The North Shore mountain trails were a little cleaner when Zoe Longeway-Lewis was alive.
“She always, even as a little girl, would bring other kids’ garbage home from the playground in her lunch kit,” recalls her mom, Corey Longeway.
That environmental altruism carried on into adulthood for Longeway-Lewis who would continue to clean up the trails, particularly on Mount Seymour, near her home in Deep Cove.
Around the same time, the avid snowboarder began volunteering with Beyond Boarding — a local collective dedicated to channeling members’ enthusiasm for snowboarding into social and environmental justice causes.
“I think her biggest contribution was being (Beyond Boarding’s) biggest advocate, and just spreading the word,” says Corey. “Zoe has a saying: ‘Respect the forest, water and air we breathe, and in return you will have a place to be free.’”
Her environmental stewardship complemented Longeway-Lewis’s studies in fisheries, wildlife and recreation management at BCIT, as well as her charitable efforts on a national and international level with the David Suzuki and World Wildlife foundations respectively.
On May 17 of last year, while preparing to start a summer job as a parks operator on Vancouver Island’s North Coast Trail, and making wedding plans with her fiancé, Longeway–Lewis passed away suddenly from a ruptured brain AVM (arteriovenous malformation). She was 24.
To honour her local environmental legacy, Beyond Boarding is putting on a youth workshop this Saturday on Mount Seymour. There will also be monthly hikes organized in Zoe’s memory.
Beyond Boarding’s co-founder, Tamo Campos, said these nature walks will be a fitting tribute to Longeway–Lewis. “Instantly when you met her you could tell she was passionate about the outdoors. This passion and connection with nature that Zoe carried really is at the backbone of what Beyond Boarding is all about,” said Campos.
Before she died, Longeway-Lewis earned the title of “forest floor sweeper,” after pledging to pick up and pack out any trash she found while hiking, biking, or snowshoeing.
Longeway-Lewis told her Beyond Boarding peers: “It’s crazy how many granola bar wrappers, Ziploc bags, and beer cans you’ll find left in the forest. Let’s keep those outdoor spaces natural and free of our junk!”
Beyond Boarding’s aim is to take Longeway-Lewis’s legacy and empower young people by making a connection to nature. This will hopefully inspire them to become more aware of environmental and social justice matters, said Campos.
Each hike will be sponsored and led by a guide indigenous to the local area, in an effort to share stories of their traditional land and water.
“We hope anyone on the North Shore that has interest in environmental activism and First Nations activism can come join us and celebrate Zoe’s life,” said Campos.
Participants should wear appropriate gear for winter hiking. Snowshoes will be provided (if required) for Saturday’s hike on Mount Seymour by event sponsor CPAWS. For more information, go online at facebook.com/beyondboarding.
