Lovely Autumn Colours on Byrne Creek

October 7, 2019 Paul Cipywnyk

I took a walk on Byrne Creek this afternoon, something I try to do several times a week. A bit early to see salmon coming back to spawn, but there were lush colours to shoot after the recent rain.

Here are three of my fave shots from today.

wet autumn colors byrne creek burnaby bc

Nature, Photography, Sustainability

Tree Walk ̓n Talk at Riverview Hospital Grounds in Coquitlam

October 6, 2019 Paul Cipywnyk

Excellent tree walk ̓n talk on the grounds of the Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, BC. The grounds have an amazing variety of trees, and the Riverview Horticultural Centre Society has been campaigning for years to save as many of them as possible as the site faces development pressures.

This was the last tour of 2019, but Yumi and I would be happy to go on another one next year!

Thanks to Julia Alards-Tomalin, an instructor at BCIT who led the tour.

And apologies to Julia for taking half the tour to place her — I kept thinking to myself “where do I know this woman from?” Jeez, brain lag, we’re both directors on the Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver .

tree tour riverview hospital coquitlam bc

There are a couple of Ginko trees on the grounds. They were far from full aroma. . . There was lots of talk about what they smell like at peak fullness, but there are few around here. . .

But yeah, I remember them from my years in Japan when they were, shall we say, powerful reminders of nature, even on congested Tokyo boulevards…

Photography, Society, Streamkeeping

Great Fun at Alta Vista Community Picnic in South Burnaby

October 5, 2019 Paul Cipywnyk

Byrne Creek Streamkeepers had our booth set up at the Alta Vista Community Picnic in south Burnaby, BC, today.

This is one of our favourite events because it’s in our neighborhood, and it’s a great family and friends affair.

We also got several people interested in volunteering with our group!

My Flickr album here.

Business, Society, Sustainability

No More Consultation Let’s Get Implementing!

October 4, 2019 Paul Cipywnyk

I think governments at all levels, municipal, regional, provincial, and federal, should stop doing studies, stop doing consultations, and go back into their files for the last 10 years and look at everything that has been consulted and planned, but never implemented.

NEVER IMPLEMENTED

Talk – action = Zero

I say 10 years, because if you went back 20 or 30 or 40, the lack of implementation would be even more depressingly overwhelming.

Think I’m kidding?

I’m one citizen. A fairy active one, and I have a full four-drawer filing cabinet full of stuff on government processes that I’ve been asked to contribute to over the many years. And not a dime of compensation, just my tax dollars frittered away, again, and again, and again.

Not much joy out of those thousands of hours….

And on the other hand, what’s with governments moving forward with environmentally and culturally horrendous projects like the Site C dam?

Shame.

Nature, Photography

Downy Woodpeckers, Northern Flicker at Fraser Foreshore Park

October 4, 2019 Paul Cipywnyk

Took my lunch down to Fraser Foreshore Park in south Burnaby, BC, and spotted a couple of downy woodpeckers and a northern flicker while I was munching away. Canon SX730HS pocket cam at max zoom.

downy woodpecker