Hope Mountain Centre for Outdoor Learning

Today, Lydia Koot, Chair of the Hope Mountain Black Bear Committee, was awarded the Conservation Officer Service Chief’s Special Recognition Award for her work with wildlife education and black bear rescue in the Hope area. Usually presented to COS staff, this is the first time it has been awarded to a "civilian" according to Don Stahl, COS Sergeant. Congratulations, Lydia!

Very sad to see our fish habitat being destroyed like this https://globalnews.ca//efforts-ramp-up-to-protect-fraser-v

Drop by Mountainview Brewing today from 1 to 4pm. We're selling some HBC Trail swag with 100% of the proceeds going to support the the trail! Made in Hope mugs, tumblers and other goodies. Mugs show the elevation gain of the trail. Cash only....and if course, west your mask

Kw’okw’echíwel Stl’áleqem (Dragon's Back) Trail update: Thanks to volunteers Jerome Guay, Nate Brown, and Verena Brysch, we installed temporary directional sign...s along the trail on Friday. Jerome also completed a spectacular 15-metre-long stone staircase! Funded by District of Hope and Cascade Lower Canyon Community Forest, with planning and project management by Hope Mountain Centre. See more

Manning Park is now hiring for the 2021 summer season! Send your resume and a cover letter to [email protected] as soon as possible. Posting is only open until positions are filled.

Join the Global Bird Weekend October 17-18, 2020 How to participate? * Get an eBird account: eBird is a worldwide bird checklist program used by millions of birders. It’s what allows us to compile everyone’s sightings into a single massive October Big Day listwhile at the same time collecting the data for scientists to use to better understand birds. Sign up at www.ebird.org.It’s 100% free.... * Watch birds on 17 October. It’s that simple! October Big Day runs from midnight to midnight in your local time zone. You don’t need to be a bird expert, or go out all day long. You can report birds from anywhere in the worldeven 10 minutes in your backyard will help. * Enter what you see and hear on eBird: You can enter your sightingsvia the website - https://support.ebird.org///solutions/articles/48000957911 oreven easierdownload thefree eBird Mobile app. The app allows you to keep and submit lists while you’re still out birding, explore nearby Hotspots, and will even track how far you’ve walked so you can focus on watching birds. Please submit your eBird checklists before 21 October to be included in the initial results announcement. * Watch the sightings roll in: During the day, keep an eye on how the lists are growing in different parts of the world. Follow along with reports from more than 150 countries. Stats will be updated in real-time on theOctober Big Day page :Scott Denkers

LNT #3 Dispose of Waste Properly This third Leave No Trace principle seems so simple, and there is no reason why humans cannot pack out what they pack in. Sadly, we know that some do not practice this; garbage on our trails and in the backcountry is a problem. Let’s explore some ways we can dispose of waste properly! 1) Reduce litter at the source... Much litter originates from food items; if we Plan Ahead and Prepare, we can leave much of the potential trash at home. Keep it simple. On short trips consider packing food that does not require cooking. 2) Dishwater and grey water Strain dishwater through a small strainer or bandana and put food particles into a sealable plastic bag and pack out. Broadcast the strained dishwater over a wide area, preferably in a sunny area so it evaporates quickly. 3) Human Waste (if no outhouse is available) Urinating on rocks, pine needles or gravel is less likely to attract wildlife who are attracted to the salts. You can dilute urine by pouring water from a water bottle on it. Feces deposited into a cathole and buried is the most widely accepted method of disposal. Pack a small garden trowel and dig a 6-8-inch deep hole in humus approximately 200 feet from water, trails and camp. Cover and disguise with natural materials when finished. Use toilet paper sparingly and use only plain white and non-perfumed brands. Bury toilet paper in cathole OR place in sealable plastic bag and pack it out. Soiled women’s pads and tampons should be packed out in sealed bags; non-see though foil such as coffee bean bags work perfectly for this. 4) Cigarette Butts Did you know that a cigarette butt takes 5 to 10 years to decompose? Smoking is dangerous to human health and poses a very real threat to our forests. DO NOT extinguish butts on the ground or trails and leave them there. Special or extremely sensitive habitats require unique considerations; check out details for specific areas such as river canyons at www.lnt.org or www.leavenotrace.ca : Natalie Worrall : Connie Davis, Tündi Murphy #leavenotrace #disposeofwasteproperly #packinpackout #planahead #keepthewildwild #hopemountaincentre

I am thankful for all nature’s beauty that surrounds us. I am thankful for the ability and opportunity to be able to show all of this to my kids. I am thankful for being able to see the smile in there eyes when they take it all in. What are you thankful for? ... Happy Thanksgiving from the Hope Mountain Centre Team! : Tündi Murphy #happythanksgiving #giftofnature #shareitwithkids #thankfulgratefulblessed #hopemountaincentre

Marina Schroevers-Striker trail runner set a new record of 12 hours 44 minutes and 17 seconds running the entire 74km long HBC Trail! What an amazing accomplishment!

So bears are in a stage called hyperphagia right now. They eat about 20 hours a day and need to consume about 20000 calories a day in order to fatten up for win...ter. Normally they find berries and fish and lots of green stuff in between. If these natural foods are starting to become more scares the bears will look in other places and that’s usually around our homes. Now it’s crucial for us not to have food available to them, no matter if it’s garbage, recycling, fruit trees composters or the bird feeders! Keep it locked up until the bears go into hibernation. If they find a food reward on your property, they will be back. So don’t get them into problems, they only do what nature tells them to do and that is EAT! Keep yourself safe and you keep them safe too! See more

Kw’okw’echíwel Stl’áleqem (Dragon's Back) Trail update: Thanks to the 22 grade 8/9 students and teachers of Fraser Cascade Mountain School who carried 70 wood p...lanks up the trail Tuesday! They enabled the construction of a 30-foot-long boardwalk over muddy ground. Funded by District of Hope and Cascade Lower Canyon Community Forest, with planning and project management by Hope Mountain Centre. See more

LNT #2 Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces The goal of backcountry travel is to move through the backcountry while minimizing damage to the land. Damage occurs when users trample surface vegetation or communities of organisms beyond recovery. If travel is in heavily used areas:... Concentrate travel on trails. Do not take shortcuts along trail switchbacks. Select a durable surface when taking breaks such as rock, sand or gravel, but avoid lichens as they can be vulnerable to scuffing. If travel is in pristine areas: Spread use and impact to avoid repetitive traffic routes that encourage others to follow. Avoid vegetation whenever possible. Choose rock, sand and gravel as they are the most durable surfaces. If camping in high use areas: Generally best to camp on sites that are so highly impacted that further careful use causes no noticeable impact. Avoid camping close to water and trails. When leaving camp, make sure that it is clean. If camping in remote areas: Disperse tents and the kitchen on durable sites. Plan to wear soft shoes and minimize impact in camp. Be committed to Leaving No Trace. Next week we will review the third Leave No Trace principle, DISPOSE OF WASTE PROPERLY (pack it in, pack it out). : Natalie Worrall : Tündi Murphy #lnt #leavenotrace #travelandcampondurablesurfaces #hopemountaincentre

Hope Mountain Centre volunteers took a helicopter ride to the summit of Mount Hope on the weekend. We spent the night and installed 4 directional signs that will guide hikers to a new backcountry toilet. On Sunday, we backpacked off the mountain and headed home. An epic weekend adventure!