June is usually a month filled with events we look forward to: longer days, gardens in bloom and in most years, we get to see the Southern Resident orcas spending time in the Salish Sea. It’s also the time of year that we celebrate Orca Action Month! To say this is an unusual year would … Continue reading
Read more »Category Archives: Biodiversity Protection
Environmental assessment finds Roberts Bank project will impact endangered orcas
The panel responsible for the environmental assessment of the proposed Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2) project publicly released their recommendations earlier today, which conclude that the development will result in a “significant adverse effect” on endangered Southern Resident orcas and several other at-risk marine species. The report also concludes that the proposed development has the … Continue reading
Read more »Your wastewater is polluting the Salish Sea
“MY wastewater?!?”, you might be thinking. It’s true. Anything that runs down the drains of your sinks, showers, washing machines, dishwashers and toilets becomes wastewater. Personal and industrial use of items that contain complex, and sometimes harmful, chemicals means that wastewater contains a myriad of compounds including plastics, heavy metals, nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, … Continue reading
Read more »A Bingo night to remember
Last Saturday night we showed Vancouver our wild side, and girl, it was worth it! Over 80 people showed up at a specially haunted Russian Hall to play a game of mystery and intrigue… Bingo! Our host extraordinaire, dazzling artist Kyle Loven, won everyone over with his humour and charisma. Beer and cider flowed in … Continue reading
Read more »What’s going on with freighter anchorages in the Southern Gulf Islands?
There are 33 freighter anchorages in the Southern Gulf Islands and Cowichan Bay and the federal government is currently considering adding more. The anchorages sites are free, long-term, overflow parking spaces for mostly, internationally owned grain and coal ships, waiting for berths in Port of Vancouver. Because they are outside of the federally regulated Port … Continue reading
Read more »On the interest of the “public” and/or the “nation”
Every time the topic of the Trans Mountain tanker and pipeline expansion hits the headlines, we are subjected to various public pronouncements by politicians, oil companies, and media figures about how it’s in the “public” or “national” interest. I think it’s important to note that this “public” or “national” interest, cast in primarily economic terms, … Continue reading
Read more »$12,700 raised for orca protection!
Thanks to the support of 229 contributors, Rama DelaRosa’s Swim for the Salish Sea Orcas raised $12,700 to save the endangered Southern Resident killer whale, more than meeting the challenge grant of $10,000 contributed by a long-time GSA donor. It was an incredible journey, and Rama and all of us at GSA are so grateful … Continue reading
Read more »Round and round we go … but where to, we don’t know
Prime Minister Trudeau’s government has announced a new National Energy Board process for the Trans Mountain tanker-and-pipeline project. The Federal Court of Appeal made it clear that the first NEB panel got it so wrong in its assessment of marine shipping impacts on Southern Resident orcas that they need to do it again. Georgia Strait … Continue reading
Read more »A Summer with Georgia Strait Alliance
In May, Octavio Cruz and I joined Georgia Strait Alliance’s Species Protection Outreach Team as summer students. Our goal was to organize local events to educate community members about threats to the Strait of Georgia and, specifically, to British Columbia’s beloved Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs), while encouraging them to take action to ensure the … Continue reading
Read more »The Whale Guru
Ron Bates, known as the Whale Guru by his loved ones, has spent most of his life with killer whales in the wild. Ron currently resides in Victoria, British Columbia and, although he calls this city his home, he has been a world traveler since he was a young child. Ron sailed to Hong Kong from … Continue reading
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