Hudson’s Bay Slough Primed For Good News
Barb Anderson and Dave Winarski pitch-in around Hudson's Bay Slough 250News photo
Prince George, BC – As Operation 'Clean Sweep' takes place around the city today, the Prince George Naturalists Club has focused volunteer efforts on the Hudson's Bay Slough – a 'sprucing up' prior to an important announcement for the city's ecological treasure.
PGNC members Sara Sparks and Anne Hogan co-organized the event, after realizing the club hadn't had a dedicated clean up along the lake, channel, and slough since 2003.
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Barb Anderson and Dave Winarski, with Triton Environmental Consultants, were working their way along the channel. Although his bag was filling up, Winarski says he was surprised not to find more trash, given that they were working along a high foot traffic pathway.
Thompson had just found a headlight in the brush and said he earlier located a piece of metal that, 'looked like the tin man's head from the Wizard of Oz'.
Home to numerous bird species, amphibians, muskrat and beaver, Anne Hogan says, the slough is also very important in that it is an urban wetland.
"It's right here in town and people can get to it from all over the place."
With an eye to improving access to this inner city gem, the PG Naturalists have a 'good news' announcement set for Tuesday on the footbridge over the channel. (shown in photo above)
As part of the club's proposed Hudson's Bay Wetland Project, they'll be announcing a major sponsor and unveiling an information kiosk. The plan calls for improved pathways around the entire perimeter of the area. PGNC member, Clive Keen, says a bridge at the north end of the lake is critical to creating the circular walk – longer term plans call for with wooden boardwalks winding along the south side of the channel a planned observation tower.
As a result of Tuesday's sponsorship announcement, club members plan to work on an interpretative trail this summer.
Comments
A wonderful project! It will be a natural showcase for our city!
Thank you PG Naturalists for giving us a special place to take our children. I’m very excited and hope enough good citizens use the trail so that I will feel safe taking my children there. What a great idea!
This is great news. Thanks to all that are involved in making it happen.
This is wonderful news. I kind of wish it could be called Hudson Bay……(something besides slough), for some reason that word doesn’t make anything sound very beautiful. Or is it just me?
Fantastic! Kudos to those who spearheaded and expanded on this project.
A slough is but a slough by any other name.
This waterway runs from the Northwest side of Highway 16. Just South of 20th Avenue.
There used to be a big slough there but it was filled in over the years. The water runs East under Pine St. then under Queensway (used to be a wooden bridge) and then through the park and into the Fraser River. Not sure where the water comes from, it could be an old river bed, and could come from as far away as the Nechako River. Who knows??
We could call it the South Ft George Estuary.
Or maybe the Hudson’s Bay stinkpond? Hmm, maybe slough isn’t so bad.
It used to end where the red robin is now.
One year when we floated the nechacko river we went up the slough. Sunk in a foot of mud and it smelled like rotten fish. Won’t be doing that again
Not sure about the reference to the Red Robin, but I think the ‘slough’ is the remnant of an ancient river channel, perhaps once part of the Nechako, but more likely the culmination of several lesser streams that once flowed across what is now city, toward the Fraser from points west of the bowl. Near the afore mentioned restaurant, there was once what we called a swamp, the new Delta Hotel is being built right in the center of it, next to daddy long legs aka the library.
metalman.
You got that right metalman. There was a huge pond, and a pig farm at the base of the hill right below the the roller rink, and PG Golf Course. Just South of 20th.
Thanks to the PG Naturalists for there concern about the slough, yes a beautful spot . The city should have showed concerned about this years ago . Oh sorry it runs through the Hood . I rememeber it being so beautiful till in the early 80’s . The City better start cleaning up the Hood and get some money going into the area ,after all we have our new glass palace on Victoria Street , and the big box across from the Ramada . So lets see our tax dollars spent on something to beautify the city .
i agree, great news! there aren’t a lot of places in PG to take kids to see ducks, and right now there is no where to really get close to the water. of course it needs some work, it’s been neglected for decades. can’t wait to see this get started, i might give them a call to see if they could use more volunteers.
Posted by: 4seasons on April 27 2014 7:29 PM
This is wonderful news. I kind of wish it could be called Hudson Bay……(something besides slough), for some reason that word doesn’t make anything sound very beautiful. Or is it just me?
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I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Like Palopu said, it is what it is.
I often visit a place out here called “Stony Swamp” and it’s a beautiful woodland area that includes a number of swamps and small ponds. Another area I taking my son to is a place called “Mer Bleue Bog”. It’s also a beautiful wetland, but most certainly is a bog by definition.
I say keep the name. Not everything has to be a wild mountain stream :)
South Ft George Estuary or Hudson’s Bay Estuary has a much nicer, cleaner, ring to it. Just sayin.
But it isn’t an estuary . . .
4seasons….Kinda like a “pork producing installation and containment centre” instead of pigpen?
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