This month’s guest post is written by Micheal Murray, Communications Assistant with theStanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”).
We’ve all heard the old adage: “It’s the little things that count.” Well, this summer Stanley Park Ecology Society was busy doing just that, counting the little things in Stanley Park. Together with the Entomological Society of BC, SPES held its first-ever insect BioBlitz on July 21st. This BioBlitz marks the start of our Small Things project in which we are taking an inventory of the often overlooked organisms in the Park.
An entomologist at the SPES Insect BioBlitz has a close encounter with one of his subjects. Photo: Dannie Piezas/SPES
The BioBlitz hosted a great turn out with over 160 citizen scientists and 17 volunteers descending upon Beaver Lake, all with one thing in mind: to identify as many species of insects as possible! The results are in: there were 129 observations with 83 species identified. The Cuckoo Leaf-cutter Bee, the False Black Widow and the Incomplete Ant were just some of the amazing species documented in the Park that day. Be sure to check out our inaturalist page for the complete results and photo gallery »
SPES volunteer photographer Michael Schmidt initiated the Small Things project in Stanley Park and has begun photographing insects, slime moulds and other overlooked species. His photographic catalogue of Stanley Park’s small things will eventually be hosted on the inaturalist platform.
Dog vomit slime mould in Stanley Park (Photo: Michael Schmidt)
Stanley Park is an amazing place and is host to a huge diversity of terrestrial and aquatic animals, plants, and fungi. All too often it is the larger creatures in the Park that get the lion’s share of scientific attention. The Small Things project will give these overlooked creatures some much-deserved attention; eventually, these species’ sightings will be added to our State of the Park Report for the Ecological Integrity of Stanley Park (“SOPEI”).
Oxypoda stanleyi Photo credit: John A. McLean, Jan Klimaszewski, Agnes Li, Karine Savard
SOPEI is a record of the ecological health and integrity of the different ecosystems in Stanley Park. It provides information to guide best management practices for operations in the Park, all of which must consider the habitat requirements of ‘species of significance’ like the Great Blue Herons or the Barn Swallows. Understanding which species inhabit the Park, from big to small, provides a clearer path to ecologically sensitive Park management.
Stanley Park may also be home to a number of tiny undiscovered creatures that are found nowhere else. Oxypoda stanleyiis a great example: this tiny beetle – no larger than your fingernail – was first discovered by UBC scientist Dr John Maclean and a group of students in Stanley Park in 2007. So far, this species has not been identified anywhere else!
So, next time you’re out enjoying Stanley Park, keep an eye out for the little things and let us know if you spot anything out of the ordinary. Who knows, you may even discover a new species!
About SPES Saturday
As a member of the Stanley Park Ecology Society, Miss604 wanted to offer the organization an opportunity to share their news, events, so we created the “SPES Series” years ago. This is where SPES can contribute and share stories with the Miss604 audience once a month. Follow SPES on Facebook for more information.
Get your appetites ready as Burnaby Heights celebrates its diverse and vibrant eateries. Crave the Heights is a 10 day local dining showcase where participating food businesses offer a variety of specials. From multi-course menus, appetizer deals, happy hour to dessert specials.
Crave the Heights
When: August 16 to 25, 2019 Where: Various locations along Burnaby Heights from Boundary to Gamma
Participating Restaurants
There are 12 participants this year including 3 new eateries on the Heights, Fiordilatte Gelateria and Caffe, Ramen Gaoh, and Sopra Sotto Pizzeria.
Chad Thai (4010 Hastings)
Chez Christophe Chocolaterie and Patisserie (4717 Hastings)
Cristos Greek Taverna (4624 Hastings)
Fiordilatte Gelateria and Caffe (4233 Hastings)
Glenburn Soda Fountain (4090 Hastings)
Gray Olive Cafeteria Aug 20 – 25 (4190 Hastings)
Green and Oak Malaysian Restaurant
La Villetta Ristorante (3901 Hastings)
Noodle Paradise (4217 Hastings)
Pear Tree Restaurant (4120 Hastings)
Ramen Gaoh (4518 Hastings)
Sopra Sotto Pizzeria (4022 Hastings)
A full list of participants and their menus are available online.
Local Burnaby musicians will also be seen on the Heights on select evenings. Chloe Farrell and Juno award winner, Gabriel Hasselbach, will be playing tunes up and down Hastings Street.
This dining showcase is best paired with good company, so be sure to bring your loved ones, family, friends, and colleagues for a special evening of socializing on the Heights. For more information follow Crave the Heights on Twitter and Facebook.
Get your fall season off to a laughing start by joining Vancouver TheatreSports (“VTS”) for some school-themed hilarity Tuesdays to Saturdays from September 3 to October 12 at 7:30pm at The Improv Centre on Granville Island.
Vancouver TheatreSports Back to School
When: September 3 to October 12, 2019 Where: The Improv Centre on Granville Island Tickets:Available Online
VTS honours the beginning of autumn with a special improv show dedicated to school days. Back to School TheatreSports takes classic TheatreSports short form improv ‘games’ and adapts them to parody classroom clichés and cliques (some things never change).
Instead of the traditional TheatreSports referee, the action will be overseen by a very stern principal. Rule infractions result in player ‘detentions’ and the teams of mixed student stereotypes (geeks, jocks, cool kids, etc) will be awarded letter grades by a critical panel of examiners (audience members). At the conclusion of the match, only one team will pass.
As in all VTS shows, the characters and action are co-developed with the audience – utilizing their suggestions to create on-the-spot, unscripted, theatrically-infused comedy. In this case, the players will be improvising using school-themed suggestions to create the scenarios – awkward first dates, trying out for the team or cramming for exams, to name a few. Regardless of whether you are/were a jock, a nerd or one of the cool kids at school, everyone will be able to relate and find something to laugh about at Back to School TheatreSports.
The Vancouver Queer Film Festival celebrates the best in independent queer cinema and facilitates a unique community space through a variety of performances, panels and workshops, running August 15 to 25, 2019.
The 11-day festival is the largest queer arts event in Western Canada and the second-largest film festival in Vancouver, with more than 100 films from 27 countries!
Vancouver Queer Film Festival
When: August 15 to 25, 2019
Where: Various venues: Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas, SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, the York Theatre, VIFF Vancity Theatre, and the Vancouver Playhouse
Out On Screen is excited to host the Opening Gala of the Vancouver Queer Film Festival on Thursday, August 15. One of the most sought after invitations of the Summer, the Opening Gala film at the Vancouver Playhouse will be followed by a party outdoors on the šxʷƛ̓exən Xwtl’a7shn (Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza) on the corner of Georgia and Hamilton Street.
“The biggest highlight in the Queer calendar is our Opening Gala’s A Night At The Opera,” said Out On Screen Executive Director, Stephanie Goodwin. “Dress in your opera best for a stunningly beautiful film and then party the night away with 500 of your best friends.”
There will be several international and local artists, performers, and filmmakers attending the VQFF, such as: Phillip Pike, director of Our Dance of Revolution (Canada), a remarkable chronicle and celebration of Toronto’s Black queer community history; and director Flavio Alves and lead actressCarlie Guevara for the feature film, The Garden Left Behind (USA), which follows Tina, a young Mexican trans woman living in New York, as she navigates an upcoming medical transition while struggling to survive as undocumented immigrant.
There are also many free events to enjoy at the Vancouver Queer Film Festival: The archival film Toni, Randi and Marie(Canada), directed by Ron Hallis, and a unique cinéma-vérité trilogy about the everyday lives of the eponymous female impersonator cabaret star, trans hustler, and female sex worker; in the Queer the CBC Workshop, the VQFF and CBC will host a discussion panel on the role of a national broadcaster in the creation and dissemination of LGBT2Q+ content–learn how to get your content noticed by a major television network. A full list of all free events can be found on the Queer Film Festival website.
Out On Screen is a charitable organization that illuminates, celebrates and advances queer lives through film, education and dialogue. The Vancouver Queer Film Festival creates a dynamic platform for queer cinema that reflects a diversity of experiences while connecting and strengthening our communities. The award-winning Out In Schools anti-bullying program brings age-appropriate queer cinema into secondary school classrooms to combat homophobia and transphobia.
For more information follow the Vancouver Queer Film Festival on Twitter and Facebook.
The Sefer Project at this year’s Vancouver Mural Festival is a fun and meaningful way to bid on and collect some awesome local artwork, all for a good cause.
The Sefer Project at the Vancouver Mural Festival
Painted by famous graffiti artist NAKS, The Sefer Project mosaic mural is divided in to 36 sections and each portion will be auctioned off on Instagram @TheSeferProject.
Presented by the Holden Courage Memorial Fund for Artists, which funds graffiti artists in Vancouver, the project and fund were founded by Vancouver broadcaster Tara McGuire in memory of her son Holden Courage. Sefer was one of Holden’s graffiti names.
The Sefer Project embodies the idea of celebrating graffiti in a new way. So far there have been 22 bids on the 36 pieces so be sure to get your bid in before the auction closes at 7:00pm on August 10th. All proceeds will go to The Holden Courage Memorial Fund for Artists.
You can also stop by the 3rd Annual Holden Courage Memorial Graffiti Jam which will be a part of the Mount Pleasant Street Party at the Vancouver Mural Festival again this year on Saturday, August 10th from 12:00pm to 7:00pm at 5th and Main.
