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Looking back: A little history about trails, recycling

Earth Day festivities in Memorial Peace Park on April 20 – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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Swimming in the Alouette River at Maple Ridge Park in the 1950s.

The snow is melting from the mountain tops, and if the end of March was any indication how our weather will be, we’re definitely in for a sun-soaked spring.

This means taking in all of the natural beauty this area has to offer, and there is certainly no shortage.

Maple Ridge is home to close to 100 parks “… encompassing a total of 25,700 hectares of land and water, making it the fourth largest municipality in the Metro Vancouver Region. Maple Ridge is recognized as a leader in the areas of recycling and waste reduction, watercourse and riparian setback mapping and municipal energy conservation” (Maple Ridge Outdoor Recreation, Trails and Event Guide).

Sometimes these outdoor spaces are taken for granted, because we see them all the time.

We tend not to think of how certain parks or trails became such.

It all has to do with community support – everyday citizens coming forward, and making their voices heard, and keeping our spaces green, making us aware of what we can all do to share cooperatively and maintain our ecosystem for future generations to enjoy.

One of the best ways to get involved is to attend Earth Day festivities in Memorial Peace Park on Saturday, April 20 – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

From an environmental poetry contest, a recycled fashion show, to creating an interactive public art project; there is no shortage of activities to take in. Be sure to check out rmrecycling.org for full details.

Speaking of recycled art, over the past in year the Maple Ridge Museum has received a few recycled objects, which made us take a look inward at our collection, uncovering a few everyday objects that have been made from recycled materials.

This summer the museum received two toy chairs that were made out of aluminum cans, collected my Maple Ridge resident Sonja Barrow. The scroll detailing is impressive, and they make an excellent addition to our toy display.

Perhaps the most notable is a handmade rake made by attaching nails to a piece of wood and affixing it to an old broom handle. The handle was braced with heavy wire so the head of the rake would stay in place. The rake was used by Nathaniel Craig and son-in-law P.J. Burch from 1912 to 1940 on Buena Vista Ranch, at 232nd Street, between 134th Avenue and Silver Valley Road.

Both the toy chairs and the rake are currently on display at the museum, along with a few handmade household objects from the early 1900s.

During May, Haney House will be also be exhibiting handmade quilts as part of our spring/summer tour.

Visit mapleridgemuseum.org for details on open hours.

 

– by Allison White, curator of the Maple Ridge Museum.