At some point it will stay sunny for a while – so get that camera ready and start capturing the beauty of Maple Ridge.
Then enter them in the “A Year in the Life of Alouette Valley” contest, organized by the Alouette Valley Association.
People can enter in four categories – nature, wildlife, activities and youth – and they have until Nov. 15 to get in their photos.
The Alouette Valley Association is sponsoring the competition and inviting Maple Ridge residents to submit photos in the four categories as a means of raising interest and awareness in the area around the North and South Alouette rivers. So far, 54 photos have been entered, one them featuring a bobcat, another showing coyote pups.
Bruce Hobbs, with the AVA, expects that number to increase once the good weather arrives. And he’s not expecting Robert Bateman-type images either, pointing out it’s an amateur contest.
The event is co-sponsored by The News and Wildplay Elements Park and top photos will win prizes from local businesses.
Anybody can enter any number of photos but the challenge is to take the photos in what’s considered the Alouette Valley. A map showing the area is on the AVA’s website, avalley.ca. The street boundaries for the area consist of anywhere north of 128th Avenue, west as far as Neaves Road and east to Golden Ears Provincial Park.
Hobbs said a recent story about out-of-town realtors being impressed with Maple Ridge’s rural nature is gratifying, particularly the mention of 132nd Avenue, which the Alouette Valley Association wants to turn into a “recreational roadway” by reducing speed limits and making it safer for pedestrians, cyclists and horses.
The group also plans to attend the opening of the North Alouette Greenway Bridge this summer that will allow people and horses to cross the river at 136th Avenue, north of the Maple Ridge Equi Sports Centre, without disturbing fish habitat.
“It’s going to open the whole thing up for recreation.”
That will allow horseback riders, walkers and cyclists to make circular loops in the area and give residents in the Silver Valley subdivisions access to the Pitt Meadows dike trails without having to use 132nd Avenue.