March 10, 2010
Short Video on Fish Kill from Newsleader
Found this video on BC Daily Buzz, and am assuming that since it's got embed links, it's OK to reproduce. This was shot by Mario Bartel of the Burnaby Newsleader a couple of days ago. It's me at the pond near Edmonds Skytrain Station where the deadly spill was first noticed on March 4, 2010.
Burnaby Now Editorial on Fish Kill
I'm stunned.
The Burnaby Now has published an editorial on the recent fish kill in southeast Burnaby's Byrne Creek, using a post from this blog, and giving me credit. All I can say is, thank you.
Media Interest in Byrne Creek Kill Has Legs
The strength and duration of media interest in the recent fish kill in southeast Burnaby's Byrne Creek after someone illegally disposed of a chemical, likely down a drain on a street, is intriguing. The kill happened late Thursday afternoon, yet I was still receiving multiple calls for interviews and tours on Monday. Usually three- to four-day old local news is as appetizing to mainstream media as, er, rotting fish, but somehow this story had legs.
And we didn't send out a single press release or email, we didn't make a single phone call - we simply tried to keep up with the requests that poured in. We have no staff, streamkeepers are 100% volunteer. If anyone still doubts the power of Twitter, well, that's how this story started. . .
Perhaps it had something to do with public outrage. This story struck a chord. The creek is in an urban area, it is surrounded by public parks, and I think people are really getting the message that it's not only fish, it's about the entire ecosystem and our health, too.
I've been monitoring the online versions of stories, and people have been responding with anger and disbelief that such a tragedy could happen - yet again - in a beloved creek. People have also been scathingly skeptical that anything will really be done by the federal agencies that supposedly are tasked with protecting our environment and our health.
The outrage is palpable, and I think that's what has kept this story alive.
Streamkeepers are making lemonade from the lemons handed to us by the thoughtless polluter - we've been getting calls from concerned citizens reporting suspicious substances on streets and in ditches, we may have a few new faces at our monthly meeting tomorrow (Thursday, March 11, at 7:30pm - coordinates here), we've been getting requests from businesses to come speak to employees about the watershed and how we all connect to it.
I hope interest remains high, but I understand that we have to get on with our busy lives and attention will quickly fade. Unfortunately, I've seen this cycle several times on battered Byrne Creek, and I hope that my sense that this time the response is noticeably stronger isn't just wishful thinking.
Thank you to all the media who covered the kill! And thank you to the public for expressing your feelings. If you really want change to happen, if you want to see enforcement, I urge you to write your local MLAs and MPs, and the federal and provincial environment ministers - without strong policy direction agency staff's hands are tied.
March 07, 2010
Media Covers Byrne Creek Fish Kill
Some of the media coverage of the toxic spill in SE Burnaby's Byrne Creek a few days ago:
The press is already getting results - a gentleman phoned me today with a report about seeing Powerhouse Creek, a tributary of Byrne Creek, running very dirty in the area of Beresford St. about a week ago. The more eyes we have on our local creeks, the better!
Update March 8, 2010
Update March 10, 2010
Burnaby Now on lack of enforcement
Burnaby Now on Mayor, City Council Push for Education
Update March 11, 2010
March 05, 2010
Sample Density of Fish Killed in Byrne Creek
Sometimes it takes death to reveal how much life there is.
Would you believe that on average there was a dead fish less than every 2 meters along a sampled section of Byrne Creek the morning after someone poured a toxin down a street drain in the upper watershed on March 4, 2010? Most people never see fish in the creek - it takes patience, stealth, and knowing where to look to spot them when they are alive. My wife and I counted 231 dead trout, coho smolts (yearlings) and coho fry (this spring's babies) in an approximately 400-meter section of the creek. For those interested, here's the breakdown:
182 - Small cutthroat trout (say less than 15cm)
20 - Medium cutthroat trout (say 15-20cm)
1 - Large cutthroat trout (over 20cm)
Total 203 cutthroat trout
16 small-to-medium dead fish visible inside the culvert, too dark to ID
1 - large trout, very dark, no cutthroat markings on chin, near footbridge
8 - Coho smolts
3 - Coho fry
Total 11 coho salmon
Grand total dead fish in that stretch: 231
And that's likely lower than the actual number due to several factors: dead fish get wedged under rocks and drop deep in pools, the tiny fry are difficult to spot at all and we know that before the kill there were schools of dozens in the area sampled. In addition, opportunistic predation starts almost immediately after the toxin is quickly flushed down the creek: we found several fish partially eaten, and only strings of guts and bits of flesh too small to ID here and there.
The coho were found around T518 to T516 (lower end of the lower ravine). The coho fry were found in the vicinity of T517 where we photographed live ones a few days ago... See the entry below "Video of 2010 Salmon Fry in Byrne Creek."
The above photo shows dead fish ranging from coho fry at the bottom left,
a coho smolt a the bottom right, and an adult trout above. There was a
surprise to come, as you'll see in the next photo. . .
The big trout had a fry in its mouth. It's not hard to imagine what
happened - it spotted a little fish in distress from the chemical,
thought it an easy meal, and then before it could even finish
swallowing its target, the bigger fish also died.
Counting the Dead
Imagine walking down a street, and every few steps that you take, you come across a body.
A few more steps, a cluster of bodies. Every step, another body. Another group of bodies.
You approach an area where yesterday you saw small children playing - and you find small, inert bodies.
Small bodies, ranging from babies recently born, to midsize ones -- kids going to school. Further on, large ones, adults.
All with bulging eyes, gaping mouths.
Staring. At nothing. For they do not see any more. They do not breathe any more, for they died gasping for breath.
They choked to death.
That's what it was like today, carefully walking down Byrne Creek, counting the dead.
The dead that died when someone unthinkingly, uncaringly, or, despite decades of educational efforts, perhaps unknowingly, poured a chemical down a storm drain.
The bodies were fish. Just fish.
But we'll drink what went in that water someday, too. Or perhaps swim in it. Those toxins don't just disappear.
If we eat fish or other seafood, we will eat what went in that water someday, too.
All drains lead to fish habitat.
People habitat.
Every living thing's habitat.
I fear I'll dream tonight about counting the dead.
The bulging eyes, the gaping mouths.
The horrifying, constricting feeling of being unable to breathe.
We found fish today that in desperation had thrown themselves into the air, up onto the banks of the creek - to breathe, please let me breathe!
That would be like me throwing myself under water to escape foul, poisoned air - to breathe, please let me breathe!
Yes, I'm emotionally attached, because for days recently I eagerly patrolled Byrne Creek, looking for baby coho salmon, baby chum salmon, hoping against hope that the few salmon spawners that made it back last autumn succeeded in creating a new generation.
I saw baby fry, and I rejoiced. My heart soared. I took photos. I took videos.
I blogged, I Tweeted, I Facebooked. I did all that social media, cyberspace stuff.
But real life intervened
And now they are all dead.
And all that I can do is
Count the dead.
March 04, 2010
Fish Kill in Burnaby’s Byrne Creek March 4, 2010
A chemical entered Byrne Creek in southeast Burnaby in the mid-to-late afternoon today, killing fish. Someone called Environment Canada [CORRECT: in fact the City of Burnaby received the call from the BC provincial enviro ministry after a youth called the Provincial Emergency Program], who then called the City, and streamkeepers also noticed the kill around the same time. City staff took samples and worked on tracing the source, which likely came from a storm drain, while streamkeepers took photos for documentation and sampled pH in the creek at several points. Both City staff and streamkeepers plan to follow up tomorrow. Here are some photos:
The fish ladder at the pond west of Griffiths Dr.
Water is covered with foam and slick to the touch.
There was an ammonia smell coming out of the pipe.
Dead fish on bottom of pool.
Dead cutthroat with hazy water visible. That's a size 12 boot
toe beside it for comparison.
Just a few days ago, streamkeepers were excited to see baby salmon
fry popping out of the gravel. We are concerned that they may also have
been affected.
I find it hard to believe that after decades of education efforts, such
kills still happen.
Please, folks, remember that all drains on roads and parking lots lead to fish habitat!
March 01, 2010
Re-Inventing Rainwater Management
Ran across this study today (pdf doc): Re-Inventing Rainwater Management: A Strategy to Protect Health and Restore Nature in the Capital Region by the Environmental Law Centre at the University of Victoria. While I have yet to read all of it, it appears to be an excellent take on issues that streamkeepers in Burnaby and all over BC have been concerned about for years. An excerpt from the introduction to the problem:
We don't normally think of rainfall as pollution. However, over the last 150 years we have built cities in a way that transforms rainwater into an agent of considerable environmental harm: urban stormwater runoff.
Changing pristine rainwater into pollution occurs in stages. The first step is the creation of pollutants from driving and fixing cars, using chemicals on houses and yards, and commercial and industrial processes. Heavy metals, PCBs, oils, grease, antifreeze, solvents, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, paint chips, PAHs, road salt, and detergents fall to the ground across the urban landscape.
The second step involves our construction of impervious surfaces such as roofs, paved streets, sidewalks, and parking lots. As a city develops, the vegetation and natural soils that absorb and filter rainwater are replaced by impervious surfaces. When we pave over nature's absorption and filtration system, the next heavy rain sweeps across the landscape's hard surfaces picking up pollutants.
In the final step, the storm sewer system rapidly conveys all this polluted water to the nearest water body and flushes it at high speed into a sensitive aquatic ecosystem. In addition to the pollutants from the landscape, the water often contains paint and motor oil that people have dumped into the storm sewer. To make things worse, in older municipalities, this stormwater often contains sanitary sewage.
Video of 2010 Salmon Fry in Byrne Creek
I shot this video at 640 X 480 resolution with my Canon SD780 digital still camera handheld with the zoom at max. I processed the file in Windows Live Movie Maker, a free download. Not bad for such a cheap, on-the-fly setup :-).
It's always great to know that at least some of the few salmon that managed to return to this urban creek in southeast Burnaby last autumn successfully spawned, and that their eggs survived through the winter.
February 28, 2010
Learn About Salmon-Friendly Gardening
From our friends at LEPS, via the PSKF message board:
Make your neighbourhood a better place and start something healthier for you and for salmon, in your backyard!
On Saturday March 13, join Langley Environmental Partners Society from 10am-3pm at the Fraser River Presentation Theatre, 4th floor, 20338- 65 Ave Langley, for the 3rd annual Salmon Friendly Gardens Seminar.
This workshop style seminar will have speakers present practical solutions for:
- Converting Lawn into a Vegetable Patch ~ Ward Teulon, City Farm Boy
- Rethinking Weeds as Wild Edibles ~ David Catzel, Glorious Organics
- Gardening for Wildlife ~ Jude Grass, Birds on the Bay
- Pesticide Alternatives That Work ~ Martin Harcourt, Mainland Landscaping and Gardening Ltd
Event includes refreshment break. Pre-registration is required, to register email kgreenwood@tol.ca
Why grow a salmon-friendly garden?
Every Langley home is located in the middle of salmon habitat. Each of Langley's twelve watersheds collects runoff from our backyards and directs it into one of our salmon-bearing streams. The Fraser River salmon run - the largest in Canada - depends on these small tributaries for spawning and the healthy development of young fish.
The upshot is that what we put on our gardens ends up in our streams, including pesticides and fertilizers. In addition, the majority of Langley's tap water comes from aquifers, meaning that our drinking water originates directly below our feet. When you consider that 95% of pesticides used on residential yards are considered probable or possible carcinogens by the US Environmental Protection Agency, there's good reason to cut back on the chemicals we use in our gardens.
This worrying evidence doesn't mean that your garden has to go to the bugs. LEPS presents this full-day seminar on how to grow a beautiful, healthy and productive garden without chemicals.
The event also launches the Township of Langley's pilot Grow Healthy ~ Grow Smart Program.
Salmon Saturdays are supported by the Fraser Salmon and Watersheds Program.
February 25, 2010
Dirty Discharge Passes Through Byrne Creek
At 4:00 p.m. today I noticed that the pond near Choices in the Park just west of the Edmonds Skytrain Station in SE Burnaby was a murky grey-green colour. Not good. Something likely had been dumped in the creek through a drain on a street or in a parking lot. I phoned it in to Environmental Services at the City, and was told it had already been reported and that staff were checking the situation.
This is the pond at 4:00 p.m.
And here it is at 5:00 p.m. The creek flow had cleared
out the "slug" of dirty water.
Didn't have time to check downstream for the possible
impact on fish. Hope to do a creek walk tomorrow.
The concrete structure at the bottom of the photos is a fish ladder to enable fish to get up to the culvert that was put in when the trail was built across the creek.
February 24, 2010
Burnaby Food Forum March 31, 2010
Join Burnaby Food First for a community forum on the future of food in Burnaby. Local community groups will showcase their successful projects, participants will discuss food issues in Burnaby, and plan for a resilient local food system. A healthy lunch will be provided.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
8:30 - 1:30 Shadbolt Centre
6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby
Everyone is welcome. Please register by March 26 via email:
February 23, 2010
Dawn, Dusk on BC Ferries
The 7:00 am BC Ferries run from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, and the return 5:00 pm run produced some moody sunrise and sunset photos today.
The dawn run:
And coming home at dusk:
February 20, 2010
Fun and Games at Richmond OZone, 2010 Olympic Flame
After a beautiful morning in Byrne Creek Ravine doing streamkeeper activities, Yumi and I headed out to the Richmond OZone for 2010 Olympic-related festivities, and ended the day with an evening downtown on the packed streets of Vancouver.
Cherry trees starting to bud in the park next door.
Yumi checking pH in Byrne Creek.
OK, on to Winter Olympic 2010 Festivities!
Flags festoon a mall in Richmond.
There were delays on the Skytrain, so it took awhile to get down
to Richmond, but it was worth it.
Salmon says "O Canada," but I think it would be saying "Oh! Bear!"
Light standard with OZone banner.
Yumi with Year of Rooster lantern at OZone
Paul with Year of Boar lantern at OZone.
I refuse to call it Year of Pig! :-)
Yumi and some kids get their photo taken
with a Japanese super-fan.
Japanese team works on ice sculpture.
I yelled "Ganbare Nihon" at them and got
a happy look of surprise back :-).
The main stage at the OZone. We flaked out on the ground
and listened to some bands.
Outdoor skating oval at the OZone.
OZone banner in Richmond City Hall. There was a cool
display of ice skates through history, and a progression
of Canadian ice-skating uniforms.
The only downer was grabbing a 591ml bottle of Diet Coke
at the lunch stand, only to be charged $3.50 for it.
Highway robbery!
A view of the banners from outside as dusk fell.
The big screen at Richmond City Hall.
Evening falls at the OZone, time to head downtown!
The Birks Building at night.
The famous clock.
Huge Olympics projection on The Bay, with London Drugs in foreground.
Lanterns on Granville.
More illumination on Granville.
The street was full of happy people,
and every block had a different genre
of street music. Yowza!
Robson Square, the epicentre of the action.
Robson Square with the BC Pavilion (Art Gallery) in background.
The Zipline over Robson Square. If you look closely,
those ghostly shapes are lucky riders who made it
past the 4- to 6-hour wait!
And here it is folks, the 2010 Olympic Flame!
And, more importantly :-), moi and my
better half in front of it.
Waaaayyy in front of it :-). At this point in this very
full day, my back was giving out, and there was no way
I was going to stand hours in line to get any closer!
Heading home on the Skytrain at Waterfront Station.
It was packed, but kudos to Translink, police and volunteers
for keeping things moving smoothly. Well done!
Killing Game Feeds in Facebook – What a Relief
When I looked at my Facebook page this morning, half or more of the posts were automated updates from game applications like Farmville and Mafia Wars. Frankly, I don't care what games my friends are playing, much less what level they are at, or what "support" they need. Grumble, grumble.
Well, it's darn easy to kill such feeds without knocking off your friends (see, I don't even play MW and I'm picking up the lingo). Just hover over the top-right corner of such a post, click on the Hide button that appears, and then choose to hide the app, not your friend.
This is what happens:
Ah, peace at last!
February 17, 2010
New Fry in Byrne Creek, Signs of Spring
Byrne Creek in southeast Burnaby, BC, is sporting new babies! I spotted two salmon fry in pools in the creek today - not many, but it's a start. There were also lots of other signs of spring.
Hard to ID for sure, but it may be a coho, judging by
orange-ish colour.
This backlit strider was making explosive flashes of light
on the water with every step.
February 15, 2010
Robins, Fruit at Stewart Heritage Farm
Though it was overcast, I checked out the Stewart Heritage Farm in south Surrey today - it's a great place for birding and nature photos.
Cattails in a marsh
Last autumn's apples
An inquisitive robin.
Who gets a worm!
I got some good shots of waxwings eating berries at the farm last October.
February 14, 2010
Vancouver 2010 Games Valentine’s Day Photos
Valentine's Day was sunny and clear, a wonderful day to spend checking out 2010 Olympic pavilions in Vancouver.
Russian Sochi pavilion (Science World)
Fun photo at Saskatchewan House
Athlete's Village
Police diver patrol
February 13, 2010
Sign In? Sign Out?
Confusing choices on my iGoogle home page:
So am I signed in or not?
It's not a huge question, as I've never used Google Chat, but it is an interesting conundrum.
February 12, 2010
‘Military Gestapo’ Helicopters Circle 2010 Olympic Games
It might be noisy for folks living in downtown Vancouver these days, but I cannot believe anyone could equate the Canadian Forces presence at the 2010 Winter Games to the Gestapo.
I hope the comment that I saw on Twitter was fuelled by frustration and booze, and was a momentary late-night indiscretion, but even then I would find it nearly impossible to excuse.
For those needing a history lesson, the Gestapo were the brainwashed militarists who rounded up and gassed, hacked, drowned, shot, burned, whatever, to death, at the lower range of historically verifiable estimates, 6 million people, and at the upper range 10 million or more.
The Canadian Forces are the descendants of those who fought against the Gestapo and its ilk.
OK? Got that? Canadian Forces *fought against* the Gestapo. Fought against the Nazis. So don't call our first responders and military Nazis.
You can light up again now, or have another beer.
Just lay off the uninformed, slanderous analogies. Please. I'm a Canadian, so I gotta say "please," eh?
Though I'm glad that previous generations of Canucks had the guts to fight the Gestapo and Nazis, so that we, all of us, could have the freedom to even hold this discussion.
February 11, 2010
First CF Card – 16MB
I found this CF card today - it's the first one I ever had. It was included with our first digital camera, a Kodak DC4800 that we bought back in March 2001, during a trip to Japan. The purchase was spurred by my father-in-law, who insisted we ought to get a digital camera while we were visiting, and who provided some cash to back up his idea :-).
To think that this card would hold just two RAW photo files from my Nikon D300!
I remember when Yumi and I bought the DC4800 in Shinjuku, Tokyo, at a store that no longer exists, we "splurged" on an additional 128MB CF card and a PC Card reader so we could plug CF cards into our notebook computer. Don't recall now how much all that cost, but I think the 3.1MP point-and-shoot, the extra card, and the reader totalled over C$600.
February 08, 2010
Sunset Near Byrne Ravine Park
Late this afternoon I got out for a loop of Byrne Creek Ravine Park in SE Burnaby, and got a few sunset shots on my way back up the hill.
The view down the hill over the Green development.
Along Byrne Park Drive.
February 07, 2010
Olympics? Bah, Humbug… Er, Dang But I’m Smiling
I have counted myself among Vancouver 2010 sceptics, but darn it if I don't feel a spring in my step and a smile twitching on my face. We headed downtown today to check out the street scene, see if any pavilions were open, and had a great time. The only pavilion we entered was Northern House, and it was fun. While we don't have tickets to any events - damn hard to find and expensive - I will certainly be checking out more pavilions and other free stuff.
Yumi owns the podium!
Paul goes snowboarding. OK, if I look stupid, I admit I've
never been on a board in my life!
The outdoor skating rink at Robson Square.
With inukshuk at Northern House.
Yumi with muskox.
The "video postcard" at Northern House was a great hit.
You can select videos of northern scenes and activities
and have yourself superimposed upon them.
Feeding an eagle a bit of Japanese crepe on Robson St.
February 06, 2010
Eagles, Crows on Marine Way
While my wife was picking up some cat food I got some shots of eagles and crows near Marine Way in Burnaby. At one point there were six bald eagles soaring overhead, with some sort of hawk or harrier joining in for a moment. There were also several crows patrolling the parking lot.
February 05, 2010
February 04, 2010
Burnaby Board Environmental Sustainability Forum for Business
The Burnaby Board of Trade's inaugural Environmental Sustainability Forum for Business last night was a big success, with a stimulating panel of speakers who provided inspiration and examples to help companies get on the road toward reducing their environmental footprints while boosting their bottom lines.
Held at the magnificent Electronic Arts campus in Burnaby, the panel featured Peter Robinson, CEO of the David Suzuki Foundation; TJ Galda, chair of the Electronic Arts Green Team; David Moran, Director of Public Affairs and Communications for Coca-Cola Canada; and Maureen Cureton, Green Business Manager, Vancity. The speakers and ensuing Q & A were ably coordinated by facilitator Coro Strandberg, principal of Strandberg Consulting and author of the Small and Medium-Sized Business Environmental Roadmap for Industry Canada.
The event appeared to be sold out. The auditorium was packed, and the speakers were well received by a responsive and appreciative audience. The panel was a good mix in terms of age and experience, and represented senior corporate management, staff, and NGOs. The overall message was that the green-blue wave is well underway, and companies of all sizes must understand environmental sustainability, and implement it, to hire and retain excellent staff, and develop and maintain optimal relations with their supply chains and customers.
Advice? While you have to have commitment and support from upper management, imbuing an organization with the values of environmental sustainability requires that everyone gets on board. Simply setting up a sustainability team or section will not change behaviour - it will alleviate personal responsibility as staff think "I don't have to do anything, that other group will take care of things."
An interesting resource that was mentioned was the David Suzuki Ambassadors program that provides workshops for businesses "interested in greening their practices." That was another theme that was repeated by several speakers - there are plenty of NGOs out there that businesses can partner with to work together on environmental goals.
February 03, 2010
Warmest January on Record in Vancouver, Eh?
Well, look what I found outside our door today:
I also did a quick patrol for salmon fry in Byrne Creek in southeast Burnaby. Didn't see any yet, but back in 2005 we spotted fry on Feb. 8, so with this year's warm winter they ought to be popping out of the gravel soon!
February 02, 2010
BC Artist James Koll Posts New Works to Website
I received an email from BC artist James Koll today about new pieces posted to his website. Coincidentally, the topic of art came up on the Editors' Association of Canada email list recently, with people sharing info about artists whose works they'd bought. I mentioned Koll and his website, and here are a few comments:
"Koll's work is beautiful and, from the photos, exceptionally well crafted. The next time I'm back in B.C. I'll make it a point to see some of his work; I'm in love with it, even via the Internet. A new slant on Internet dating?"
"Thanks so much for sharing this link."
"I like his Burrard Street at Night--lovely."
"Ooo--another great site."
February 01, 2010
Dell U2410 Monitor
Received the 24" Dell U2410 LCD monitor today that I got for around 33% off the regular price - about C$500 compared to C$750. My first impressions? This is one bright, sharp, gorgeous screen. It's clearly head and shoulders over the 20" Dell 2007FP that I have it paired with on my desk, and it leaves the old 19" Benq FP931 that it replaced in the dust.
The 24" screen with its native 1920 X1200 resolution is impressive, but it's the underlying technology that really makes it shine. It's an IPS monitor, designed for high-end graphics work, and it's colour-calibrated at the factory with sRGB and Adobe RGB presets. No matter how much I fiddle with the settings on the Dell 2007FP, I can't get it to match the U2410's fidelity and clarity. I'm just eyeballing the two screens side by side, but I suspect that even with colour-calibration gear, it would be tough to get the 2007FP looking as good as the U2410.
I'm look forward to developing photos on the new screen, along with having significantly more space for document editing and desktop publishing work.
January 30, 2010
Cleaning Bird Boxes at Burnaby Lake
A call for volunteers appeared in the local papers to help clean out bird boxes at Burnaby Lake Regional Park for the spring nesting season, so Yumi and I drove over this Saturday morning to check out what the Burnaby Lake Park Association was up to.
Led by the irrepressibly passionate and knowledgeable Joe Sadowski, the 30-40 folks who showed up were divided into three or four teams and spread out to do some housecleaning. Despite the overcast, drizzly conditions, people's spirits ran high.
And a lovely Wood Duck couple, perhaps looking to move
in to the newly cleaned housing :-)