Nature will be your life-long friend – Visiting McKenney Creek

When the fingerlings smolt – get big and strong enough to tackle the ocean – these salmon swim downstream past Joe’s house near 206 B Street, and northward to the South Alouette near Jerry Salina Pond. I’m amazed by their resilience, and dismayed by the garbage people leave along their route. Joe and I found CDs, clothing, broken chairs, tires, a car seat, a desk, two half buried bicycles, soggy social studies and science textbooks – “property of Westview library,” and a crack pipe.

Yet, among all this indifference there’s signs that McKenney has friends. At the edge of Brookside, someone pulled up blackberry and stripped ivy, a plant that kills trees, from a cedar.

If McKenney had more friends willing to clean it up, the stream would return their kindness ten fold. A dumpsite could become a refuge from noisy city life; a place to silently observe the genius of nature and come away feeling connected to the bigger picture. A few volunteers to remove the garbage would do it, and maybe others to pull invasive plants under the supervision of ARMS. There’s indigenous salmon and huckleberry here, but noxious ones like blackberry and Japanese knotweed which choke out everything. Joe, who’s adopted his section of McKenney could tell stories of the crawfish he’s seen and the wood ducks he’s built nests for in his greenbelt. There’s not a better classroom for kids than a stream, and those who respect nature early on will have a comforting companion throughout their lives.

For information about the Adopt a Stream Program at ARMS, or their education program, call Greta or Nicole at ARMS (604-467-6401).

 

By Jack Emberly – Maple Ridge News
Published: August 30, 2013 7:00 AM

Jack Emberly is a retired teacher, local author and environmentalist.

http://www.mapleridgenews.com/opinion/221715651.html

 

Pages: 1 2

Leave a Reply