Rain could not dampen the spirits of over 1200 residents who flocked to Burnaby Village Museum on Sunday, September 22 to celebrate Burnaby’s own home-grown international day of recognition, World Rivers Day. Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley and World Rivers Day founder and long-time Burnaby resident Mark Angelo were joined by Elder Edward Hall of the kʷikʷəƛ̓ əm Nation to welcome attendees to the festivities, kicking off a day of celebration, education and environmental action. Guests enjoyed free music and performances, learned more about Burnaby’s environment and rich Indigenous history and traditions, and even had an opportunity to shape our community’s future by participating in the Official Community Plan open house session on-site.
Meanwhile at Ron McLean Park, volunteers rolled up their sleeves and celebrated World Rivers Day by taking action to restore Byrne Creek, removing over 10 cubic metres (the volume of more than 60 bathtubs) of invasive species in a fun, friendly all-ages day of service brimming with environmental spirit and civic pride.
Many thanks to all the volunteers and attendees who took time and braved the weather to make this year’s celebration of this Burnaby tradition a memorable one.
About World Rivers Day
In 1980, Burnaby resident and river conservationist, Mark Angelo, founded BC Rivers Day in an effort to raise awareness about the importance that rivers play in our environments as well as the need for better river management to protect these vital resources.
In 1993, the City of Burnaby was the first municipality in BC to proclaim BC Rivers Day. Since then, the City works with community partners to host an annual community event.
Thousands of Canadians now celebrate each year making this Canada’s largest river appreciation event. In 2005, the United Nations established World Rivers Day which is now a global event to celebrate rivers each year on the fourth Sunday of every September.