Some people break the ice with a one-liner. Gary Bock prefers a 300-pounder.
“Sure, it’s silly,” said Bock, executive director of the Vancouver Watersheds Council. “But why not have a little fun with something?”
The 300-pounds of silliness that Bock refers to is a $3,000 canopy-covered two-seater tricycle with a backup electric motor. The motor gives the trike, which looks something like a self-propelled rickshaw, a little umph when Vancouver hills and gravity drag the stride of the 300-pound rig and its crew.
o What: Vancouver Watersheds Council Dragonfly Patrol.
o When: Periodic lunchtimes and “happy hour,” from about 5 to 7 p.m., during the summer and clear days.
o Where: Burnt Bridge Creek Trail and the Waterfront Renaissance Trail.
o Requirements: An outgoing personality, participation in a three-Saturday training program and an interest in watershed matters.
o What: Vancouver Watersheds Council Dragonfly Patrol.
o When: Periodic lunchtimes and "happy hour," from about 5 to 7 p.m., during the summer and clear days.
o Where: Burnt Bridge Creek Trail and the Waterfront Renaissance Trail.
o Requirements: An outgoing personality, participation in a three-Saturday training program and an interest in watershed matters.
o Information: 360-852-9189 or http://vancouverwatersheds.org/.
o Information: 360-852-9189 or http://vancouverwatersheds.org/.
The cycle and its volunteers are part of the newly-formed Dragonfly Patrol, a pedal-savvy group that tours Vancouver trails — Burnt Bridge Creek and the Waterfront Renaissance Trail — for the Vancouver Watersheds Council. Bock explains the eight-person volunteer group’s mission as one part trail ambassador, one part watershed education resource, and a final part community building.
The volunteers hit the trails during the lunch hour and what Bock dubs “happy hour,” from 5 to 7 p.m., when working folks are likely to unwind with a stroll.
Working in teams, and with trail and watershed info stowed in a box in the back of the rig, the volunteers pedal trails, strike up conversations, offer information and, Bock hopes, help educate folks about things such as dropped dog poop and its impact on watersheds, sustainable gardening practices and the like. All while planting another couple of sets of eyes and ears on the trails to identify noxious weeds as well as graffiti and other vandalism.
“We want to create a sense of community,” said Bock, who anticipates another trike purchase within a few months.
On a recent day, Bock was on tour.
“Afternoon!,” he said, waving to passers-by, who craned their neck to see the unusual-looking rig.
He spots another couple, out for an evening stroll.
“You guys ever walk the Burnt Creek Trail?” Bock asks.
“Yeah, we live around here and we love this (the Waterfront Renaissance Trail) trail,” said Gail Welsh, a Vancouver schoolteacher.
Bock pulls a Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway Walking Guide from the cycle’s box and shows Welsh and her companion some parts of the trail that she wasn’t familiar with. The conversation turns to trail development on a stretch between Interstate 5 and Interstate 205, a potential project that interests them both.
Bock and Welsh exchange contact information for project and volunteer opportunities before they continue on their separate ways.
“You’ve got to find ways to involve people in a meaningful way and to facilitate their success,” Bock said.
Continuing on, Bock encounters a trail obstruction and moves it aside. He greets more walkers with his bubbly “Hi!” And he muses how a little step, like the Dragonfly Patrol, might help to positively impact not only the watershed, but the community’s fabric, which, he hopes, will encourage more waterfront businesses and activity.
“Imagine what this could look like with more people and more businesses,” Bock said.
