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$1 Rural OBSERVERCelebrating Our Rural Community Lifestyle

Vol. 9 Issue 1March 2012

Serving Port RenfrewJordan River

Otter PointWillis PointEast Sooke

MalahatShirley

Waking Up Your Garden

Pacific Spring Chorus

Focus on Farming

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Juan de Fuca Rural Publication Society2012 MEMBERSHIP / RENEWAL FORM

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2 March 2012

A group of Juan de Fuca residents formed a non-profit society to launch a news and advertising publication for the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area.

We provide a forum for our rural communities to share news, exchange ideas and develop a sense of community. At the same time the publication gives businesses within and outside the electoral area an opportunity to promote their products and services and reach potential customers. We also hope to make current information about the region and its services available to the many tourists who visit the area each year. Our goal is to protect, preserve and enhance rural life.

The publication will rely on community members to share their interests and points of view through articles, correspondence and photographs. We welcome articles and letters reflecting the very diverse interests of our member communities and expressing all points of view. The editorial committee reserves the right to edit for brevity, accuracy, clarity and taste. Though every reasonable precaution will be made to verify the accuracy of material submitted, the editorial committee assumes no responsibility for the content of published articles. The responsibility is that of the writers. References and descriptions of products or services are provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. We’re online! www.ruralobserver.comIf you wish to submit an article for an upcoming issue of the Rural Observer, please email it to:

submissions@ruralobserver.com

Or mail to: Juan de Fuca Rural Publication Society 6790 East Sooke Road, Sooke BC V9Z 1A6

BECOME A MEMBER or RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP!Celebrate our rural community lifestyle by helping us share stories and information about our region. Become a member of the Juan de Fuca Rural Publication Society today. Our fee structure is as follows - you may renew/join at the basic level of $20, become a “Supporter” for $50, or a “Lifetime Member” for only $100. We recommend the lifetime membership - you won’t need to remember to renew each year! The Rural Observer needs your support to keep it strong, viable and independent. Please make out cheques to the Juan de Fuca Rural Publication Society and mail to: J.Roots, 6790 East Sooke Rd, Sooke, BC, V9Z 1A6

The Juan de Fuca Rural Publication Society Mission Statement

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3 March 2012

Pacific Spring Chorusby Rosemary Jorna

February is over, and on Vancouver Island our frogs should be in full mating chorus. Recently, with the assistance of The Kludahk Outdoors Club, an amphibian reserve was established on the San Juan Ridge. Among our amphibians we have only two native frogs: the Pacific Treefrog, Hyla regilla; and the Red-legged Frog, Rana aurora aurora.* Both species are roamers, so you may find these frogs in damp shady areas more than 500 meters from water. The very small Pacific Treefrog can also be very noisy. In the heat of summer it is silent. In the fall, you will hear its rain song: single calls at intervals announcing rain. At this time of year, the tree frogs make the night air ring with their mating chorus. It starts sometime in February and fades out in June. It can be deafening. Thanks to Hollywood, our tree frog’s call is heard around the world. Decades ago, Pacific Treefrogs in mating chorus were recorded for the first movie sound track that needed “frogs”.

Hyla regilla can be found from Baja California to the northern tip of Vancouver Island and inland to the Alberta border to an elevation of 3,000 meters. It seems to be holding its own in spite of changes to its environment. A small pool of standing water that remains for 60 to 90 days is sufficient for the loose clumps of eggs laid in submerged vegetation to morph successfully into tiny frogs. Tire ruts in the clay near my home provided a nursery for tree frog tadpoles. It was an easy site for me to observe each year until landscaping for new housing filled in those ruts. In a world where frog populations are declining at an alarming rate, this tree frog’s long mating season, rapid growth from egg to small frog, and ability to use ditches and small pools in developed areas increases its chance for survival. This handsome little frog’s back comes in many colours and for some individuals changes colour, even daily, in response to changes in temperature. It can be any shade from a clear, brilliant green to an olive brown or even bronze. It may be mottled. Two aspects of its colour are constant; the even white belly and the black mask which crosses the nose, eyes and tympanum (ear) and ends at the frog’s shoulder. The white of the female’s underside extends to her throat. The male’s throat is a dark olive. Females are larger than males and may be up to 5 cm. long. The males range from 2.5 to 4 cm in length. The Pacific Treefrog has long legs and long, flexible toes ending in sticky pads. Extra bones extending the length of its toes enhance its ability to climb. If you find a small frog in a tree, on the wall, or in a flower it is a Pacific Treefrog.

Our second frog is the Red-legged Frog, Rana aurora aurora. It too can be found from Vancouver Island to Baja California in the narrow band from the Cascade Mountains to the Pacific Coast up to an elevation of 2,400 meters. This forest dweller is in trouble through much of its range so we are blessed with its presence here in the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area. It is a much larger frog, with the male reaching up to 7 cm and the female 10 cm. Its colouration perfectly matches the colouration of evergreen debris on the forest floor, brown to reddish brown, well peppered with black, so it is easy to overlook one holding motionless on the forest floor. The belly of this frog is yellowish with dark patches in the groin. The underside of the legs of this frog takes three years to become red. The deeper and more extensive the red colouration, the older the frog. A young Red-legged Frog can be distinguished from a Pacific Treefrog because its ‘’mask’’ only goes from its eye over the tympanum (ear) to its shoulder. It also has a light coloured lip. Its toes lack sticky pads. Possibly because Rana aurora aurora is quieter and lives camouflaged in the forests, much less is known about this frog than about Hyla regilla. Breeding may begin at different times for different populations of Red-legged Frogs, depending on the local conditions. Its breeding season is around two weeks long. It calls quietly underwater, rarely at the surface. When it does call at the surface, the call is likely to be drowned out by the Pacific Treefrogs chorusing. Red-legged Frogs prefer larger, deeper bodies of still water. Eggs are spawned to float as large

TR O U B L E W I TH Y O U R W E L L ?

ConsiderRAINWATER HARVESTING

James Scott250-686-6920forceofnature@shaw.ca

accredited professional

continued on page 4

4 March 2012

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Just the Crisis We Neededby Gordon O’Connor

In Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is written in two characters. One represents danger, the other opportunity.

For two years leading up to last fall’s historic public hearings, the Juan de Fuca (JDF) region was neck deep in a crisis over Ender Ilkay’s application to build nearly 300 houses along the Juan de Fuca trail. On one side of the debate was an overwhelming majority of the community who understand that their prosperity is tied to the preservation of coastal forests. On the other side were some of the community’s most influential leaders advocating for the project’s approval.

The support shown for urban sprawl in the region from politicians, senior bureaucrats and the local media indicates serious danger for the region’s rural character. Regional Director Mike Hicks and several other politicians from the West Shore were adamant supporters of the application for almost a year. To their credit they did change their position at the last minute, but it took the biggest and most unanimous public hearing in CRD history to persuade them. Previous to this Mike Hicks voted for the project at the JDF Economic Development Commission and as a member of the Juan de Fuca Land Use Committee. He also spoke strongly in favour of it to the CRD and openly threatened to resign his position if the board dared to intervene and enforce the Regional Sustainability Strategy.

A similar perspective was evident in the actions of CRD planning staff. The planning department did everything in its power to promote Ender Ilkay’s proposal. Their original report to the CRD recommended its approval. It was their suggestion to avoid public comment by skipping the advisory planning commission meetings in lieu of one information session for the developer. The planners also spent months obfuscating the CRD board’s involvement with deliberately ambiguous advice about their jurisdiction over the issue.

Representation of the issue in the local media also leaned heavily in favour of urban sprawl. The Sooke News Mirror started by writing favourable editorials about the proposal that most of the community was against and quickly escalated to printing full-fledged attacks and slander pieces against the proposal’s vocal opponents.

All of the dangerous players are still active in their respective roles. Given the enormous amount of privately owned land in the JDF and the likelihood that more rezoning applications will be filed in the near future the crisis of land use in the region is a long way from over.

Opportunity arises out of what we have learned in the last two years. It is unmistakably clear that an overwhelming majority of people in the JDF region want to see coastal areas between Sooke and Port Renfrew protected from urban sprawl. With this understanding in common people across the region have a opportunity to work together and set an alternative vision that will create vibrant and liveable communities on the foundation of an intact natural environment. Instead of waiting to mobilize around the next disastrous proposal it would be wise for community groups, businesses and concerned community members to engage each other in a process to articulate their common values and set a template for the powers that be to follow. If we can do this, it may turn out to be that Ender Ilkay created just the crisis that was needed for the region to realize its amazing potential.

masses in the water. Development from egg to small frog also takes from 60 to 90 days but they all leave the nursery pond over a two week period. If you set out to catch any frog to identify it, make sure your hands are free from lotion, sun screen or insect repellents. Chemicals readily pass into a frog’s body through its skin so frogs are easily harmed by any chemicals used in our forests, on roads and in gardens. This puts both the Pacific Treefrog and Red-legged Frog at additional risk because of their roaming habits.

Two unwelcome imports from Eastern Canada are Rana catesbeiana, the Bullfrog that reaches an adult size of 9 to 20 cm making it North America’s largest frog; and Rana Clamitans, the Green Frog measuring about the same size as the native Red-legged Frog at 5 to 10 cm. Like all adult frogs they are pure carnivores and will eat smaller frogs. Both species present a major threat to the local amphibian population, especially that Bullfrog. They remain closer to water than our own frogs. However, our frogs and other amphibians have to enter the water to breed and increasingly they become prey to these invaders. If you hear the banjo twanging of the Green Frog or the chug o’rum, chug o’ rum of the Bullfrog from your local waterhole it is the beginning of a murderous party. Please report it to The Bullfrog Project at UVic, http://web.uvic.ca/bullfrogs/ This website gives you great information, photos and sound bites for all of these frogs, native and invader. * The Pacific Treefrog and Reg-legged Frog name form/spelling is taken from Amphibians and Reptiles of British Columbia, Royal BC Museum Handbook by Brent M. Matsuda, David M. Green and Patrick T. Gregory

...continued from page 3

Rana Aurora, De Mamiel Creek

5 March 2012

Original Watercolour “Sandcut Beach” by Sue Coleman

On Our CoverArtist Sue Coleman: Life Forceby Janet Caplan

Sue Coleman is an artist with a passion for the natural world around her. Her work features the birds, animals and majestic scenery of our Pacific Northwest environment. Many of her paintings offer an interpretation of West Coast Indian imagery. Her work is striking; it has been exhibited and sold worldwide and as such, she has developed a following.

Sue, originally from England, lived for many years, with her family in Metchosin. A move to the Duncan area found her owning property that allowed her spectacular views across the water to the village of Cowichan Bay. From her home, she is able to watch waterfowl migrations, eagles and osprey. Otter and the occasional bear put in appearances as well. Sue loves to paint the water and marshes and finds inspiration for her art simply by looking out of her windows.

When I asked Sue to explain the style of her work, she said that it has been described by many as “interpretive”. She feels that this is an apt characterization since “many of my pieces have interpretations of the wildlife and the native representations. In the scenic pieces I look for the shapes within the shadows, the flow of the water, the twist in the branch and do an interpretation of the life force within.” This is part of what she learned through her study of native art – the paintings are more than simply a picture of an animal, bird or water scene; they depict the strength and life force within the subject.

Sue is a woman of varied interests and commitments. In addition to her painting which has led to various guest artist and artist-in-residence positions, she has written and illustrated several books, including one entitled, “An Artist’s Vision.” This book is a compilation of Sue’s research into legends, history and native symbols of the Pacific Northwest coast and also includes some of her interpretive paintings.

Passion for her environment leads Sue to get involved when and where help is needed. When she gets behind a cause that is close to her heart, her inclination is to help that along via donations from the sale of some of her artwork. Not long ago, after reading of The Land Conservancy’s attempts to purchase land at Sansum Point for the purpose of establishing a regional park, Sue created a beautiful piece entitled just that - “Sansum Point”. Sales were outstanding and within 3 months the prints sold out, allowing Sue to donate an impressive $15,000 to the cause.

That was not the first time, nor the last that Sue Coleman has embraced such a worthy effort. She’s donated art to groups such as Ducks Unlimited, the Salmon Foundation, Therapeutic Riding, the Maritime Museum at Cowichan Bay and more. And now, she has turned her energies once again to The Land Conservancy, this time to their Sandcut Beach campaign, part of a major parkland acquisition project.

In order to assist in the raising of funds for the TLC, Sue has created “Sandcut Beach”. She sets the scene depicted in the print as follows, “Turning northwest, and looking towards Jordan

River you find yourself standing on the rocky ledge above the waterfalls at Sandcut Beach. The sun is setting and the last few golden rays are filtering through the trees on the distant headland, casting a bronze hue on the trees and cliff face. The beach is deserted and the sound of the trickling of the water at your feet is broken by the roar from the pounding waves as they thunder up the beach.”

“Sandcut Beach”, a stunning giclee print, is priced at $140.00. Sue Coleman, very generously, will be donating $100.00 from the sale of each print to the Land Conservancy’s campaign. And so not only will you, as a purchaser, enjoy your new acquisition but undoubtedly you’ll appreciate the contribution to the cause.

Please visit Sue Coleman’s website at suecoleman.ca for purchase information. Sue also maintains a studio in Cowichan Bay – see the website for details. And please read more about The Land Conservancy’s Sandcut Beach campaign at www.conservancy.bc.ca.

6 March 2012

Cross Point Farm: A Brief Historyby Janet Caplan

Cross Point Farm in Shirley has been in Colleen Minten’s family for close to a century; 2019 will be a significant year.

Chuck and Colleen Minten have been farming their 8-1/2 acres for close to forty years. The land, part of the 140 acres originally purchased by Colleen’s grandfather, Thomas Edward Cross, sits just above the Juan de Fuca Strait. Look to the right and see Sheringham Point; look to the left and view Gordon’s Beach. It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful spot.

Mr. Cross arrived in the Shirley area in 1914, intent on earning enough money to bring his wife out from Saskatchewan and to eventually purchase some land for farming. Over the years he logged and fished and as an engineer, helped with the surveys for local roads. He was able to purchase property in

1919. While the Cross’s subsistence farm produced, with a few exceptions, all that the family consumed, it did not supply sufficient income from which to earn a living. This has generally continued to be the case throughout the history of Cross Point Farm.

Although her father was born and raised on the farm, Colleen and her siblings grew up in Victoria. They’d come out each summer to visit with their grandparents, and Colleen developed a strong love of the land…. the homestead that her grandparents had created. When she brought Chuck Minten to meet her grandmother, the fit seemed perfect: they would move back and farm the land. That was about 38 years ago.

At that time, the farm included cows, pigs, chickens, sheep, pheasants, ducks and rabbits. At one point they had as many as 15 dairy cows and farming was, for a time, a fulltime endeavour. The hogs were a primary market. There were abattoirs in Victoria and a poultry processing plant where Slegg Lumber now stands in Langford. These eventually closed, leaving the nearest facilities in Duncan. Whippletree used to be the sight of organized farm auctions: no longer. These are the biggest changes and big losses to local farmers according to Chuck Minten.

7 March 2012

Calendar of Events for ShirleyUnless otherwise indicated, events are held at the Shirley Community Hall

Shirley Fire DepartmentPractices held Wednesdays 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.Chief Donovan Ray 250-646-2107

Shukokai Karate for all agesMondays, 6:30-8:00 p.m.Alida 250-642-4631

Kundalini Yoga with Alanda CarverTuesdays, 6:45 – 8:00 p.m.muircreek@hotmail.com

Nia Dance/Movement Thursdays, 6:45-8:00 p.m. Sundays, 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. movingmelody@gmail.comor 250-646-2995

Shirley Quilters and CraftersThursdays 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Shirley Community Association AGMWednesday, March 14, 2012 7:30 p.m.

Shirley Spring Craft FairSunday, March 25, 2012 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Shirley Fire Protection Society MeetingSunday, April 8, 2012 2:00 p.m.

Shirley Community Association MeetingWednesday, May 9, 2012 7:30 p.m.

Robert Vanveen received an Exemplary Service Medal for 20 years of service to the Shirley Fire Department, presented by John Horgan, MLA and Donovan Ray, Shirley Fire Chief. Congratulations and thank you for your service to the community.

Today, aside from the Minten’s dog, the only animals left on the farm are the chickens and a few sheep. Colleen and Chuck, like their predecessors, practise subsistence farming and as in the past, they produce plenty of garden vegetables and eggs, certainly enough for their own consumption with some product left over for sale at their gate or at the Shirley Community Hall craft sales. There is no lack of buyers for their products.

Chuck told me that “farming was a way of living, not a way of making one.” And so Chuck and Colleen supplement their income now with a carpentry business. Chuck’s fine work is evident in the exquisite craftsmanship displayed in the timber frame home that he has built. Most of the wood and large timbers come from trees cut from their own land. The frame went up with the help of many others in the Shirley community: people with whom Chuck and Colleen have worked on a volunteer basis over the years, at the Community Hall and in the Volunteer Fire Department.

At this point, most of the family land has been sold. Only Colleen and her sister maintain property in the area. “How many people have spent their lives walking the same paths as their grandparents?” Colleen asks. “It’s a way of life that you have to love.”

VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDFor Information

Phone: 250-646-2107

8 March 2012

Doug Read Licensed Realtor25 years experience~17 years *Selling* in *East Sooke* Benefit from my LOCAL EXPERIENCE and LOCAL SERVICE.

Doug ReadPemberton Holmes Real Estate250-361-7939 or 250-642-2705 or toll free 1-866-536-7169email: info@dougread.com web site: www.dougread.com

Food Forward: Together in the Field and at the Table by Susan Nelson

Every year around this time the cow owners of Hallway Herdshare get together to celebrate at an End of Lactation Potluck. Milking season has come to a close; the pregnant cows and their herd custodian are on vacation until the new calves are born and the udders swell. A bittersweet time it is. While a rest is wonderful and necessary, someone had to actually buy milk for the tea and coffee. Not so much a stressful personal economic issue perhaps, but more of an uncomfortable re-engagement with an undesirable industry that has nothing much to do with good food and almost everything to do with somebody (and mostly it’s not the farmer), making money. Modern industrial agriculture and the vast corporate food processing and distribution industry have muddled the relationship we have with our food. We think it comes from the store or perhaps any number of fast food icons. Wendell Berry talks about how the greatest ‘mythology’ today is that money produces food.

The sun based human and animal energy that once grew food was replaced by fossil fuels of course and we now are suffering

multiple consequences as agriculture is one of the environment’s worst enemies. Much of the toxicity has to do with the corporate structure of get big or get out that leads to commodity monoculture with its attendant herbicides and pesticides and the confinement of huge numbers of animals eating manufactured additive-laden feed.

Producing one’s own food in a manner that inspires Mother Nature to smile and nod approvingly is more than a beautiful experience. This kind of farming is a step in the direction of clarity, resolution, and reparation. When you are on a first name basis with the cow who produces your milk and you can tell by the way she wiggles her ears if she is digesting her hay well, it creates a dynamic relationship with that milk. It is no longer simply a trip to the store and a financial transaction. It seems that many if not most now middle aged or older folks who grew up in the country whether they lived on a commercial farm or not, had a family milk cow or cows, grew their own vegetables and had some berries and fruit trees. In short, they produced most of their food. I have stopped counting the number of times I have heard people say, “I had to milk the cow(s) when I was a kid.” Usually I only have to wait a millisecond before the face melts into a peaceful puddle or freezes in rigid resistance to know whether or not they are candidates for substitute milkers. Sometimes the basis of whatever the feeling is has to do with the cows and sometimes it is more about the adults who ordered the milking. Generally, dairy cows (and Jerseys in particular) tend to elicit a serene state of meditative nostalgia. But, while picking huckleberries may be a peak experience for me now, at 11 years old I thought it was akin to unfair child labour practices even though huckleberry was my favourite pie.

As always is the case, things changed: people left the rural areas when they lost their farms or farm related jobs, families became smaller on either end (child and elder labour shortage), and families started to depend more on the convenience of grocery stores so that they could hold down multiple jobs to meet more expenses. Families turned into isolated economic units made to order for the new economic paradigm. They traded in their gardens and hen houses and milking buckets for what was advertised as a glorious labour saving, upscale, modern way of life.

9 March 2012

East Sooke Community Calendar

East Sooke Volunteer Fire DepartmentFire Practice Thursdays 7:00 p.m. Chief Roger Beck 250-642-4411VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

East Sooke Fire Protection AndEmergency Services CommissionThird Mondays 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Public Welcome

Yoga Classes **East Sooke Fire Hall training roomWednesdays NIGHTS**7:00 - 8:00 pm Instructor: Connie Rose 778-425-2205

Karate Classes For All AgesES Fire Hall training room1397 Coppermine Rd. Tuesdays 7:00 pmInstructor: Armin Sielopp 250-642-3926

Sooke Sirens Red Hatters Visit East Sooke for Afternoon TeaFebruary 21, 2012ES Community Meeting Room

Volunteer and Show Your Care

Now, once again change is on the menu. The social structure embodied in the extended biological family may or may not return, but the way of living in close relationship with our food and the earth that produces it is making a comeback. Now there is growing interest in living a more connected life. Some families also seem to be regrouping. My own sister and her 3 daughters and their families talk seriously of going together to buy a farm and growing their own food sustainably. People are getting together in co-ops, cooperatives, collectives, intentional communities and my personal favourite, ecovillages. If you check out the Fellowship for Intentional Communities website they list 462 ecovillage oriented communities, the vast majority of which are in the process of forming within the last couple of years.

I attended a recent documentary film festival covering economic, social/political and environmental issues. Most of the 10 films I saw put forward and supported the belief that those who live in community with others and grow their own food sustainably, among other cooperative activities, are not only personally healthier and happier but are providing an example of a way of life that has a chance of resolving many of the problems our current economic and political systems have engendered. From the long-lived people of Okinawa to the co-housing of Denmark to the community gardens filling deserted lots in Detroit, to the farmers’ markets on Vancouver Island, and just about everywhere else, people are re-learning and re-valuing the sources of sustenance. And just as monumental and wonderful, people are recognizing more than simply nutritional benefits, great taste and buffed up muscles; more even than sustainable steps towards healing our battered planet, as we feast on joy and satisfaction as many well-soiled hands come together to share in the creation of food.

Maybe ‘family’ isn’t the word to use for this experience. Maybe ‘community’ is too big. ‘Group’ sounds too cold or scientific. Maybe we need a new word to describe a way of gathering to create our lives together: a way that has the heart and will to hold the vision and practice of shared lives; a way far beyond money economics, ownership, government programs, corporate control and private property.

Any suggestions? Meanwhile let’s all sit down at the table to eat.

The Commission meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 5pm, Juan de Fuca Electoral Area Office, #2 – 6868 West Coast Road

Public Welcome to AttendFor more information, visit www.crd.bc.ca/jdf/parks.

For meeting confirmation or enquiries, please call 250.642.1500.

Juan de Fuca Electoral Area Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission

Wild ARC’s American White Pelican from Îles des Chênes, Manitobaby Christina Carrières

The Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre in Metchosin welcomed an unusual patient on January 16th, when an American White Pelican arrived via a West Jet Cargo plane from Manitoba. In mid-November, the pelican had been found with five others in Shoal Lake, about 40 kilometers south of Riding Mountain National Park. Knowing that they should have migrated to the Gulf of Mexico, a man immediately contacted Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre, captured all six birds, and transported them in his cattle trailer for the hour and a half trip to the centre. After assessment, it was discovered that five of the six had wing injuries too severe or too old to be repaired. Some were also suffering from frostbite.

The one adult pelican that did survive was in very poor body condition, weighing only 3.7 kilograms, about half the normal weight of an adult bird, which could explain why she did not migrate. She was so weak that she would not eat on her own, and the staff at the rehabilitation centre had to assist her feedings for eleven days before she began eating smelt without their help. She had gained one kilogram by this point and continued to eat on her own, polishing off almost 1.5 kilos of fish a day. A conservation office in Shekirk, Manitoba generously donated fish to Wildlife Haven to help feed the pelican.

Since her intake at Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre on November 19th, the pelican had been housed in an indoor

enclosure equipped with straw substrate for flooring and heat lamps. Unfortunately the pelican’s condition began to weaken, and she was no longer eating whole fish. She spent much of her time sitting still, and the staff at Wildlife Haven were concerned that she was depressed, which could be a result of being alone in her enclosure, and away from water and her natural habitat for so long.

Since Wildlife Haven does not have a large pool, they knew they could not care for her over the winter. Wildlife Haven contacted Wild ARC in November regarding a possible transfer for the winter. Wild ARC had begun building a new Aquatics facility for seabirds and aquatic mammals, and had an enclosure

with a large, deep pool and enough space to house the pelican.

Wild ARC was required to apply for an import permit to transport the pelican from Manitoba and Wildlife Haven had to apply for an export permit to send it to BC. The permit states that the pelican will stay in care at the facility until May and then will be sent back to Manitoba for release, or will be sent to a facility in southern USA for release, if this is determined to be a better option for the bird and can be done earlier than May.

The pelican arrived by air on a discounted flight paid for by the Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre. Once she arrived, she spent some time indoors so the Wild ARC staff could assess her health and waterproofing before she went out to her aquatics habitat. She was flight tested and will exercise in the centre’s large flight pen in the hopes that she will be strong enough by summer to return to her wild environment.

Christina Carrieres is Senior Wildlife Rehabilitator for Wild ARC.

10 March 2012

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Bones of your garden!

11 March 2012

Smile Yourself to Healthby Dr. Cameron MacLean

Who reading this article would enjoy better energy and improved sustained health? My bet is everyone. Even if we enjoy good health, most of us are short on energy from time to time, deal with various levels of background aches and pains or perhaps sensitivities to foods or environment.

Believe it or not oral and dental health can directly affect all of these areas. The mouth is a physical and energetic focus of the human body. We all have the experience of being energized by a dazzling smile, our own or one incoming. With our mouths we take nutrition, emote, connect intimately and even sense our whole body’s well-being. A dry mouth is often telling us that some of our vital energy is being used in a more critical area. Foul breath often points beyond the mouth to toxicity or sluggish digestion.

Each tooth resides on an energy meridian, mapped out in Chinese medicine thousands of years ago, connecting with different organs, glands and bodily functions. I have several friends in the integrated medical community who claim that a quarter of all disease starts in the mouth. I always want to take a detailed medical and dental history because of this.

In dental school students are endlessly taught to save teeth at all costs. Often the materials used to repair teeth are themselves toxic and would never be approved as new materials, but because they have been used for over 150 years are accepted and even defended. Very little is said about how the mouth affects other organ or energy systems. In my 25 plus year career, I have had hundreds of reports from my clients that their health had significantly improved after having toxic root canal teeth extracted. When fighting serious disease such as cancer oral health should be carefully evaluated.

If someone has many toxic teeth and wants them extracted it brings up the question: how important is chewing? If I am asked that question I always say, “it’s as important as breathing.” Fortunately there have been huge advances in tooth replacement. There are two elements on the periodic table (Titanium and Zirconium) that appear to be universally accepted by the human body in that “osseo-integration” occurs when they are placed inside bone. This may be because of a similar “electromagnetic resonance” to the minerals that make up bone. As with many advances this integration phenomenon was discovered by accident. In the 1950s in Sweden a titanium screw integrated into a rabbit’s leg and that started all of the developments of titanium implants we now see.

Today there are many dental implant solutions for replacement of one or more teeth. A relatively new solution call “All on Four” for people with failing teeth or dentures uses only four implants per arch to support full arch bridges that look and feel like real teeth. This procedure utilizes “same day loading” meaning the bridge is placed on the very day the

implants are put in. Having done many of these I can say I’ve never been thanked more for anything I’ve provided in dentistry.

We are fortunate that there are more and more options for both tooth replacement and for the materials used in natural teeth for restoration. A big esthetic advancement has been in the area of new stronger porcelains such as lithium discilicate. This has made metal free dentistry not only possible but almost the norm.

Restoring our mouths to perfect function and great esthetics is now possible while respecting the body’s sensitive connections. Enjoy your new “biologic smile!”

12 March 2012

Your Rural Voice in the Legislature800 Goldstream Ave, Victoria, V9B 2X7250 391 2801john.horgan.mla@leg.bc.ca www.johnhorgan.com

John Horgan MLA Juan de Fuca

JH-RurObs-0909.indd 1 9/24/09 12:41:00 PM

Otter Point Emergency Managementby Al Wickheim

Hello Otter Point neighbours, and others in the CRD. As the Otter Point Community Coordinator for the Juan de Fuca Emergency Management Program I am bringing to your attention a generally unknown program of appreciable importance to us all.

The Pod Program relates to community self-rescue and management in the event of a significant and isolating disaster. While the time to assistance often quoted is 72 hours, this may be very wishful thinking. Several weeks may be more realistic in the case of an exceptionally large snowfall, rain and wind storms with road destruction or a large earthquake/tsunami event.

The Otter Point District is divided into 34 Pods, with approximately twenty-five households in each, consisting of geographically close neighbours. Ideally each Pod has a Pod Captain and an assistant who know of any particular skill specialties within their Pod as well as of those who may require assistance in times of isolation or prolonged power loss/habitation destruction or damage. This type of response happens now on an ad-hoc basis as we saw in the Great Wind Storm of 2006, however the Pod system considers longer term isolation, and is a more formal network with greater communication and potentially life saving rescue and intervention assistance.

As the Local Coordinator, I have access to a limited store of emergency supplies and lines of communication for outside critical assistance as available, however the idea is for neighbours to take care of neighbours. Remember - help from outside is busy taking care of themselves.

I invite all residents in the CRD, and especially the Otter Point District to:

- determine their Pod number - a good map may be found on the Otter Point Fire Department website – Public Info page under OP Emergency Planning Committee and the ‘OP Pod Map’ link.

- get to know your neighbours, and

- consider becoming a Pod Captain, or re-registering as one through me at your earliest convenience. Records are sketchy so if you are currently a Pod Captain, have disaster useable skills or would like a record of particular needs you may have (wheel-chair

bound perhaps) please let me know.

This is not high maintenance stuff, but something we should all know about beforehand, rather than after. For more information on the Juan de Fuca Emergency Management Program or the Otter Point Emergency Pod System please contact Al Wickheim at www.info@wilderquestadventures.com or by phone: 250-642-5124; Cell: 250-661-7123; or go to www.JDFEM.com

We got into farming to produce great food that we can be proud of and generate a modest profit. One of my family friends once asked us before getting into farming, “aren’t you afraid that the big guys are going try and squash you?” Nope, we are just going to be too small to be on the radar. Essentially we just wanted to grow food the old fashioned way. We learned from our mentors that first you grow the soils and then perfection in the form of great tasting food springs out of that. The better you treat the land, the more bountiful the plate of veggies and fruits.

We are fortunate in Sooke because we have a few things the old fashioned way with great neighbors who are excited about what each other do. Ruby, Rusty, Roy and Ronica give our kids the country feeling that each other’s kitchen is just that; each other’s kitchen. Grandpa Mike, Sonya, Jen, Christine, Kim, Nicole, Connel and others saved our farm last year from an invasion of smart weed that seeded the year before while we were overrun learning to become parents. Their passion for food and healthy life had them heading to our back field multiple times a week to trade a few hours of work for the veggies of their choice. Like I said, we have it good the old fashion way. The community of Sooke lines up early to buy food from us at the Sooke Country Market and drops by Silver Cloud Farm for our weekly box program. They shop the way it’s been done for centuries, - direct from the farmer. So what does this mean in the end? Thank you for buying our food, having fun with our kids and cutting out the middle man. Otherwise, farming the old fashioned way could become - well - out dated. We are open for business again in 2012 and thinking up new and progressive ways to farm the old fashioned way.

13 March 2012

Farming The Good Old Fashioned Way by Teresa Willman, Silver Cloud Farms

Recently we had a young family come up from California to stay for a few days on our farm. They came with desire to learn organic farming because it fulfilled an ecological and political desire to take what they learned from the ground up and use it to effect change in food growing policies of California. It brought to light the ever increasing challenges we face going forward feeding the North American population.

Much of our conversation was around the inputs of our consumptive items. They were shocked to find that on Vancouver Island we only produce 5% of our food for a relatively small population that live on the fringes of the Great White North. We rely heavily on California for much of the food consumed in our pristine North. Deals get brokered, the freight trucks get loaded to head up the I-5 and more machinery gets purchased to keep the big business wheel of the agro economy rolling. Somehow in the myriad of middle man suppliers there is a profit margin. But what can I say, I love avocado in January……

We have it good at Silver Cloud Farm in Sooke despite the challenges of producing food in an area that lacks many of the essentials of fertility and affordable land to produce food on. It sometimes strikes me that we are like the fellow from Monty Python’s Holy Grail who keeps re-building a castle that falls into the bog. The 160 km/hr. winds of 2006 that demolished Stanley Park blew our first greenhouse all through our forest completely destroying it. The next greenhouse was a used, top of the line Harnois built with concrete footings. We deemed it wind proof. A storm came through and blew the front wall in and shifted the concrete footings back. More recently, two days after putting the roof on our new shed, it also got blown over and now awaits the excavator to come and pull it out of the alder. We often find ourselves fixing our mistakes all in the name of learning.

Snow damaged branches need to be repaired or removed. They will not heal on their own. There is no saving a mature tree that has totally collapsed or blown down. Call the firewood monkeys to dispose of the offending lay-abouts.

My Mister thinks blown down trees are a gift from the storm gods as the expense of a faller was spared. But if that north wind puffed over your fruit tree, then you need to act quickly to save it before the sap starts to run. Dig out the soil from the hole so that the tree can be stood up again in the same spot and not be sitting too high. Then follow regular planting instructions for fruit trees. Don’t fertilize or hard prune at this time. Stake it for 2 seasons. If the roots are too damaged better to replace it.Large mature trees that are compromised and threaten to take out anything in their path should be removed. Root, branch and stem failure is a little tougher to identify and sort out as it may take the tree or shrub years to die. If in doubt hire a tree specialist to assess your damaged trees and implement a plan.

Bulbs and emerging perennials are coming up so be careful not to trample their tender snouts while doing clean up.General rule for spring pruning is to remove dead, diseased and dying branches, next take out crossed branches. Further thin, reduce height or shape as needed.

After the fear of frost is over it is time to prune shrub roses, thin cane roses and do a general clean up on the climbing roses, cut out any die back from frost damage and check for split canes. Clean up under roses, spread ¼ cup of Epsom salt and 2 cups of rabbit pellets around the base.

Get a jump on slugs and snails even though birds, toads, snakes, salamanders and beetles will assist in the removal of these unsolicited dreadful party crashers that are more prolific than rabbits and just as destructive. Pick them by hand, drop them in soapy or salty water or catch and release if you must. Try using copper tape around your potted plants. I use slug bait that is not harmful to pets.

As you dig around and notice ground beetles in the soil, leave them to their work of feeding on lumberjacking cutworms and other undesirable larva.

Ladybugs are our beneficial garden visitor consuming as many as 500 aphids daily. You wouldn’t want to accidentally kill off her unfortunate looking offspring as they don’t look like they could have come from one so lovely.

Don’t kill off ground wasps; they’re beneficial, consuming tomato hornworm and gypsy moth eggs. This kindness will allow you to forgo chemical warfare leaving food for birds and bees that visit your garden.

We had a wild mink take up residency and lucky for him I wasn’t inclined to evict him. It turns out mink are motivated rat killers. Good news as my employees - cat and dog, in charge of deer, rat, mice and rabbit control took the winter off with me.

Now is the time to start your seeds indoors. Warm the soil to assist germination. Keep them compact by providing lots of light and cool temperatures.

Happy Gardening!

14 March 2012

After Wind, Rain and Snow by Bonnie Coulter

I can’t say that I spent much time in my garden this winter. If your response to stormy weather was like mine, then you left that normally sacrosanct piece of dirt to persevere on its own. I murmured comfort out the window in opposition to the rain, wind and snow

while I sat cozy by the fire, untouched but not untroubled. The mounting snow load was sure to obliterate my efforts like a bad week on the stock market. There’s the rub: the good, the bad and the ugly of weather and the West Coast gardener. Cheer up, spring is here! We can put aside all the, ‘should haves’ and ‘could haves’ and get the garden back on track.

Here are a few of the items on my ‘to do’ list.

Assess winter damage, clean up debris, replace plant markers, and remove dead and dying plants. Make a list of positions available for new candidates. Suitability interviews will include;the newest hellebore Apricot Blush, Calycanthus floridus Carolina Allspice, a North American native that provides valuable cover and food for wildlife, has multi seasonal interest, unique auburn flowers and fruits, scented leaves and twigs, and adapts to a range of light, soil and water conditions! Love it!

Buddlea Bicolor butterfly bush sounds so luscious with orange, butterscotch yellow and lavender scented blooms guaranteed to send me swooning with the butterflies.

Clematis Lemon Bells. This introduction is a shoe-in with its pale yellow bell flowers flushed with red. Perfect for climbing over the hydrangeas and roses.

Rhododendron bureavii, has fuzzy, coppery underside of leaves for winter colour.

The list of new introductions I would consider, if only I had full sun, would include:

Pixwell Gooseberry, hardy, sweet fruit that ripen pink on thornless canes. The best for pies jellies and jams.

Jostaberry, which is a gooseberry-black currant cross that boost large ebony fruit ripening in July, disease resistance and vigorous growth.

Prunus persica (Frost Peach), this vigorous peach will produce fruit reliably if given protection from rain and cold winds.

Rural GARDENING

15 March 2012

Buttermilk Marinated Pork Shoulder Steaks With Steamed Clams, Tomato, Sweet Cicely and Fennel by Oliver Kienast

When I am composing a dish, I like to have ingredients that are local, wild and sustainable. These elements inspire my Wild Mountain Farm dinners held at Ragley Farm in East Sooke, and Glenrosa Farm in Metchosin. For a chef, the pig is the ultimate animal. The entire animal can be prepared in many diverse ways. I began to raise my own pigs in order to explore the various flavours that can be cultivated starting in my backyard barn; to grow the pig of my dreams! After pushing the rainforest back to squeeze in a yard and a little red barn, I found 2 available Berkshire wieners from Metchosin. We were told to give them food names to avoid a pet-like attachment, so we named the little girl Crispy and the big boy Fats.

In order to raise healthy hogs, I got the organic vegetarian scraps from Markus’ Restaurant and Point No Point. The pigs were eating well. For the last month during apple season, they ate 20 pounds of apples every day, washing it all down with cheap beer, which I believe gave the pork more flavour and the pigs a better disposition.

In our waters, clams are one of the most sustainable and plentiful food sources. I think people should eat more clams. Pork and clams are a classic combination common in Portuguese and French cookery.

We are also extremely lucky to live in forests teeming with wild foods. Sweet cicely is one of my favourites; it has a soft licorice flavour with a delicate green. You can substitute chervil or tarragon for the same flavour.

Recipe for 4 people:

One locally-raised pork shoulder, about 2 lbs. 3 lbs. of Vancouver Island clams ¼ cup sweet cicely, chopped roughly ½ fennel bulb 1 cup of fresh, diced tomatoes ¼ cup white wine ¼ cup of favourite stock (not beef) 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (not olive oil) 2 tablespoons butter 3 cloves of garlic 8 sprigs of thyme Enough buttermilk to cover the pork Cut a pork shoulder roast into one inch steaks and marinate in buttermilk and a few sprigs each of the sweet cicely and thyme for 12 – 24 hours (24 hours being ideal).

Right before you are ready to begin cooking, soak the clams in cold fresh water for 20 minutes, changing the water twice.

Remove steaks from buttermilk, rinse and pat dry.

Rural RECIPE

Constituency office is now open to serve constituents:

address: A2–100 Aldersmith Pl, Victoria V9A 7M8

hours: 10am–4pm, Monday–Thursday or by appointment

phone: 250-405-6550 fax: 250-405-6554 email: Randall.Garrison@parl.gc.ca

Randall Garrison, MPESQUIMALT–JUAN DE FUCA

We are here to assist constituents with Federal government programs and services.

RG-ad-RO-1110.indd 1 10/18/11 11:47:43 AM

An optional step at this point, in order to add a light curing element to the pork, is to lightly pack the steaks in coarse salt for one hour. Rinse and pat dry. The alternative is to salt the steaks before searing.

Sear the steaks in a barely-smoking hot cast iron pan with vegetable oil, browning the one side until golden. Flip the steaks, add butter, thyme and unpeeled garlic cloves. Place in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, flip steaks, and baste with pan juices. Return to oven for another 2-4 minutes, depending on your preference. Baste again liberally. Remove the steaks and place on a warm plate and loosely cover with tin foil to rest the meat.

Remove clams from water and rinse. Place rinsed clams in large pot that has been heated on medium high for 2 minutes. Then add wine, shaved fennel and tomatoes, turn heat down to medium and cover with a lid. Steam until shells just open and add chopped sweet cicely or other herbs, and a tablespoon of butter. Taste and add salt, lemon or chilli flakes according to your preference.

16 March 2012

It is an honour to serve as the MP for Esquimalt – Juan de Fuca. The riding encompasses dozens of agricultural and farming operations, the majority of which are small and family operated. These farmers and ranchers work extremely hard to

produce food for their kitchen tables and those of their neighbours. And increasingly, these hard working small producers are looking to take advantage of local and regional markets.

From the desk of Randall Garrison, MP Esquimalt Juan de Fuca

We have all seen the rapid growth over recent years of neighbourhood and community markets in Metchosin, Sooke, and Langford and across the lower Island. People are flocking to these markets to get good quality, healthy, locally grown products. The growth of the local food movement has been beneficial to both local growers and consumers.

One resource option for our local farmers and ranchers is Farm Credit Canada. FCC is a federal government agency with the mandate to assist local small and large producers by offering many different programs and services. They help primary producers, food processors and others who contribute to the agriculture value chain to grow, diversify and prosper. They work with customers to gain an understanding of their unique needs. They create tailored solutions by developing services, products and learning opportunities designed to meet producers’ needs. Many of Farm Credit Canada’s customers are small and medium-sized and are involved in organic, biodynamic and sustainable agriculture or are part-time producers. Learn more about FCC at: http://www.fcc-fac.ca/en/index.asp

I support and congratulate local producers for the hard work they do on a daily basis and I know that the community benefits from having access to these local products. Here’s to a great year ahead for local agriculture and farming.

My Constituency Office staff and I are always prepared to assist constituents with any Federal related issue. Pensions, immigration, veterans, employment insurance are just a few of the federal government programs we may be able to assist with. Feel free to contact us at my constituency office: A2-100 Aldersmith Place, Victoria, BC V9A 7M8 (View Royal behind the Scotia Bank just north of the Admirals Walk Thifty’s) Phone: 250-405-650 Web: RandallGarrison.ndp.ca Email: Randall.garrison@parl.gc.ca

March 201217

From the desk of Mike Hicks, JdF Regional Director

I am grateful for the opportunity to work another three years for the residents throughout the Juan de Fuca and wish to extend my thanks to the voters and my best to Alanda Carver who ran a terrific campaign.

The new term has started with two environmental issues that I have publically put

forth a position on behalf of the Juan de Fuca residents:

Kinder Morgan currently pumps crude oil through a pipeline stretching from Alberta to Burnaby. They are in the process of applying for permission to double the flow of crude that is transported through the Juan de Fuca Strait on route to market. I have sent a letter to Peter Kent, Canadian Minister of Environment opposing increased crude oil tanker traffic in the Juan de Fuca Strait until the residents of Juan de Fuca have been consulted. We want to be assured the oil will remain on the vessel and not on our shores, and be educated as to the emergency plan in case of disaster.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) are in the process of dismantling a dam on the Demamiel Creek, a tributary of the Sooke River. Apparently DFO is worried about liability issues in case of a breach in the dam. The dam was re-built at a cost of $250,000 just over 10 years ago in order to store water during the winter and gradually release water during the dry summer months. Quite simply Coho salmon spend their first year of life in the creek and if there is no water, they die. Thousands of Coho salmon and trout are at risk with the removal of the dam, so I have written a letter opposing the removal until DFO travels to the Sooke Region and assures the public that no fish will die.

The Regional Director job is not just about building permits, land use issues and CRD meetings. Once in a while an issue affecting our environment and neighbours comes along, and I was delighted to inform the Federal Government as to our position. We will see what happens.

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Attention Readers:

Our next issue will focus on Earthquakes, Tsunamis and emergency preparedness. If you would like to submit an article on this, or any other subject, please submit to submissions@ruralobserver.com Deadline for submissions is April 2, 2012.

March 201218

From the desk of John Horgan, MLA Juan de Fuca

How do we better meet the needs of farmers?

Stopped by the Annual General Meeting of the Sooke Region Food CHI the other night. Hosted by Sooke Harbour House, about fifty people attended to hear about

the year just past and plans for the growing season ahead.

Over the last four years, Sooke Food CHI has been raising awareness, organizing farm and garden tours, establishing community gardens and promoting local markets for consumers to buy local produce. Events like Seedy Saturday not only allow growers to transfer seeds but also provide an opportunity for community members to come together and share ideas and green thumb secrets. The Farmer2Farmer program strengthens communication between growers and can lead to joint marketing opportunities.

I am proud to say that people in the Juan de Fuca region get it. They get the importance of the 100 Mile Diet and the challenges regarding food security. They understand the nutritional value of locally grown food and that we need to support farmers in our community. They understand the adage that no farms means no food.

But let’s be honest. Farming is hard work. I see the challenges that local farmers have to meet each and every day just to sustain their farms, let alone provide financial security for their families, now and into the future. In many parts of Juan de

Fuca the pressure to sell agricultural land for development is intense. You simply can’t get the same kind of financial security from farming that you can from selling off your land.

We are seeing a cultural shift when it comes to the food that sustains us and the importance of the arable land that can grow the food that we need. But as consumers become increasingly aware of the importance of supporting the expansion of local food production, we see more questions than answers. What are we doing to ensure we meet the needs of our farmers? How do we put in place the policy instruments that will reduce the challenges food growers face? Why is something as essential as food production so undervalued in the economy?

How do we foster the much needed change in the notion that farming is a difficult, unsustainable livelihood instead of it being an essential element of our community development? The challenges are not new, but the future depends on the choices we make today.

A good start is to provide greater supports to our farmers by highlighting the difficult nature of the work. Our growing potential in this province can position us to be a world leader in food production, but our farmers can’t do it alone. Government needs to recognize that agriculture and food production is a vitally important industry in BC. It needs to work with the agriculture industry to create opportunities such as marketing our farmed goods to supply the BC market, and using our locally produced food in our public institutions like schools and hospitals. The BC Liberal government needs to provide adequate funding and resources to the Agriculture Land Commission and the Agriculture Land Reserve so they can carry out their mandated work. We need government to take a clear stand on issues like genetically modified seeds. We need to act to remove inter-provincial trade barriers that impact the BC wine industry. And we need to address the issue of meat processing regulations. Current regulations restrict farm gate sales in all but certain areas of the province. This is simply arbitrary and illogical. People should be able to buy meat directly from a farmer they trust, whether that farm happens to be in Otter Point, Powell River or Haida Gwaii. These are but a few of the steps we can take to grow our agriculture potential. Our farmers need our support but moreover, they need government to support and invest in this green, sustainable industry.

I look forward to the approaching summer days when I can meander through one of our local farmers’ markets and enjoy the bounty that we should be so proud to celebrate! And as I do every spring, I hope my tomato crop is better than last year.

As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on issues of importance to you.

John Horgan, MLAJuan de Fucajohn.horgan.mla@leg.bc.cawww.johnhorgan.ca

Adrena Line Zipline Adventure Tours p.5 250-642-1933

Alice McLean Pottery p.18 250-642-3522

Custom Digging p.16 250-413-7685

Deb’s Barbershop p.17 250-391-7566

Doug Read - Pemberton Holmes Realty p.8 250-642-2705

East Sooke Fire Protection Commission p.9 250-642-4411

Felix Irwin - Chartered Accountant p.17 250-642-5277

Fotoprint p.2 250-382-8218

From the Garden... at French Beach p.4 250-646-2425

Hallway Farm p.8 250-625-1714

Hugh Gregory Fine Painting p.17 250-480-8295

James Craven & Associates p.18 250-744-9455

JdF Emergency Program p.16 250-642-2266

JdF Parks & Recreation Commission p.9 250-642-1500

John Horgan - Juan de Fuca MLA p.12 250-391-2801

Juan de Fuca Veterinary Clinic p.6 250-478-0422

Kimmel Massage Therapist p.6 250-646-2865

Maid in Nature Cleaning p.3 778-678-4993

Markus’ Wharfside Restaurant p.9 250-642-3596

Mosaic West Consulting Services p. 12 250-642-0399

Noella LeDrew, Graphic & Web Design pp.2,19 250-889-4100

Numa Farms p.10 250-474-6005

Otter Point Electric p.13 250-588-4324

Pacific Rim Dental p.11 250-478-4114

Race Rocks Automotive p.12 250-478-1920

Rainwater Harvesting - James Scott p.3 250-686-6920

Randall Garrison, MP p.15 250-405-6550

Rural Observer - Advertising pp.2,19 250-642-1714

Sarah Richer Yoga p.9

Sage Garden Services p.14 250-217-8797

Sheringham Point Lighthouse Pres. Soc. p.20 250-646-2528

Sooke Harbour House p.11 250-642-3421

Sooke Public Fax & Copy Centre p.12 250-642-3231

Sooke Reg. Cultural Planning Advisory C’ttee. p.20 250-216-8582

Tale of the Whale p.10 250-642-6161

Victoria Alarm Service p.16 250-721-0266

Walk, Sit & Stay - Dog Walking p.8 250-642-0458

Westside InstaPrint p.17 250-478-5533

Worklink p.16 250-642-3685

March 201219

Vivi CurutchetAdvertising Sales

Ph: (250) 642-1714Email: advertise@ruralobserver.com

The Rural Observer’s publicationschedule for 2012:April 30 – deadline for submissions is April 2

June 30 – deadline is June 4

Sept 30 – deadline is Sept 5

November 30 – deadline is Nov 2

CONTRIBUTE TO THE RURAL OBSERVER If you have an activity of a rural nature in the Juan de Fuca area that you would like covered, please send it to us. We cannot promise to print every article, but we try to, if and when space allows. Any thoughts or questions, please email us! submissions@ruralobserver.com

Our Mission: Create a diverse and vibrant arts, cultural, heritage, culinary arts and agriculture sector in the Sooke Region that will encourage participation, support and appreciation of the creative arts from residents and visitors, and

expand economic opportunities for artists and businesses by making the Sooke Region a cultural

destination for residents and visitors.

We hope that you will be inspired to join us!For more information, contact Debbie

Clarkston at 250-216-8582 or via email at sookeseasideculture@yahoo.ca

Sooke Region Cultural Planning Advisory Committee

March 201220

WWW.SHERINGHAMLIGHTHOUSE.ORG

Join the Societyin Celebrating 100 yearsof the Sheringham Point Light Station

The Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society was established in 2003. The Society is incorporated under the Society Act of British Columbia, File #S47588 - May 17, 2004. The Society is registered as a charity by the Canada Revenue Agency, #858885940RR0001, July 29, 2004.

Please become a member and help the Society to preserve and protect this piece of British Columbia history.The mission of the Society is to make certain the land, light station and access are in public hands - and to preserve the land and historic structure for the future. It is part of our heritage.Go to sheringhamlighthouse.org and click on “Become a Member”

Contributions are tax deductible and are presently BEING MATCHED by a generous supporter. Please send your contribution today.