Oct. 30, 2018 11:07 a.m.
Someone went to a lot of trouble to steal the field-trip supply bin from the Community Forest last week.
“It’s so frustrating,” said Kylie Greidanus, a director with the park society and coordinator of the field trip program.
The sturdy metal bin was bolted down, locked, and chained to a picnic table but thieves still managed to remove it from the forest above Chilliwack sometime between Wednesday and Saturday of last week.
The field trip bin was packed full of all the outdoor education supplies needed to teach hundreds of local children about the community forest.
“Whoever came to steal it would have needed multiple people, bolt cutters and a truck,” said Greidanus.
The resources that now have to be replaced by the non-profit group including books, magnifying glasses, flora and fauna samples, as well as some large interpretive signs and magnets the group had made.
“Right now we have no items to start our program with next spring,” Greidanus said.
More than 1,500 Chilliwack kids have been on field trips to the community forest for free since 2016, thanks to the park society initiative.
The stolen supplies, including the bin, are estimated to be worth more than $3,000. They were collected over the last three years with assistance grant from TD Friends of the Environment, but the park society is not sure yet how they will replace the stolen items.
“I am applying for grants but that money was to go towards new supplies and creating an exploratory Kindergarten program,” Greidanus said.
If anyone sees some large, metal signs with animal images on them dumped somewhere, they are asked to contact the group.
“We’re hoping to get the large signs back,” she said.
Contact chilliwackparksociety@gmail.com or message the Facebook group if any of the stolen materials are spotted.