Park Watch

Park Watch

Park Watch Stewards Frank and Jan Henderson

In May, 2002, the Friends of Fish Creek officially kicked off their most ambitious project to date: Our Park Watch Stewardship Program, a project that is the culmination of more than three years worth of work.

Please visit the Sponsors who made this possible.

What is Park Watch?

It is a program through which volunteer stewards:

educate park users about the Park and the Friends;
increase community involvement in Park protection;
promote conservation;
prevent crime and damage to facilities by observing and reporting to the proper officials;
give something back to the Park.

What do stewards do?

Our volunteer stewards sign up for a minimum of two, two-hour shifts per month. During the shift, they:

patrol an assigned area and fill out a steward report form;
reward Park visitors for good behavior;
answer questions from the public.

Why is Park Watch needed?

The Park currently receives close to 3 million visitors per year, compared with only 1 million visitors 10 years ago. Visitor use has almost tripled, increasing the stress on the Park as well as the workload of those who look after it. This program will:

make the Conservation officers more effective;
create better communication lines between Park staff and visitors;
help get a better handle on Park vandalism;

Who can be involved in Park Watch?

Do you:

spend any time in the Park, even on a semi-regular basis?
love to spend time in nature, away from the usual urban stresses?
like to bird-watch, walk, ride your bicycle or walk your dog (on a leash!) in the Park?
have the time to commit to a two-hour patrol of an area of the park per month?

If you answer "yes" to any of those questions, you can be a Park steward. We should stress you do not have to be a member of the Friends of Fish Creek.

How do I get involved in Park Watch?

The program runs from May to September, with the last training session in June. Please contact us to be added to the list for next year's program.

Contact Bonnie, our director of volunteers:

Telephone:	238-3841
Email:	info@friendsoffishcreek.org
Fax:	238-3841
Dropping in to our office:	Located in the old cookhouse across from the Park's visitor centre, in the east end of Fish Creek (access via the Bow Bottom Trail.)
Attending a Speaker Series presentation:	At the Fish Creek Public Library, the fourth Thursday of each month.

Once you've contacted Bonnie, she can give you all the details about the program, including dates and times for the next training session (all stewards have to undergo a training program).

Interested? Then please apply here for a stewardship pack, supplying your full name and address.

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Last updated: June 24, 2008