Watch for trash collection bags on the beach this season

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Admin

A letter was sent to SKABC asking for our help collecting trash from beaches in remote areas -- it is below. Here's a link to their website: http://www.livingoceans.org/initiatives/clear-the-coast

Help Living Oceans Clear the Coast
At Living Oceans we're doing our best to reduce and recover marine debris. Nobody likes to see our pristine wilderness cluttered with plastic. Did you know that much of this debris is not just an eyesore, but also a real threat to the many species of wildlife that live near the coast?

Lost or abandoned fishing nets entangle whales, dolphins and sea otters and can slowly kill them, by suffocation or starvation. Plastic debris washing up on the shore breaks down into small particles that are eaten and enter the food web. It's highly toxic--plastic picks up many of the pollutants in sea water--so it can cause long-term, genetic damage.

You can help us solve this problem!

First, please make sure that the equipment you use when paddling and camping is secured against sudden wind or waves. Don't leave trash behind: plastic never biodegrades and in most small communities on the coast, recycling is very expensive. Far better to take it home to your own recycling centre.

Next, help us clean up! You may have already come across our collector bags, left on remote beaches to encourage you to collect marine debris while beachcombing. We organize boats, helicopters and trucks to remove the collector bags at the end of the season.

And of course, we would appreciate your financial support, too. Removal of this debris is a costly affair, especially in more remote areas... (editor's note: Please visit their website to donate to their campaign.)

Living Oceans is a non-profit organization incorporated under the B.C. Society Act, with its head office in Sointula on Malcolm Island, B.C. Our coastal community roots keep us mindful that we all depend on healthy oceans and we have been a leader in the effort to protect Canada's oceans since we were formed in 1998. With your support, we can Clear the Coast!

With thanks from the Clear the Coast Campaign team,

Will Soltau

Carmen Pendleton

Living Oceans Society

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Relaunch of Mt. Fairweather Baidarka at Belcarra

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Admin

A few of us joined the Belcarra South Preservation Society and George Dyson to relaunch the Mt. Fairweather on June 8.

George and a team carried the abandoned baidarka out of the forest and out for a paddle. Photos are below. It is out for display between the cabins at Belcarra.  Here is a PDF with a bit of the history: George Dyson's Story

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Club Members enjoy a very successful Spring Fling

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Admin

The first group of paddlers prepares to launch.
Photo Credit: Alex Lussow. www.icthis.ca

Our annual season kick-off paddling event was Saturday May 3. Paddlers picked one of 3 destinations, joined their pods and paddled out from Panarama Park in Deep Cove, for a nice paddle and lunch in Indian Arm.

After the paddle, our fearless members Mike & Kim Mattison hosted the social at their home.  A series of tarps kept all participants dry while they enjoyed a hot and cold buffet in the backyard.

Zeballos Expeditions water taxi

Zeballos Expeditions Water Taxi

As promised we had a special door prize for this event. Zeballos Expeditions generously donated dinner for two at the Blue Heron Zaballos (Value $60.) & Transportation one way for 6 people and kayaks from Zaballos to Rosa Isalnd in Nuchatlitz Park (Value $400.)  The lucky winner of the draw was Shirley Brunke.

Thank you to the many people who made our Spring Fling so successful.

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Bowen Island Trip Report – April 13, 2014

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Admin

We caught the 9 am ferry from Horseshoe Bay made our way over to Bowen Bay and launched about 10:20 . Conditions were almost perfect with a slight outflow wind and a small ebb tide making the paddle over to the east end Worlcombe Island fast and pleasant. We continued along the rugged south shore of Worlcombe and then touched each of the Popham islands before proceeding north along the west shore of Hermitage Island. We landed at approximately 12:30 on the small peninsular known as ‘Little Hermitage' where we enjoyed lunch in the warmth of the sun. After lunch we paddled to and around the small islands to the north of the archipelago, back down to Pasley Island and then across the channel to Bowen Bay for the take out. We landed about 2:45 pm. The distance covered was just over 8 nautical miles. The group were very congenial, everyone stayed together and everyone did well. As usual at this time of the year it was very quiet with very little boat traffic. The were many migrating birds, mainly ducks and scoters but with some shoreline birds.

6 of us reconvened at the pub in Snug Cove for refreshments before catching the 5 pm ferry back to Horseshoe Bay.

This is a good destination for an easy trip either early in the season or in the fall. I would be pleased to lead this trip for SKABC in April 2015.

Submitted by Tony Clayton

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Nominate an Endangered River

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Admin

Hello to everyone,

Please find the below forwarded email from the Outdoor Research Council of BC where we state that we are in the preparation of the 2014 Endangered Rivers List. Individual nominations as well as group nominations of ORC’s membership organizations will be reviewed.

I invite participation as well as collaboration on making one or several nominations to this project.

I for one consider the Coquitlam River hugely compromised and I feel the recreation level has been overlooked and considered minimal. It seems like with the onslaught of building up the mountain as quickly as possible overrode the actual impact and future impact of this watershed on many levels.

Please take time to consider a familiar river or a river of interest that has provoked your interest in the way it is being used for development or other use or future plans for its use.

Nominate individually or send your river of interest and other information to me and I will submit ‘a river’ of concern on behalf of the Sea Kayaking Association of British Columbia.

Thanks for your time,…
Linda Rushow
SKABC Conservation Officer
Email: Conservation1@skabc.org
----------------------------------------------

From: Outdoor Recreation Council of BC [mailto:outdoorrec@orcbc.ca]
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2014 11:22 AM

NOMINATE A BC RIVER FOR THE 2014 ENDANGERED RIVERS LIST

The Outdoor Recreation Council of BC (ORC) will publish its 2014 Endangered Rivers List in April. Rivers included in the List will be those on which public recreation is considered by ORC's Endangered Rivers Committee to be the most endangered or threatened. The Committee will review nominations from members of ORC's member organizations and other individuals active in outdoor recreation. Persons or organizations making a nominations are requested to provide as much of the information listed below as possible. Public recreation which might be threatened or endangered might include fishing, canoeing, kayaking, birdwatching, hiking or just walking by the river.

To make a nomination please go to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1xNW0B7DjT0gerWIvCoWAiq9aEHgaIrfvVuhHF7PSru8/viewform

Or go to the home page of the Outdoor Recreation Council website at www.orcbc.ca and follow the links

In 2013 the Peace River was nominated by more than 200 individuals and organizations as a result of which it headed the 2013 list by a wide margin and the environmental assessment process for the proposed Site C dam on the Peace is now under way. In 2014 we are looking for nominations for threatened rivers other than the Peace, such as the Similkameen (high dam proposal south of Princeton) and the Fraser (toxic waste plant near Chilliwack). There will undoubtedly be others! And the more nominations the better so we can develop a comprehensive and informative list.

Please distribute this request for nominations to members of your organizations and to as many other members of the recreating public as possible.

Thank you for participating in this important annual survey

Jeremy McCall

Jeremy McCall
Executive Director
Outdoor Recreation Council of British Columbia
47 West Broadway
Vancouver BC V5Y 1P1
604-873-5546
outdoorrec@orcbc.ca

"Promoting access to and responsible use of BC's public lands and waters for public outdoor recreation"

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