Our Environment

Catriona Day

Education, Marine ecology

Something we can all probably relate to - especially those lucky enough to grow up by the ocean - is just how much fun it is to be a child on the beach. Fascinated by the bizarre and tiny creatures beneath rocks and in the clear pools, many of us likely entertained notions of working as a marine biologist when we got older … and a few of us actually followed that dream. Catriona, who once spent family holidays on the coast of Nova Scotia, was one of those kids and “the natural thing” for her to do was to study marine biology.

Now she is sharing her knowledge of the marine environment with school children and other beachgoers as part of the “Beach Hero” program, sponsored in part by the Ministry of Environment, at Boundary Bay, for the Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society (FoSBS). As well as providing marine interpretive services and delivering an educational program , Catriona monitors for illegal clamming activity and conducts surveys of recreational fishing activities and creosote log locations in Boundary Bay.

Other amazing volunteers, such as Margaret Cuthbert , Executive Director of FoSBS, have worked tirelessly to preserve Boundary Bay, Canada’s top Important Bird Area and have contributed vast amounts of time and energy to the Beach Hero Program, but Catriona is on the beach almost every day in the warmer months. Over the last three summers she has become a familiar sight to the many crabbers and fishers who know her by name.

By forming good relationships with regular visitors to the area she has been able to gain an understanding of the different values people place on the coastline and how people use and treasure its resources. She has learned a lot in her role but admits that it can be “a bit of an eye-opener when somebody doesn’t realize that a barnacle is actually an animal. However it’s very rewarding to see the amazement grow when I pass on basic knowledge like that.”

Respecting and caring for the environment is integral to her faith: “To me, it’s as important as caring for people and the two are intricately linked – so helping to protect and educate about Boundary Bay, which is a hugely significant habitat for so many species, is something I really enjoy … and I get to work on the beach!” One of the most incredible things about her work is witnessing the wonder as a child makes a discovery. She described how, after explaining the life of crabs to a four year old fishing with his grandfather, the young boy exclaimed ‘Where have you been all my life!’ - “That totally made my day!”

Moralea Milne

Volunteering, Community, Naturescaping

Moralea shares her property at Camas Hill, much of which she recently protected with a conservation covenant, with the blue-listed Common Branded Skipper, the endangered and elusive Sharp-tailed Snake and rare plant communities.  Through this covenant, these and other species now have a more secure future. “I consider myself very fortunate to have been given this opportunity to be able to protect our natural environment.”

Monitoring for the sharp-tailed snakes involves the use of artificial cover objects - the placement of black asphalt shingles in warm, sheltered locations around her property. The sharp-tailed snakes and other creatures such as alligator lizards and garter snakes seek out these sun-soaked hideaways on bright chilly days, providing a glimpse into their worlds. “My grandson loves to check under them and see which creatures are around. I think they’re a terrific educational opportunity as well as an important scientific tool.”

It’s this sort of knowledge that Moralea regards as vital to unlocking the door to greater environmental awareness. “For many years I was pretty ignorant about the environment, or natural history. Before I knew about these things, I remember how I actually tended a broom plant… I thought it was lovely, and I watered it – I had no idea it was an invasive species, or even what that meant!” That began to change when her sister introduced her to bird watching, then she wanted to learn about how to attract the birds to her yard, which lead onto an interest in native plants. A turning point came when, attending a broom pull, Moralea found out about the Restoration of Natural Systems Diploma program at the University of Victoria.

It’s been a few years since she graduated from the program and Moralea is a now a member of several stewardship committees and associations and is involved in a number of projects in Metchosin. She leads a team that battles invasive Scotch broom in Devonian Regional Park in Metchosin, and, as a volunteer, she convinced her municipal council to allow her to design, plant and manage the gardens on the Metchosin municipal grounds. At the Metchosin Community House she also provides local examples of how native plants can be used in horticulture.

Moralea sees many opportunities for stewardship education. “Most people are open to making a change – the willingness is there, but maybe not the knowledge. But once you realise the effects of your actions on the environment, and you start taking responsibility, it’s hard to step back from this, when you know what needs to be done …” Not surprisingly, Moralea admits that she is almost constantly in environmental stewardship mode, “but when you get to my age you have more time to give to your community.”

Moralea believes a legacy doesn’t have to be a statue or a monetary bequest. “Educating people leaves a legacy. It can be a neighbour learning how to attract birds, or someone realising the value of retaining wildlife trees on their property.” To provide a way for others to learn about the values of the natural world, Moralea writes articles for her local paper “The Metchosin Muse”  and with a group of like-minded individuals, hosts local natural history presentations in the hope she can pass on some of the knowledge that changed her life.

Wendy Kotilla

Salmon, Aquatic ecosystems, Education

Wendy runs the Youth and Ecological Restoration Program (YER) in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. The YER program provides one-on-one work experience, training and support for youth under 19 who are experiencing challenges at school or in the community and helps build healthy relationships with both the human and natural worlds. Field work includes salmon enhancement, habitat restoration, watershed assessment and monitoring, and community environmental education. By connecting with these local ecosystems with community members, the youth gain a sense of worth, belonging and place. “It is based on my own experience as a youth, when I was constantly outdoors, surrounded by the healing powers of nature.”

For Wendy, Wild Pacific Salmon are a symbol of the relationship between the ocean and the forests, and have always been a part of her life, but a few years back when she was a deck hand on West Coast Trollers she was motivated to really make a difference. “I soon realized that stock declines were a problem, and in 1986 joined a local salmon enhancement group.”

Since then Wendy has been an active figure on the conservation battlefront, but admits “I can’t fight everything, so helping youth understand the natural world is a good place to put my energy.” And that energy is yielding results: Since 2004, when the program began, one hundred youth have participated in the first phase of the program and have worked with 71 community groups and hundreds of community members. In 2007 a second phase (YERII) was initiated for YER I graduates, which three youth have completed.

Life as an ecologist, counsellor, teacher, mentor, coordinator, fundraiser, administrator and program promoter has enabled her to deepen her level of knowledge, beyond the science, to a place where she understands how she is part of the bigger picture. This has been a great reward of her work, but when the youth speak about their "connection with nature” she knows she has been truly successful. Turning youth on to the natural world and the wisdom of the salmon is important because “our greatest hope for a future with these species lies in helping people experience them in the places they call home.”

Tim Taylor

Urban agriculture, Composting, Sustainability

Tim knows how important good earth is to successful gardening. In the end he believes “it all comes down to dirt. We need to shift our thinking away from just feeding the plant, to feeding the soil - through composting. That way we can reduce the amount of intervention required to support good plant growth, such as the addition of synthetic fertilizers and other chemicals. This improves the health of the plant, and therefore ours."

To "skill up" on soil-making, and get the best out of his plot at the Craigflower Community Gardens, he enrolled on a course at the Greater Victoria Compost Education Centre, but Tim then saw another opportunity to apply his knowledge. He and another member of his condo strata garden committee had been thinking about building a composting facility for all the residents, so they sourced some free wooden pellets, bought some wire mesh and created a three bin ”hot composting” system.

“This kind of setup is one of the most labour intensive to maintain,” he explains, “but it is ideal for yards that produce a lot of waste, because it is really effective at killing weeds. For everyday kitchen waste three regular composting bins are available, but to take care of meat and pet waste, he plans to install a “digester” bin. There are still a few misconceptions around about problems associated with composting, “but when properly maintained, it won’t smell and won’t have rats in it!”

Tim is keen to dispel notions like these, and he happily spreads the word, but he recognises that one of the most effective methods of bringing about change is simply to get in there and do it. The pressure to act in the face of seemingly insurmountable environmental and social issues can cause a kind of paralysis that keeps us from acting. Like most of us, working and family life leave him little time for changing the world, but by building his understanding and simply doing what he can, Tim is setting an example that others can follow.

Tim ascribes to the “start in your own back yard” philosophy, but his plans don’t end there. “I was struck by the amount of greenspace around that is maintained as lawn. Keeping a patch of grass alive can be an intensive process. What if the same energy was put into growing food on that land?” Tim then describes how he intends to establish a neighbourhood garden on the boulevard in front of his home, and to approach adjoining housing co-operatives about adopting a similar model for more sustainable living. His energy is contagious and it’s easy for Tim to imagine a network of localised composting facilities converting scraps into rich soil for neighbourhood gardens, from which, one day his daughter might pick organic strawberries on her way home from school.