The newly amended Animal Bylaw prohibits households from leaving food out for deer and other wildlife and from leaving birdfeeders outside  from April 1 to October 1. 

Birdseed, food left outdoors and garbage left out overnight on Monday evenings for garbage pick up attracts wildlife into the community – putting residents and animals at risk by habituating wildlife to human-supplied food sources. 

Help keep our community safe for residents and wildlife – BE AnimalSmart!  Go to www.wildsmart.ca to learn more about how our community can  “live smart” out here in beautiful Redwood Meadows!

The Redwood Meadows Community Association (RMCA) would like to better understand how the community would like monies raised at community events, to be spent.

Please visit www.rmcasurveys.com to complete the quick survey. This is your opportunity to help decide which projects should be the focus for the RMCA over the next one to five years.

This survey is to be completed once per household. Please designate one person per household to complete the survey on behalf of the family. Multiple submissions per household will not be accepted.

Complete the survey on or before June 17th and be eligible for one of two gift certificates at Creekers Market in Bragg Creek!

All personal information will be kept strictly confidential and used only for the purposes of this research project.

Please direct any questions to:

Carmen Ryan

Redwood Meadows Resident

RMCA Board Member

Research Strategies

crryan@persona.ca

Long-time Wild Rose Club members, past Redwood residents and celebrated artists,  Elaine and Lauchie Fleming feature selected works on show and for sale at Redwood House through June and July.  Drop in during regular business hours Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm

The Colin Rudolph Memorial Skate Park in Redwood Meadows is now up and running thanks to a small crew of hard-working local residents who put in a full days work for the community.  The Skate Park, now in its third year of operation, has proven to be a popular recreational asset to Redwood and surrounding areas.  Kids and adults of all ages come to board, scooter, in-line skate and BMX. 

The Park is open daily 9am -9pm.  

Parents of Park users are asked to make sure that their children understand the Rules and Regulations before sending them out on the ramps.   The area is monitored with video surveillance.

•  This is a use-at-your-own-risk facility for skateboarders, in-line skaters, scooters and BMX bikers ONLY.
• Helmets MUST be worn at ALL times. Knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards are strongly recommended.  
• No unauthorized obstacles, materials, or other pieces of equipment are allowed in the Skate Park  (i.e. you cannot build your own ramps or jumps)
• The following items and activities are prohibited:
  • Littering and Grafitti
  • Glass Containers
  •  Alcoholic Beverages
  • §Portable or personal radios, stereos, CD players, speakers, or other amplified music.
• Always skate in control and to your ability.
•  Be nice and watch your language.
• Take your turn and watch out for younger skaters/bikers.
• Do not skate in wet or snowy conditions.
• Children under the age of 8 must be supervised by an adult.
• Bring a buddy – don’t skate alone.
• This is your park, enjoy it, use it wisely and don’t abuse it.  Any problems should be reported by calling the Redwood Meadows Townsite Office at (403) 949-3563.  

• In an emergency –  call 911.

Redwood’s favourite birthday party is fast approaching and the RMCA is looking for helpers in the following areas:

•  Set-Up & Take Down:  6 people to help set up and take down tables, chairs and tents in the stage and beer garden areas.
•  Stage & Sound Set-Up:  2 people with some stage set-up experience to help the sound man.
• Decorators:  2 people to decorate the stage and beer garden areas.
• Bike Parade Decorating Team:  help kids decorate their bikes for the big parade – fun for young teens!
• BBQ Bussers:  2 people to help keep the dining area cleaned up and garbage disposed of.
• Ticket Sales:  4 ticket sellers – 2 shifts of 2 hours each.
•  Kid’s Activity Supervisors:  4 bouncy castle attendants
•  Beer Garden Servers:  4 servers – 2 x 2.5 hour shifts.  ProServe certification an asset.
• Beer Garden Security Personnel:  4 shifts of 3 guards to work one hour shifts at a time.  Dark sunglasses required!
• Post Event Clean-Up:  4 people to help clean up garbage & recycling in the event area.

Please contact Wanda @ Townsite Office 949-3563 or email redwoodvolunteer@gmail.com

This summer, the Redwood Meadows Emergency Services is offering two one-week long summer camp opportunities to “train like a firefighter” for teens between the ages of 14 and 17.  Participants will spend a week training in fire extinguishers, search and rescue, hoses and hydrants, vehicle extrication, first aid / CPR plus team-building and leadership.  A Thursday overnight campout is also on the schedule.

Camp dates are July 15-19 and August 12-16 right here in Redwood Meadows.  Camp hours are 8:30 – 4:30pm.  The cost is $300 per registrant.

For more information, visit www.rmesfire.org/firecadetcamp

by Carmen Solana-Martin of the Cochrane Eagle

It isn’t easy being green, but a Redwood Meadows environmental group recently proved that passion and hard work will be rewarded.  Audubon International, an environmental organization, gave Sustainable Redwood an Environmental Stewardship Award on February 7.

Sustainable Redwood, an environmental committee, was established by the Townsite of Redwood Meadows’ residents to address sustainability concerns in their community. “This award was in recognition of Sustainable Redwood’s outstanding efforts to foster environmental awareness and stewardship through the Audubon Green Neighbourhoods Program,” said Joanna Nadeau, Audubon International program manager.

The Audubon International Green Neighbourhoods Program helps local environmental groups choose and implement education and improvement projects to help their communities.  “We look to improve the environmental practices of communities, educate residents, and reward actions, while making it fun for all who participate,” said Nadeau. “We welcome Redwood Meadows’ commitment to the environment and to managing their neighbourhood with wildlife in mind.”

Sustainable Redwood coordinator Shana Barbour-Welsh said Audubon International gave Redwood Meadows the award for completing three projects this past year in the areas of wildlife habitat protection, water conservation, education and outreach.  Sustainable Redwood hosted a native and invasive plant species seminar to educate residents about the important role using native plant species in landscaping plays in protecting local wildlife.

The committee also renovated a small washroom in Redwood House, their community building, by retrofitting fixtures and putting in a low-flow toilet that they use as an example of water conservation for residents.

Each month, Sustainable Redwood hosts the Friday Night Ethical Film Series, showing sustainability-themed documentaries at Redwood House.  They also regularly publish articles in Chatter in the Woods, their local newsletter, to educate residents about sustainability.

According to Barbour-Welsh, sustainability is about finding a balance between environmental, economic, social and cultural needs.  Sustainability is also about respecting First Nations cultures and their traditional knowledge she said.

Last April 21, during Sustainable Redwood’s Earth Day celebration, respected Tsuu T’ina elder Fred Eagletail was invited to speak to Redwood Meadows residents to share his community’s oral culture of storytelling and cultural beliefs about their relationship with the environment.  Eagletail, who was raised by his grandmother, said he enjoyed teaching Redwood Meadows children about the history, language, culture and tradition of his community.  “I was glad to tell stories passed down from my granny about nature, our past history and culture,” said Eagletail. “These teachings are about the traditional ways and how we survived as a community.”

Sustainable Redwood will host an open house, during the next Earth Day event to collect information from residents that will be used to guide the committee in choosing and prioritizing projects in 2013.  While Barbour-Welsh said the award has lent credibility to her committee’s work, they plan to receive Audubon International’s Neighbourhood for Nature Award by completing five projects in the next year.  “We recognize that even though we are from a green community, there is much room for improvement,” she said. “We can strive to become a sustainable neighbourhood.”

Sustainable Redwood meets at Redwood House the first Monday of every month. To get involved contact the committee at sustainableredwood@gmail.com.