A Maple Ridge man has assembled a team of canoeists to paddle 1,300 kilometres, from Fort Langley to Alaska, to highlight environmental threats to the West Coast.
The group of paddlers left from Fort Langley on Sunday, June 1, and made a stop in New Westminster on Monday, June 2, for a special ceremony at the Quay.
Chris Cooper, a nature guide and canoeist from Maple Ridge, is leading the Spirit of the Coast tour, which features a single, six-person canoe named "Hiyakw e te Stahluxw" which is a Hun'qu'ma'num word for "Chief of the River."
"Spirit of the Coast is about education, culture, environmental stewardship and most of all spreading awareness about our beautiful B.C. coastline," Cooper said in a media release. "It is not an environmental protest but rather a journey to educate those who have never seen the coast up close."
Canoeists from B.C., Ontario, Alberta, Scotland, England, the U.S. and the Kwantlen First Nation are joining Copper on the journey.
