Fall 2021 Vancouver Park Stewardship Newsletter
 
Fall 2021
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 Park Board News
Stewardship, Local Food, Arts   Culture

 

 

 

A Growing Newsletter!

The Park Board Newsletter is dedicated to sharing events and resources for all ages. This season we are sharing several opportunities for online engagement as well as in-person events. 

Stewardship, Local Food, and Arts, Culture & Engagement staff collaborated on this issue to offer a broader look into the work the Park Board does to support individual wellbeing, community connection, a thriving arts and culture sector, and resilient urban ecosystems.

 

 

 

Fall Highlights
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A season for action

This month, we observe several important days that urge us to take action. World Habitat Day took place on October 4th, and the International Day for Climate Action is on October 24th. This year‘s theme for World Habitat Day is “Accelerating urban action for a carbon free world”, highlighting that ~70% of global carbon dioxide emissions come from cities. The first International Day for Climate Action was on October 24th, 2009; demonstrators sought to draw attention to the urgent need for climate action ahead of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting (COP15) in Copenhagen.

Join us in taking action against climate change and the biodiversity crisis by attending an event with one of our partner organizations. Learn about how to take climate action in your neighbourhood through an interactive Cool ’Hood Champs workshop. Or, help sequester carbon by planting some trees with Everett Crowley Park Stewardship, Stanley Park EcoStewards, EartHand Gleaners, or Jericho Stewardship. The details for these and other events are below!
October 4th was also the Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous, Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+. September 30th went down in history as the first time that the Day of Truth and Reconciliation was recognized as a statutory holiday. Several community events were hosted at City and Park Board facilities to reflect, learn, and steer action toward decolonization and reconciliation.

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Learn more about how the City of Vancouver is incorporating the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action in our work.


Learn more about what the Park Board is doing to decolonize our practices, spaces, facilities and partnerships.



Learn more about how the City is addressing ongoing and historic violence against Indigenous, Metis, and Inuit women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+.


 

 

 

Featured Event

Cool 'Hood Champs Climate Action Workshops (Online + in-person)

Concerned about the climate crisis? Wondering how you can be part of the solution? Sign up for a FUN and FREE interactive workshop and learn to...

• Identify climate impacts and solutions within your neighbourhood
• Envision your ideal climate-friendly neighbourhood
• Champion climate action within your community
• Connect your climate action with the City of Vancouver‘s and BC‘s climate policies

There are multiple workshop dates and times throughout Oct 6 – Nov 3, In-person AND online options available. In-person events are held at the Trout Lake Community Centre and Kitsilano Community Centre.

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Arts   Culture Events
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(Online) Collaborative Creative Dance for Older Adults

Where

Online


Description

Join us to explore authentic movement and Contemporary dance that will awaken your playful, inner child and leave you inspired! Welcome all older adults ready to move, express and connect. We will be meeting on Zoom. Go to http://www.dezzadance.com/ to register. For more information, visit https://culturedays.ca/en/events/c8825710-f862-4d5c-8b51-9ebfdce8ae43

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Cloudscape Comics - Halloween Returns!

Where

Cloudscape HQ, 5955 Ross St., Vancouver V5W 1T7


Description

Cloudscape Comics returns to in-person events at the Cloudscape HQ! This all-ages event gives the public a chance to tour an independent publishing studio, and participate in some drawing events, including: mini comic making, spooky character design, exquisite corpse drawing, and Halloween colouring sheets. There will also be lots of candy, so make sure you come in costume!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cloudscape-comics-halloween-returns-tickets-181336220517

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S.P.A.C.E.: Spirits, People, Animals, Creatures, Echoes

at McBride Park, Kitsilano June 1 - Oct. 31, 2021. 
Join us at McBride Park this summer and fall to experience large scale banners, sound works, video, computer generated and bio-art. Photo (cropped): White Liar and the Known Shore, Artists Jamie Griffiths and Laakkuluk

 

 

 

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Stewardship Events

Get outside and get your hands dirty restoring habitat in Vancouver city parks!

Stanley Park EcoStewards

EcoStewards is a bimonthly event where groups of volunteers come together to help the Stanley Park ecosystem by removing invasive plant species. This hands-on volunteer work contributes to habitat conservation and restoration in Stanley Park. Upcoming events will be November 6th, November 20th, December 4th and December 18th, in Stanley Park.


Jericho Park Stewards

Join the Jericho Park Stewards team in removing invasive plants and planting native species.

Upcoming dates:
Sunday October 17th 9:30AM-12:30PM
Sunday November 14th 9:30AM-12:30PM
Sunday December 12th 9:30AM-12:30PM

Volunteers meet at the bridge between the two ponds in Jericho Park. Tools and gloves are provided for volunteers.

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Everett Crowley Park Stewards

Join the Everett Crowley Park Stewards team in removing invasive plants and planting native species. Sign up using the links for each event below.

Invasive Removal
Saturday, October 16th at 10am-12:30pm
https://ca.apm.activecommunities.com/vancouver/Activity_Search/everett-crowley-park-stewardship/360129 

Planting Event
Saturday, October 23rd at 10am-12pm
https://ca.apm.activecommunities.com/vancouver/Activity_Search/ecpc-public-planting-event/378121 

Invasive Removal
Saturday, November 13th at 10am-12:30pm
https://ca.apm.activecommunities.com/vancouver/Activity_Search/everett-crowley-park-stewardship/360131 

EartHand Stewardship: Call for Volunteers

Want to get more involved with EartHand and live in the East Vancouver or downtown core?

EartHand is now seeking new volunteers to join their awesome stewardship team in time for fall planting.

The team meets weekly in the summer months, tapering off to twice a month through winter and uses Slack to stay in touch about projects and upcoming work. Perks include learning about pruning, weaving garden fences, opportunities to work creatively with the plants on site. Small discount for Earthand paid programming and learn more about hand crafting with seasonal abundance with a great group of people.

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What we're working on
Park Board staff are working hard on a variety of projects you might find interesting, related to arts, culture, decolonization, environment and more. Here's a snapshot of what our Environment team has been up to recently!

Local Food Action Plan Update

In 2013, the Park Board adopted a 5-year Local Food Action Plan with the aim to become a leader in supporting and growing local, sustainable food. Many of the actions were achieved and new needs have emerged since our first plan, so we've updated it to reflect the current context of local food in Vancouver and establish a way forward that prioritizes equity and reconciliation. 

The update process has included food systems research, an assessment of the 2013 plan, and several rounds of engagement. Staff are now developing a draft plan. Staff plan to present the updated plan to the board in late 2021. We hope to share the final Action Plan with you soon!
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Water Conservation Action Plan

For many reasons, 2021 will be a year to remember. One of those reasons is the record-breaking temperatures and drought we experienced. These extreme summer weather events are expected to become more frequent as a result of climate change. The Park Board manages several amenities like pools, splash parks and natural areas that can help respond to such emergencies. We're working on an update to our Water Conservation Action Plan so that we can make climate- and water-smart decisions about how we use our water resources for years to come. The updated plan will be considered by the Board in the coming months.
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Wildlife Feeding By-Law

On October 4th, the Park Board voted to enact a change to our Parks Control By-Law that would allow by-law enforcers to fine people who feed wildlife in City parks.

Feeding wildlife is not healthy. Food-habituated animals often change their behaviour - for example, birds may stop seasonally migrating or foraging for their natural foods and instead rely on being fed by people. This can cause wild animals to become malnourished or develop diseases. Animals that become dependent on "people food" are more likely to be killed, either by accident (e.g. by cars) or because they become aggressive toward people. 

Through the Biodiversity Strategy, VanPlay, Bird Strategy and several other efforts, we at the Park Board have committed to improving habitat conditions for the wildlife that call parks home. In part, this includes respecting their boundaries and maintaining the natural ecological processes and systems that sustain and support them.

This updated by-law is one of several ways we're working to ensure that our parks remain safe and healthy for both people and animals. Let's work together to keep wildlife wild.

 

 

 

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Did you know?

Lost Lagoon is not a natural freshwater habitat

Lost Lagoon's natural state is a saltwater, tidal habitat. Mohawk poet Emily Pauline Johnson called it Lost Lagoon because of the way that the water would disappear, both seasonally and with the changing tides. The skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) name for Lost Lagoon is "Ch'ekxwa'7lech", meaning "gets dry at times".

However, when the Stanley Park Causeway was constructed in 1916, it severed Lost Lagoon's natural connection to the sea, and turned it into an artificial freshwater lake for recreational and aesthetic purposes.

Although many attempts have been made over the past decades to preserve Lost Lagoon as a freshwater habitat, this transformation has left the lagoon with several ecological issues and challenges. Because it is isolated, infilling, and now only about one metre deep (with much of the shoreline non-naturalized), it is considered an ecologically poor and low-functioning habitat. Over the last few years, Park Board staff have been exploring various feasible solutions to restore the area.

In order to restore the area to the point where ecology is its primary function, significant infrastructure, investment, and time is needed. The Stanley Park Comprehensive Plan currently being developed in partnership with Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations will include considerations for Lost Lagoon. Staff anticipate that the first part of this plan will be presented to the Board in early 2022

 

 

 

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5 Actions to help limit the spread of COVID-19

1. Maintain physical distance of at least 2 metres with others outside your home
2. Avoiding gathering in large numbers on private property, at work, or in parks
3. Working from home if possible
4. Only going out for essential activities such as shopping for groceries, picking up prescriptions, and exercising alone or with members of your household
5.  Staying home if you are sick or showing symptoms

For further updates on the City of Vancouver and Park Board’s response to the COIVD-19 pandemic, please visit vancouver.ca/covid19 and continue to follow public health guidance as you enjoy Vancouver parks and recreation facilities.

 

 

 

Vancouver Park Board Community Supports

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Fieldhouse Activation

Vancouver Park Board's Fieldhouse Activation Program transforms former caretakers‘ suites in parks across Vancouver into active spaces for community engaged creative practices including arts, culture, local food,  and environmental programming.

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Neighbourhood Matching Fund

The Neighbourhood Matching Fund supports neighbourhood-based groups who want to creatively enhance parks or other public lands through community art, environmental stewardship, or garden projects.


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Artists in Communities

The Vancouver Park Board Artists in Communities program builds connection by making art together using principles of community cultural development. We host artist residencies each year in participating community centres and other park facilities.

Check out the following Vancouver Park Board & City strategies for more information

 

 

 

Header photos taken at Stanley Park and Jericho forest. Dancer Melissa Panetta photographed by Brenda Kent
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