All posts by Paul Cipywnyk

Nature, Photography, Travel

Snippets From Vancouver Travels

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A few shots from my travels around Vancouver today.

hitchhiking spider
This wee arachnid managed to hang on to the side of the car for several kilometers and several stops. I finally took pity and eased it off and into some grass.

window strike goldfinch
Sad to come across what was likely a window-strike goldfinch. It was so pretty I was tempted to take it home, but I’m no taxidermist. I moved it into some shrubbery.

stop harper sign
I ran across several of these modified signs in a Vancouver ‘hood today. Seeing as they must have been tagged years ago, it’s interesting that city crews haven’t removed the additions : -).

Nature, Society, Sustainability

Temperature Perceptions Shift as Autumn Approaches

Funny how a usually comfortable temp on the rising side can make me feel hot, and the same temp on the falling side can make me feel cold.

I’m in that awkward “summer is ending fall is approaching what to wear” phase .

Even contemplated lighting the pilot light in the high-efficiency gas fireplace/heater on the main floor, but will hold off for another week or two, unless the usually colder females in the house want to.

The long-anticipated and much appreciated rain has also likely affected temperature perception. Here on the wet temperate west coast we never heat 24/7 even in the depths of winter. Usually an hour or so a few times a day to take the chill and dampness out of the air suffices.

Ha, threw on a long-sleeved sweatshirt, had a mug of coffee, and now I’m starting to sweat in my basement office .

Business, Editing, Society, Technology

Has LinkedIn Jumped the Shark?

I am seriously considering shutting down my LinkedIn account.

I just saw someone boast on LI that they had 30,000 connections.

Excuse me? How could you possibly know, and have worked with, 30,000 people?

The original premise of LI was that people who had worked with each other would connect, and vouch for each other. Or at least acknowledge that they’d worked together.

It’s completely debased. It’s now Facebook with a resume.

Another numbers game.

And LI is driving this debasement. Every time you accept a “connection” these days, it pops up dozens, if not hundreds, of other suggested connections. It wants to mine your email address books, if you let it.

I was wondering when I would see a cat photo on LInkedIn.

Today was the day.

Sigh . . .

Nature, Photography, Society, Streamkeeping

Thanks Burnaby Firefighters for Dealing with Blaze in Byrne Creek Ravine Park

Heartfelt thanks to City of Burnaby firefighters who dealt with a blaze in Byrne Creek Ravine Park today.

Also thanks to City of Burnaby staff for calling volunteer streamkeepers to keep us in the loop.

I was invited to take a look, but since firefighters were still working on it, I was asked not to go in all the way.

It’s been so hot and dry this summer, and the City of Burnaby added extra No Smoking in Parks and on Trails signs in the area, but we regularly saw inconsiderate smokers putting the park and their neighbours at risk.

Please, please, what does it take for people to act responsibly?

I don’t know if smoking caused this blaze, but I wouldn’t be surprised. I documented the mass of butts on trails in the area in a post earlier this summer.

byrne creek park fire


I was allowed to go this far, wearing my safety vest and with an invitation from City staff.

UPDATE: Burnaby Now report here.

Nature, Streamkeeping

Byrne Creek Streamkeepers Gear Up for Autumn Activities & Events

Following yesterday evening’s Byrne Creek Streamkeepers meeting I thought I’d consolidate our events and activities for the next month into one message.

Saturday, Sept. 8, 10 – 2 pm, Alta Vista Community Picnic
Alta Vista Park, on Royal Oak a few blocks south of Rumble
Set up from 9:30

Sunday, Sept. 23. World Rivers Day
Burnaby Village Museum
Event runs 11:00 – 4:30

At both of the above events we put up our display panels and talk to
folks about streamkeeping and the Byrne Creek watershed in particular.

Fish trapping. (Sampling for juvenile fish that are identified, measured, and returned unharmed to the creek). Needs to get done before mid-October when spawners start to return. Works best with at least three or four people. Traps go in during good weather one day and are retrieved and enumerated the next day.

Bug counting (Aquatic Invertebrate Survey). Also needs to get done before mid-October before spawners start returning. All ~ nine or so sites can be done in one day if we have enough volunteers.

Storage Container. We have gotten approval to put a storage container in the fenced-off habitat (artificial spawning channel) near the gate. Once the container is in place, we’ll have a work party to paint it, and collect all the gear and inventory it.

Spawner Monitoring. Mid-October to early December. We’ll talk more about this at the October meeting — scheduling and training.