Coreen Boucher

A dedicated group of islanders is working to ensure over 8 acres of mature coastal Douglas fir, Western redcedar, and Bigleaf maple forest remains standing. This healthy mixed forest is on the upland portion of Lot F of the Larmour Lands, and ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­its future is threatened. The community is invited to join us in this effort to prevent Lot F from being clearcut or developed. Through the generous support of many donors, the adjacent forest and wetlands of Lot H have recently been saved and will be preserved in perpetuity! Now the focus is on extending this and creating a larger protected area to increase and enhance the health and function of this important ecosystem. With conservation covenants already in place on nearby properties, the forest on Lot F is the missing puzzle piece. Connectivity is key to increasing biodiversity, and protecting Lot F’s forest will create 46 acres (about 18.5 hectares) of pristine natural habitat, now and forever.…

When Erin Lee arrived at the podium at the 100+ Women Who Care meeting on February 24, 2020, she said in a shaky voice, “I’m not a public speaker. I actually hate public speaking. But the fact that I’m up here is a testament to how much I believe in the work of SWOVA.” With that, all of the members present for that meeting were intrigued. But that introduction isn’t what guaranteed the members’ votes. Members heard three excellent presentation at this meeting, one by Louise Doucet presenting for Gulf Islands Families Together Society (GIFTS), the presentation for SWOVA Community Development and Research Society, and the final one by Dorrie Ferster for Greenwoods Eldercare Society. They were followed by murmurs such as “so difficult to choose” and “I’d like them all to win!” These three presentations, like those in previous meetings, were heartfelt and informative and exuded the passion and care prevalent on Salt Spring Island. Members who are present for these presentatio…

Every March 8th, people around the world celebrate International Women's Day. An opportunity to acknowledge women’s achievements throughout history and across nations, the day is also a focal point in the movement for women's rights and gender equity. This year, local celebrations include a special screening of The Gender Lady: The Fabulous Dr. May Cohen. For over 60 years, Dr. Cohen advocated powerfully in Canada and internationally for women physicians’ advancement within the medical profession and is widely recognized for her many contributions to women’s health, sexuality, abortion choice, and human rights. Numerous medical awards bear her name. Two Canadian colleagues of May Cohen, family physicians, and gender equity advocates Cheryl Levitt and Barbara Lent created the documentary “to share May’s remarkable accomplishments, to make them visible, and to offer the film as a tool to help promote gender equity, reproductive rights, and equity for women physicians.” Acco…

On the evening of Tuesday, March 5, 100+ Women Who Care Salt Spring held its second meeting. Prior to this meeting, members had nominated 18 local charities. Members randomly drew three of the nominees during this meeting: Greenwoods Eldercare Society, Salt Spring Therapeutic Riding Association, and Island Pathways. Members heard a compelling presentation for each of the three charities, but it is one presentation that attracted the most votes at the end of the evening. Gail Muise presented for the Salt Spring Therapeutic Riding Association (SSTRA), an organization that serves a wide age range of people who have differing abilities and needs. Her words and message convinced enough members to cast their secret ballot for the SSTRA, and this organization became the second recipient of the collected donations — $17,000 total! Since its inaugural meeting in November, the group has grown from 129 to 170 women. With each woman donating $100 per meeting, the sum totalled an impr…

100 Women Who Care Salt Spring will be another option on the “giving menu” - Imagine raising $10,000 in one hour. Imagine being a local registered charity that is given $10,000! Imagine being able to spend it in the way your organization needs most! Now imagine being part of that. All you had to do was attend three one-hour meetings a year and donate $100 per meeting. You didn’t have to do bake sales, make calls, or solicit donations from others. Yet, you know that you’ve helped an organization do great work in the community. This is 100 Women Who Care Salt Spring Island — just one of over 600 active chapters around the world for men, women, and children who want to create positive impact in their communities. Salt Spring’s first chapter of 100 Who Care officially launches on September 26th. Janine Fernandes-Hayden was first introduced to the idea after hearing about it from a friend involved with a similar group. She just couldn’t shake the idea. Knowing it would tran…

Their spirit was dampened when the Art & Nature Fest was rained out on June 30. Now they are gearing up for a day of sunshine and art in the serene and beautiful Blackburn Lake Nature Reserve at 265 Blackburn Rd. It will an afternoon of performance, play, and picnic on Sunday, August 5! Join the festivities for workshops, music, and more from 3 to 7pm, or come just for the community picnic and live music from 6 to 7pm. As the festival wound down last year, a mom with her resting toddler on her back told us that Art & Nature Fest was “an epic event with something for the whole family.” Festival organizers loved hearing hear that and have created a similar kind of experience for individuals and families this year. The Art & Nature Fest will connect people and wild places by inviting people to enjoy numerous activities in nature. Festival goers can listen and dance to musical performances by Wesley Hardisty and Andy Meyers, the Ruwadzano Marimba band, and duri…

Last year, a festival-goer called the Art & Nature Fest “an epic event with something for the whole family.” She then passionately stated that there should be an Art & Nature Fest every year! This year, the Salt Spring Island Conservancy will host its second annual Art & Nature Fest on Saturday, June 30, from 3 to 7 pm. It will an afternoon of performance, play, and picnic! The Art & Nature Fest will connect people and wild places by inviting people to enjoy numerous activities in nature. Festival goers can listen and dance to musical performances by Wesley Hardisty and Andy Meyers, the Ruwadzano Marimba band, Women of Note, and during the community picnic, Lewis Davies. Lorraine Lowry will open and close the fest with her masterful bagpipe playing. Festival goers can take workshops: yoga with Jayne Lloyd-Jones, drawing with Lisa Lipsett, hula hooping with The Gravity Addict, writing with author Claire Sicherman, dancing with Tomoko Yamazaki, or cre…

Few events are equally fascinating for adults and students, but the Salt Spring Forum is presenting one of those few next Tuesday. The forum has partnered with the GISS student council to bring Dr. Jennifer Gardy to Salt Spring. Dr. Gardy is a scientist at the BC Centre for Disease Control whose job is to predict when the next big outbreak of disease will happen and to help prevent pandemics. But Dr. Gardy is much more than a scientist in a white lab coat. As far as scientists go, she is a multi-talented trailblazer. She’s known for her ability to communicate science in a way that is creative and compelling; she has even been a guest host of The Nature of Things, and The Globe and Mail has dubbed her as “the new Suzuki.” You can get a sense of how she presents ideas by exploring her ingenious website. What’s going to make March 13 even more interesting, though, is that it’s going to be moderated by a GISS alumni, Madlen Nash. After graduating from GISS, Madlen earned an H…

Join Linda Gilkeson on Friday, February 23, at 7pm for a factual and entertaining presentation about butterflies, bees, even pollinator flies, and the plants they visit. Linda has a PhD in entomology and is a gardening expert, author, and trainer who has a particular interest in pollinators. According to Linda, over 85% of flowering plants rely on pollinators, mostly insects, to be able to reproduce. Without pollinators, much of the food that humans and wildlife rely on would disappear and ecosystems throughout the world would be in trouble. Even more interestingly, some plants have coevolved with certain pollinating insects, and they can be pollinated only by that insect. If that insect population is threatened, then the plant that relies on that insect for survival is also affected. In her presentation, Linda will also talk about this year’s citizen science project at the Salt Spring Island Conservancy. Last year, Linda trained ten people to become butterfly citizen …

On February 1, island men will attend a workshop exclusively for men, titled Removing the Mask: Rethinking the Culture of Masculinity. The workshop will be facilitated by Tuval Dinner Nafshi who was invited to give the workshop. The workshop will engage men, male teens, and folks who identify as male in a safe and nonjudgmental environment with the goal of learning together and supporting one another. It will be a space to ask questions, such as what healthy masculinity is and how to develop it. Questions have surfaced in response to the #MeToo movement about what’s okay now and how to be an ally to women. For men who feel powerless to help, this workshop will offer tools that men need if they want to help make a difference in their communities and beyond. Tuval is passionate about social and gender justice. He is committed to working with young men to give them tools to dream of a world in which their compassion, empathy, capacity for nurturing, and respect for themse…