When life gives you a campfire ban, you make lemonade, er, bring some Xmas lights along 
.
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We knew the site had electricity, so I brought a 50′ cord and Yumi brought some lights.
All posts by Paul Cipywnyk
Fiery Sun as Forest Fire Smoke Drifts In
Whoa. . .
The Sun as seen from our south Burnaby, BC, balcony at 5:45pm today. Hope everyone near the fires is OK. . .
Pileated Woodpecker, Other Byrne Creek Beasts
I was nearly home from a Byrne Creek ravine walk in Burnaby, BC, when I head a loud crack. For a moment I thought a large branch had fallen off a tree, but as I scanned the tops of the trees I spotted a flamboyant Pileated Woodpecker. Love these birds!
I also enjoyed a few smaller beasts including a Cabbage White and assorted spiders.
More Confirmation of Deadly Effects of Road Runoff on Salmon
Roadway Runoff Known to Kill Coho Salmon also Affects Steelhead, Chinook Salmon
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/…/roadway-runoff-known…
We’ve been tracking this for many years, and have observed coho mortalities many times on Byrne Creek in Burnaby, BC, at both the smolt and spawner stages.
Dear City of Burnaby, we need more stormawter infiltration!Swales, biofiltration ponds, rain gardens. . .
Spotting New Species Makes Me Feel Like a Kid
Seeing a new beast turns me into a little kid .
Oh, oh! What’s that? I’ve never seen one of those before! Can I get closer? And closer?
Got it! Let’s post it to iNaturalist and learn what it is!
Common Green Darner, Byrne Creek, Burnaby, BC
Feeling Like Autumn on Byrne Creek in Burnaby, BC
It’s sure starting to look like autumn on Byrne Creek in Burnaby, BC.
My afternoon walk today was accompanied by the rustling of dry leaves in the trees, and the occasional sighing spiral to the ground. . . or into the creek.
Great Blue Herons Fishing, Grooming at Fraser Foreshore, Burnaby, BC
It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to get down to Fraser Foreshore Park in SE #Burnaby, BC, so I was happy to photograph a couple of herons there this afternoon.
One was fishing, and the other was grooming.
Concerns about BC Tires Being Recycled into ‘Landscaping Mulch’
I saw a post from Tire Stewardship BC float by on my Facebook feed this morning, touting a new product they are producing from used tires — “landscaping mulch.”
When I commented on their post with concerns about 6PPD-quinone in tires, which is known to kill coho salmon, they just told me to watch their wonderful recycling video again.
A second query about 6PPD-quinone was ignored completely.
Runoff from roads contains 6PPD-quinone from tire dust. Wouldn’t this “mulch” also leach it? And what about all those other outdoor products?
Until potential 6PPD-quinone in “landscaping mulch” is addressed, we should keep an eye on this, and contact our municipalities about the potential impacts of such products. And, of course, federal and provincial environment/pollution/fish agencies.
Link to the recycling page here.
If you search “6PPD-quinone recycled tire products” you’ll find plenty of articles and studies with concerns about them.
UPDATE: Tire Stewardship BC has responded to my FB post, and basically are saying the Canadian and US tire industry associations are working on it. Yes, I know, I’ve spoken with reps from both associations over the years, and invited them to present to stewardship groups.
I responded that that still didn’t answer my concern that products being made from recycled tires are being promoted as “eco-friendly.”
NYT Says Rage Has Poisoned Public Life in Canada
Yes, there is rage, but we can never condone violence or threats of violence.
Take the rage, and make something of it, instead of tearing things down.
Volunteer, contribute to society. Don’t like how things are? Help make them better.
It’s easy to be angry. It’s hard work to improve society.
Don’t like politicians? Why don’t you run, and see if you can do a better job?
Don’t like journalists? It’s hard work to discern the truth and to report on it. The job often entails writing about things people don’t want exposed, that people don’t want to hear.
But without searching, and striving for accuracy and truth, how can we improve our lot?
Tackling Food Security in BC Lower Mainland Urban Areas
It’s interesting and concerning to see more threads on food security on various social media channels. With drought hammering many regions around the world that billions rely on for vegetables and fruit, we need to bring this conversation home to BC and the lower mainland.
A key step, in my opinion, would be to halt all further “development” of green and agricultural spaces. All development, for whatever purpose, be it housing or commercial, should be limited to redeveloping areas previously used for such purposes.
And if we can reduce our footprint and re-green spaces, all the better.
We can keep building condo towers, office towers, malls, and warehouses, but what are all those who want to “live, work, and play” in our wonderful region going to eat as supply chains, er, dry up?
We need to dramatically improve our urban/suburban agriculture game.
All schoolyards should have gardens. Lawns should be replaced with a mix of native plants and edibles. Municipalities should support inititatives that match folks who want to grow gardens and fruit with homeowners who have land but who for various reasons cannot garden.
There are many things we could do if we set our minds and muscles to them!