DRBIPA hosts education and recreation events free for the community, such as guided nature walks with local ecologists and biologists - along with special events for DRBIPA Members. We love putting on our big annual events, too - the Bedford Channel Paddle and Heritage Apple Day! We also organize regular environmental conservation and restoration events within the parks for our dedicated team of volunteer Park Ambassadors and community members wanting to get involved.
Saturday, November 14th, 2020 | 10AM-12PM: Volunteers will be working to remove invasive ivy at Brae Island.
Invasive plant species spread quickly and crowd out original plants and prevent native plant growth. A healthy plant community has a variety of herbs, shrubs, and trees - this helps prevent soil runoff. Invasive plants can prevent trees from becoming established so trees are smaller and produce less cover and this endangers local wildlife. This is one of the reasons we work so hard to conserve our parks and spread awareness. Want to get involved? Join us at our upcoming invasive ivy removal event!
Saturday, November 14th, 2020 | 10:00AM to 12:00PM
Calling all DRBIPA Park Ambassadors and new volunteers!
Register for this conservation event at Brae Island by emailing our Volunteer Coordinator, Roxci, at outreach@drbipa.org. There is space for 5 people to take part in this event. We will be practicing physical distancing measures and following all pandemic response protocols for outdoor events. Clippers and work gloves will be provided. Please bring your own water and snacks and dress appropriately for the weather. The event is on rain or shine. The meetup location will be provided after registration. Thanks so much for signing up!
Friday, October 23rd and Saturday, 24th | 10:00AM to 12:00PM: We're planting 300 plants at Derby Reach Regional Park! The native vegetation planting will increase biodiversity in the park, enhance connectivity with a wildlife corridor, and provide vital habitat for wildlife in the park.
You must register to attend this planting event by emailing our DRBIPA Coordinator, Roxci Bevis, at outreach@drbipa.org. This event is open to the first 10 people who register for each day. Let us know which day you would like to attend. The meetup location will be provided after registration.
Friday, October 23rd ~ 10am-12pm
Saturday, October 24th ~ 10am-12pm
Saturday, October 24th ~ 10am-12pm
Volunteers will be helping to plant the new vegetation and also doing some mulching that we can use to insulate the plants over winter.
Please be prepared for the weather, this event is on rain or shine. Please bring your own water and snacks. Wear comfortable clothing and sturdy closed-toe boots.
We will be practicing physical distancing measures and following all provincial pandemic response protocols for outdoor events. Please bring your own reusable mask with you if you prefer to wear a mask. We will have sanitizer available. All tools and equipment will be provided. Each Volunteer will be assigned tools for the day that will be sanitized before and after use. You are welcome to bring your own set of work gloves with you if you have some. Please email Roxci at outreach@drbipa.org with any questions or to register for this event. Thanks for signing up and getting involved!
Thanks for registering to receive the login information for this online Zoom event hosted by Derby Reach Brae Island Parks Association. Register by October 4th to receive the Zoom login link. We'll send you the login link and a reminder a couple of days before the event. Contact us anytime at outreach@drbipa.org.
In celebration of our annual Heritage Apple Day festival (with an online twist this year!) and local fruit, art, and agriculture - join us for a very interesting presentation and Q&A with local artist & author Sylvia Grace Borda.
October 7th, 2020
7:00pm - 7:50pm
7:00pm - 7:50pm
There are many complex relationships across culture, economics and landscape that can be better understood by examining the layered social histories of food systems south of the Fraser River. For instance, many of us associate the introduction of apples with European settlers in the late 1700s and early 1800s in Canada, but few may recognize that the First Nation Coast Salish peoples tended and cultivated their own fruit, Pacific crab apples, for many centuries and prior to the arrival of Europeans on the shores of the West Coast.
Langley’s more recent orchards arose in part because of military, religious, and settler populations who planted trees at the Hudson Bay Company (HBC) Fort Langley site. When the HBC fort lands were sold as part of homesteads and farm sites, the apple orchards remained and other fruit orchard gardens were also established.
The older established apple orchards in Langley are rare survivors of their time. In this talk, artist Sylvia Grace Borda, will provide audiences a visual ‘walk-through’ and exploration of some of the underlying reasons why older apple trees are less prominent, and the social context of orchards in relation to their times. Sylvia will also illustrate her own interests in and the use of apples in her visual arts practice.
Sylvia Grace Borda is a Vancouver artist and an advocate for both sustainable food systems and urban architecture. She was privileged to present her research in both Northern Ireland and Scotland for the Venice Architectural Biennale collateral events in 2014 and 2015 where she discussed her projects examining Modernist British urban planning through an arts perspective.
She’s held senior teaching positions (2007-2015) in the UK and more recently was an artist-in-residence at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (2017-18, Surrey, BC) and the inaugural artist-in-residence for the Centre for Active Living, Minoru Centre (2018-19, Richmond, BC). In July 2020, Shifting Perspectives, a book about her reflections on Fraser Valley agricultural production through the arts was co-published by the Surrey Art Gallery and Heritage House Press - see 
https://www.heritagehouse.ca/book/sylvia-grace-borda/
https://www.heritagehouse.ca/book/sylvia-grace-borda/Join us to provide support for the pond restoration project at Derby Reach! We are looking for 2-3 volunteers to join us on August 17th and/or 18th. Please register for this event by emailing our Volunteer Coordinator, Roxci, at outreach@drbipa.org.
The scope of the work will involve mowing and clearing the berm which the failed water control structure runs through, clearing the trail from the road to the berm, and installing silt fencing around the channel downstream of the berm. Snacks, training, and all supplies will be provided. Please dress for the weather, wear sturdy closed-toe shoes or work boots, and bring sunscreen and bug spray if needed. We will be practicing physical distancing measures, please bring your own re-usable mask if you would like to. More details will be sent to volunteers with confirmed registration for this event.
