As published in the Nov. 13, 2024 issue of the Driftwood.
Riches at every turn
“Astoundingly rich diversity!” exclaim Nature Salt Spring club members as they marvel at what Baker Beach has to offer for nature outings.
We have had shoreline seine pulls on other Salt Spring beaches, but nothing compares to those on Baker Beach where the eelgrass beds abound. Pipe fish, flat fish and an eclectic array of other species excited both children and adults on an outing last summer.
During the 2023 Christmas Bird Count our birders were astonished by the hundreds of western grebes and surf scoters, to name a few of the species observed just off the beach. These congregations of water birds weren’t just riding out stormy weather on the east side of the island that day but were diving to feed and fuel up on the wealth of life below the surface.
In early summer the beach is alive with kingfishers, oystercatchers, great blue herons and, of course, our emblematic bald eagles fishing to fill the hungry mouths of their nestlings. B.C.’s renowned eagle expert David Hancock informs us that 80 per cent of the bones found in eagle nests around the Salish Sea are from the plainfin midshipman, a remarkable species of fish that itself nests on these beaches.
Now this fall, to see signs posted along the beach that a few citizens living on properties above are requesting alteration of the foreshore for bank stabilization is very disturbing!
Baffling too are assertions of the Aurora Professional Group green shoring company engaged by these residents that the delivery of barge loads of rocks, gravel and sand will not harm the beach and that the works will prevent future storms and king tides from further eroding the slope on which their houses are perched, all the while simultaneously preserving critical habitats for wildlife! This is magical thinking and ecologically unsound. Our members know these actions will bring irreparable harm to a magnificent ecosystem. This is not a beach to be tampered with.
Kathleen Maser, David Denning, Pat Miller, Peter McAllister, Jean Wilkinson, Giselle Paque, Gail Bryn-Jones,
Nature Salt Spring members
Censor to avoid censure
Per the “Trust pulls meeting recording” headline in the Nov. 6 issue of the Driftwood:
As explained, the September Trust Council meeting was so divisive and acrimonious that members of the Islands Trust Executive Committee opted to shield the public from access to the spectacle. Evidently, we citizens/ratepayers are too frail — too sensitive — to be exposed to the antics of our elected representatives. Better to self-censor than to allow us to know which people are appropriately deserving of our censure.
That some of the “trustees” are engaging in behaviour that is disrespectful of staff or of their fellow trustees brings disrepute to the office they hold. Hiding this behaviour from view of their constituents is not the proper response.
Julia Lucich,
Salt Spring
The Circle supports island youth
As a former child psychologist with 50 years of experience in Manitoba and the Northwest Territories, I worked directly with over 4,000 children who faced neglect, abuse and other challenges. While my one-on-one sessions were impactful, I often felt limited in my ability to create broader change.
That’s why I am attracted to the work The Circle Education does. Their programs teach essential skills that would have benefitted my young clients or helped prevent their situations from worsening. Facilitators create a safe environment where kids learn to regulate emotions, set boundaries, advocate for themselves, recognize harmful situations and reach out for help.
The best aspect of The Circle Education programs is that they occur in schools, where kids spend a significant portion of their formative years. While I saw one child at a time, The Circle Education reaches multiple classes year after year, creating immense potential for impact.
The organization is now accepting donations as part of its annual giving appeal. I urge you to support our island youth and consider The Circle Education in your charitable giving this year.
Dr. Eric Ellis,
Chair, The Circle Salt Spring Education Society
Lost opportunity
Just outside my gate, the road-crews are working nicely along; the rumblings of excavators and dump trucks took over the usual birdsong, but the result will be a big improvement from the overflowing ditches we’ve experienced since we got here 34 years ago. Ganges Hill has costly ditches that need maintaining and grooming every year. Over time, this new stormwater culvert will save a lot of road-maintenance money and grief.
One unfortunate part to this moment is how the hospital foundation, who will be developing the old Seabreeze Inne on the hill for staff housing, has apparently abandoned their original decision to tie into the downtown sewer system because of unforeseen costs. Maybe they’ll now be required to enlarge and upgrade the existing septic field to accommodate the number of units going in, probably at a high cost when all is said and done. Their large septic field will therefore use up valuable land space, if the need arises, to add more livable space in the future. It’s a very convenient location along an existing bus route.
This decision could be a lost opportunity within our community, when we look back five years from now. The main sewer line installed up the hill, some years ago, was terminated at the community centre but turns right there to also serve the Bishops Walk development. To reach the old motel would have required the pipe to continue just a short distance further south, then cut across the road. This simple engineering process of extending the service would have also allowed a whole row of neighbours to tie into the same pipe on our side of the road at each driveway, at minimal cost. Is the use of septic fields preferred over a contained and monitored system? Is this progressive or regressive thinking?
If we need to ensure close-to-town affordable housing, why not be more imaginative with the present work in progress, doing it right the first time?
One last word is one of appreciation to the road and traffic control crews. Drivers should show patience and kindness to the flaggers as we all get through this together. Instead of running late, maybe leave earlier?
Peter Haase,
Ganges
Artist sells work for health treatment
Tyler Wallace is an amazing artist specializing in watercolours. I am very familiar with watercolours as a medium as my aunt Josh Partridge was a professional water colourist. That’s how I know how great Tyler’s work is.
Normally a painting by Tyler would cost $800. But two lucky people can have a custom watercolour painted by Tyler for $350. This is because Tyler requires some natural medicine for a health condition which has caused him serious hardship and this will allow him to pay for it.
Tyler lives on a boat. As a wise elder he does an amazing job teaching younger, less experienced community members how to be safe on their boat, as well as when rowing to and from town.
If you are interested, please reach out to me via email willieonsaltspring@gmail.com. If you decide you would like your own custom watercolour you can send me a photograph that will be turned into a painting, as well as a deposit. Thank you for your consideration.
Will MacPherson,
Peer Support Outreach Worker,
SS Mental Wellness Initiative
Sink beach plan
I am deeply concerned about the application to manipulate the natural shoreline along the beautiful and wild Baker Beach, in the collective effort of property owners to portray concern for the environment.
If you dig beneath the surface of this plan, you will find their research is scientifically flawed and counterintuitive. This plan to usurp public land, Mother Nature, like kings at court, should be left to sink at sea.
Mona Fertig,
Ganges