Some recent or imminent infusions of cash are going to make it easier to keep streams healthy and leverage the power of volunteers. Royal Bank of Canada chipped in $5,000 while another $10,000 is expected soon from Vancity Credit Union.That money will be used to create communications materials, buttons, t-shirts to create a brand image and help promote the Adopt-a-Stream program.
That’s one of the projects run by the Alouette River Management Society and which tries to inspire local residents to care for a section of their stream. “The idea for people in Maple Ridge who are living along creeks and streams to take ownership of their streams in their area,” said Greta Borick-Cunningham, acting executive-director.
One of the projects will be the ongoing removal of invasive plants, such as Japanese knotweed or blackberry bushes from streamside areas and replacing them with native shrubs and trees.One project next spring will be to work with students at Meadowridge School on 240th Street to do some bush clearing in order to create access to nearby Latimer Creek.