Hundreds came out to the World Rivers Day Festival at Williams Park on Sept. 22, which kicked off Water Weeks in Langley.
Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS) hosted the event for the third year, which included 16 activity booths, face painting, free hotdogs, and story time for the younger crowd.
Nichole Marples, executive director, gave "a huge shout out to all of our community partners that came and set up their displays. Without them, there isn’t an event.”
For three hours, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., there were educational booths from Metro Vancouver, Parks Canada, Fraser Valley Regional Libraries, and local societies like Langley Explore Science Club, Langley Field Naturalists, and Salmon River Enhancement Society.
Lisa Dreves, stewardship coordinator, gave a salmon dissection demonstration and had local critters from the river on display, such as the stonefly which is an indicator of good water quality because they're pollution intolerant.
Held on the fourth Sunday of September in more than 100 countries, World Rivers Day is the international version of B.C. Rivers Day, founded in 1980 by river advocate Mark Angelo, then expanded by the United Nations as part of the Water for Life Decade that began in 2005.
The next upcoming event for Water Weeks is the Pollinator Patch Planting on Oct. 12 at Otter Park.
This event will revolve around “helping the Bertrand Creek Enhancement Society and Langley Field Naturalists plant a pollinator patch. [People will] install native trees and shrubs that attract a variety of pollinator species and learn how you can enhance habitat in your own backyard,” Dreves explained.
The West Creek Wetlands Walk will be held on Oct.19 at 10 a.m to 1 p.m. at the unique ecological site in Glen Valley.
