This post has been contributed by Samuel Cousins, Stewardship Coordinator Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”). I have been following SPES since I moved into the West End a decade ago and I have been a member for three years. I wanted to offer the team an opportunity to share their news, events, and work so I have created “SPES Saturday” where they contribute and share stories with my audience once a month.
Sweeping Away the Broom
By Samuel Cousins, SPES Stewardship Coordinator
Last week, the Vancouver Park Board and the Stanley Park Ecology Society celebrated a milestone of sorts: the last patch of Scotch broom in Stanley Park, located on the inaccessible west facing cliffs above the sea wall, was removed. Tom McIllfaterick, SPES board member and long time volunteer on SPES’ Special Invasives Removal Team, had said, “…to get that down we would need a cherry picker, harnesses and rope. Each year it gets bigger and bigger, like it’s taunting us from its place of safety.”
A worker removes Scotch broom from the cliffs above the Stanley Park seawall
Scotch broom piles up on the seawall during eradication efforts last week
However, in partnership with the Vancouver Park Board’s annual scaling operations on the cliffs, the work team was able to use a cherry picker crane to successfully remove the last of this tenacious invasive plant. The area, though, will still have to be monitored for many years to come. Scotch broom is one of the most hardy and invasive of any invasive plants to hit our shores… and we can thank one person for that.
In 1850 a Scottish captain by the name of Walter Grant landed on the shores of Vancouver Island in the area now known as Sooke. Upon landing, Grant proceeded to shoot and kill a “buffalo”, only for it to be a dairy cow. He also introduced the sport of cricket, though it didn’t really catch on. Nevertheless, in the three short years Grant lived on the Island he managed to leave behind a legacy that can be seen across Canada and the US, though not in sport or bovine identification.
Scotch broom along a highway (Photo by USGS via Wikimedia Commons)
Captain Grant’s infamous legacy is the introduction of the invasive species Scotch broom and its impacts on the environment we see today. Grant planted Scotch broom to remind him of his Scottish homeland. The weed was then also used as a highway stabilization plant, which only helped it spread further. Well-intended acts like these are the groundwork upon which an invasive species is able to quickly spread, and then with its competitive advantages, outcompete native species.
Scotch broom is a woody weed that has a number of competitive advantages. A mature broom plant can produce around 20,000 seeds a year, which remain viable in the soil for 30 years. It has a large taproot, small leaf area and waxy stems that photosynthesize, making it a very drought tolerant species. Its greatest advantage is that it increases the acidity of its surrounding soil deterring other native species from settling in.
The problem with all invasive species is that that they reduce bio-diversity and create mono-cultures as they out-compete the native species. They also impact agricultural production, increase fire hazards and pose a risk to infrastructure. The only good thing about Scotch broom is its bright yellow, snapdragon-like flowers.
Here in Stanley Park, the Stanley Park Ecology Society is actively involved in the management of invasive species through community stewardship. At the last count, there were 109 invasive species identified, the main ones being English ivy and Himalayan blackberry. SPES’ volunteer-driven Special Invasives Response Team (“SIRT”) has been monitoring and removing invasive species for a number of years, and the task can often become daunting with the amount of work to be done.
With millions of people going through the park each year, seeds from other areas will be carried into the park unintentionally. There will always be the potential for different invasive species to be introduced and threaten the biodiversity of Stanley Park. Even though here at SPES we are proud to say that Scotch broom has been completely removed from the Park, we want to be proven wrong.
SPES’ Special Invasives Removal Team in action (Photo by SPES)
If you see Scotch broom, please report it to the SPES stewardship coordinator ([email protected]) and a team will be dispatched to investigate. You can also do your part and join one of the SIRT volunteer events by registering with the stewardship coordinator. Together we can work to remove invasive species from the Park.
In the meantime let us raise a glass of scotch, not to Captain Grant, but to the efforts of the invasive species removal teams, societies and organizations that are still dealing with the management of invasive species in their regions. Sometimes the small victories are worth celebrating.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — This post is sponsored by UNICEF Canada. Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
What I have learned over the years, through covering events like We Day in Vancouver, is that it’s equally important to give and act locally as well as globally. This Christmas, you can select a gift that will be much more than a box wrapped with a bow under the tree. You can help children in need of humanitarian assistance, from Syria, to the Central African Republic, Yemen and South Sudan, and beyond.
UNICEF Survival Gifts for Christmas
Canadians generously purchased 39,217 life-saving gifts, totalling more than $1.7 million in 2014
To inspire and motivate Canadian donors in their generous support of children through the organization’s Survival Gifts program, UNICEF recently launched an immersive storytelling series called UNICEF 360°.
A Canadian first in the non-profit realm, UNICEF 360° is a film series that aims to transport donors into the lives of some of the most vulnerable children across the globe – using the power of virtual reality. It gives Canadian donors a chance to see their life-saving and life-changing Survival Gifts at work in the field.
Made accessible and affordable through a simple cardboard virtual reality viewer, the viewer’s own smartphone and the virtual reality film content available at www.unicef360.com, this advanced storytelling experience provides a unique, deeply immersive perspective on the daily challenges faced by some of the world’s most vulnerable children and their families.
The UNIECF 360°virtual-reality viewer.
For a limited time, when donors purchase a featured Survival Gift, they will receive a free UNICEF 360°virtual-reality viewer.
This holiday season, UNICEF is calling on Canadians to continue their generous support of the Survival Gifts program to help reach even more children in Syria, and in other locations around the world. Survival Gifts can be bought online at survivalgifts.ca or by phone at 1-888-777-0380.
Survival Gifts most needed in Syria
Emergency Gifts: Five Emergency Blankets to help protect children and families against cold temperatures ($46)
Clean Water: 3,741 Water Purification Tablets provides ten families with enough clean drinking water for one year ($29)
Education: School Essentials Bundle, provides 60 pencils and 30 exercise books and gives children a chance to learn ($19)
Image courtesy of UNICEF
Most popular Survival Gifts with Canadians
Plumpy’Nut: These peanut-based, therapeutic food packs boost a malnourished child’s chance of survival. Canadians purchased more than 153,000 packets of Plumpy’Nut in 2014. Each gift is $12 and includes 21 packages of Plumpy’Nut, enough to help save the lives of seven children.
Bed Nets: Canadians provided 8,952 bed nets in 2014 keeping children safe from malaria. For only $10, this gift provides two bed nets that help to protect four children from mosquito bites that cause malaria, one of the leading killers of children under age five.
Vaccine Pack: Canadians provided 398,520 vaccines in 2014. Each gift is $44 and includes 58 tetanus vaccines, 58 measles vaccines and 58 polio vaccines that will guard against these life-threatening illnesses.
This season you can give the gift of nutrition, education, and even clean water to someone in need.
UNICEF is supported entirely by voluntary donations and helps children regardless of race, religion or politics. As part of the UN, they are active in over 190 countries – more than any other organization. Follow UNICEF Canada on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
This weekend Miss604 is proud to sponsor the Lumiere Festival, a FREE celebration of the season with thousands of sparkling lights illuminating all corners of Downtown Vancouver’s West End. There’s already been a sneak peak earlier in the week with a whale display at Morton Park (who still needs a name), and there is more to come this weekend along with several other events:
Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend
Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green below.
Never miss my TOP PICKS for events in Vancouver! Receive this event list right to your email inbox by signing up for the Miss604 Weekly Events Newsletter below:
Check out the full December event listings here and if you have an event to include, please send it in by email for a free listing. Follow Miss604 on Twitter for more daily updates.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — This post is sponsored by the Yaletown BIA. Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
Big trees, big presents, and big love are all a part of the holiday season, and this year the Yaletown BIA is hoisting a big mistletoe at Bill Curtis Square. On Saturday December 19th, grab your loved one and huddle under a 3 foot tall mistletoe and show your best PDA in front a kiss camera for Kissmas.
#YaletownKissmas
Where: Bill Curtis Square (corner of Mainland and Davie St just behind the Roundhouse Canada Line station)
When: Saturday, December 19, 2015 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm
Cost: Free to attend!
There will be a live DJ with KISS FM entertaining crowd-goers, hot chocolate, as well as a fun Yaletown Kissmas Money Booth for a chance to win gift cards. Yaletown Kissmas bags will be handed out, containing gift cards & vouchers from select Yaletown businesses to the first 100 guests who participate in the Kiss-In at 5:00pm. While you’re in the neighbourhood, check some items off your holiday gift list as you #buylocal from the bevy of Yaletown merchants.
Pets, kids, pals and even your mom deserve a smooch. The best Kissmas kiss will win an overnight stay at Yaletown’s renowned OPUS Hotel Vancouver and a romantic Italian dinner for two at La Pentola, and beauty treatments from White Orchid Rejuvenation. Post your photo on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook with the hashtags #YaletownKissmas#getaroom for a chance to win.
Yaletown Kissmas Contest
Feel the love of the season by entering to win a $200 #YaletownKissmas experience prize pack that includes: $50 to New Oxford; $50 to Central City on Beatty; $25 to Reckless Bikes; $25 to The Ten Spot; $25 to Divine Vines; and $25 to Fine Finds! Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment naming who you would kiss under the mistletoe (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win a #YaletownKissmas prize pack from @iyaletown @Miss604 http://ow.ly/VHFuW
Follow Yaletown on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about Kissmas and the many other community events and festivities they host throughout the year.
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, December 15, 2015. Must be 19+. Please enjoy responsibly.
Recipes, local history, vibrant photography, and information about some of the best proprietors in the area all converge in the recently-released North Shore Foodie book by Brad Hill. These pages aim to add a story to your dinner and will convince you that “knowledge is flavour”.
The North Shore Foodie Recipe Book is a showcase and celebration of the food scene on the North Shore. The book features the stories behind 37 leading independent North Shore restaurants, bars, cafés, bakeries, breweries, butchers and chocolatiers, and over 100 delicious recipes that come directly from North Shore chefs.
Ranging from simple everyday family meals to challenging cuisine that will push you to the boundaries of your culinary repertoire, the decadent, hearty, and nutritious range of featured recipes offers something for every palate and skill level.
From Bowen Island to Deep Cove, inspire the foodie in your life this Christmas! Pick up a copy at a number of local restaurants and book stores, or purchase online.
Win The North Shore Foodie Book
Enter to win a copy of the North Shore Foodie book here:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win a copy of @foodiebook from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/VFLl9
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, December 16, 2015. Follow the book on Instagram and you could enter to win some prizes there, from North Vancouver restaurants. Read more on Twitter and Facebook.
This post has been contributed by Samuel Cousins, Stewardship Coordinator Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”). I have been following SPES since I moved into the West End a decade ago and I have been a member for three years. I wanted to offer the team an opportunity to share their news, events, and work so I have created “SPES Saturday” where they contribute and share stories with my audience once a month.
The North Shore Foodie Recipe Book is a showcase and celebration of the food scene on the North Shore. The book features the stories behind 37 leading independent North Shore restaurants, bars, cafés, bakeries, breweries, butchers and chocolatiers, and over 100 delicious recipes that come directly from North Shore chefs.