photo by Doug Shanks
Jessica Barett’s Story in the West Ender on the project, Bikes.Community, that I am volunteering on as a director of WERA.
West Ender
With community help, this 24 hour citizen science relay aims to identify as many living things as possible in the Park. Together with scientists, local stewardship groups and YOU, we hope to increase our knowledge of the Park’s native biodiversity.
Events running throughout the two days are FREE and open to the public. Enjoy hands-on participation in pond dips, bat surveys, bird counts, amphibian searches, nature walks and more! Community groups and family activities will be centered at Lumberman’s Arch.Plus, be sure to visit our interpretive tents at Beaver Lake and at the Stanley Park Nature House on Lost Lagoon.
See below and/orvisit SPEC for a full schedule of two days’ worth of events.
Sunday August 21st
Nature House Displays
10:00am – 3:00pm
Nature House
Come visit Vancouver’s only Nature House and learn about the local plants and animals that live in Stanley Park
Beach Seine
3:15pm – 5:15pm
Lumberman’s Arch
Explore the waters off of the Seawall and learn about the creatures that call these waters home.
Hummingbird Trapping
5:00pm – 7:00pm
Lumberman’s Arch
Join a local expert as he catches and bands hummingbirds. See these magnificent birds up close and learn about what makes them so special.
Wild Edibles and Medicinal Plant Walk
6:00pm – 7:30
Beaver Lake
Take a walk through the forest and learn how to identify which plants are edible and which ones have medicinal properties.
Bat Mist-Netting
8:00pm – 11:00pm
Beaver Lake
Join a local expert hard at work mist netting bats. Have a look at how this fascinating work is done and find out which bats are in the park.
Owl Survey
8:00pm – 11:00pm
Beaver Lake
Take a walk and learn about local owls. Use an audio recorder to see if you can entice an owl into having a conversation with you!
Sunday August 21st
Bird ID Walk
9:00am – 11:00am
Nature House
Take a walk around Lost Lagoon and meet the birds that call it home. Learn how to identify birds by their feathers and song.
Nature House Displays
10:00am – 3:00pm
Nature House
Come visit Vancouver’s only Nature House and learn about the local plants and animals that live in Stanley Park.
Partner Organization Displays
10:00am – 3:00pm
Lumberman’s Arch
Come and meet some of the environmental organizations working in your neighbourhood.
Native Plant Garden Tour
11:00am – 12:00pm
Nature House
Learn about the importance of native plants, how to grow and care for them and what wildlife they attract.
Beaver Lake Amphibian trapping
11:00am – 12:00pm
Beaver Lake
Take a look at the creatures living in Beaver Lake. Help pull out amphibians traps and identify what you find with our environmental educators.
Beaver Lake Pond Dip
12:00pm – 2:00pm
Beaver Lake
Try your hand at catching the aquatic insects that call Beaver Lake home and use our magnifying loops to see them up close and personal.
Insect Identification Walk
1:00pm – 2:30pm
Nature House
Take a walk around Stanley Park and learn about the creepy crawlies in the forest all around you.
Freshwater Fish Trapping
1:30 – 3:00pm
Beaver Lake
Join us as we examine fish traps in Beaver Creek, one of the only three natural salmon bearing streams remaining in Vancouver.
State of the Park Discovery Walk
1:30pm – 3:30pm
Nature House
Tour the areas and discuss the issues presented in Stanley Parks first ever State of the Park Report.
Maximum group size for events varies but will be restricted to 20 participants
at most so be sure to come early!
WERA bbq was a great success today. We served over 380 servings of hotdogs today. I met up with lots of old friends from WERA and many friends from the West End.
Thanks to everyone who came out to say hi and have a hotdog and chat. Special thanks to WERA president Christine Ackermann (photo of her above), Spencer Chandra Herbert, who was working the grill hard all day, Cl. Andrea Reimer, Ron Goodine, Rob Wynen (former WERA President), Kati Ackermann and John Whistler for all their efforts today.
I had a fund time pumping the dogs and tunes in Nelson Park.
The Bikes.community Project uses training in bike refurbishment and maintenance as a means to bring together the complex diversity of the Downtown Peninsula of Vancouver. Participants primarily will be youth and their families, but the project will engage members of the wider community. This project is the result of a partnership between King George Secondary School, Gordon Neighbourhood House, the West End Residents Association, PEDAL and the YMCA.
This Saturday August 20th at 10am and 2pm – learn about the history of Mole Hill from the early settlers, Elizabeth and Henry Mole, in the 19th century to the present day Society! Join Sean McEwan and Michael Kluckner as they take you on a walking tour around Mole Hill to talk about how the beautiful heritage homes came about.
A project that I am volunteering on Bikes and Community is looking for a “Project Coordinator”.
I am volunteering with the project as a Director of the West End Residents Association(WERA)in partnership with The YMCA of Greater Vancouver.
The Bikes.community Project uses training in bike refurbishment and maintenance as a means to bring together the complex diversity of the Downtown Peninsula of Vancouver. Participants primarily will be youth and their families, but the project will engage members of the wider community. This project is the result of a partnership between King George Secondary School, Gordon Neighbourhood House, the West End Residents Association, PEDAL and the YMCA.
Job description and posting
Ok, so the agenda was changed and Cl. Meggs’ motion giving the city’s support for the renewal of St. Paul’s Hospital on the Burrard Street site was moved up in the agenda to the first item.
The motion passed with the fully support of the committee.
Here is my little presentation that I gave to support the motion.
“Mr. Chair and Councilors -thanks for the opportunity to speak to this important issue of the renewal of St. Paul’s hospital on the Burrard St. site.
My name is Brent Granby and I am Vice Chair of the St. Paul’s Coalition.
It’s really gratifying that Vancouver City Council is joining the growing consensus with Providence Health Care, the St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, Vancouver Coastal Health, the MLA for Vancouver West End Spencer Chandra Herbert, the West End BIA, residents of the downtown peninsula and the Save St. Paul’s Coalition, that the renewal of St. Paul’s Hospital is a project that is urgently needs to be funded by the Provincial Government.
The Coalition has always viewed the renewal of the St. Paul’s as Possible, Preferable and Prudent. These have been our three Ps for redevelopment.
The Burrard Street site has enough capacity to make a phased development possible.
The Burrard Street site is equidistant and within walking distance between three resident populations – Yaletown, Coal Harbour and the West End, in addition to being ideally located to service the downtown business district.
The outstanding service that St. Paul’s Emergency Department demonstrated in the wake of the riots this year is testament to the importance of the hospital in providing health services during an emergency. One can imagine how critical it will be to have a full service publicly funded hospital in the event of a natural disaster. The downtown location of the hospital makes it a preferable location for a variety health services both for Vancouver and the entire province.
The renewal of St. Paul’s Hospital in a phased renovation on its current location is estimated to cost approximately $600 million as opposed to new construction cost being closer to $ 1 billion, making redevelopment on the Burrard site option a much more prudent and responsible use of public dollars.
PHC has developed a draft concept plan for hospital redevelopment. The hospital has been in urgent need of renovation since well before the first hospital redevelopment plan was announced in 2002. Now, 9 years later we have witnessed the failure of the hospital electrical system and yes, the elevators still break down more than 30 times a month.
Thanks to Councilor Meggs for bringing this motion forward. Thanks to the Mayor and Councilors for their continued support for the Hospital in urging the Provincial government to fund the development of a business case and to allocate the capital dollars for the renewal of a hospital that is used by citizens of the whole province of British Columbia.”
Now, along with the BIA in the West End,MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert, Providence Health Care, The St. Paul’s Foundation, Vancouver Coastal Health, The Save St. Paul’s Coalition and residents of the downtown peninsula, the City of Vancouver joins the consensus that it time for St. Paul’s Hospital to be redevelop on its Burrard St. site.
The City of Vancouver to urge the Provincial Government to confirm the St. Paul’s Hospital redevelopment project.
On Thursday morning at 9:30 am at the City of Vancouver Council’s Standing Committee on Services and Budgets, on the 3rd floor of City Hall in Council Chambers, Councillor Geoff Meggs will move the following motion:
Support for New Investments in Health Care
Vancouver City Council, at its meeting on July 26, 2011, referred this matter to the Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets meeting on July 28, 2011, in order to hear from speakers.
MOVED by Councillor Geoff Meggs SECONDED by Councillor Tim Stevenson
WHEREAS
1. Vancouver hosts a wide range of medical and health facilities of regional, provincial and national significance, including all the facilities of Vancouver Coastal Health, Providence Health Care, Vancouver Women’s and Children’s Hospital, the BC Cancer Agency and the BC Centre for Disease Control;
2. These institutions not only provide critical health services to some of the most vulnerable and marginalized patient populations in BC, but also form a central element in the city’s economy, employing tens of thousands in advanced medical research and development;
3. Co-ordination and collaboration between these institutions and the City of Vancouver, on issues like transportation, housing, district energy systems and waste management can produce gains both in the delivery of health care and the economic and social life of the city;
4. Renewal of existing facilities like Providence’s St. Paul’s Hospital is urgently required to ensure continued delivery of quality care.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Council direct staff to explore the potential of partnership agreements between the City and key health institutions to maximize benefits for both sides;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the City of Vancouver urge the Provincial Government to confirm the St. Paul’s Hospital redevelopment project as a priority on the capital projects priority list for Vancouver.
One can speak to the motion by contacting the City Clerk with the following info:
For information or to register to speak, please call Bonnie Kennett, Meeting Coordinator, at 604.873.7269 or e-mail: bonnie.kennett@vancouver.ca