Pick a park to play in this Saturday: July 19 is national Parks Day
It’s Parks Day in Canada on Saturday, July 19. Which one of British Columbia’s more than 900 parks will you choose this weekend?
Go for a hike, paddle a canoe, or just bask by the lakeside in your favourite protected area. It’s the perfect day to acknowledge how lucky we are to have so much green space in this province. Just how much? A whopping 135,000 square kilometres, or 14.26 percent of B.C.’s land base.
There are many special Parks Day events planned in parks around B.C.
At Vancouver Island’s north end, join a free interpretive day hike to San Josef Bay in Cape Scott Provincial Park (profiled in our Summer 2007 issue). At the Island’s south end, follow a naturalist on an informative “insect exploration.”
In the Okanagan, round up a team for the grass volleyball tournament that will be held in Okanagan Lake Provincial Park, or take a one-hour, ranger-guided hike on the Bear Creek Nature Trail.
On the Lower Mainland, learn about the marine ecosystem by joining interpretive walks on the beach. There will be a “touch tank,” too, for children to experience what a sea star or anemone actually feels like.
For a full list of activities in parks around B.C., follow this BC Parks’ link: www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/events/parksday2008_events.pdf
For more on the history of B.C.’s parklands, look for contributing editor Bruce Obee’s “In praise of parks” article in our Summer 2006 issue.