Blessing photos in the "Gallery"