By rdnewsNOW staff

REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE

Ellis Bird Farm official Viewpoint Bridge opening and Blue Feather Award presentation

Jul 21, 2020 | 6:19 AM

RED DEER- On July 29, Ellis Bird Farm (EBF) is hosting an official opening of the new North Viewpoint Bridge.

The official opening will occur at 2:15 p.m, with EBF site manager and biologist Myrna Pearman presenting alongside Catherine Costin, Dow Canada’s director of operations in Alberta.

The bridge project is an example of creative recycling strategies. It is constructed from a combination of locally-harvested wood and recycled plastic. The wood was milled from spruce trees originally planted by Charlie Ellis along Prentiss road that had reached the end of their lifespan. The bridge decking is built from post-consumer recycled plastic.

A grant from Dow Canada allowed the project to move forward.

“At Dow, we are committed to creating sustainable solutions with community partners like the Ellis Bird Farm,” said Catherine Costin. “We know we have a responsibility and an opportunity to lead in addressing major global challenges like plastic waste. We are committed to stopping the waste by 2030, by enabling 1 million metric tons of plastic to be collected, reused or recycled. The North Viewpoint Bridge is a great example of a circular solution that prevents a material as valuable as plastic from ending up in the landfill.”

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At the same time as the bridge opening, EBF will also be presenting the 21^st annual Blue Feather Award, a special honour extended to dedicated members of the bluebird community to celebrate their long term commitment to Alberta’s Mountain Bluebird population and their efforts as caretakers of bluebird trails. This year’s recipients will be Clarke Snell of Hanna and Bill Taylor of Calgary.

The new North Viewpoint Bridge is an important addition to the EBF site, particularly in this very wet spring when so much additional water is flowing through the farm. EBF is excited about the opportunity to celebrate this structure and the people and businesses who made it possible.