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November 30, 2021
Hello Park Ambassadors, Members, and Friends
In this newsletter you'll find:
- Volunteer Celebrations - Bog Restoration Cleanup
- Mushroom Foray Highlights
- DRBIPA Member Blog: Plant Allies to Work with During a Flood
- FAQ: What are Nature-Based Solutions?
- Giving Tuesday & Matched Donations
- DRBIPA Members Recommend!
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Thank you to everyone who supported the Great Big Bog Restoration Cleanup event November 5-7th - made possible by amazing community volunteers, BCIT, DRBIPA, and Pacific Parklands Foundation. Over 80 volunteers spread out over 4 shifts worked to remove buried tires, hundreds of plastic bags, rusted metal pieces, CCA treated wood, plus more, from our unique bog ecosystem. Together, we removed over 5 tonnes of trash and debris from the Langley Bog. Wow!
Appreciation and gratitude go out to all the passionate nature-loving volunteers who came out for this project! Especially for enduring the rain and muddy terrain on the way out of the bog area to higher ground where all the debris was being collected for pickup. Hard work really does pay off...and it was hard! We directly reduced the input of contaminants to help restore the unique PH of the bog wetlands.
Bogs are ancient ecosystems that were formed by glaciers during the ice age. One of the most amazing things about bogs, is how bog moss has the ability to absorb and hold accumulated CO2 from the atmosphere. And as the planet continues to warm due to high levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, protecting and restoring peatlands, such as the Langley Bog, is more important than ever.
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Mushroom Foray Highlights
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We had such a fantastic time on our DRBIPA mushroom foray this month and were happy to go on the adventure together with new DRBIPA Members and Supporters. We learned about the ecology of our local fungi and the magical world of the mycelium networks beneath our feet.
Did you know mycelia spread over several tens of hectares, and with estimated ages of several hundred to a thousand years?
Check out these awesome fungi finds! (Cracking Bolete, Candlesnuff, Purple Russula, Shaggy Parasol). Please keep in mind there is no foraging allowed in Regional Parks.
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The flooding in Sumas Prairie in Abbotsford is in an agricultural area where we are dealing with not only pathogens but chemicals from farms. Find some tips and plant allies to work with during a flood, HERE, on the DRBIPA Member Blog.
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FAQ: Nature-Based Solutions
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Nature-based solutions are actions that lead to the sustainable management and use of nature while also tackling socio-environmental challenges. Challenges may include issues such as climate change, water security, water pollution, food security, human health, biodiversity loss and disaster risk management. Essentially, nature can help solve our problems if we use nature sustainably.
Forests are one of the best examples of nature-based solutions because they provide clean air and water while protecting against erosion and landslides. A great local example of a nature-based solution is the living retaining walls on Brae Island to combat soil erosion along the shoreline.
Outcomes of projects that integrate nature-based solutions around the world include improved water management, habitat creation for endangered species, and lowered carbon emissions, to name a few. Do you know of any interesting nature-based solutions in your neighbourhood? Let us know about it!
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Giving Tuesday & Matched Donations
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Today is Giving Tuesday! It is a global movement started in 2012 to inspire generosity and build a world where generosity is part of everyday life.
Be a part of the movement! Even a $10 donation can have a big impact for an organization you believe in. There are so many ways you can help, from flood support in BC to residential school survivor support across Canada.
When donating to DRBIPA now until December 31st 2021 HERE via Pacific Parklands Foundation, your donation will be matched dollar for dollar (to a total of $1,000). 100% of your donation will improve Derby Reach and Brae Island Regional Parks for people, pollinators, plants, and wildlife in your community's backyard.
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DRBIPA Members Recommend!
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Community: Do you have a little extra time this December, looking for new ways to give back? Sign up with the Langley Volunteer Bureau to search for short term community involvement opportunities.
Article: Fires leave behind water-repellent soil crust, making landscape prone to erosion, landslides. Read the full CBC article HERE.
Webinar: Reimagining our relationships and communities: A conversation with David Suzuki and Melina-Laboucan Massimo. Find the recording HERE.
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