BLPA Board – Call for Expression of Interest

The BLPA is looking for a few new directors to join the Board at our next Annual General Meeting which will take place on May 19, 2021. For the term ahead, we are currently searching for individuals who can contribute to the organization with their developed skills in one or more areas such as:

  • Financial Management
  • Stewardship and Ecological Restoration
  • Project Management
  • Human Resources

In addition, ideal candidates will have any of the following:

  • Passion for Burnaby Lake Regional Park and Nature
  • Strong interest in protecting our parks
  • Experience working with nonprofit boards

So what does it mean to be on the BLPA Board? 

  • This graphic shows the general responsibilities both of the Board as a collective of its Fiduciary duties, and for the individual board member. 
  • The term is for two years. 
  • Additional information can be found in the BLPA’s Constitution & Bylaws in sections 5, 6 and 7.
  • The BLPA Board meets on the third Wednesday of each month, 7-9 pm. We are currently meeting by Zoom.
  • When we are able to meet in person again, they will take place at the Metro Vancouver Central Area office on Avalon Avenue.
  • Additional time spent depends on what else you decide to get involved with such as subcommittees (e.g., governance, stewardship) and/or hands on volunteering with activities such as stewardship and outreach. 

We appreciate our new members providing a valuable fresh perspective on things and new ideas.

Interested candidates are asked to prepare a cover letter and resume outlining their skills and experience related to the position. Both should be submitted with an Expression of Interest form to Manish Kumar, Chair of the Nominating Committee at manish.k.mani (at) gmail.com.

DEADLINE: 5 pm, March 30, 2021.

If you have any further questions, you can contact the BLPA’s Chair, Irene Lau.

Download: Expression of Interest form.

Three Years and Things are Still Ducky

We were contacted by Thor Diakow from Vancouver is Awesome to meet him and tell him about our fine feathered friend. It gave us the opportunity to reflect about what this bird has brought to the Burnaby Lake community.

PR. Public Relations. Permanent Resident.

As “Trevor” the Mandarin Duck approaches the “3 year requirement” for his permanent resident status, we figure he has done a lot of PR for for Burnaby Lake and Nature, since he decided to make it his home.

He first appeared on our radar in May 2018 and has delighted park users old and new since. The Burnaby Lake community has been respectful with our local celebrity and kept his presence relatively low key until his counter part in New York City’s Central Park “Hot Duck” shone the spotlight here and drew many people to Burnaby Lake Regional Park, some for the very first time.

There is never a guarantee you will see Trevor on your visit – whether it’s your first or fiftieth visit. Perhaps you have come to the park with the specific goal of seeing him, or you are on a walk for your physical and mental wellness, especially during the pandemic. But while you are here, maybe you will find your spark bird.

In birding, the term “spark bird” defines the one that ignites your interest in birds. Whether you are 5 or 75, there will be one that catches your eye and intrigues you enough to ask someone to identify it and you spend some time learning more. It doesn’t have be a rare fancy duck, but one that is more common here like its cousin – the beautiful Wood Duck, a dapper Northern Pin Tail, a sweet Chestnut-backed Chickadee or like a Red-winged Blackbird. This last one is the species that caught the attention of author Julia Zarankin, at age 35, and sent her on her birding journey as described in her memoir, Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder. And once you connect to birds, you are connected to Nature, which is part of the BLPA’s mission. We hope that you will return often and have the opportunity to enjoy and get involved with our activities once we are able to restart them.

Thor, an avid birder himself, was lucky enough that Trevor decided to show up just before he was about to leave (thanks for spotting him, Sheila Linn!) so he was able to get some footage and share his story on Vancouver is Awesome.

So if you are interested in birds, watch out for news about (Metro) Vancouver Bird Week, taking place May 8-16, 2021. Event details are still being sorted out, and will likely be a combination of webinars and socially distanced events as well as activities you can do you on your own or household group.

Metro Vancouver Regional Park Interpreters will be hosting a few bird related events with safety protocols in place

When visiting Burnaby Lake Regional Park, please follow the Metro Vancouver Regional Parks COVID-19 safety guidelines. While on Piper Spit, take turns to allow others to have the opportunity enjoy the views. When it is not possible to physically distance from others, please wear a mask. If you do want to feed the birds, please do not feed them bread, and only bring a reasonable amount of seed per person. You can see with the amount of people, they will not go hungry!

Remember – dogs are not allowed onto Piper Spit and must follow the Regional Park Canine Code of Conduct, and bicycles are not permitted on the park trails, only on the Central Valley Greenway.

You can send questions about birds or any topic on our Feedback Form here.

Happy Holidays

The Burnaby Lake Park Association would like to wish you and yours a happy and safe holiday season. Thank you for your continued support through a most unusual year. 

A quick recap of what the BLPA was able to achieve. The board and our new coordinator Natasha developed a COVID-19 safety protocol for our programs and we were able to host 5 small and socially distanced work parties with over 30 volunteers and 70 hours. In addition to doing maintenance on various restoration sites in Burnaby Lake Regional Park, our volunteers helped support Metro Vancouver Regional Parks by planting over 400 native species at Sapperton Landing on the Brunette-Fraser Regional Greenway. Although the provincial health orders put a stop to our activities this year, we are pleased with what was achieved given the situation and that people wanted to join us in our work. We are happy to report that the post event volunteer surveys showed that 100% of the participants felt prepared with our registration procedures, the safety protocols were followed and that they felt safe attending the event.

I want to thank the our board members who have continued to meet monthly since the pandemic started. We have been doing a lot of behind the scenes work and getting to some of those projects that have been on the backburner for a long time. We will be in touch in the new year to get your feedback on ideas and possible new ways you could help us with our programs. 

We will look forward to seeing you in the park again when it is safe to do so. We hope you can get out into the park with your household bubble.

Warmest wishes and all the best for 2021,

Irene Lau
Member – Board of Directors – Chair

If you haven’t been down to Piper Spit in a while, click here or below to enjoy this little walk by local photographer Silvester Law on December 10, 2020.