The BC government recently announced a $30 million Community Recreation Grant Program developed to addresss the unique challenges faced by communities in the Province with respect to meeting their recreational infrastructure needs.

The concept of the program is to invest in local government capital projects that make communities healthier, more active places in which to live.  Grant programs like this are an important funding source that can assist our Village in improving our infrastructure and the overall livability of our community.  

In Anmore, we have some amazing outdoor opportunities for recreation, but some of the infrastructure needed to enhance those opportunities or provide more universal access are just not there yet.  After years of planning, we now have a tennis court located at Anmore Elementary School and have recently installed play equipment in our local Anmore Spirit Park.  Both of these items are infrastructure improvements that benefit residents and encourage us to live healthier more active lives.  We've also had community discussions about a proposed community hall, volleyball courts, and current and future joint use agreements between Anmore and School District 43.  These are all projects that deserve consideration and discussion by our community and might be appropriate projects to seek grant funding for.

Another area that I think needs to be addressed is our community trail network.  How easy it is to travel around a community, is an important factor to consider when discussing community livability... Most of Anmore's current pathways that stretch the length of Sunnyside and East Road were build through volunteer efforts and they have been a wonderful addition to our community.  I would like to see more pathway projects like this in Anmore and community consultation on how we want our pathways and trail networks to develop over the coming years.  In particular I think that our community should look at how we can link neighbourhoods through trail networks that encourage walking and cycling within our Village. 

Whistler is a great example of how long term planning can help develop a successful trail network.  Over 20 years ago a few volunteers started planning how they wanted Whistler connected and in 2011 you can take pedestrian and bike pathways throughout the entire valley area to almost every neighbourhood and recreational area in Whistler. 

How can we apply this model to Anmore.. well we certainly won't have the tourism dollars to contribute to a trail network, but we definitely can apply the idea of long term planning. Anmore has clearly laid out their road networks in our Official Community Plan, but there is little mention of pathway planning. I would like our OCP to clearly outline how we want our current and future community linked for pedestrian and bike traffic within Anmore and to the surrounding communities.  Trail networks and access to both bike and walking paths should be a part of our Official Community plan, just like roadway planning is included in any municipal OCP.  

Outlining a pathways plan in our OCP based on community consultation and thorough input from residents will help us identify funding sources, guide development and provide our municipality with the tools to move forward with a long term plan.

What are your thoughts on pedestrian and bike pathways in Anmore? 

This past Sunday I attended the Mossom Creek Hatchery Anniversary Celebration.  This  "little" salmon enhancement program was started by a few amazing and very dedicated teachers 35 years ago with the goal of bringing Mossom Creek back as a salmon bearing stream.  Not ony were they successful, but the program has allowed thousands of students and volunteers to participate at the hatchery. 

My own family volunteers at the hatchery and it's been such an incredible learning experience for us.  We've participated in feedings, salmon releases and I was even lucky enough to take part in an eelgrass replanting program in the Burrard Inlet.  The hatchery is open to volunteers and visitors each Sunday from 10:30 am - 1:30 pm. 

Mossom Creek is one of only a few pristine creeks in the lower mainland.  It supports some amazing wildlife and plants, including the blue listed coastal tailed frog. The Mossom Creek Hatchery website has some great photos of wildlife that has been sighted in the Mossom Creek Watershed.  The Mossom Creek Watershed is one of the largest watershed sin Anmore and stretches from above East Road down to Ioco Road in Port Moody.

Development has created a real challenge for the creek over the years and volunteers of the hatchery have really worked hard to address these issues with the Village of Anmore and developers.  I would like to thank all those that have given Mossom Creek a voice over the years...  Congratulations to all the volunteers of Mossom Creek Hatchery and to Ruth Foster, Rod McVicar and Jim Mattson for years and years of hard work. 

We had our first Anmore Bear Aware meeting in the Village yesterday.  This project has been something I have been working on for several years and it's great to finally be at the point of program delivery!

Squamish Bear Aware trainer, Meg Toom was in Anmore on Thursday morning (September 22nd) speaking to a group of volunteers, public works staff and a representative from our waste management company about how to successfully implement a Bear Aware program in the Village of Anmore.



The session was packed with information and interesting facts, but the main points our group was able to take away from the Bear Aware representative were:

1) the goal of the program is to educate residents on how to remove human food attractants such as garbage, compost and other human food sources that attract bears.
2) in fall bears enter into a hyper feeding state where they need to consume up to 20,000 calories per day. This means they are actively looking for any food source they can find and residents need to be dilligent about securing food attractants.
3) long term solutions need to be addressed via bylaw improvements to our waste management bylaw and the creation of a wildlife attractants management bylaw.
4) community based programs work.  Education through neighbourhood walks, event displays and school presentations is an efficient and effective way to get the word out about being bear smart and bear aware.

Thanks to all of our wonderful volunteers and the Village of Anmore for supporting this program.  You can contact Anmore Bear Aware at anmorebearaware@gmail.com for more information or visit www.bearaware.bc.ca.