A Place of Many Values Many of you are familiar with Bennett Bay Park. The 26-acre property that includes Campbell Point and the area between the beach and Wilkes Rd. This part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve is well loved by Mayne Island residents and visitors alike, with Read more…
Despite the popular Christmas lyrics, please don’t deck your halls with boughs of holly. As with many invasive species that have naturalized across the Pacific Northwest, English holly was brought here in the mid 1800s to be planted in the gardens of settlers as a familiar piece of home. More Read more…
Please help us keep this vital program growing. The demand for locally-adapted plants for habitat restoration projects in Mayne Island’s public parks has grown in recent years, as has interest from homeowners and other private land stewards using native plants for land restoration and native plant gardening. Our small native Read more…
When you pour yourself a cool, fresh glass of water, remember it comes out of an aquifer in the ground, sometimes not too far from where our household wastewater (sewage) ends up. Many of us moved to Mayne from a city where smelly waste is whisked away in big pipes Read more…
Tansy ragwort (Senecio jacobaea), also known as stinking willie, is a toxic invasive biennial or short-lived perennial plant introduced to Canada from Europe in the 1850s via the ballast water of ships. It is currently found in the Fraser Valley, southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, and in parts Read more…
Groundwater is a critical element that supports the health of our ecosystems and the hydrological function of watersheds. The concern today is that changes in seasonal precipitation, evapotranspiration, recharge, and saltwater intrusion are threatening this precious resource. Groundwater – A Primer The unsaturated zone above the water table contains soil Read more…
Have you ever lifted a stump and found a white, furry, web-like structure clinging to the underside of the wood? I know I have, and I always wondered what this funny looking substance was. Well, it turns out it’s a part of a fungus—and it is more important to our Read more…
In this article series, we have been exploring ways we can learn to live lightly on Mayne Island, and one important consideration when trying to lessen our impact on fragile ecosystems is how we manage our waste. Because Mayne Island does not have a landfill, it is easier (and cheaper) Read more…
Big Challenge, Tiny Island – Part III In BC we have some of the world’s cleanest electricity – and cheapest, despite what you may think of your bimonthly BC Hydro bill. Our other home fuels like propane and fuel oil aren’t overly expensive either. But we don’t need a crystal Read more…
With Mother’s Day recently come and gone, it is likely we all paid tribute to the mothers or mother figures in our lives for all they do for us – but what about our other mother? Beautiful Mother Earth. While going about our days and getting wrapped up in the Read more…