Stanley Park Tree Planting and the Humbug Hike

Comments 11 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Tomorrow will mark the one year anniversary of the storm that ravaged Stanley Park one night, uprooting tens of thousands of trees and gnashing through the sea wall. Over the last year I’ve kept a close eye on the park, and have many photos and blog posts to illustrate the lack of progress and frustration in regards to the use of “$4 million of $9.5 million” in restoration funds.

According to the Vancouver parks board’s director of special projects, Jim Lowden, the progress has been “quite satisfying.” So far, the following work has been done:

– The felling and removal of dangerous trees and clearing of debris and brush is 70-per-cent complete.

– Three thousand of the planned 15,000 to 16,000 new trees have been planted. The rest will be planted in late February and early March.

– Temporary repairs have been made to the seawall and permanent repairs will be made in the spring.

– Cliff stabilization is about 80-per-cent complete.

To come are changes to Prospect Point and the establishment of educational and interpretive legacies such as signs, programs and static and interactive displays. [The Province]

After being closed for a year the sea wall is still just “temporarily fixed” and it was actually closed within a week of reopening due to a mud slide. At Prospect Point the area the size of a soccer pitch was clearcut to make room for more parking. With that in mind the tomorrow’s “tree planting ceremony” has become just that, a ceremony for tourists.

man made clearcut at prospect point

A tree-planting ceremony will be held tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. at the Prospect Point picnic area. The event will mark the anniversary and honour the four lead donors to the park’s rehabilitation. [The Province]

Although I’m glad they didn’t mention anything about animatronic dinosaurs it seems like the Parks Board (or whichever governing body is in charge of all this) doesn’t seem to realize that people go to Stanley Park because it’s a PARK… not Science World.



We’re still going to enjoy the park for what it is, a beautiful woodland filled with streams, ancient mossy cedars, challenging running paths and breathtaking lookouts. I think the last couple million dollars should be used to (finally) stabilize the sea wall and replant trees. If more trees are cut to make room for parking, and interpretive centres crop up alongside glossy signs that replace nurse logs at the side of trails telling us what nature is, Vancouver will be closer than ever to closing its crown jewel.


Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr

On a side note, an excellent alternative to the horribly crowded and heart-stoppingly expensive “Bright Night in Stanley Park” train is the Stanley Park Ecology Society‘s Humbug Holiday Hike:

Our 30-minute Christmas-themed nature walk takes you and your lantern into the wooded areas along the Christmas train route with nothing but a Humbug to guide you! Find out which Christmas traditions Humbugs really don’t like and learn about the new Humbug-approved Christmas traditions that they would like everyone to adopt. [SPES]

That’s something I can get behind and it doesn’t involve extra parking stalls or fancy displays. It’s a simple guided walk. The Humbug Hikes run every day from 5:00pm to 9:00pm, on the hour. Tickets are $5 for Adults, $3 for kids, children two and under are free. The starting point and ticket window are located at the Humbug Holiday Hike tent on-site in the train yard, or reservations can be made from Tuesday through Friday by calling (604) 257-6907.

Also, if you are heading to Stanley Park for Bright Nights, the #19 Bus (Metrotown/Stanley Park) is an excellent alternative to driving in.

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11 Comments  —  Comments Are Closed

  1. gusgreeperFriday, December 14th, 2007 — 11:09am PST

    the humbug hike sounds like a lot of fun.

  2. 604homesblog : Fun Friday in Vancouver: Things to Do at Christmas TimeFriday, December 14th, 2007 — 4:13pm PST

    […] did we know about it, was the Humbug Holiday Hike put on by the Stanley Park Ecology Society (thanks Miss604 for the heads-up on this one, she is also Skating For The Cure, help her out). "Our […]

  3. fotoeinsFriday, December 14th, 2007 — 9:13pm PST

    A part of me still weeps …

    If I have time apart from the number of errands I must run while I’m home, I hope to take a small walk around the Park …

  4. nancy (aka money coach)Sunday, December 16th, 2007 — 12:14am PST

    hey thanks for the humbug hike heads-up! I’ll take my 9 yr old friend and his dad there on Friday. Sounds awesome.

  5. Huge Slacker on Miss 604’s Contest « Ephemeral FeasthouseSunday, December 16th, 2007 — 12:41pm PST

    […] another cool project she is working on!) and i totally dig her citizen activism about Stanley Park (Stanley Park Tree Planting and the Humbug Hike) and a m very pleased for opportunities to collaborate with […]

  6. GZ ExpatSunday, December 16th, 2007 — 9:41pm PST

    So glad to see politicians north of the border are as giddy about spending ‘pork’ as they are in the good ol’ US of A. Give a politician a checkbook (or in your case, a chequebook), and they will spend it on something that will attract votes in the future. Sure, maybe not your vote, but the vote of the average moron that only votes on things they see in the paper or on TV.

    It’s too bad…but it isn’t surprising.

  7. Bionic Hollow Tree for Stanley Park » Vancouver Blog Miss 604Monday, September 1st, 2008 — 11:58pm PDT

    […] lot is being done in the park in the name of tourism (ie. man-made clearcuts for expanded parking lots) meanwhile the true treasures and beauties of the park lie far from any parking […]

  8. Stanley Park Ecology Society Events in October » Vancouver Blog Miss 604 by Rebecca BollwittThursday, October 9th, 2008 — 12:19pm PDT

    […] Stanley Park Train. Last year during the Christmas season’s Bright Nights, the SPES ran the Humbug Hike and this year in October you can check out the Creatures of the Night walk. Stow yer candy and […]

  9. Bear Creek Park Christmas Train » Vancouver Blog Miss 604 by Rebecca BollwittThursday, December 4th, 2008 — 12:15pm PST

    […] children and $4.50 for adults and is a great alternative to the mayhem that is the Bright Nights Train in Stanley Park (based on crowds, line ups, and ticket prices). The kids also get a free candy cane, reindeer […]

  10. The Great Blue Herons of Stanley Park Walk » Vancouver Blog Miss 604 by Rebecca BollwittFriday, May 22nd, 2009 — 3:01pm PDT

    […] has always been the Stanley Park Ecology Society. They’ve hosted fun events like the winter humbug hike, were a great resource when I did my coyote sighting map, run programs like Ivy Busters, and always […]

  11. M. D. Vaden Landscape and TreeTuesday, December 1st, 2009 — 7:04pm PST

    Sure has been a while since I’ve been to that park. Maybe 10 years ago. Before that, maybe 20 years prior.

    We have relatives in the city. I was born there, but a year later we moved to the USA. But my dad took me to the park almost once per year when we visited.

    Maybe it’s good my memory is not fresh on the park, so I can enjoy it next time I drive up there.

    MDV / Oregon

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