The friends of the Hudson's Bay Wetlands are holding a cleanup of the urban waterway later this month.
On April 26 the Prince George Naturalists Club will be out in numbers along the shoreline of the marsh, concentrating especially on the larger mouth where the water empties into the Fraser River beside Exploration Place and back up the slow stream where it crosses Queensway and extends westward to Norwood and Oak Streets. They invite and encourage anyone who enjoys this natural gem to join them in the litter purge.
Group leader Clive Keen said the assembly of volunteers would gather at 10 a.m. at Hudson Bay Slough Park, located at Queensway and Regents Crescent.
"Last year, with plenty of volunteers, we were finished by 1 p.m.," said Keen. "People coming by 10 a.m. are likely to find coffee and donuts."
The club is one of many associated groups and individuals interested in establishing more distinct trails and interpretive information around Hudson's Bay Wetland, which already has several appealing features for tourists and locals who are interested. It is a birdwatcher's jackpot, a good place for a lunchtime walk on short sections of trail or a weekend hike for those liking the longer loops. Many feel it is so far advanced as an urban attraction that completing the mission should be a priority.
To introduce or update the wetlands initiative, the club will hold a public discussion at Exploration Place on May 21 at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome and Keen promised the discussion would veer off into other areas of environmental interest as well.
"This will be partly a report on progress on the Hudson's Bay Wetland project, but it will also include a show-and-tell by members, similar to the highly successfully gadgets night held a year or two ago," said Keen. "If you've interesting images from your trail cam, or some footage of wildlife, some particularly fine or weird photographs, or anything else of the kind interesting to naturalists, be prepared to come along and share."
