#2 of 4 Things To Do in Chilliwack
Vancouver Zoo
Langley BC
~24.95 miles from Chilliwack city center
Hotels Close to Vancouver Zoo
The Greater Vancouver Zoo is a zoo located in Aldergrove, British Columbia. It is the first zoo in the world to own Segways.
Vancouver Game Farm: 1970-95
In the late 1960s, businessman Pat Hines purchased land in Aldergrove, British Columbia for 120 acres (0.49 km2) to construct a game farm, which was his dream. At first, Hines registered the business as the World Wide Game Farm Ltd., but on August 20, 1970, the site was opened to the public as the Vancouver Game Farm. The first animal to arrive was a llama named "Dennis", who came from Mount Vernon, Washington. Soon after, animals of every size and description began to fill the newly constructed paddocks. Hines operated the game farm with his wife, Ann, other family members, and their employees. Their daughter Eleanor and her husband, Hugh Oakes, eventually took over management of the facility until 1991, when it was sold.
Greater Vancouver Zoological Centre: 1995-99
Under new ownership, the game farm underwent many changes, including a new name. In 1995, it was renamed the Greater Vancouver Zoological Centre, since it is part of the Greater Vancouver area rather than being a part of Vancouver. Improvements included the construction of new animal enclosures, miniature train rides, a picnic park with covered gazebos and barbecues, expanded landscaping, a remodeled entrance, more parking spaces, interpretive and educational programs and activities. In 1998, the "North American Wilds" exhibit opened, providing a narrative safari bus ride for visitors through one area where carnivores like the American black bears and Vancouver Island Wolves live together; and travel into another habitat where grazers like the Roosevelt elk, black-tailed deer and North American plains bison roamed. But after four years, there were more changes.
[edit]Greater Vancouver Zoo: 1999-present
In 1999, the facility went through another ownership change and was eventually renamed the much simpler Greater Vancouver Zoo. During this period, the zoo (like with most other zoos and aquariums these days) focused more towards conservation and to building up its educational programs.
In 2000, the Greater Vancouver Zoo joined the Oregon Spotted Frog Recovery Program. At the time, the frog was the only species to receive an "emergency listing" as an endangered species in Canada. The zoo is currently still involved with this program, releasing frogs into the wild after they are weighed, measured, and tagged. Furthermore, many animals have been rescued over the years and eventually released back into the wild, but some animals like "Shadow", a grizzly bear, could not be returned because she had been abandoned as a young cub and was not able to learn the skills needed to survive in the wild. In addition, the majority of the zoo's reptiles, exotic birds, various cat species, and many others were taken in for numerous reasons, such as being rescued from the illegal pet trade or after being abandoned as pets.
New educational programs were introduced by the zoo. In 2005, the "Radical Raptor Birds of Prey" show was created, in which eagles, owls, hawks, and falcons performed free flying presentations at the zoo's amphitheatre. Since then, the zoo has introduced a one week summer camp program for children ages 10-14 to handle and learn about the many birds of prey species since 2007. In 2006, the zoo opened ist indoor "Animalasium – Educational Training Centre" to teach the public about conservation and education for animals and their environments. In addition, the centre will also be used for various other functions, such as birthday parties, group sessions and guest speaker events. Furthermore, the Zoo offers Educational Walking Tours for school groups that is based on a B.C. Ministry of Education curriculum.
The new owners also completed building new enclosures for the grizzly bear, the Arctic Wolf, the camels, the mountain sheep, and the hippopotamus, while making improvements to the giraffe enclosure. On August 23, 2008, the zoo introduced a pair of muskox to their new 32,000 sq ft (3,000 m2) enclosure, which with the Arctic Wolf, Arctic Fox, reindeer, and Emperor and Snow Goose enclosures, completes their new "Arctic Section" exhibit.
However, many believe that the zoo is not doing enough to improve its facilities, which has caused local organizations to claim that it is abusing animals.
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#3 of 4 Things To Do in Chilliwack
Fort Langley Historic Site (Birthplace of BC )
23433 Mavis Ave Fort Langley BC
~28.07 miles from Chilliwack city center
Hotels Close to Fort Langley Historic Site (Birthplace of BC )
Fort Langley, is a Parks Canada National historic site, a former trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company, now located in the village of Fort Langley, British Columbia. It is commonly referred to as "the birthplace of British Columbia."
Due to its strategic location on the northern boundary of the Oregon Territory of the U.S. and in the path of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, Fort Langley grew dramatically. It played a key role in the establishment of the 49th parallel as the international boundary with the U.S. and was the staging point for prospectors heading up the Fraser Canyon in search of their fortune.
The social and political consequences of this influx of adventurers led the British Parliament to establish a crown colony on the Pacific Mainland. Old Fort Langley was the location of the proclamation of the Crown Colony of British Columbia in 1858 by James Douglas, the colony's first governor, during his journey upriver to confront American miners in the wake of the Fraser Canyon War as a pre-emptive move to forestall any drives for annexation to the US.
While some might have projected Fort Langley as the capital of the newly-created colony, Colonial military commander, Colonel Moody of the Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment, deemed it militarily indefensible and ordered the construction of New Westminster on the high north bank of the Fraser River many miles downstream due to its much more defensible position.
Decline
The decline of the fort over the next 30 years was attributed to three factors. First, the advent of paddle wheelers on the Fraser meant that river traffic was extended to Fort Hope and Fort Yale. Second, the capital of the colony was established at New Westminster, British Columbia and later moved to Victoria. Finally, competition for goods and services undercut the monopoly the Hudson's Bay Company had formerly enjoyed. In 1886, Fort Langley ceased to be a company post.
Historical revival
In 1923, the Canadian government named Fort Langley as a site of national historic importance and erected a commemorative plaque near the storehouse. At this time, the site consisted only of the one building and 1-acre (4,000 m2) of land. From 1931 to 1956, the Native Sons and Daughters of British Columbia operated a museum out of the storehouse. The site was established as a Parks Canada National Historic Site in 1955, and a joint Federal-Provincial program reconstructed three buildings in time for the centennial of the founding of British Columbia in 1958. In 1978, the site became a national historic park, and has consisted of 8.5 hectares (21 acres) since 1985.
http://www.fortlangley.com
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#2 of 4 Things To Do in Chilliwack
#3 of 4 Things To Do in Chilliwack