Category Archives: Community Outreach

Salmon Sunday at Cariboo Dam

Chum are the most common salmon species you may see at Cariboo Dam in the fall. iStock

One of the great things about the return of the traditional fall weather – cooler temperatures and rain – is the return of spawning salmon. Join the BLPA to celebrate their return!

DATE: Sunday, October 22
TIME: 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
MEET: Cariboo Dam

Cariboo Dam, located at the east end of Burnaby Lake, is a great spot to view one of the great miracles of the natural world as salmon return from the ocean to their natal stream to spawn and complete their life cycle.

Visit our display to learn about salmon, the history of Cariboo Dam, the birds and wildlife you will see around the park during this time of year, the history of the BLPA, our activities and how to get involved!

Pick up a Waterways of Burnaby poster so you can find the streams in your neighbourhood.

We are also offering a guided nature walk using the iNaturalist app. It’s a great tool that you can download to help you identify the nature around you.

Register for the 12 pm Guided Nature walk here.

Fall is a great time to use the app! You may be able to capture sightings of organisms that can be only seen this time of year like funghi and spawning salmon. Also, the Regional Parks Snap & Share project is happening during the month of October! By registering and sharing your observations, you can be eligible to win a prize!

Register for Snap & Share here.

You can also share your salmon sightings with the Watershed Watch Salmon Society‘s annual Salmon Spawn Watch. With climate change and other pressures, the number of salmon returning to each stream every year is changing. You can help them better understand what is happening with salmon around the province with just your phone and a social media account. Learn how to take part here and be eligible for prizes!

Cariboo Dam overlooks the Brunette River to the East where the salmon have made their way from the Fraser. They will spawn in the Brunette or make their way up any of the tributaries such as Stoney Creek or Eagle Creek. Some of them will rest and continue up the beautiful fishway into Burnaby Lake.

Salmon come back to their natal stream where they were ‘born’ because they ‘know’ it is a good place to spawn; they won’t waste time looking for a stream with good habitat and other salmon. Scientists believe that salmon navigate by using the earth’s magnetic field like a compass.When they find the river they came from, they start using smell to find their way back to their home stream. They build their ‘smell memory-bank’ when they start migrating to the ocean as young fish.1

Cariboo Dam is located on Cariboo Road between Government Road and Avalon Avenue in Burnaby, BC. You can park at the lot at 9157 Avalon Avenue or look here for directions.

1 US Geological Survey

Picture A Better Planet this Earth Day!

Celebrate Earth Day with the BLPA at Piper Spit

Visit our display at the entrance to Piper Spit to learn about our history, the stewardship work we do and the native species that have benefited from the efforts of our volunteers.

Many birds are also passing through on their spring migration journey along the Pacific Flyway. For the birds that spend spring and summer here, it is the breeding season and there are many nests being built throughout the park. In British Columbia, birds and their nests are protected under the provincial Wildlife Act and the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act.  This means restrictions to when and where vegetation clearing may be permitted. As a result, we are unable to host an invasive species removal work party at Piper Spit at this time.

However, you can sign up for a BLPA guided nature walk using popular nature apps and learn how to identify and record your observations, including many of the native species that BLPA volunteers have planted, and the year round and seasonal birds that have been observed at Burnaby Lake!

Lean more about the apps and to register here.

Support the BLPA in the Park Partner’s Challenge!

This holiday season, the Burnaby Lake Park Association and Metro Vancouver Regional Parks Foundation have teamed up to double your donation’s impact for our programming in Burnaby Lake Regional Park.

Your donations have a significant impact. Funds from the Foundation and
supporters like you have funded work to:

Your donation to Burnaby Lake Regional Park will be doubled by Metro Vancouver
Regional Parks Foundation’s Park Partners Challenge!

Metro Vancouver Regional Parks Foundation has up to $1,000 in matching funds available for our park projects. That means if we raise $1,000 within our community, $2,000 goes into programming in our beautiful regional park!

The BLPA Board of Directors would like to raise funds to purchase our own full set of binoculars so we do not have to borrow them from another park association. The ability to provide binoculars on bird or nature outings in the park helps people get close and connect to nature. The study of birds and their habitat can provide a deeper understanding of ecology, biodiversity and the environment. People starting out birding may not have invested in a pair of their own binoculars yet. Also, the price of binoculars can be the singular financial barrier of entry into the birding community. We want to be able to lend a high quality pair to anyone who would not be able to afford it otherwise because we know how important these connections to nature are.

Participants enjoying a BLPA led bird outing at our Birds of Burnaby Lake event, May 29, 2022.
Photo credit: Lindsay Marsh

Help us unlock the full potential of these funds by donating before December
31st, 2022.

Every dollar raised has double the impact on tomorrow and is appreciated today.
THANK YOU!