Tag Archives: Burnaby Lake

FitFirst x New Balance – Trash Dash 2019

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Local sportswear store, FitFirst Footwear located at the Fortius Centre on Kensington, is hosting a fun and friendly stewardship competition to give back to the community.

From their event site:
Since opening in 2013, we’ve called Burnaby home and have been overwhelmed with the community of people, beautiful nature and ample running routes. Our community of runners and walkers use the trails, parks and roads everyday and thought- it’s time to give back to The Burn… and why not mix in some exercise while we do it?

Join FitFirst Footwear & New Balance on our first ever Trash Dash and help give back to your local running & walking routes. As the name hints, the Trash Dash mixes running and giving back to our beautiful community by picking up garbage along the way. The trails we run on, the parks we play in, and the community we live in all deserve some love- let’s show that love while running together!

More details will be shared as we get closer to the date, but here are a few things you can bank on:
6:00-6:30 pm: Registration & social
6:30-7:30 pm: TRASH DASH! Runners & walkers of all levels welcome!
7:30-8:00 pm: Trophy ceremony (that’s right, there’s a trophy), prizes and pictures
8:00-9:00 pm: Social with cold beer from our friends at Steamworks, snacks and awesome people

So come on out, bring your friends and do the Trash Dash with FitFirst and New Balance!

Burnaby Lake Mandarin Duck Makes a Media Splash!

You may have seen on the news that a wayward Mandarin Duck has splashed down in New York City’s Central Park on October 31 and causing a major media fuss with thousands of people descending upon the park trying to catch a glimpse and snap a photo of this exotic looking bird.

Word got out to local media that there was one of these  beauties in their own back yard. CBC Vancouver contacted us and we had the opportunity let them know our Mandarin Duck has been around since Spring, but we have been our polite Canadian selves and kept things low-key.

“He has been around since May. The Burnaby Lake community has been very Canadian-like as we are with any unfeathered celebrity and not bothered him too much by keeping a respectful distance.”

We were also provide some information about perching ducks, its cousin the Wood Duck, and where to look for him. Click here to read the full story.

MandarinDuck-CBC-webpage

Other mentions of the Burnaby Lake Mandarin Duck have appeared on  Global News,  Province/Vancouver Sun (mentions our summer newsletter which features Sheila Linn’s photo), Vancouver Courier, and Vancouver is Awesome.  

The best way to keep up with his whereabouts is to search #burnabylake on Instagram. We will add a mini gallery when we collect a few images from local photographers.

It’s EcoBlitz time again!

BLPA-Annual Ecoblitz

The first EcoBlitz was held in 2014 and was a one day event across the Metro Vancouver Regional Parks System. It was an opportunity for the community to lend a helping hand to nature and show a little extra love to our Regional Park.

In 2014 and 2015, we removed invasive species from an area known as the North Avalon Restoration Site (NARS). In 2016, we received a George Ross Legacy Grant for $4000 to purchase new tools and 218 native species to plant in NARS. We also planted native species around Piper Spit that year and went back to plant more in 2017 as well as the area between the Avalon lot and the Lake. Now in its fifth year, the BLPA is happy to be able to host two EcoBlitz events on Sunday, October 14 and Sunday, October 21, (both  1:00-4:00 pm). On the 21st, we are working with TD to deliver a TD Tree Days event.

We are grateful to TD Tree Days for awarding the grant used to fund the purchase of the native speces being planted. To find out more about TD Tree Days, click here.

We would also like to thank Metro Vancouver Biosolids Project Team for donating native species Spiraea douglasaii, more commonly known as hardhack, that has been planted in Nutrifor™ Landscaping Soil.

On October 14, meet us to start the work of planting native species in the Lenson Field, and clean up any wayward weeds if needed. Remember to dress for the weather, sturdy and water proof shoes or boots, rain pants, jackets and a hat if needed. We’ll provide the gloves, tools and snacks! Ages 8+  Click below for registration details. Please RSVP as space is limited and this will help us organize enough tools and pizza! See you on the 14th!

EcoBlitz 2018-1

On October 21, we’ll finish up the work at Lenson Field by planting native species, removing invasive species that are lingering and any restoration work that needs to be done in that are of the park.  Remember to dress for the weather, sturdy and water proof shoes or boots (there are some soggier soils depending on which area you are assigned), long pants, jackets and a hat if needed. We’ll provide the gloves, tools and snacks! Ages 8+  Click below for registration details. Please RSVP as space is limited and this will help us organize enough tools and pizza! See you on the 21st!

EcoBlitz 2018-2