Mid Island News » parksville

Island Grown Argicultural Survey

admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:00:15 +0000

Do you know where your food comes from and if it is grown here on Vancouver Island?

You are encouraged to take a survey about your locally grown food on Growing Our Future www.growingourfuture.ca. The online survey is open until June 11, 2012.

The Regional District of Nanaimo has a ‘Agricultural Area Plan’ that is intended to celebrate and expand local food production and identifying barriers and opportunities for growth in the local agriculture industry. You can find out more about what’s being done to secure local food sources. Also, background reports and information are also available on the site.

Mid Island News

Watershed Protection Program

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:23:17 +0000

Green building and water protection incentives are now available to residents for:

upgrading old wood stoves
installing domestic solar hot water systems
rainwater harvesting
grading site-cut timber for use in construction
conducting home energy assessments
installing a residential electric vehicle charging station

Those who achieve a high score on the Sustainable Development Checklist can be eligible for an additional incentive ranging in value from $500 to $1000.

Incentives are limited and available on a first come, first served basis. Approval is required before you can claim rainwater harvesting.

For more information visit The Regional District of Nanaimo or email sustainability(at)rdn.bc.ca.

Mid Island News

Hamilton Marsh near Qualicum Beach

admin — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:00:27 +0000

Are you looking for an interesting place to watch birds and nature?

Hamilton Marsh is the largest marsh wetland in the mid Vancouver Island area and is located just minutes from the Town of Qualicum Beach.

This is a peaty marsh, an oddity for this usually dry portion of eastern Vancouver Island. It is home to over 130 species of birds, numerous amphibians, and is one of the most important habitats on the island for native species of dragonflies.

To get there from Qualicum Beach, take Memorial Drive which turns into Highway 4 as you leave town. Keep going straight (under the highway). At the bottom of the first hill turn right onto Hilliers Road South. There are two visitor parking lots on Hilliers Road South which are on the left hand side.

If you park in the second parking lot you will find an easy trail to the marsh where there is a wood pier for viewing.

Hamilton Marsh is 3 kilometres long and 1/2 kilometre wide. Hamilton Marsh and the forest that surrounds it are owned by Island Timberlands and may be used on an “at your own risk” basis. Efforts to purchase this land by Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Regional District of Nanaimo have so far been rejected.

Mid Island News

Earth Week in memory of Basking Sharks

admin — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:24:20 +0000

1300 Victoria students form a basking shark June 2011 (credit D. Dancer)

Basking Sharks: What happened to this amazing species once part of our BC coastal waters.

A brief basking shark history:

Basking sharks have been around for 30 million years, swimming around and eating plankton, much like whales. They have a dorsal fin, but their teeth are tiny. Their extremely large gill slits nearly encircle the head, and are covered in large gillrakers that filter plankton from the water, much like the baleen of a humpback or grey whale.They didn’t attack people, nor did they eat salmon as they were accused of at the time. The only issue was that they got caught up in fishing nets and were deemed a nuisance.

The slaughter:

Starting in 1949, basking sharks were declared ”Destructive Pests.” This made it okay for for fishermen to kill them with a variety of methods, including harpooning. In 1955, the Department of Fisheries commissioned Alberni Engineering and Shipyards to design and install a death-dealing basking shark cutting blade on the bow of the regional fisheries patrol vessel, the Comox Post.

When the crew of the Comox Post approached a school of basking sharks the knife would be lowered from a hinge by a cable so that the cutting edge was just below the surface of the water. The blade was used over a period of 14 years in the Barkley Sound region, during which time 413 kills were recorded. Other fisheries patrol vessels including the Laurier, Howay and Kitimat rammed basking sharks if they were encountered during patrols. Some figure as many as 300 were killed this way.

Harpooning in Parksville:

The sport of harpooning basking sharks was popular enough that the Canadian Pacific Railway promoted fishing for British Columbia’s basking sharks in publicity releases in the late 1940s. Parksville was promoted as the “shark fishing mecca of the Pacific Northwest” and “scores” of anglers were said to come to Vancouver Island for the sport.

Who has seen a basking shark?

There are only six confirmed records of basking sharks in the Canadian Pacific since 1996, four of which are from trawl fishery observer records.¹ Since a tagging program started in 2010, only one has been tagged, off the coast of San Diego.²

The Government of Canada is considering listing basking sharks as endangered off the Coast of British Columbia, and research is underway to try to determine how many are left in our waters and the potential for recovery of these impressive sharks.

What have we learned? Unfortunately, history has a habit of repeating itself.

Sources:

¹Fisheries and Oceans Canada website. Basking Shark, Pacific population.

²Lavoie, Judith. Basking shark program aimed at reversing fortunes. Times Colonist, May 19, 2011.

Wallace, Scott and Gisborne, Brian. Basking Sharks: The Slaughter of BC’s Gentle Giants. New Star Press, 2006.

Mid Island News

Wanted: Island Historical Stories

admin — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:45:43 +0000

Do you have old stories to share about living on Vancouver Island?

The BC Historical Federation has started a permanent online source dedicated to British Columbia history and they are looking for your pioneer stories.

The BCHF are looking for historical stories or things you remember about the old days. This might include transportation, railway, oil companies, real estate companies, steamships, coal mines, steamboats, road building that sort of thing. For example, it is often quite hard finding out when a road or other project was completed but the local inhabitants know these details.

The goal of the online history project is to be the source where those seeking information on BC history can find useful answers to their questions and also serve as a valuable learning tool.

To find out more and where to submit your writing go to BC History Online.

Mid Island News

Free Vegetable Growing Workshop in Parksville

admin — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:00:48 +0000

Would you like to enjoy your own fresh home-grown vegetables this summer?

There will be a free vegetable gardening workshop led by organic gardening guru, Connie Kuramoto, this Saturday, March 24, 2012, 2:30 – 4:30 pm at the Forum, Parksville Civic and Technology Centre at 100 Jensen Avenue East.

The workshop talk will be about building a veggie patch that uses water wisely and the best plants and mulches for low-watering. Also, the workshop will have a hands-on demonstration at the lawn adjacent to the Parksville Civic and Technology Centre.

Pre-registration is necessary for this free workshop: http://onlineca.activecommunities.com/RDN and enter BARCODE 27825 to register.

Mid Island News

Parksville Beach Access at Sunray Road

admin — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:25:48 +0000

Are you looking to get in shape? Spring is just around the corner and if you live in Parksville a giant outdoor stair master could be another option in your fitness fun.

The City of Parksville will host a public information session to review the proposed design for the new Sunray stairs beach access on Sunray Road in Parksville.

The information session will be held on March 6, 2012, between 5-8 pm in the Forum, Parksville Civic and Technology Centre. Residents are encouraged to drop by.

The design is close to completion and the City of Parksville wishes to present it to the public formally. The City’s Engineering Department will assist the public to review the proposed design for the new Sunray stairs beach access and answer questions.

Drawings by Herold Engineering Ltd have been included on the City of Parksville website.

Mid Island News

Water Awareness Campaign – Parksville

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:45:23 +0000

Time to earn your stars! The City of Parksville has a water awareness campaign called “Aquastar Water Awareness Program.”

Where does your water come from?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hJip0t0f0I

Although BC is one of the wettest provinces in Canada, we still waste too much water and are not saving enough for the dry summer months. Over the last few years, areas have been affected by a lack of precipitation due to changing weather patterns.

If you need help in lowering your water consumption, email aquastar(at)parksvilleaquastar.ca or contact AquaStar Water Awareness Program at the City of Parksville.

Mid Island News

Woodstove Exchange Program for Mid Island

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:45:37 +0000

The Nanaimo Regional District’s Woodstove Exchange program is back! While incentives last, home owners can access a $250 rebate when replacing an old wood burning appliance with an EPA/CSA-certified wood burning, pellet, or gas stove or insert.

In order to qualify for the incentive, you must be replacing a wood burning appliance in a home in the City of Nanaimo, the City of Parksville, the Town of Qualicum Beach, the RDN Electoral Areas, or the District of Lantzville. The old appliance must not conform to the CSA B415.1 standards (typically an appliance built and installed before 1994). You must also be replacing your appliance no earlier than January 16th, 2012 to participate.

For more information on how to recieve your rebate and a list of retailers participating in the program and other rebate and grant information visit the Regional District of Nanaimo for more information.

In addition to the rebates being offered by the Regional District of Nanaimo and member municipalities, many participating retailers are offering additional incentives towards the purchase of an eligible appliance.

Mid Island News

Nanoose Bay Parents Fundraiser for Education

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:30:26 +0000

Parents of the students at Nanoose Bay Elementary School (NBES) are collecting metal as a way to raise money for their school’s education programs.

There is a large steel recycling bin at the far end of the road by the school at 2875 Northwest Bay Rd. Please feel free to drop off clean metal items like old barbecues, metal bed frames, wire, washers, dryers, fridges, stoves, old baby strollers, tin cans, pots and pans of any size, motor parts, bikes etc.

This Parent Advisory Committee is a group of parents working with the common goal of supporting education. Shrinking school budgets have made committee-based fundraising more challenging than ever before.

If you have a lot of metal items to donate, please phone 250-468-7414 or email amber(at)amberscotchburn.com.

Mid Island News