Campers will explore nature and learn about the ocean with a visit from the Vancouver Aquarium’s Aqua Van giving a hands-on, up-close look at sea life on our coastline. Daily themes include: predators and endangered species of the Fraser Valley, what lives in our rivers, and how these animals help our forests. Come explore the amazing nature found right here in Maple Ridge.

Ages: 6 to 12 years old
Time: 9:30 am to 2:00 pm
Date: Monday, August 19 to Friday, August 23, 2013
Cost: $160/week or $40/day

Location: Rivers Heritage Centre
24959 Alouette Road
Maple Ridge

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Ages: 8 to 13 years old
Time: 9:30 am to 2:00 pm
Date: Monday, July 22 to Friday, July 26, 2013
Cost: $175/week

Location: Rivers Heritage Centre
24959 Alouette Road
Maple Ridge

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ARMS will be hosting a 2 training day session with the Pacific Streamkeepers Federation on Saturday 25 May and Sunday 26 May from 9:30 – 4:30 p.m in Maple Ridge.  A limited number of positions is available – free for interested participants.  Funding courtesy of Mountain Equipment Co-op Community Contributions.

Training will include:

v  Intro to stream habitat survey

v  Stream invertebrate survey

v  Juvenile fish trapping

v  Advanced stream habitat survey

v  Water quality survey

v  Streamside planting

Upon completion, a certificate is awarded to each participant upon completion of both days.

ARMS offers many environmental stewardship volunteer opportunities the public can get involved with including our Adopt-A-Stream program. www.alouetteriver.org

For more information on registering for this training opportunity, contact Greta Borick-Cunningham on 604 467 6401 or email at:  arms@alouetteriver.org

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Environmental Education Program Assistant

 Purpose:

-          Assist Education Coordinator in planning, preparing and delivering a wide variety of summer environmental programs for children

-          Assist the Alouette River Management Society with other tasks necessary to help carry out its charitable mission

Duties:

-          Assist the Education Coordinator in planning, preparing and delivering two environmentally-themed week-long summer day camps for children aged 6-13

-          Supervise and engage summer camp participants at the Rivers Heritage Centre, Allco Fish Hatchery and Allco Park with other staff and volunteers

-          Assist with interpretive tours of the Rivers Heritage Centre, Allco Fish Hatchery and Allco Park to school, community and public groups

-          Assist with the development of Watershed Education School Tours

-          Assist in the preparation of the 20^th Annual Ridge Meadows Rivers Day event

-          Assist in community outreach events such as invasive plant pulls, restoration projects, and stream cleanups

-          Become familiar with the:

• Alouette River Management Society and Allco Fish Hatchery
• Allco Park landscape and trails
• Ecological importance and history of the Alouette Watershed
• Flora and fauna of the Alouette Watershed
• Threats to the Alouette Watershed and current issues
• Conservation and how the public can help

-          Assist staff at special events

-          Work outside, rain or shine

-          Represent the Alouette River Management Society in a professional manner

-          Complete other duties as deemed necessary by supervising staff and board members

Benefits:

-          Receive valuable employment experience in program planning

-          Gain experience working with children

-          Enhance your communication, interpretive and public education skills

-          Receive training on the ecology and history of the Alouette Watershed

-          Contribute to the community by working for a charitable not-for-profit organization

Requirements:

-          Working toward a degree or diploma in biology, earth sciences, education, environmental sciences, geography or related field

-          Be between the ages of 15 and 30

-          Full time student and returning to school in September

-          Criminal record check

-          Interest and experience working with children

-          Internet and computer literate

-          Valid BC driver’s license and own transportation

-          Energetic, able to do light physical work, enthusiastic, mature, and a team player

In addition, preference will be given to candidates with:

-          First aid certification

-          Familiarity with Maple Ridge

-          Some post-secondary education

-          Interest in nature, park interpretation or environmental education

-          Good interpersonal, organizational and leadership skills

Please note:  This position is funded by Services Canada for Canada Summer Jobs.

Location:

Rivers Heritage Centre, 24959 Alouette Road, Allco Park, Maple Ridge, BC

Time Commitment:

30 hours per week, Monday to Friday, with occasional evening and weekend work required

Responsibilities:

Supervised by the Executive Director and the Education Coordinator

Application:  ASAP

Start Date:  June 3, 2013

End Date:  August 23, 2013

Please apply with resume and cover letter via email or fax to:

Greta Borick-Cunningham, Executive Director

Email:  arms@alouetteriver.org

Fax:  604-467-6438

We thank all applications for submitting their resume.  Only successful applicants will be contacted.  Thank you for your interest in working for the Alouette River Management Society.

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For many years was a member of the executive of the Osprey Fly Fishers of B C who were involved in the protection and improvement of our salmon population.

He has been a volunteer with ARMS for a couple of years involved in fry trapping, knotweed removal and various programs held at the hatchery.

The post Bio – Cliff Olsen appeared first on Alouette River Management Society.

Some recent or imminent infusions of cash are going to make it easier to keep streams healthy and leverage the power of volunteers. Royal Bank of Canada chipped in $5,000 while another $10,000 is expected soon from Vancity Credit Union.That money will be used to create communications materials, buttons, t-shirts to create a brand image and help promote the Adopt-a-Stream program.

That’s one of the projects run by the Alouette River Management Society and which tries to inspire local residents to care for a section of their stream. “The idea for people in Maple Ridge who are living along creeks and streams to take ownership of their streams in their area,” said Greta Borick-Cunningham, acting executive-director.

One of the projects will be the ongoing removal of invasive plants, such as Japanese knotweed or blackberry bushes from streamside areas and replacing them with native shrubs and trees.One project next spring will be to work with students at Meadowridge School on 240th Street to do some bush clearing in order to create access to nearby Latimer Creek.

A similar project is planned later for Alexander Robinson elementary, both as a means of giving kids access to their local creeks.The river management society also wants to encourage people who live near streams to contact them and so they can receive training in how to monitor and improve their areas for both wildlife and water.

Borick-Cunningham says some groups have already formed to adopt portions of Morse Creek, Golden Pond, 232nd Channel and at creek near 122nd Avenue.By training people in the basics of stream keeping, those people then can train their neighbours and then form neighbourhood groups.Residents are also working on improving the streamside of McKenney Creek, which runs past the Ridge Meadows Hospital.“There’s only so much [ARMS] we can physically do.”

By Phil Melnychuk – Maple Ridge News
Published: December 21, 2012 1:00 PM
Updated: December 21, 2012 2:03 PM

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Help us help the environment in the Alouette Watershed in 2013

ARMS is looking forward to a fun and productive 2013.  With the help of our valuable sponsors, partners, and incredible volunteers, we will continue our mission to help protect and preserve the environment in the Alouette Watershed!  Keep posted to see what events and activities ARMS will be involved in this year including our Adopt-a-Stream Program!

The post Here’s to a Happy New Year and healthy environment in the Alouette Watershed! appeared first on Alouette River Management Society.

As a community grows and changes, the need to preserve our natural heritage grows with it. The Alouette River has, in large part, created Silver Valley, and it’s preservation, along with the salmon and their habitat is essential, not just for us, but for all the generations that follow

The post Bio – Gavin Roache appeared first on Alouette River Management Society.

ARMS started Year 1 monitoring back in May with Mike Pearson from Pearson Ecological. Mike led a small crew of volunteers from Katzie and ARMS to set and retrieve juvenile fish traps and lay vegetation plots to record the type, number and size of plants occurring in the project area.

Streamkeepers training was completed in July with ARMS volunteers, staff, and Katzie youth  in attendance.  Coho Creek, Maple Ridge provided a perfect training area.  The weather cooperated and we had a great learning experience.  Training was provided by the Pacific Streamkeepers Federation.

In mid August, ARMS staff and volunteers had the opportunity to learn about photo-point monitoring camera skills.  This is a technique used to monitor changes in habitat over the different seasons.

Our first full day of water testing was conducted at the end of August.  We tested the water in the slough and compared it to that of the channel.  The water in the slough turned out to be between poor and acceptable water quality, while the channel read an acceptable quality.  We did not expect the channel’s water to be better than the slough’s so we were surprised at the results.  While out at the site, we laid some traps and found various aquatic life including stickleback fish, pumpkin seed fish fry, and tadpoles.

ARMS will be going out again in the fall to record what aquatic invertebrates (water bugs) are using the blind channel and to record the water quality in slightly cooler temperatures

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