Archive: Silver Valley
The societal paradigm regarding environmental sensitivity has done quite the about-face in recent years. No longer are environmentalists referred to disparagingly, now that eco-friendly living has become main-stream. With Al Gore’s movie educating the masses and Oprah and Hollywood’s support, there are few individuals who no longer incorporate at least some measure of green living into their lifestyles. However, other popular trends have come and gone. How do we ensure that eco-friendly living doesn’t go the way of Feng Shui?
Local Maple Ridge resident Ken Hemminger partnered with Isabel Gibson’s Grade 1 class from Yennadon Elementary to educate these future environmentalists. The intent was to reach the children at a young age, integrating knowledge and hands-on practices that can grow and develop with them. Understanding and practicing an eco-friendly lifestyle will hopefully become second nature, embedding the will to preserve our earth so that green practices remain sustainable, continuing with future generations.
The 22 students and 10 parent volunteers spent March 13th planting a total of 46 trees. The trees were donated by Ken Hemminger, who grew the trees from tiny seedlings. The trees were Western Red Cedar, between 6 and 7 years old, the same age as the children participating. Each child tagged a tree with their name, so that they would be able to see the trees they planted growing with them. Prior to planting, they learned about the benefits these trees would have to them, to the neighborhood in which they were planted, and to the environment as a whole. The children were taught how the roots would absorb water preventing soil erosion, how the trees would provide homes for small animals, and create oxygen for them to breathe.
They showed their retention for these concepts when asked to write about their experiences the next day. Six year old Ryley stated “I love planting trees and I want to keep Earth’s air clean in the Earth”. That sentiment was echoed by all the students involved. Not only did they find the experience fun, but they expressed much interest in the whys of their actions. Such classroom projects will help to maintain the momentum of environmentalism, perpetuating continued interest and personal investments in our environment, ensuring that green living doesn’t ever become passé.
- Kerry Gibson
For those of you coming to this page from Google, be sure to check out our updated schedule for the Silver Valley Spring Festival.
The Silver Valley Neighbourhood Association is having a spring festival at Maple Ridge Park, to celebrate: local history, common community interests and enjoy the natural beauty of the Alouette River which has been designated as a BC Heritage River. Read the rest of this entry »
The use of evergreen trees for street plantings would be an opportunity to replicate the past evergreen-forested slopes of Silver Valley – Maple Ridge.
Why are evergreen trees important?
Acting as an enormous “carbon sink”, trees soak up carbon dioxide from the air, producing life-giving oxygen in return. In fact, a medium-sized tree generates the same amount of oxygen, as each one of us needs to breathe.
In a tree, ‘breathing’ takes place inn the leaf. Chlorophyll (the substance causing the green colour) absorbs the CO2 and uses it along with water to dissolve minerals taken up through the roots. After the chemical reaction is completed, the leaf releases oxygen and water vapor through its pores.
Because evergreen trees are not dormant during the winter months, they release oxygen 12 months of the year, so it would be wise to chose evergreen trees for street side plantings.
Suggestions for evergreen street trees
Serbian Spruce
Skyrocket Juniper
Iseli Fastigiata
Alternatives include: Chamaecyparis nootkatensis ‘Pendula’, ‘Green Arrow’, Weeping Alaskan Cedar, Picea omorika.
Alternatives include: Picea glauca ‘Pendula’, Weeping White Spruce (leader does not always stay straight), Cedrus deodara ‘Kashmir’ (broader than the selections above at maturity), Blue Haven Juniper
Leyland Cyprus: As recommended in the District of Mission – Tree Retention Bylaw.
There seems to be some choices!
A combination of deciduous and coniferous may also work in all development areas.
I think that the District of Maple Ridge should consider some of the evergreen trees as alternatives in our community.
It was the end of November 2007. It was the end of 80+ trees!
Clearcut at Silver Valley Road and 232nd Street.
Image credit: © 2008 Ken Hemminger
The Silver Valley Area Plan, has some guiding principles, such as the Environment First and Development Principles 3.2.2.(g) - Tree retention should be maximized throughout the Silver Valley area.
Water from the clearcut entering Anderson Creek.
Image credit: © 2008 Ken Hemminger
Now it has been suggested that the increased water flowing from this site will be controlled by a bio-filtration pond. The one shown [as of Dec 29, 2007] although temporary, is now filled with silt and basically non-functional.
An ineffective on-site settling pond is filled with sediment.
Image credit: © 2008 Ken Hemminger
Will the real bio-filtration pond be established once the 31 townhouses are finished?
If this type of development continues, there will be continued downstream flooding and erosion.
Get Your Paws Dirty in 2008
A group of environmentally concerned citizens, led by Ken Hemminger, got a green start to 2008 by planting 34 Western Red Cedars on Rock Ridge. This fast-growing species will help reduce storm water runoff in the area and reduce erosion, encourage native wildlife to thrive, and assist in countering the carbon footprint of the neighborhood.
With increased construction, more attention needs to be drawn to “greening” new developments. With the West Vancouver mudslides as an example of over-development, builders and citizens alike should be conscientious of the benefits of preserving existing trees and reforesting any areas that would sustain their growth.
Last year the United Nations met its target of planting 1 billion trees worldwide. When one considers that a single mature tree can absorb carbon dioxide @ 48lbs/year, that’s a good start. However, each person generates approximately 2.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year (in first world countries), so the work to counter the human footprint must persist. If every family in the US alone planted just one tree, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would be reduced by one billion pounds annually. Ken Hemminger’s crew, after a couple hours work, reduced their footprint by 1632 lbs/year. Make an afternoon of it, and go get dirty.
Despite the not-so-favorable weather, the Rock Ridge walkabout was very successful. We collected forty names for our guest book and an estimated 160 people attended the event over the course of the day. There were informative guided tours every 10 minutes, complimentary refreshments, kids crafts and other activities, special kids portraits, and pony carriage rides.
The event was attended by MP Randy Kamp, Councillor Linda King, and other friends, including Bill Hartley, Candace Gordon, and Bill Archibald. Mayor Robson and the Maple Ridge planning department were invited but could not attend.
There were many questions about the proposed park for Rock Ridge, and these questions were answered by Mike Murray of Parks and Rec. The good news for residents is that a park will be created at the top of 236 Street later this year. In the meantime, area residents remain very concerned about 236 Street serving as the primary access point for Rock Ridge, especially since it is shared by kids, horses, and dump trucks.
We offer special thanks to the following associations and individuals: ARMS, the Silver Valley Neighbourhood Association, Haney Horsemen, the Maple Ridge Museum, Councillor Craig Speirs, and District staff Mike Murray and David Boag.
The Rock Ridge walkabout was sponsored and funded by a Building Community seed grant, Dairyland Home Services, Cariboo Moose Productions, Carol on Call Office Assistance, Festival Society, Coates Portrait Designs, District of Maple Ridge, PRT Pelton, and Corporate Cleaning Services. Read the rest of this entry »
Where: Bolder Place (Cul-de-sac).
When: 12pm. 29 January 2006.
Come take a walk with guided tours of our neighborhood and our back trails. Come meet your neighbors, learn more about development plans of your neighborhood, and bring the kids for refreshment and fun activities.
The objective of this event is to promote a healthy neighborhood. We want to create a livable community while paying attention to this delicate and unique environment. The Walk-about will be a start for us to build a neighborhood circle, which will promote communication and understanding, thus creating a more coherent community for residents of Rock Ridge.
The Building Community Solutions Project (BCS) is an initiative of The District of Maple Ridge Social Planning Advisory Committee (SPAC), the Child Youth and Family Network (CYFN) and United Way of the Lower Mainland – Communities in Action.
The goal of BCS is to help community groups and agencies to work together to improve the quality of life, based on values of mutual respect, open communication and collaboration. More information is available at www.rmkstudycircles.ca.
If you’d like to volunteer or receive more information, please contact:
Peter Tam
(604) 463-9990
peter.tam@shaw.ca
The following events occurred during 2005, in and around North Millionaire Creek and the salmon bearing Main Millionaire Creek. Located in north Maple Ridge and close to the Rock Ridge subdivision, the development surrounding the Millionaire creeks is a good example of how developers’ failure to comply with local bylaws can have an adverse effect on the quality of life experienced by residents.
As we all know, laws and bylaws are drafted, approved, and enforced to ensure the well being of society at large. Whether it’s to shelter a community from violence, lawlessness, or other forms of injustice it’s widely recognized that laws and bylaws are put in place for the greater good of the citizens in an area.
Unfortunately, there are always instances where individuals or organizations – willingly or unwillingly – act in ways that are contrary to the established bylaws of a community. Usually the people or companies engaging in this negligent behaviour are fined or prohibited from continuing their activity until their disregard for the established rules is corrected.
Specifically, I’m writing about a high level of non-compliance to all of the environmental safeguards and by-laws that are meant to prevent and minimize siltation in the waterways of the District of Maple Ridge. To date, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the District of Maple Ridge have failed to enforce policies that:
- Prevent a number of irresponsible and environmentally damaging approaches to development in OUR community.
- Demonstrate their roles as guardians of and representatives for the community as a whole.
- Impose significant fines that send a real message to individuals and businesses that consistently engage in activities that do not comply with District bylaws and the terms specified by Development Permits (DPs).
Often, I hear statements from District and DFO staff such as, “We lack the human resources to monitor everything.” What makes these comments most frustrating to me is the fact that failure to enforce bylaw compliance (at the direction of the Mayor, Council, and the DFO) in the short term leads has long term ramifications that will increase staff work load and have possible economic and legal liabilities for future developments.
Over the past year, I’ve documented a number of occasions where the development guidelines established by the District of Maple Ridge were ignored or followed improperly; unfortunately these instances of non-compliance were not met with the mandated forms of punitive action. As a result, non-compliance continues to be a problem, to the detriment of the environment and, by extension, the citizens of Maple Ridge. Read the rest of this entry »
