HAPPY JULY!
We’ve officially started the second half of the year and as promised in our newsletter, we want to keep you up to date with our progress.
So far, the BLPA Weedbusters have had 4 public work parties since April.
Of note:
- We welcomed community members not only from Burnaby, but across Metro Vancouver from West Vancouver to the Tri-Cities.
- Our April Weedbuster happened to fall on Earth Day, and we had several people come out specifically because they wanted to do something for the environment on this day, including one person who took time from his holidays from Ontario!
- While we go after the “usual suspects” of invasive species, English ivy (Hedera helix), Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius), Himalayan blackberry (Rubus armeniacus), Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera), a few Black locust or False acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) trees were discovered on the Glencarin restoration site. This species is originally from the US south, and can grown in dense stands whose shade will suppress seedlings from native trees.
- The June 10 work party was held as part of the Wild About Burnaby Lake event we co-hosted with Metro Vancouver Regional Parks and the City of Burnaby, and a lot was accomplished considering the group size.
Thanks to all of our great volunteers for all of their hard work and being native plant champions!
Photo credits: (left to right) I. Lau, D. Tan, Jennifer Strang Photography, A. Green
We would like to acknowledge the passing of John Thomson, on May 29, 2018. John was one of the members of the famous Group of Ten. In 1972, this Group of Ten community nature lovers founded the Burnaby Outdoor Education Association (BOEA), the BLPA’s predecessor. Tony Fabian, another Group of Ten member, recalls John was talking about protecting Burnaby Lake for wildlife as early as 1965. Joe Sadowski fondly remembers his friend who was so willing to lend his efforts and equipment to the various projects and devoted many hours in his retirement years to the BLPA. John’s family recalls his passion for the Burnaby Lake trail system and Heritage Village (now known as Burnaby Village), as well as his dedication to the community by growing food for many local groups and being active on the Parks Commission.
