Category Archives: Community Outreach

Earth Day – Educational Walk

 A case of adapting to Nature!

We originally planned a stewardship event to remove invasive species for Earth Day. However, we discovered nesting birds in the area. Working too close to the nests can stress out the parents and have them spend energy trying to scare us away from their nest. To avoid stressing out the birds, we have changed our event to a nature walk and opened this activity up to the community, and potentially future volunteers!

At this event, BLPA Coordinator Natasha will teach the group how they can help out nature in many different ways. Topics include native and invasive plants, birds,wildlife, pollinators, trees “talking” to each other, bats and more!

Please note exisitng volunteers: We will now meet at the Nature House and NOT at Lenson. Map is below.

More information:

The BLPA will continue with our Safety Best Practices. Participants are required to bring and wear a mask when physical distancing is not possible, regardless if they are vaccinated or not. Everyone is going at their own pace and we ask that people be kind and respectful.

At this time, this event is limited to those aged 16+ (or 12+ with an adult)

This event will be limited to 15 participants.

The BLPA limits the number of participants to ensure adequate distancing and that other COVID-19 safety measures can be applied. You are required to bring a face mask to the event.

Click here to register!

Join the BLPA in the City Nature Challenge!

The Burnaby Lake Park Association is attending this year’s Burnaby Blooms and offering you an opportunity to learn how to use iNaturalist during this year’s City Nature Challenge (CNC), April 29-May 8, 2022.

What is the CNC? It’s an annual citizen science event that gets people outside to enjoy nature in their city as well as create a living record of urban wildlife. Participants are asked to get outside and take photos of wildlife (this includes both plants and animals!) using the free iNaturalist app or iNaturalist.ca. More than 400 cities took part in 2021 from around the world, 25 of which were right here in Canada.

While the City of Burnaby is not officially participating in the CNC this year, the BLPA wants to introduce the community to how fun an easy it is to use the iNaturalist app and website – simply snap a photo, share what you have seen and learn about the nature around you!

Join the BLPA at Burnaby Blooms for a workshop a guided walk to use the app:

  • DATE: Saturday, May 7
  • TIME: 2:30 – 3:30 pm. (2:30-3:00 – workshop, 3:00-3:30 walk to use the app
  • LOCATION: Deer Lake Park – see map below for meeting location
  • REGISTRATION: City of Burnaby registration link
  • COST: $5 – The City of Burnaby will accept Drop in fee on-site!

To get the most out of the workshop, please download the iNaturalist app ahead of time and set up your account.

You can put your iNaturalist app to use year-round, tracking biodiversity wherever and whenever you’re in the mood to observe nature. Many nature groups host projects like the CNC through the year. The BLPA will have a project this fall that you can join.

Go to iNaturalist.ca or download the iNaturalist app on your smartphone and set up an account.

If you’re new to iNaturalist, check out these tutorials on how iNaturalist works:

From the iNaturalist phone app: How to make an observation on iNaturalist

From the iNaturalist website: How to use iNaturalist’s Photo and Sound uploader

BLPA Social Media Content Survey

The internet and social media have been great tools for us to keep in touch with our community, especially during the past 20 months when we have not been in the park like we usually are. Our channels are a tool to keep you informed about what is going at Burnaby Lake, and connect you to Nature – whether it is letting you know about stewardship opportunities, learning about Burnaby Lake’s ecosystem, its birds, wildlife and plants or simply to share the beauty of our home sweet home.

This quick survey helps us find out how you connect with us and how you think we are doing so we can improve.

If you complete the survey by December 31st, 2021, you will be entered into a random drawing from all submitted surveys by that date to win a $25 Gift Certificate to Mountain Equipment Co-op. You must provide your name and email address at the end of the survey so we can contact you if you are the winner. Must be age 16+ to enter.

Click here to take the survey.

* One entry per person per completed survey. BLPA Directors or contractors are not eligible to win.