Local Ecologist

We filled our third day with two major tourist spots in Vancouver -- Stanley Park and Chinatown. The Aquarium is in Stanley Park so technically we had already visited the park but we wanted to see more of it. After all, I'm an urban forester! Here's a description of the park on the City of Vancouver website: Explore the 400-hectare natural West Coast rainforest and enjoy scenic views of water, mountains, sky, and majestic trees along Stanley Park's famous Seawall. Discover kilometres of trails, beautiful beaches, local wildlife, great eats, natural, cultural and historical landmarks, along with many other adventures. The park offers a wide range of unforgettable experiences for all ages and interests, including Canada’s largest aquarium. August 10th was another overcast day and this one brought with it, rain. Thankfully the rain was light so we did not turn back. We walked along the lake, picking and eating blackberries and dodging Canada geese

Two major infrastructure projects in and around Washington Square Park will begin soon, and last for up to 3 years. One is a three year water main replacement project. Please be advised that on or around September 21st, 2015, The New York City Department of Design and Construction (NYCDDC) will begin an approximately three year water main connection project at Washington Square Park, weather and field conditions permitting. The purpose of this project is to replace water main connections at Washington Square Park. It will also involve catch basins, chute connections, Con-Edison gas work, curbs and sidewalk restoration, concrete base/asphalt roadway restoration and traffic work. It will also include amenities such as traffic and street lighting. The liaison for the water main project is Bridget Klebaur, Community Construction Liaison, WashingtonSqPkCCL@gmail.com (Project ID MED608). The other infrastructure upgrade, replacement of the park's perimeter sidewalks, is the fina

The Vancouver Aquarium was a treat! We are land and sea lovers (though two of us get queasy on boats) so it was a pleasure to stroll Stanley Park before and after seeing the sea life at the aquarium. One of the highlights was the small jellies. It was mesmerizing to watch them propel their bodies, which are composed of mostly of water (96%), through the water. We made our visit at mid-morning to avoid crowds and we were rewarded with lots of hang time at all the tanks. Can you tell that this octopus was fascinating?! I like that the aquarium offers lots of ways to learn about the marine environment, both local (British Columbia) and far away. The aquarium has exhibits and galleries, shows, and activities, and staffed pop-up experiential displays. You can visit the aquarium in person or online via live cams and videos.  The Strait of Georgia exhibit in the Pacific Canada Pavilion was one of my favorites interior areas of the aquarium. We didn't attend a live-

We made a work and play trip to Vancouver this summer. And we had a great time. We also visited Whistler. One of us needed a brand new passport. Congratulations on your first international trip, Little Sea! We flew from New York to Vancouver on a red eye. Luckily we all went back to sleep until a reasonable time in the morning. We started our stay in Vancouver with a low-key exploration of the Vancouver Harbor shoreline. This part of the city is all sky and water and mountains. We saw lots of man-made signs of the nature of the city. We played at Coal Harbor Park which you can think of as a green roof since it sits atop the Coal Harbor Community Centre. This is a new park; it was built in 2000. The total cost of the park, $1.5 million, was borne by Marathon Development Inc. and was a portion of the company's "community amenity contribution." From Coal Habor we walked upland of the Seawall, admiring another wall. The Vancouver Seawall is "the w

WSP Eco Projects will host an Instagram contest with a different theme each month, September through December 2015. The inaugural theme is "Back to School". To enter: - Photograph "back to school" activities you see in the park. - Tag your photos with #wspecoprojects and #backtoschoolcontest. - Follow @wspecoprojects. Please tag your Washington Square Park, NYC tree-loving friends and followers! Thank you and good luck! Administrativia: - The Back to School Contest is open until September 30 at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. - The prize is a copy of New York City Trees: A Field Guide for the Metropolitan Area by Edward S. Barnard (courtesy of Columbia University Press). - The contest is open to residents of the continental USA only. - The winner must respond within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.