Category Archives: Special Event

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

Holiday Open House 2021

Drop by Piper Spit for the Burnaby Lake Park Association’s “reimagined” Holiday Open House.

Due to the current restrictions, we are unable to host activities in the Nature House this year so we are taking things outside! Learn about the birds of Burnaby Lake, the history of the Lake, the BLPA and our our activities from our member volunteers. We will be serving hot apple drink to warm you up!

Register for one of four guided nature walks (11:30 am, 12:00 pm, 12:30 pm, or 1:00 pm) along forested trails to discover birds and wildlife in the park. The walks will have a maximum of 10 participants and will last 30-40 minutes. Saftey checks and protocols are in place for registration and the walk. Register here.

This event is free and everyone, of any age, is welcome! Please dress appropriately for the weather – rain gear and waterproof shoes are likely a good idea! The event will go on unless there is another atmospheric river.