Surrey’s second annual Robson Park Festival this Saturday will feature fun times as well as an opportunity to learn more about salmon habitat in this city.
The Salmon Habitat Restoration Program (SHaRP) will be “celebrating Surrey’s commitment to environmental stewardship,” a city press release states, and will host a “hands-on” effort to remove invasive plants like English Ivy, Morning Glory and Himalayan blackberry.
The festival will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Robson Park is five hectares, or 12 acres, and is located at 12678-100th Ave. in Whalley, accessible from 100th Avenue. There are two parking lots, between 126th Street and 127A Street.
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Besides learning about salmon, and Robson Park’s protected natural salmon habitat, festival goers will be treated to a free barbeque lunch, as well as cotton candy, popcorn, and there will also be a bouncy castle for the kids.
It’s all part of the Robson Park Stewardship Series continuing into the fall with planting parties, where participants can help plant indigenous species like salmonberry and thimbleberry to help keep out invasive plant species.
City Councillor Mike Starchuk, chairman of Surrey’s environmental sustainability advisory committee, said the Robson Park Festival presents “an opportunity to bring the community together to learn about the importance of preserving our streams and green spaces, and to celebrate our city’s ongoing commitment to sustainability.”
For 20 years now the SHaRP program hires highschool and post-secondary students in the summer and fall to protect and improve Surrey’s salmon habitats.