2015 - Page 4

Video: Large Orca Pod Playing in Active Pass

An excellent show of J and L pods of the southern resident orcas playing and enjoying themselves in their natural habitat in Active Pass off of Galiano Island. One of the new babies can be seen doing multiple breaches while other adults were doing synchronized mini breaching and back to back sideways swimming. The video was shot from the shore of Galiano Island off the southern coast of British Columbia, Canada near Salt Spring Island, BC.

Salt Spring Salmon Receive $5,000

Project will support education and training - The Pacific Salmon Foundation today announced $5,000 for a Pacific salmon project on Quadra Island. The total value of the project including volunteer time and community fundraising is over $80,000. The Foundation’s Community Salmon Program supports habitat stewardship, Pacific salmon enhancement and watershed education, and is funded primarily from sales of the federal government’s Salmon Conservation Stamp. The project is by the Salt Spring Island Conservancy, with the funds going towards its Wetland and Riparian Habitat Restoration project at Blackburn Lake Nature Reserve. “We are pleased to support the Salt Spring Island Conservancy because their project will help reduce erosion and improve coho salmon habitat,” said Dr. Brian Riddell, president and CEO of the Pacific Salmon Foundation. The Foundation’s Community Salmon Program supports community groups, volunteers and First Nations across the province. All give co…

Vote Portlock Park for Kraft Project Play

Salt Spring Island’s Portlock Park is in the running to win Kraft Project Play, a title that includes $250,000 for recreational facility upgrades. By making the top four, Portlock Park has already received $25,000 which will go towards upgrading the park’s tennis courts. Join us Friday August 14 from 12-3pm at Portlock Park with SportCentre host Kara Wagland and world renowned tennis coach Oded Jacob for a free community celebration event. Unlimited voting to determine the grand prize winner begins Monday, August 17 at 9am PST at kraftprojectplay.com and remains open until Tuesday, August 18 at 9pm PST. The grand prize winning community will be announced Friday, August 21 on TSN SportsCentre and RDS Sports 30.

Restoration Efforts Begin on Grace Islet Sacred Burial Ground

Crews have started deconstruction on the partially built residence on Grace Islet, a culturally and ecologically significant island located in Ganges Harbour, Salt Spring Island. The Nature Conservancy of Canada in British Columbia made the announcement today in collaboration with partners to update the public and media. Grace Islet has a rich human history, notably as a sacred burial ground for Coast Salish ancestors. It has significant cultural and spiritual significance to the area’s First Nations. There are at least 16 cairns on the islet. Grace Islet also contains rare examples of intact Coastal Douglas-fir and Garry oak ecosystems as well as important terrestrial and inter-tidal habitats. Public concern occurred last fall when a private land owner, after obtaining necessary permits, began construction of a home, despite the documented presence of burial cairns. First Nations and community leaders registered their concerns about the project. Work ceased …

Photo Series: Man Beards of Salt Spring

File under fun, strange and unusual. Recent island visitor Elissa Renouf came to our island to savour the Salt Spring Island experience. She enjoyed her visit and brought her camera to capture the sights and memories. One particular aspect of Elissa's visit to the island really stood out to her and it wasn't the usual beauty found by the water, or the mountains and farm valleys. It was an altogether different kind of nature. Man beards. Salt Spring Island man beards to exact. Elissa found herself entranced by many of the beards being sported by some of our handsome local men and she wanted us to share her findings for all to enjoy. So here they all are in their unshaved glory, we bring you, The Beards of Salt Spring.

Salt Spring Reads - The Case of the Missing Moonstone

Salt Spring Reads is an online book club/review. For this column I try to find books that you might love to discover, books with a Salt Spring connection. Reviewed books are available at the Salt Spring Library and in local bookstores. Feel free to share your comments to discuss this book with others. The Case of the Missing Moonstone (The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency, Book 1) by Jordan Stratford In 2012, Salt Spring Islander Jordan Stratford started a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for, and gage interest in, his first novel. The story would be about two girls running a detective agency. One of his main characters was to be Lady Ada Byron, age 11. The other was Mary Godwin, age 14. The story takes place in London, England in 1826. But there was more to the story than that. Both girls are ‘real’ - Ada Lovelace is considered the world’s first computer programmer and Mary Shelley became the author of Frankenstein. Jordan Stratford took liberties with the charact…

Linda's List: : August sowing, fruit ripening

I had a surprise at the end of July when I found a pear lying on the ground under my tree: it hadn't been knocked off by critters--it was ready to pick! In fact I picked about half the crop of Red and Yellow Bartletts that day, which is about 3 weeks early compared to last year. That reminds me to mention that unlike other tree fruit, pears are of better quality if they ripen off the tree. When they are left on the tree until soft enough to eat they are usually brown in the centre, the flesh is grainy and beginning to spoil in places; when taken off the tree they ripen evenly from the inside out. You can tell when a pear is mature enough to pick if you gently lift it upward and sideways. If the seam where the fruit stem meets the twig pops cleanly apart, the pear is ready to pick. If it just won't pop off or if you have tugged so hard that the twig or stem breaks instead of snapping cleanly at the joint, give the crop more time. While summer pears are mostly ready this month, w…

People Profile: Kees Ruurs

Community People Profiles are a series on the Salt Spring Exchange featuring local personalities on our island home. These profiles are short interviews, with one answer questions to share with you a little about what each of these folks are thinking about as they go about their lives living on Salt Spring Island. This weeks featured local people profile is: Kees Ruurs Here’s a bit about Kees; I was born in Holland a long time ago (about 67 years). My wife and I moved to the US to study Park Management and after completing my Masters degree we moved to Canada to start work as a park ranger in Alberta. After a few years we moved to the Yukon where I became the Director of Parks and stayed for about 8 years. After that a few more moves to the Okanagan, Alberta again and Oregon always looking after provincial parks, state parks or city parks. About 43 years ago I married my wife Margriet who now is a successful children's book writer and we have two sons and 2 grandsons. …

Salish Sea Girls' Sexual Health Leadership Project

Salish Sea Girls' Leadership Project has released a series of public service announcements to raise awareness about solutions and preventions for sexual assault. An important conversation for the health of our community.

BC Ferries Announces Names for New Ferries

Following a contest in which BC Ferries received more than 7,100 entries, a panel of judges has selected Salish Orca, Salish Eagle and Salish Raven as the names for its new intermediate class ferries currently under construction. Salish Orca will enter service on the Comox – Powell River route late next year. Salish Eagle and Salish Raven will begin operations in the Southern Gulf Islands in 2017. A panel of 12 judges comprised of representatives from local media, Ferry Advisory Committee members and BC Ferries’ employees selected the three names after reviewing the entries submitted during the Name a Ferry contest that ran from May 19 through June 9, 2015. The names Salish Orca, Salish Eagle and Salish Raven were chosen to honour the Coast Salish people and the Salish Sea where these vessels will operate. To celebrate Salish culture, BC Ferries is working with the First Peoples’ Cultural Council to select Coast Salish artisans to design artwork for the exterior and interior…

BC Ferries Adds Two Extra Sailings for Garlic Festival

BC Ferries has added two late night sailings for the weekend of Saturday, August 8 and Sunday, August 9 providing extra service to ensure smooth sailing for attendees of the inaugural Salt Spring Garlic and Music Festival. The extra sailings will depart from Fulford Harbour at 9:40pm each night on route to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island. “BC Ferries is pleased to add these extra sailings as our way to help support this community event,” said Deborah Marshall, BC Ferries’ Executive Director of Public Affairs. “These extra sailings will allow festival goers from Victoria to stay a little longer and enjoy the entertainment on Salt Spring Island.” Festival founder Neale Smith says the announcement is a welcomed one, “We’re thrilled with the decision of BC Ferries to provide the later sailings. This positive response to our festival allows folks an opportunity to enjoy an incredible weekend of entertainment, food, workshops and events and not worry about missing the ferry home.”…

Salt Spring in the Top 4 of Kraft Project Play

The top four community finalists for Kraft Project Play have been announced and Salt Spring Island's Portluck Park entry has been chosen as one of the finalists. Each entry will receive $25,000 to build their better places to play. On August 17-18 you can vote to determine who will receive the $250,000 Grand Prize, which will be revealed August 21st. Our local Country Grocer store is a big supported of the campaign and will be supporting an upcoming picnic event to rally support for the campaign. Tell us about your Community’s passion and spirit for sport, recreation and active living. Salt Spring is a vibrant island community of 10,000 people with a huge range of ages: many young families, but it is also a retirement mecca. Sport is key to keeping us all healthy and happy. Tennis is proudly the oldest sport on island (played here over 100 years) and our local tennis club boasts that our most senior playing member is a fit and 'krafty' 87! In 2010 Tennis Canada voted Salt…

Water, water—everywhere?

Sitting down with Ken Marr in the middle of the summer isn’t the easiest proposition. It’s high season for building projects on the island. As the shop has become a supplier for irrigation and rainwater collection equipment, it’s also the time when homeowners and businesses are making plans so they don’t get left high and dry. I sat down with Ken to learn more about why Windsor Plywood chose to support Transition Salt Spring’s 2015 Eco Living and Home Tour. The tour, taking place Sunday July 26th, offers islanders and visitors a chance to take in well-crafted examples of green building, renewable energy technologies, intensive high production greenhouses and, of particular interest in the midst of this drought, innovative rainwater collection and irrigation systems. What sorts of green building project are people interested in? “In the last 3-4 years we’ve definitely had more of a request for water storage, water collection and irrigation supplies. That has become i…

Growing Electricity Based Transportation Movement

There have been many achievements over the past year in support of electricity based transportation on Salt Spring Island. This especially true in support of electric cars with the installation of Level II charging stations at B&B's and commercial locations in Ganges. We have rapidly grown to almost 50 fully electric cars in a very short time, to by far the highest density of EV's in Canada. We have many more e-bikes (and vendors) and we have an industrial electric drone company. We have created new jobs in the community. To recognize our achievements and the opening of the charging stations at Country Grocer and Island Savings, Transition Salt Spring and the Chamber of Commerce together with our sponsoring businesses, have gathered for a celebration. The focus is our expanded infrastructure and the many available and affordable forms of electric transportation. Automotive vendors including Vancouver TESLA, Motorize Auto Direct, Graham Kia, Three Point Motors, C…

Video: ShawTV Features Local Drones for Good

Shaw TV's Karen Elgersma goes to Salt Spring Island to check out Industry Drones, a Salt Spring company that is building, designing, and flying drones in cooperation with Search and Rescue.

Linda's List: Sowing for Winter, Wonky Zuccs and Dreaded SWD

This week the cooler weather is coinciding nicely with the right timing for sowing Swiss chard, kale, collards, kohlrabi, beets, rutabagas, winter radish/daikon, radicchio and hardy endives for your winter garden. Chard or kale planted earlier in the season will continue all winter, but you might want to sow more now to account for the fact that replacement leaves don't grow in the winter. I plant about 4 times more chard for winter harvests than I use in the summer to ensure a good supply of leaves until growth starts again in March. If you can find good quality started seedlings (e.g., from Chorus Frog farm stand on Salt Spring), transplanting is an option, of course, but if your local supplier is selling sad, yellowing seedlings, skip it. You would be better off sowing seeds directly in the garden--they will quickly outgrow stressed seedlings, which may never recover. With the cooler and maybe a little damper outlook for the next few weeks it should be easier to get seed…

Salt Spring Reads - Trauma Farm

Salt Spring Reads is an online book club/review. For this column I try to find books that you might love to discover, books with a Salt Spring connection. Reviewed books are available at the Salt Spring Library and in local bookstores. Feel free to share your comments. Trauma Farm by Brian Brett - Trauma Farm was a 2009 book of the year in the Times Literary Supplement and the Globe & Mail, and winner of Writers’ Trust Canadian Non-Fiction Prize. For this issue of SSI Reads, I chose a book by Salt Spring author Brian Brett. I had met Brian a few times but hadn’t read this title. When it won the Writers’ Trust award as one of the best books in Canada, I was curious to read it. I was happily surprised when it turned out not to be a heavy, literary read but rather a wonderfully engaging, humourous account of life on a small farm on our island. The appropriate sub title of this book is ‘A Rebel History of Rural Life’. Brett takes the reader along on a 24 hour journey that …

Video: Island Adventure with Salt Spring Island Air

Shaw TV's Karen Elgersma takes an adventure over the Salish Sea with our local Salt Spring Air.

Alert: Fire Danger and Drought Level Raised to Class 4

Salt Spring Island and the Gulf Islands as well as Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland have all as of this afternoon been raised to both Fire Danger Class 4 and Drought Level 4. Level 4 is the highest level in the warning scale. No camp fires, no burning and please limit water consumption as appropriate. What the Danger Class Ratings mean: Low Fires may start easily and spread quickly but there will be minimal involvement of deeper fuel layers or larger fuels. Moderate Forest fuels are drying and there is an increased risk of surface fires starting. Carry out any forest activities with caution. High Forest fuels are very dry and the fire risk is serious. New fires may start easily, burn vigorously, and challenge fire suppression efforts. Extreme caution must be used in any forest activities. Open burning and industrial activities may be restricted. Extreme Extremely dry forest fuels and the fire risk is very serious. New fires will start ea…

Celebrating the Islands Trust

Those of us who live here know: Salt Spring is a special place! In order to “preserve and protect” this place, this community, the ISLANDS TRUST was established in 1974. This Sunday evening (July 5, 7 – 8:30 pm, Lions Hall) there will be a celebration of over 4 decades with the Islands Trust with 2 guest speakers, leaders in the effort to preserve and protect Salt Spring and other special places. Former trustee, Peter Lamb, is the author of a brief (and engaging) history of the Trust and Briony Penn is an award-winning educator, naturalist, author and activist. They’ll be joined by the Gaia Soul Sistahs and there will be cake, a Gulf Islands display and a children’s activity centre. Organizer Jan Slakov sees this as a great opportunity for people to learn about the history of the Trust and to look at the Trust in the current historical context. “It’s also a chance to meet some long time Salt Spring conservationists, for people who care about the environment to connect wi…

New 'Moon Snail' Bus Shelter Installed

The CRD Salt Spring Transportation Commission (SSITC) approved the bus shelter design for the bus pullout on the South side of Lower Ganges Road. The selected design was from local artist Matt Brain has been built and installed. Check out the photos. The design focuses on the moon snail shell, and the organic spiral design also echoes shapes of the island’s natural beauty. The wooden bench in the design evokes driftwood, and the corrugated metal roof is a nod to Salt Spring’s agricultural heritage. A local artist, carpenter, fabricator, and metal smith, Matt has worked on projects ranging from museums and exhibit spaces to public art and sculpture. The rough footprint of the selected design is 9 feet by 4.5 feet, the height to be just over 8.5 feet. The wood truss is a custom shape to be laminated out of fir strips. The metal roof has a one foot overhang all around and is graded to shed rain water to the back of the shelter.