Category Archives: News

Burnaby Lake Regional Park’s Paths Recommended in Burnaby Now

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We’re so happy to be featured in the Burnaby Now‘s July 20, 2017 digital edition. Writer Stephen Hui recommends his top picks for easy hikes and nature walks in Burnaby:  Get on the beaten path – Great hikes and nature walks in Burnaby.

BURNABY LAKE

Fed by Still Creek and drained by the Brunette River, Burnaby Lake is truly the heart of the city. Both the lake and the Central Valley are the products of glacial erosion during the Pleistocene epoch. Wildlife watchers will want to keep an eye out for great blue herons, northern flying squirrels, Pacific tree frogs, pied-billed grebes, red-winged blackbirds and western painted turtles.

On foot: Make the most of your visit to Burnaby Lake Regional Park by circumnavigating its centrepiece. Points of interest on the 10-kilometre Burnaby Lake loop include Cariboo Dam and the Piper Spit boardwalk and viewing tower.

By transit: To access the loop from the Sperling-Burnaby Lake station, cross the pedestrian overpass, walk south to Sperling Avenue and enter the park.

Stephen Hui is the author of 105 Hikes In and Around Southwestern British Columbia, which will be published by Greystone Books in 2018. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @StephenHui.

Click here for a Walking Map, Directions, or how to get here by Transit.

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Piper Spit is a popular spot for bird and wildlife photographers Photo: I. Lau

THANK YOU

to everyone who came to the inaugural WILD ABOUT BURNABY LAKE! We hope you had a good time on your canoe tours, nature walks and weed pulls, as well as enjoy the exhibits from:

  • Bird Studies CanadaBLPA-WaBL-Thank_You_Visitors_&_Exhibitors
  • Burnaby Beekeepers Association
  • Catching the Spirit Youth Society
  • North Shore Black Bear Society
  • Northern Spotted Owl Captive Breeding Program
  • Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society
  • Pacific Parklands Foundation
  • Stanley Park Ecology Society
  • Wild Life Rescue Association of BC
  • City of Burnaby Planning Department
  • Metro Vancouver Regional Parks
  • Burnaby Lake Park Association

This event was presented in conjunction with Metro Vancouver Regional Parks and the City of Burnaby Planning Department with support from the TD Friends of the Environment Fund. Special thanks to Burnaby Lake Rowing Club and Burnaby Canoe & Kayak Club who accommodated the voyageur canoes on Burnaby Lake and Metro Vancouver Regional Parks Special Events, Interpreters and Operations staff for all your help with set up and take down.

Photos:  Suzanne Rushton Photography

Visitors and exhibitors! If you took any photos, we’d love to see them – please tag us @BurnabyLakePark on Twitter, Instagram or FacebookThank you!

If you would like to contact any of our exhibitors, please go to the event page where it will link you that organization’s website, Facebook page or contact details.

Don’t Let It Loose! Be a Responsible Pet Owner

As a suitable follow up from #WorldTurtleDay yesterday and to highlight the population of endangered Painted Turtles who make Burnaby Lake Regional Park their home.

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The Invasive Species Council of BC has proclaimed May  as Invasive Species Action Month.

While we usually think of invasive plants first, they also include animals and organisms that are not native to BC, and have serious impacts on our environment, economy and society. Invasive species can out-compete native species for food and space, damage ecosystems, disrupt food sources and introduce parasites and disease.  Some of the most serious invasive species were originally sold as pets or plants for water gardens and aquariums.

Most pets don’t survive in the wild – some die by being killed by predators or hit by cars, and others die of starvation. It is inhumane to release an animal into an environment it is not accustomed to. Releasing a pet into an unsuitable habitat is also considered animal cruelty and charges can be laid (BC SPCA).  However, several species have the ability to thrive and reproduce in their new environment.

The following exotic pet and plant species are commonly released into the wild, and have had serious impacts on BC’s native ecosystems and natural flora and fauna.

  • Red Eared Slider Turtles
  • European Rabbit
  • American Bullfrog
  • Koi Carp
  • Goldfish
  • Eurasian Watermilfoil
  • Parrot Feather
  • Brazilian Elodea

For example, the  Endangered Western Painted Turtle is a native Species at Risk within Burnaby Lake Regional Park and has faced many challenges with Red Eared Slider Turtles from pet shops that people have released into Burnaby Lake when they decide they no longer want their pet.  with which they compete.

Plants and animals should never be released into the wild: For information on actions to take visit www.bcinvasives.ca and www.bcinvasivesmonth.com.  Any sightings of these or other invasive species should be reported to the local invasive species committee.  Remember to sign the Don’t Let It Loose Commitment Form.