Paul Cipywnyk's Blog

Louise Towell at Deer Lake Gallery

Louise Towell, the Stream of Dreams Murals Society art director, had one of her works called Pacific Gyre Spring on display at the Deer Lake Art Gallery today.

Burnaby Parks Volunteer Dinner

The Burnaby Parks, Recreation and Culture Commission put on its annual Volunteer Recognition Night this evening, and Yumi and I attended representing the Edmonds Town Centre Business & Community Association, of which I am president. I have had the pleasure of attending the event in the past representing Byrne Creek Streamkeepers, and the Stream of Dreams Murals Society. Tonight our table was made up of representatives from Byrne Creek, Stream of Dreams, and the City's Parks department. It was an excellent event, as always, and the food provided by the City's Deer Lake Catering was fantastic.

Streamkeepers, Stream of Dreams Tame Lions

Joan Carne and I spoke to the Burnaby Host Lions club this evening. I spoke about Byrne Creek Streamkeepers and Joan spoke about the Stream of Dreams Murals Society. We were warmly welcomed to dinner, and our presentations got lots of questions. The Lions generously asked if there was anything they could do for us, and are willing to bring out their rolling BBQ gear and do hot dogs and burgers, or pancake breakfasts, if we do any fund raisers. Thank you! It is community volunteers pulling together within and across organizations that make Burnaby a great place to live!

UBC Learning Exchange Breakfast

This morning I represented the Stream of Dreams Murals Society at a recognition breakfast thanking people and organizations involved in Learning Exchange Programs run by the University of British Columbia. The event was held at the beautiful First Nations Longhouse on campus, and Dr. Richard Verdan provided a moving, inspirational, and humorous welcoming greeting, while explaining and sharing the cultural significance of the venue. Professor Stephen J. Toope, the UBC President and Vice Chancellor, hosted the event and gave an excellent speech thanking all those involved in the program.

SDMS hosted a group of UBC student volunteers as part of the program this year. I wasn't involved in the day-to-day activities, but as president of the SDMS board of directors, I dropped by a couple of times and listened, learned and shared with the students. I was impressed with the diversity of backgrounds, and by the interest the students showed in the SDMS environmental education and community art program.

Stream of Dreams Office Warming

The Stream of Dreams Murals Society had an office warming party this afternoon followed by our AGM and first board meeting of 2008. I was happy that by our count, 50 people turned out, including several Burnaby city councillors. As president of the SDMS board of directors I want to thank everyone who has helped make our environmental education and community art program a smashing success!

SDMS co-founder Louise Towell (in red to the right) shares the story of how the project began, while co-founder Joan Carne (blue SDMS T-shirt to the left) and others look on.

Here I am chatting with SDMS board member Jennifer (photo by my wife, Yumi).

Of course our fishy theme was reflected in the food presentation :-).

DFO Audit Must Result in Action

It's high time the DFO was audited -- its dedicated, hard-working field personnel have been downsized, overworked and hamstrung for years, its management has sucked, and it is not fulfilling its mandate to protect our fish, rivers and oceans. Here is a chance for public input to have a real effect:

"Madame Sheila Fraser, Auditor General of Canada is undertaking an audit of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Environment Canada's Habitat Management Program effectiveness, success and ability to conserve, project or compensate for loss of viable, productive habitat in Canada.

"Please contact the audit team responsible for Fisheries and Oceans. They would be happy to speak with each of you to ensure broad community input and submissions to inform this process and add to the findings. You may contact either the audit Principal, Mr. Eric Hellsten at (604)666-7600 or the audit Director, Mr. John Sokolowski at (604)666-7608. They are both located in Vancouver at 250-757 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 1A1."

Commissioned by:
Sheila Fraser, FCA
Auditor General | Vérificatrice générale
Office of the Auditor General of Canada | Bureau du vérificateur général du Canada
C.D. Howe Building, 240 Sparks Street, West Tower
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0G6

sheila.fraser@oag-bvg.gc.ca

Telephone 613-992-2512
Facsimile 613-957-4023

So if you have a beef with DFO, here's your chance to really make a difference. Internal government auditors have extensive investigative powers -- it's not just economics and finances, they can poke into all sorts of stuff. If enough people come up with enough war stories, Madam Sheila Fraser could well feel justified in expanding her mandate into overall DFO (in)activities, including the huge bugbear of enforcement. In other words, the auditor general could very well come to the conclusion that DFO is not fulfilling its mandate to preserve our "resource."

Support your local DFO community advisors, your thinly stretched DFO enforcement officers, and us dedicated volunteers... And make those DFO head-office bureaucrats and their elected minister in Ottawa sweat. Speak Up!

Stream of Dreams Expands to Toronto

The Stream of Dreams Murals Society based in Burnaby, BC, is spreading its environmental education and community art project to Toronto.

The Toronto District School Board has a wonderful writeup about the recent project at Dewson School.

BC Enviro Minister Visits Stream of Dreams Program

BC Environment Minister Barry Penner saw a Stream of Dreams program in action at the Oaklands elementary school in Victoria today.

The Stream of Dreams Murals Society has reached over 60,000 school children to date, teaching them about their local watersheds and creating Dreamfish to install on school fences to remind communities about the importance of clean water and healthy ecosystems.

SalmonTrain Kickoff

This morning the SalmonTrain was officially launched at Gilmore Station on the Skytrain Millennium Line. What's a SalmonTrain? It's a commuter train car covered with Stream of Dreams Murals Society (SDMS) Dreamfish, with an urban creek running down its floor with tips on maintaining healthy watersheds. Conceived by Louise Towell, a co-founder of SDMS, and implemented with the hard work of the Rivershed Society of BC and corporate partners Translink, 3M, and Lamar Advertising, the Stream of Dreams® SalmonTrain Mural in Motion is a vibrant means of educating the public about the importance of clean water in our creeks and streams.

As president of the charitable SDMS, I was proud and amazed at the results of nearly a year of hard work by all the partners. Here are some photos I took of the event, and the SalmonTrain.

The SalmonTrain poster at Gilmore Station.

Fin Donnelly, founder and executive director of RSBC, chairs the event.

Louise Towell, co-founder of SMDS, speaks.

Dan Johnson, Burnaby City councillor.

Partners pose in front of the Gilmore Station poster.

The SalmonTrain arriving at the station.

Louise and Joan Carne, SDMS co-founders.

The partners in front of the train.

A closer look at the exterior.

The urban stream inside the train.

An incredibly lifelike storm drain on the floor.

A closeup of Dreamfish in the floor stream.

The message? All street drains lead to fish habitat.

A ceiling poster, also called a "Michaelangelo."

Another ceiling poster.

So the message is, all rain drains (storm drains) connect directly to local creeks and streams. Why does this message need to get out? Ironically, as my wife Yumi and I walked home from Edmonds Skytrain Station after the event, we came across what was likely paint coming down Powerhouse Creek that leads to Byrne Creek. Somebody was washing out painting equipment into a storm drain, so we called the city in on it. There are still a lot of people to teach!

Update: Lots of stuff on You Tube

Salmon Train Launch -- Fin Donnelly, Louise Towell and Dan Johnson

Interviews:

Translink's Drew Snider

SDMS co-founder Joan Carne

Nature Illuminated at Deer Lake

My wife Yumi was interviewed about her animal lanterns that are part of the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers display at the Night of Lights lantern festival in Burnaby. Originally I posted the story and photo here with full and repeated attribution to the Newsleader because their website does not have direct links to individual stories. On second thought, I am removing that copyright material. To find the story, go to the Newsleader website and click on the "Arts" link in the top navigation bar. It should be there for at least a week or two.

Byrne Creek Bug Count, Fish Trapping

Volunteers with the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers in Burnaby, BC, had a busy morning, with several setting 11 traps in the creek to assess fish populations, and others completing the last set of samples for the summer bug count. Once the trappers were done, they helped the bug team count aquatic invertebrates that give us an indication of water quality.

The lush ravine in early morning light.

Rusty takes a break while Bob and Dave bait traps.

Not the greatest of photos, but there's a trout hanging out in the upper right corner of the frame as the trap is lowered into the water :-).

NOTE: It is illegal to trap fish, and streamkeepers do so for ongoing research under the auspices of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. All fish are released unharmed.

The bug team hard at work counting numbers, species and taxa. Coffee, tea and cookies help the effort.

Donaldson's Salmon Poetry

A friend sent me a link to Peter Donaldson's moving salmon lifecycle poems. He has a lot of excellent material on his site, and I hope to catch his Salmonpeople one-man performance some day.

Dreamfish Renewed at Discovery Day

Burnaby's Discovery Day at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts on Deer Lake was the site of the latest Stream of Dreams Murals Society and Byrne Creek Streamkeepers renewal of Dreamfish from the original fish mural at the corner of Kingsway and Edmonds. Those Dreamfish commemorated the killing of 5,000 fish in Byrne Creek in 1998 when someone poured a toxin down a storm drain, and grew into a watershed education and community art program that has taught over 50,000 participants across Canada with over 160 murals installed.

That original mural came down for a new development, and we salvaged fish that were still in good condition, and prepped them so that they could be repainted for a new location on a bridge on the Urban Trail that crosses the Skytrain line near Edmonds station.

You cannot paint a Dreamfish until you have heard the story of the death and rebirth of Byrne Creek, and learn how drains on streets and parking lots lead directly to local waterways.

Stream of Dreams co-founder Joan Carne explains how rain drains lead to local creeks.

Stream of Dreams co-founder Louise Towell talks about environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Kids painting Dreamfish.

My wife Yumi found time amid volunteering to paint a Dreamfish.

Kids double-teaming on a Dreamfish.

Adults become kids again, and the creativity flows.

Admiring the growing collection.

A closer view of a few beauties.

Stream of Dreams Teams Meet

Teachers and artists from several Stream of Dreams Murals Society program teams from across BC met today to share tips and techniques, and to brainstorm program ideas. As president of the board, I took the opportunity to put faces to some names, and sit in and listen to this dynamic bunch. We ran all day long, continuing discussion through lunch, an afternoon Dreamfish T-shirt painting session, and dinner.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and was impressed by the shared passion. Each person drew upon his or her unique characteristics and talents to present the SDMS watershed education program in slightly different ways, while covering the core concepts and remaining true to the society's mission "to educate communities about their watersheds, rivers and streams, while dazzling them with the charm of community art." It is precisely this flexibility that is key to drawing in students and keeping things interesting for everyone.

I'd like to share my president's message in the latest SDMS newsletter, for it speaks to this spirit:

Thank you to all our hard-working teams, volunteers, staff, board directors, members and supporters! The SDMS continues to add teams and partnerships across Canada, and our award-winning educational program is reaching more participants at an ever-increasing pace. We couldn’t do it without you. It is a privilege to work with such passionate people, and I hope we can set up some events at which teams, staff, directors and volunteers can meet each other, and share techniques and ideas. Polls show that Canadians are increasingly concerned about environmental issues, and we can capitalize on this trend to further spread our message of the importance of caring for our watersheds. All of those beautiful fish swimming on fences across our nation are symbols of hope for a future with clean water and a sustainable environment. I wish all of you well with your endeavours.

Dreamfish Revived at Canada Day Fest

Canada Day dawned bright and clear, and the Stream of Dreams Murals Society and Byrne Creek Streamkeepers took part in the festivities at Burnaby's Eastburn Community Centre.

We've participated in this event for many years, but this day was special because we invited people to help revive the original Stream of Dreams dreamfish that graced a chainlink fence at the corner of Kingsway and Edmonds in Burnaby for many years. The dreamfish commemorated the killing of 5,000 fish in Byrne Creek in 1998 when someone poured a toxin down a storm drain, and grew into a watershed education and community art program that has taught nearly 50,000 participants across Canada.

That original mural had to come down for a new development, and we salvaged all the wooden fish that were still in good condition, and sanded them and primed them so that they could be repainted for a new location on a bridge on the Urban Trail that crosses the Skytrain line near Edmonds station.

Dreamfish are special, and you cannot paint one until you have heard the story of the death and rebirth of Byrne Creek, and learn how drains on streets and parking lots lead directly to local waterways. We set up a pathway in our tents through which people passed to learn that story, and then they painted their dreamfish.

People line up to paint dreamfish.

We had lots of posters of trout and salmon to provide inspiration.

Kids learn from a 3D topo map of the Byrne Creek watershed.

Kids paint their dreamfish.

The collection of fresh dreamfish grows.

The palettes of paint grew increasingly funky!

Here's another one next to a blank dreamfish.

Even more dreamfish...

Admiring the eclectic collection.

Do you remember which dreamfish you painted?

What's a Canada Day without an RCMP honour guard?

Or municipal, provincial, and federal politicians cutting a cake?

By the end of the afternoon, Stream of Dreams and streamkeeper volunteers were exhausted, but we had a great time.

Stream of Dreams Starts Another Year

The Stream of Dreams Murals Society started off another year with its Annual General Meeting and first board meeting of 2007 this afternoon. I had the honour of continuing as president of the board of directors for another term.

I am so proud of our people, they have accomplished so much. Every year the number of kids we reach with our watershed education program continues to mushroom, and Dreamfish are wiggling their way onto fences all over Canada now. This little organization just keeps chugging away, while demand for our program continues to soar.

I'm amazed at what the society accomplishes on a tiny budget -- mainly due to the fact that so much rides on volunteer hours. Thanks to everyone who has pitched in!

We cannot satisfy the demand for our program and teach more teams to deliver it without increasing that budget. So please visit the website and use the secure link to donate whatever you can to support this invaluable educational and artistic effort, while receiving a charitable receipt. Thanks!

Burnaby Acknowledges Streamkeepers, Stream of Dreams

There's a nice mention of the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers and the Stream of Dreams Murals Society on this City of Burnaby page. (Check the Community Support area) for their input into the city's Eco-Sculpture program.

As a streamkeeper volunteer and president of the Stream of Dreams board of directors, thanks Burnaby! We enjoy working with the city and appreciate the support.

Original Stream of Dreams Comes Down

The original Stream of Dreams mural at the corner of Kingsway and Edmonds in Burnaby was dismantled today. The southeast Burnaby landmark was removed after six years to make way for a new municipal library, and a commercial/residential complex. A total of 47 volunteers -- Byrne Creek Streamkeepers, Stream of Dreams Murals Society members, Horizontes Explorers, Burnaby City staff and Burnaby Firefighters -- pitched in to get nearly 3,000 painted wooden Dreamfish off the fence in about five hours!

You can read the press release for more information about the event, and also check out the Stream of Dreams Society link above.

We untwisted the metal ties holding the fish to the chain-link fence, or cut them, and then pulled the ties out of the fish. Then the Dreamfish were sorted by condition and size, because we hope to give them new homes on other fences in the Byrne Creek watershed.

Here are some photos of the bittersweet event.

A line of volunteers removing Dreamfish.

Moving further down the fence.

The Horizontes Explorers pitch in.

Working around the shrubbery :-).

Boxes fill with beautiful Dreamfish, some still in excellent condition after six years.

Approaching the end of the fence!

Burnaby firefighters put on a much-appreciated BBQ. Thanks!

Pulling metal ties and sorting Dreamfish.

My wife Yumi looks good to go another couple of hours :-).

I'm dazed and amazed it's all over.

It was a wonderul group effort. The many hands made short work of the job. Thanks to everyone! Let's get these Dreamfish restored and back up on other fences in the watershed soon...

Fish Fly Off Fence

Stream of Dreams Murals Society
Byrne Creek Streamkeepers

­­PRESS RELEASE­­

For Immediate Release--June 19, 2006

Landmark Stream of Dreams Mural Departs Kingsway and Edmonds

On June 27, a Burnaby icon will disappear when volunteers remove 3,000 Dreamfish that make up the original Stream of Dreams mural at Kingsway and Edmonds. Thousands of schoolchildren and community volunteers, with assistance from City staff, created the beloved artwork for Rivers Day 2000 to honor 5,000 fish and other animals killed in nearby Byrne Creek in 1998 after a toxin was dumped down a storm drain. The mural was mounted on a City-owned chain-link fence around a vacant development site, where it became a cherished symbol of community spirit and environmental awareness that forged new partnerships in the struggling Edmonds neighborhood.

That original mural spawned a hugely successful award-winning program of watershed education and community art that has involved nearly 40,000 participants and is approaching its 100th mural. Painted wooden Dreamfish now swim on schoolyard fences throughout the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, and the BC interior, reminding communities of the importance of clean water and how storm drain systems are connected to local streams. Recently, Dreamfish migrated to Ontario, and cities in Alberta and several U.S. states are also interested in the program.

Byrne Creek Streamkeepers, the Stream of Dreams Murals Society, the local community, and the City of Burnaby will start removing the Dreamfish at 4:00 pm on June 27, working through the evening until the job is done. As many Dreamfish as possible will be saved for installation in new locations--­­some are still in good condition, some require refurbishment, and a few will be lovingly retired.

Streamkeepers and the murals society will have information booths set up, and encourage the public to pitch in and also suggest new locations for the Dreamfish.

The City of Burnaby and the developer, Bosa Properties, have acknowledged the neighbourhood’s strong attachment to the founding Stream of Dreams mural, and are including watershed and salmon public art elements in the new residential and commercial complex that will be built on the site.

We are thankful that these original Dreamfish have already lasted years longer than a typical salmon life cycle. We are amazed at their symbolic power and influence, and we invite you to share in commemorating their migration to new waters.

­­END­­

For questions regarding this press release please contact:

Joan Carne: tobydog2000@shaw.ca
Co-Founder, Stream of Dreams Murals Society
Chair, Byrne Creek Streamkeepers

Paul Cipywnyk: paul@cipywnyk.com
President, Stream of Dreams Murals Society
Volunteer, Byrne Creek Streamkeepers

www.streamofdreams.org
www.byrnecreek.org

Safeway Pub Night Huge Success for Stream of Dreams

The staff of Safeway #148 on the corner of Kingsway and Royal Oak in Burnaby put on a great fundraiser for the Stream of Dreams Murals Society tonight. I don't know how they do it, but they outdid themselves yet again.

Held at the Burnaby Firefighters Club, it was a packed event with toonie tosses, a 50-50 draw, other draws and a silent auction. Safeway #148 has chosen the Stream of Dreams Murals Society as their annual fundraising charity for the second consecutive year, and we've had a blast working with them. They are an incredibly hard-working, creative and dedicated bunch.

SDMS founders Joan and Louise greet people at the door.

People picking up silent auction winning items.

Me wearing my "fish worship" T-shirt, and my much more elegant Mom :-).

Salmon in the Classroom Releases

Byrne Creek Streamkeepers have assisted with two Salmon in the Classroom releases of chum fry into Byrne Creek in the last two weeks. These events in which elementary school children release baby salmon that they have raised from eggs in their classrooms are always great fun.

Last week it was kids from St Francis de Sales and today it was a bunch from South Slope. It's wonderful to see these city kids get a taste of nature right here in Burnaby.

Burnaby Mountain Blossoms

Yumi and I zipped up to Burnaby Mountain to check out the blossoms late this afternoon. The cherry blossoms were nearly in full bloom, and daffodils also added splashes of color, beautifully setting off the crane mural painted by schoolchildren taught by the Stream of Dreams Murals Society to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Burnaby's sister-city relationship with Kushiro, Japan.

Daffodils set off the crane mural.

Cherry blossoms with a totem-pole on the left.

Close-up of blossoms with some still to flower.

Stream of Dreams Starts Exciting Year

The Stream of Dreams Murals Society had its AGM and a meeting of the new board today, and as the returning president of the board, I am very excited about the year ahead.

We have achieved charitable status, and while we haven't received our tax number yet, we've been told it will be retroactive to Jan. 1. This is a huge step, and it opens up a whole new world of fundraising to us to continue and expand our environmental education/community art programs.

Speaking of fundraising, I would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the staff at the Kingsway and Royal Oak Safeway in Burnaby for choosing SDMS as their community fundraising organization for a second consecutive year. They raised over $10,000 for us last year!

I see 2006 as being a turning point for the society. We are preparing to leap into a new level of operations, and I think we will see many exciting developments. Requests for the society’s programs continue to pour in from across Canada.

Our educators and artists have taught over 30,000 children about their local watersheds and how they work, and how to care for them, while brightening school fences with beautiful "Dreamfish" and other wildlife.

Night of 2005 Lights

The Byrne Creek Streamkeepers and Stream of Dreams Murals Society participated in the Night of 2005 Lights at the Shadbolt Centre on Deer Lake in Burnaby again this year.

I believe our lantern installation is getting better every year. To our usual complement of salmon we have added jellyfish, a frog, a turtle, a crane, an owl, a dragonfly and other weltand creatures.

Here are few shots of setting up, and a few taken at night.

This is one of my favorite events of the year. I love how the atmosphere changes as the sun sets and the lanterns take shape, blooming out of the deepening darkness.

Safeway Raises $10K for Stream of Dreams!

The Safeway store at Royal Oak and Kingsway in Burnaby had a cheque presentation ceremony today, handing the Stream of Dreams Murals Society $10,096.83.

As president of the society I was thrilled at the amazing job the employees did in organizing multiple events to raise that amount. It was a magnificent job.

I know the society enjoyed working with staff at the store, and we had a great time at many events. There are rumors we may be selected as the store's charity again, and that would be fantastic!

Burnaby-Kushiro 40th Anniversary

Burnaby's beautiful crane ecosculpture and mural were unveiled today at a ceremony on Burnaby Mountain.

The celebration marked the 40th anniversary of sister-city relations, and the preservation of wetlands in Kushiro and streams in Burnaby.

Burnaby-Kushiro Crane Display Takes Shape

The cities of Burnaby, Canada, and Kushiro, Japan, are celebrating their 40th anniversary as sister cities this year, and Burnaby has put together an amazing crane project that honours Kushiro's efforts to save the red-crowned Japanese crane from near extinction.

Burnaby had 2,000 aluminum cranes made for children to paint under the direction of the Stream of Dreams Murals Society, which is known for its watershed education and community art programs. The society taught children in 11 Burnaby schools about the Japanese crane and the efforts of Kushiro citizens to preserve its habitat, and then children painted cranes that are being installed on Burnaby Mountain.

Burnaby also commissioned a huge crane eco-sculpture that was recently installed on the mountain, and it is quite the sight.

The eco-sculpture and the crane mural will be officially unveiled at 11:00 a.m. on June 30, with the participation of a delegation from Kushiro.

Stream of Dreams Does Home Show

The Stream of Dreams Murals Society was invited to participate in the Vancouver Home & Garden Show, and we had a fantastic, exhausting time.

We taught passersby about the importance of watersheds and invited them to paint salmon that will be placed on public display in a Burnaby park.

The City of Burnaby provided a huge salmon eco-sculpture and hundreds of aluminum fish to paint. The big salmon will eventually be filled with plant material and become a living sculpture, and the small fish will be installed nearby.

A head-on shot of the huge salmon eco-sculpture frame.

People painting salmon

The mural takes shape on the giant salmon eco-sculpture.

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped!

Stream of Dreams Kicks Off 2005

We had our first Stream of Dreams Murals Society board meeting of 2005 this afternoon, and it is shaping up to be an exciting year.

Our board has grown to nine directors, including new faces in charge of coordinating volunteers and bookkeeping.

The program is attracting ever-increasing interest, and we are still working on getting a handle on growth. There are many exciting new projects in the wings that I will report on as they take shape.

Safeway Kicks Off Fundraising for Stream of Dreams

The Safeway store on the corner of Kingsway and Royal Oak in Burnaby has decided to make the Stream of Dreams Murals Society its fundraising beneficiary for the 2004-05 year.

Today was the official fundraising kickoff, and nearly a dozen SDMS board members, staff and volunteers helped Safeway employees tell customers about the initiative from 10:00 - 5:00.

We had a display set up and served wild pink salmon on crackers.

Every now and then, a few of us would wander through the store carrying fish on sticks. Here are (L-R) Jane, Joan and Louise by the seafood special :-).

I would like to thank the staff at Safeway for choosing our project! I look forward to working with everyone over the next year. Your assistance is greatly appreciated in helping our society achieve its mission of educating communities about their watersheds, rivers and streams, while dazzling them with the charm of community art.

Stream of Dreams Wins Burnaby Award

I am pleased to announce that the Stream of Dreams Murals Society won the Community Service Award tonight at the Burnaby Board of Trade Business Excellence Awards Gala!

In his welcoming speech, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan also singled out Stream of Dreams for winning the Gold Canadian Environment Award for Education this year. Stream of Dreams founders Joan Carne, Louise Towell and I spoke to the mayor after the event and he appeared genuinely pleased with the success of our program.

Our society got plenty of publicity in front of over 400 members of the lower mainland business and charity community tonight.

First Stream of Dreams AGM

The Stream of Dreams Murals Society had its first annual general meeting Sunday.

As president, I am pleased to report that all of the five previous directors stood for reelection, and three more people agreed to join to make a total of eight directors.

We followed the AGM with a board meeting at which many important issues were resolved, including the establishment of several committees.

The society is growing rapidly, and getting a handle on that expansion is going to be a big job. I'm glad that both the board and general membership are growing, and that volunteers are stepping up to the plate to move the society forward.

Stream of Dreams Finalist in Burnaby Awards

I attended the Burnaby Board of Trade 2004 Business Excellence Awards luncheon yesterday with Joan Carne and Louise Towell, the founders of the Stream of Dreams Murals Society.

I happen to be president of the society, and am pleased to announce that the Stream of Dreams Murals Society was named as a finalist in four categories:

Community Spirit
Community Service
Business Innovation
Entrepreneurial Spirit

Achievements like this would not be possible without the support of Byrne Creek Streamkeepers volunteers, dozens of school and community volunteers, and SDMS board members.

The winners will be announced at the Burnaby Business Excellence Awards Dinner on Nov. 4 at the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown.

Congratulations to Louise and Joan!

Soggy Night of 2004 Lights

The Byrne Creek Streamkeepers and Stream of Dreams Murals Society were the only community groups to show up at Burnaby's Night of 2004 Lights lantern festival Saturday. Rain throughout the day may have deterred others, but streamkeepers aren't afraid of water!

We arrived in the afternoon equiped with ladders, tarps and ropes, and threw up a ramshackle shelter beneath the trees below the Shadbolt Centre at Deer Lake. And good thing, too, as later it poured.

We then set up our display of fish lanterns, along with a frog, turtle and a heron.

Taking turns going for dinner, everyone was back by 7:00 when the lanterns were lit. We were happy we hung in there, as many appreciative spectators wandered by, and the great fire procession took place in grand style.

Fascinating Air Photo of Lower Mainland

We picked up a 20 x 20" air photo poster of the lower mainland at IKEA Coquitlam yesterday. We'd seen the shot before in larger sizes, but even in the smaller poster one can easily make out Burns Bog and Byrne Creek Ravine.

You can immerse yourself in the poster, tracing the mighty Fraser River, picking out the border between the U.S. and Canada, marveling at the swirling sediment flow into the Gulf of Georgia....

It makes you appreciate how beautiful Earth is -- and what a huge impact humans have had upon it. It's hard to believe that the vast checkerboard expanse of urban sprawl was all forest as little as 150 years ago....

It's a great conversation piece, and we're going to frame it and hang it on a wall in our townhouse.

Edmonds Reborn

Stream of Dreams co-founder Louise Towell wrote an eloquent letter about the rebirth of the Edmonds area of Burnaby that appeared in the Burnaby Now newspaper on Saturday.

It's a vision of hope, with the community, business and the natural environment co-existing and improving. It's a definite read for anyone who cares about our community.

Way to go, Louise!

Stream of Dreams Wins Environmental Award!

Louise Towell and Joan Carne, the founders of the Stream of Dreams Murals Society, won the 2004 Canadian Environmental Award for Environmental Learning last night.

The award comes with $5,000, and you can read about it at the Canadian Geographic's website here: Community Awards Winnners 2004.

Congratulations and thanks for all your hard work, and thank you to all the volunteers who have helped make Stream of Dreams grow over the last five years.

Interviewed by CBC French TV

I was interviewed by CBC French TV yesterday about the relationship between the Stream of Dreams Murals Society and the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers.

Joan Carne and Louise Towell, the founders and operators of Stream of Dreams were one of three finalists in the 2004 Canadian Environment Awards for Environmental Learning, and the award was to be presented that evening at a gala near Calgary.

The reporter, cameraman, and I spent about half an hour down in the habitat, and about 20 minutes of blathering on my part was whittled down to three 4-second sound bites in the actual news item.

It was great fun!

Canadian Environment Awards 2004

Joan Carne and Louise Towell, founders of the Stream of Dreams Murals Society, are among three finalists for the 2004 Canadian Environment Awards for Environmental Learning.

The Canadian Environment Awards was established in 2002 through a partnership between the Government of Canada and Canadian Geographic Enterprises, which manages the program and publishes the annual digest-sized awards magazines. The Canadian Environment Awards 2004 is also supported by 14 Canadian corporations.

Stream of Dreams Receives Environmental Leadership Award

Louise Towell and Joane Carne of the Stream of Dreams Murals Society received the 2004 Environmental Leadership Award tonight at a Burnaby Parks, Recreation and Culture Commission meeting.

The city nominated the society for the award, which comes from the British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association.

The award was presented at a BCRPA conference, was accepted on the society's behalf by a Burnaby Parks commission member, and passed on to Joan and Louise tonight.

From left, Louise, Joan and Parks Chair Leslie Roosa.

Stream of Dreams Places My Mug in the Paper

I spent a couple of days at Marlborough Elementary last week helping to install a new Stream of Dreams art/environmental fence display, and my mug hit the paper.

Louise Towell and Joan Carne, the women who founded and run the Stream of Dreams educational program did most of the work, along with the amazing mothers running the volunteer side. I just showed up to help attach the art with aluminum wire to the chainlink fences around the school under their artistic supervision.

You can see me here :-).

Marlborough Stream of Dreams Up

It's up! Over 1,000 fish, and wetland plants and animals.

I spent a second day at Marlborough Elementary helping to install a new Stream of Dreams art/environmental fence display.

I admire the fortitude and stamina of all of the parent volunteers who "twisted" the fish onto the fences. I couldn't believe how many unused muscles I rediscovered working on this project :-). Each piece takes anywhere from one to three, or occasionally even five or six, aluminum wire ties to secure to the fence.

Those ties have to be wound up tight, and crimped so they don't stick out and possibly injure anyone.

This was my first Steam of Dreams installation, however I suspect it's not my last....

Streamkeeping, Stream of Dreams Keep Us Hopping

Whew! It's been a busy few days.

Saturday Byrne Creek Streamkeepers were at the Noons Creek Fingerling Festiveal most of the day. The crowds were a bit thin, but we used the time to our advantage, working on a report on the state of the creek, and planning for the Ugly Bug Ball sponsored by Department of Fisheries and Oceans Community Advisors for streamkeeping volunteers

Sunday evening there was a Stream of Dreams Murals Society board meeting, and then my wife and I spent today helping attach dreamfish to the fence around Marlborough Elementary in Burnaby.

I guess I'll just have to get up earlier in the day to keep this blog going!

Streamkeepers, Stream of Dreams, Mentioned in BC Legislature

BC MLA Patty Sahota mentioned the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers and the Stream of Dreams in the provincial legislature as examples of succesful, hard-working volunteers!

Speaking about the Burnaby Festival of Volunteers organized by Volunteer Burnaby, Sahota said:

"Many people volunteer because it allows them a chance to give something back to their neighbourhood or to their community. Organizations like the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers are a prime example of volunteers who have shown dedication and determination in the face of adversity and have won the support of the community with their Stream of Dreams."

You can find the full Hansard entry here.

Marlborough School Hosts Stream of Dreams

The Stream of Dreams rolled into Marlborough School in Burnaby this morning, kicking off a huge project to teach kids about their watersheds, and paint dream fish and other animals for display on the chainlink fence around their school.

Kudos to the school, staff, parents, and kids for starting such a great event on Earth Day.

I attended the first few sessions this morning as the freshly minted, learning-as-I-go president of the Stream of Dreams Murals Society. It was educational to see founders Louise Towell and Joan Carne in action -- Joan in the classroom teaching kids how watersheds work, and Louise leading them in painting their own dream fish.

It's a sight to behold as teachers, kids, parents, and volunteers pitch in.

I hope to attend a few more sessions over the next week.