Blooming Creativity + Tree Planting

Issue #213

Author

Carla McNeil
April 26, 2025

Inside the New West Spotlight

 ☀️ Weather - Mainly Sunny

 😜 Rain Joke - When it rains, it pours. 🌧️ 

 🗓️ New West Events - Variety

 🗞️ New West Local News - Blooming Creativity + Tree Planting

 📰 Advertise with New West Spotlight - Buy One, Get One Free

Local New Westminster Weather

Historical Records for Today - Record high 18.1 2018 - Record low 3.9 2022

Check out all of our local New Westminster Events

April 26, 2025

🏓 Pickleball Doubles League 2025 Winter Season – 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM

🍃 The City Nature Challenge – 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

🏘️ Sustainable Homes Information Sessions – 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

💰️ Thrift Sale – 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM

🗣️ English Conversation Circles – Saturday Sessions – 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM

🧹 Spring Queensborough Shoreline Cleanup! – 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM

🧶 Knitting & Crocheting Circle – 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM

🏘️ Climate Friendly Homes Tour – 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM

♻️ Earth Day Recycle Popup – 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM

🎨 Dot Mandala Workshop – 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

🍩 B2B + Donuts – 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM

📖 Ukrainian Storytime (All ages) – 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

🚲️ Youth Cycle Express: $2 Drop-in for Youth – (For youth ages 13 - 18) 4:00 PM to 4:45 PM

🎶 Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 The Musical – 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM

🎭️ Vagabond Players Presents The Revolutionists – 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM

🕺 Saturday Dance Party at Georgie's – 10:00 PM to 1:00 AM

🕹️ Fighting Game Night – Phantom Alley

April 27, 2025

🚴 Bike for Earth Day – 11:00 AM

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Never 51 – 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM

🎭️ RAVOLUTIONARY Drag Brunch – 12:30 AM to 2:30 PM

🏘️ Low-Carbon Vacations in BC – 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM

🍩 B2B + Donuts – 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM

⛸️ Public Skate – 1:15 PM to 2:45 PM

📿 Beading Workshop – 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM

🧘 Learn to Meditate – 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM

🖼️ sagawakisis, our ancestors are always with us' – 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

🧘 Yang Tai Chi 24 form – 5:00 PM

💃 Simply Caring Dinner and Dance – Doors open at 6:00 PM

🎶 Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 The Musical – 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM

🎭️ Vagabond Players Presents The Revolutionists – 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM

🏈 Sunday and Monday Night Football – at the Terminal Pub

April 28, 2025

🧘 Peace, Be Still Monday Meditation – 10:30 AM to 11:15 AM

🕯️ Day of Mourning – 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM

👶 Mom + Baby Meet Up at Cove Indoor Play – 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM

📖 Cantonese Storytime (all ages) – 4:00 PM to 4:45 PM

🧩 Puzzle Mondays at Steel and Oak – Starts at 5:00 PM

🎶 New West Community Choir – 6:45 PM to 8:45 PM

🎙️ Begbie's Open Mic – 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM

🏈 Sunday and Monday Night Football – at the Terminal Pub

The New Westminster Photography Club, a longstanding part of the city’s cultural scene for over 70 years, is inviting the community to reconnect through an inspiring evening dedicated to floral art photography.

To mark this special occasion, the club will host a presentation by Vancouver Island-based photographer Jana Zachariou on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at Centennial Lodge in Queen’s Park. Known for her creative use of textures and post-processing techniques, Jana brings a unique, mindful approach to flower photography, blending technical skill with artistic flair.

Attendees will explore key aspects of floral art photography, including developing a personal style, mastering composition, selecting the right gear, and enhancing images through thoughtful editing. Jana will also share her expertise on how adding textures can give floral images an added layer of depth and emotion.

This free event offers a great opportunity for photographers of all levels to learn, connect, and get inspired. Registration is required to attend.

For more on Jana Zachariou’s floral photography, visit her portfolio at westcoastimagesbyjana.ca. Further information about the New Westminster Photography Club can be found at nwphoto.org.

Event Details:

  • Date: Tuesday, May 6, 2025

  • Time: Doors open at 6:30 PM | Presentation: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

  • Location: Centennial Lodge, Queen’s Park, New Westminster, BC

Urban forests are essential components of healthy, livable cities, providing a wide range of benefits that support public health, environmental quality, and energy efficiency. In New Westminster, trees are valued for their beauty and ability to clean the air by capturing particulates and absorbing harmful pollutants. Green spaces and tree-lined streets are also linked to improved mental well-being, reduced stress, better physical health, and a stronger sense of community.

From an environmental perspective, the urban forest plays a critical role in supporting biodiversity by offering habitat for various species. Additionally, trees help to intercept and purify stormwater, protecting the city’s waterways from pollution.

Strategically placed trees can also reduce energy consumption, as they provide natural insulation, lowering heating and cooling costs for nearby buildings. At the street level, trees enhance comfort by providing shade and cooling the surrounding air, which helps to mitigate the urban heat island effect during hot summer months.

As of early 2014, New Westminster’s urban forest canopy covered just 18% of the city, well below the North American average of 27% and significantly short of the 40% considered ideal. More concerning is the ongoing decline of the city’s tree canopy, which has been shrinking at a rate of 1.5% annually since 2004. This trend represents a 15% loss over the past decade, with most of the reduction occurring on private properties.

In response, the City of New Westminster initiated the development of an Urban Forest Management Strategy in 2014. The goal of this long-term plan, which spans from 2015 to 2035, is to reverse the loss of tree canopy and restore it to at least 27%. Achieving this target would require the planting of approximately 8,500 trees on public land and an additional 3,300 on private land.

The strategy outlines 40 specific actions, focusing on best practices in urban forestry and informed by detailed inventory data. By implementing these measures, the city aims to protect and enhance the urban forest, ensuring that future generations continue to benefit from its many contributions to health, comfort, and sustainability.

⛈️ Rain Joke of the Day 🌧️ 

🌧️When it rains, it pours. 🌧️

Especially when you’re carrying an umbrella! ☔️ 

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