The Livable Blog

Hike on 1st International Mother Earth Day, Thursday April 22, 2pm

Weather forecast: Sunny. High 14.

In 2009, the United Nations General Assembly voted to declare April 22 International Mother Earth Day - “Acknowledging that the Earth and its ecosystems are our home, and . . . to promote harmony with nature and the Earth.”[1] The UN emphasized how global warming is threatening Mother Earth, so we are going to celebrate the 1st annual International Mother Earth Day by hiking on a trail designed to stop freeway expansion.[2]

A beautiful new hiking trail is being built by the Wilderness Committee and Surrey Environmental Partners not far from the south side of the Port Mann Bridge. The first section of the South Fraser Witness Trail opened in January, and the trail has just been extended to the bus stop.

Nestled along the edge of Surrey Bend Regional Park and the banks of the Fraser River, this lush and magnificent trail will make you forget that major cities are close by. The bad news is that this area is slated to be destroyed to make way for the South Fraser Perimeter Road freeway as part of the Gateway project.

We need to stop freeway expansion for the sake of local green space, habitat for local species and to slow global warming before it’s too late.

International Mother Earth Day Hike:

When: April 22, 2010 2pm

Where: We will be meeting at the C74 bus stop at 168 St and 108 Ave in Surrey's Fraser Heights neighbourhood. The trail head is just across the street and a few meters north at the green gate.
What should I bring? Snacks, water, sturdy footwear, camera, friends.

Important Note: The Fraser Heights Neighbourhood is no longer accessible via 152nd Street (for cars). Use alternate route if driving, or even better take the bus or ride a bike!

The hiking trail has rugged sections and water resistant footwear is recommended. This event will proceed rain or shine and will only be cancelled in case of high winds or other dangerous conditions.

Link to google map – now with transit directions

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=108+ave+and+168+st&sll=49.200341,-122.752819&sspn=0.006786,0.018947&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=168+St+%26+108+Ave,+Surrey,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia,+Canada&ll=49.198896,-122.756531&spn=0.006786,0.018947&t=h&z=16

A brochure with a map of the Witness Trail and further background information is available at www.tiny.cc/witnesstrail . Note that the newest section of trail is not shown on the map.

For more events promoted as part of Earth Action Week see www.GatewaySucks.org

Sign up for notices of future South Fraser Witness Trail hikes and trail building at http://groups.google.com/group/WitnessTrail

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/ga10823.doc.htm

[2] http://wildernesscommittee.org/campaigns/communities/gateway

Note that this map has not been updated with the latest trail section, it now goes much closer to the bus stop.