Pitt Meadows—On August 1, Watershed Watch Salmon Society, in partnership with HUB Cycling Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows, launched its sixth annual Bike the Dike event, a month-long event encouraging people to ride along the Pitt Meadows dike. The tour is self-guided and participants receive a digital route map highlighting points of interest and explaining the impacts of flood infrastructure on wild salmon habitats in the area.

“Watershed Watch has mapped 1500 kilometers of salmon habitat in the lower Fraser negatively impacted by outdated flood control structures,” says Watershed Watch’s Taylor Morgan. “We plan events like Bike the Dike in communities with impacted waterways to shine a light on this issue.”

This popular local event has been steadily growing each year. Last year’s event saw 250 participants.

“Spending a day biking the dike is a great way to get outside and enjoy the fine weather,” says Morgan. “We get great feedback from the community every year.”

Bike the Dike is supported by a number of local businesses including Endless Biking, The Hive Climbing Gym, Bike Zone, Patagonia, Let’s Go Biking, Stomping Grounds Cafe and artist Melissa Burgher.

“I am supporting this event to bring greater awareness to the work this organization does for wild salmon and our communities,” says Burgher, who has organized what she calls an “art hide-and-seek give away” along the route on Sundays in August. “People can have fun keeping an eye out for an original painting to take home.”

To participate in the event, register in Eventbrite. and you will be sent a route map. Snapping photos of yourself along the route puts you in the running for a range of exciting prizes from the event’s sponsors.

Contact

Taylor Morgan, Watershed Watch Salmon Society, taylor@watershedwatch.ca, 604-655-5653