Category: Miscellany

Sandpiper SOS

•

Shorebirds and Port Expansion. Don’t miss this video on the Western Sandpiper.
Learn to love river slime.

Western Sandpiper | Photo Credit: Alan D. Wilson CC BY-SA 3.0

The Vancouver Port Authority plans to build a second container ship terminal in the Fraser River estuary, right on top of a major stopover for birds migrating along the Pacific flyway from Central and South America to their breeding grounds in the western Arctic.

The loss of the mud flats in the Fraser River estuary could lead to the extinction of the Western Sandpiper and other migratory birds that depend on nutrient rich biofilm — also known as river slime — an essential food source on their journey north.

(For more info see: Slime, Shorebirds, and a Scientific Mystery by Daniel Wood)

Don’t miss this video. Learn to love river slime!

Forest Walk – September 2020

•
Contact the Enviro Team | Join the Enviro Email Group

Photo:Pacific Spirit Park

Above: Pacific Spirit Park, Sept 12, 2020 | The haze in this photo is not a typical West Coast mist or fog in early Fall, but rather smoke from forest fires burning in Washington State, while California is experiencing its worst forest fire season ever, reminding us of the looming climate crisis and the need for climate action.

Reconnecting To Why We Are Environmentalists

by Tamiko Suzuki

left quotation mark

A dozen Enviro Team members met on a cool, smokey September morning and followed a path into Pacific Spirit Park …

It started with a callout by the Sierra Club to organize a Forest March to protest the loss of old growth trees. After some discussion, a trio from the UCV Environment Team decided they would organize a visit to the forest but it would not be in protest of anything. Rather it would be a meditation on Nature and our love of her.

A dozen Enviro Team members met on a cool, smokey September morning and followed a path in Pacific Spirit Park, specifically chosen for its beautiful views. As was planned, the first and last part of the walk was a socially distanced time to chat and reconnect. The middle part of the walk was done in silence and alone to awaken the senses, re-energize zoom-fatigued brains, and re-connect with our thoughts and feelings.

The ancient trees are long gone (logged in the 1940’s according to Hanno) but stumps and nurse logs remain to remind us of what was lost. Haze from forest fires in Washington obscured the sun reminding us that Climate Change is a looming threat despite our preoccupation with COVID. Still, the forest filtered out a lot of the smoke and traffic noise and brought a sense of calm and peace. It felt so good to get outside and be among friends again.

The walk was organized by Hanno Pinder, Tara Bonham and Tamiko Suzuki.

Proposed: Recreational Forest Walks
Join us for a walk thru Pacific Spirit Park
email Hanno at the Enviro Team

NOTE: At present, the Walking Group is not officially part of the Enviro Team, but we share an appreciation for trees and forests

photo

photo

Photos by: Tamiko Suzuki and Mary Bennett