| “We do a lot of stewardship, everything from bat monitoring to western toad monitoring.” | | “We do a lot of stewardship, everything from bat monitoring to western toad monitoring.” | <div class="ExternalClass6E928D699F7B4F8D845D9BBDA9004A2F"><p>"I had experienced Minnekhada as a child from 1960 to 1970 when my grandmother worked here. There was a working farm here and my grandmother was the domestic manager of the farm house. Now I chair the Minnekhada Park Association. I really wanted to come back (to Minnekhada) and also help other people connect with it because I know how powerful nature is. We do a lot of stewardship, everything from bat monitoring to western toad monitoring. We do nature tents and we just launched an art program. And also the Wildfire Recovery Project with two monitoring stations up near the High Knoll. People can participate by taking photos of the wildfire area. And what we want to do with that is create a time lapse that will show the forest recovery. We'll also be replanting in the wildfire area starting in the fall. We’re volunteer based, so if you want to join, contact us at coordinator@minnekhada.ca."<br></p></div> | | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-parks/PublishingImages/humans-of-regional-parks-minnekhada-1.jpg, “We do a lot of stewardship, everything from bat monitoring to western toad monitoring.”
https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-parks/PublishingImages/humans-of-regional-parks-minnekhada-1.jpg | |
| “It was a hard hike, but it was fun.” | | “It was a hard hike, but it was fun.” | <div class="ExternalClassF39E01ECAED241DD9E3DD5FCD5A5EC1B"><p>“I've been here before, before COVID. It was a hard hike, but it was fun. And it’s dog-friendly too. Last time I came here there were so many people and everyone was just talking to each other. Nice community talking about how they came up here, and about other viewpoints where they went to as well.”</p>
<p>“He told me the view was good. This is my first time here. I think it's really important to preserve as much nature as we can. ‘Cause I see a lot of construction happening nearby, so it's good to keep this area as natural as possible.”<br></p></div> | | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-parks/PublishingImages/humans-of-regional-parks-minnekhada-2.jpg, “It was a hard hike, but it was fun.”
https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-parks/PublishingImages/humans-of-regional-parks-minnekhada-2.jpg | |
| “It's beautiful.” | | “It's beautiful.” | <div class="ExternalClass3612DC5A2680419D8F1B5DB20A9D487A"><p>Kids: “We like it here because it has a lot of water. It's beautiful and it's windy and it has a bunch of trees.”</p><p>Dad: “We always see a few different animals when we come out, and it's a good little hike up to High Knoll. When we’re here we get chances to learn and explore and read some signs. We're practicing map-reading right now, and what to be aware of and things like that. A bunch of life skills that we're working on here.”</p></div> | | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-parks/PublishingImages/humans-of-regional-parks-minnekhada-3.jpg, “It's beautiful.”
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| “I feel incredibly lucky to be up here.” | | “I feel incredibly lucky to be up here.” | <div class="ExternalClassBCA379487FE7484FB4C4A18320F0273E"><p>“I’m an independent contractor working as the caretaker of Minnekhada Lodge. My main job is to oversee events. Mostly weddings, parties, and other corporate events, plus security and day-to-day upkeep. There’s no such thing as a typical day at the lodge. We used to visit here from England because we had family who lived about 15 minutes away. Then we moved here back in 2006. Being from Europe, we miss seeing old buildings! One of our daughters got married here a couple of years ago, and then our son’s getting married here next year. I feel incredibly lucky to be up here. It just keeps me on my toes.”<br></p></div> | | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-parks/PublishingImages/humans-of-regional-parks-minnekhada-4.jpg, “I feel incredibly lucky to be up here.”
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| “It's like reconnecting with my childhood.” | | “It's like reconnecting with my childhood.” | <div class="ExternalClass3AE2B799E06A4778B71C24B9FA9D14CC"><p>“I used to do a lot of hikes as a child. So being out here, it's like reconnecting with my childhood. I actually moved to Canada from Europe and I moved to Coquitlam 20 years ago. I pretty much just stumbled upon Minnekhada Regional Park and I fell in love with it. When I (first) came here I was afraid of bears, I didn't really know what to do when I see a bear. Just give them space. This park, it's a very calming, relaxing place and it's been preserved so well. To be able to step outside of busy life and be able to walk into this space, for me personally, it's really breathtaking. It’s so much to do with mental health and just being able to separate yourself from the daily stresses and just detox.”<br></p></div> | | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-parks/PublishingImages/humans-of-regional-parks-minnekhada-5.jpg, “It's like reconnecting with my childhood.”
https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-parks/PublishingImages/humans-of-regional-parks-minnekhada-5.jpg | |