Have you heard the good news? On July 11th, 2024, the Government of BC released its province-wide Coastal Marine Strategy (CMS) four years after committing to developing one. As one of the only coastal regions in North America without a comprehensive strategy to protect coastal and marine areas, this is a moment that GSA has … Continue reading
Read more »Posts Tagged: Killer Whale
Perspective on change
It’s hard to believe that in all the more than 18 years we’ve been taking annual kayak trips in coastal BC, that we’ve never had the experience of seeing orcas in the water while paddling but we hadn’t. We’d seen orcas in the wild while sitting in camp, but this year we were out on … Continue reading
Read more »A tale of inaction – signifying nothing good for the orca
The news we received last week was troubling. A young female southern resident orca was found dead in the Strait, the 4th death in a year for a population that now only numbers 77 individuals. Today we found out that this orca was pregnant with a full-term fetus and the bad news is doubled. Photo: … Continue reading
Read more »Orcas in trouble: gov’t plan for inaction
Ever since early 2012 when the federal court made its final ruling mandating that the federal government protect resident orcas critical habitat, we’ve been waiting for the action plan that would clearly lay out how we would act to protect our endangered southern resident orcas and their habitat. With the release last month of the … Continue reading
Read more »We’ve got work to do, Salish Sea Savers!
Year-end reviews are supposed to be positive and upbeat, as everyone heads into the holidays wanting to think of nothing more than festive parties, mulled wine and relaxing time off with family and friends. But it’s hard to relax and stay positive when it feels like we are swimming against a tidal wave of fossil … Continue reading
Read more »Kick-starting cross-border organizing to protect the Salish Sea
I’m writing this from a ferry in the middle of the Georgia Strait, on my way back to Vancouver from our cross-border town hall about fossil fuel exports in the Salish Sea. Talking at the town hall, with the tanker routeand the San Juan Island meeting in the backgroundPhoto by Megan Spencer A few hours … Continue reading
Read more »Be a Wise Whale and Wildlife Watcher
Exploring the Whale Museum in Telegraph Cove (Photo by R. Spencer) A couple weeks ago, I went up island with my family to do some whale and wildlife watching. Not only did we see belted kingfishers and a pair of sea lions and bald eagles, but we were lucky enough to glimpse a pod of … Continue reading
Read more »Good things come in small packages
Back in the day when I was a school-kid, slogan t-shirts were all the rage – many of them went over my 9 year-old head (and remembering them now, I can’t believe how inappropriate some of those sayings were) but the kernel of truth from my best friend’s “Good things come in small packages” shirt … Continue reading
Read more »Time to Turn the Tide on Fossil Fuels
Tammy, Rebecca and Georgia ( mermaid) at the GSA booth. When it comes to a possible increase in fossil fuel oil tanker traffic in the Georgia Strait– whether in the form of the deadly tar sands bitumen or other forms of fossil fuels, we find ourselves in a debate of values. Do we value our … Continue reading
Read more »Market Fun and the Jog for the Bog
On July 28th, Isabelle and I loaded up the car and travelled up-island to attend the Errington Farmer’s Market. Because we attend so many of them, we have come to see ourselves as market aficionados, and we can safely say that of all the markets we have attended this summer, the Errington Market definitely wins … Continue reading
Read more »