Mayne Island Conservancy Society

Beach Cleanup 2010

During Earth Week MICS & MIRS, with the assistance of AMIB, co-sponsored Beach Clean-up; and Kids got a chance to help on their own day - thanks to Jess Willows and the School!

Meantime thanks to all beach captains and a super band of volunteers!.

Congratulations to all! We had about 140 volunteers turn out for this Clean-up which included all 35 kids plus 8 staff from the School. They cleaned Miners Bay beach on Earth Day, April 22nd.

We had 97 volunteers out on Sunday this year compared to 63 last year. Congratulation to all-especially the Beach Captains! And thank goodness the weather cooperated!

Our total haul was 2,594 pounds or 1177 kg. Although materials were all weighed, the numbers must be considered close estimates. This debris was collected from the same 14 beaches that we cleaned last year.

The junk "championship" goes to Edith Point/Campbell Bay team who brought their junk in three truck loads, some of which were co-mingled. We were able to assign numbers to each of the other beaches even though they may have had a combined team working on more than one beach.

LOCATION	2010 Lbs/Kg	2009 Lbs	CAPTAIN
Kadonaga Bay	339½   / 154	524	Marian McLean
Edith Point/Campbell Bay	528 / 240	288	Peter Askin & Al Maxwell
Piggott Bay	339½   / 154 (a tie)	302	Kim Harris
Gallagher Bay	139 / 63		Kim Harris
Bennett Bay	329½   / 149	371	Eden Evans
Horton Bay	237 / 108	304	Barbara McIntyre
Miners Bay	150 / 68	127	Jess Willows
David Cove	203 / 92	225	Larry Barker
Maude Bay/Lighthouse Pt	147 / 67		Sue Miyazaki
Reef Bay/Oyster Bay	143½		Larry Barker
Village Bay	38 / 17	144	Bette Hawes
TOTALS	2,594 / 1,177	2,285

MATERIAL	2010 Lbs	2009 Lbs	MATERIAL	2010 Lbs	2009 Lbs
Plastics--of course!	737½	586	Carpets	47½	25
Tires [some rims and/or as buoys]	483	255	Misc. Garbage	46½	734
Metal	422	412	Wood/foam/vinyl	36
Styrofoam/fiberglass	263½	118	Fabrics	35
Mixed foam & plastic	180		Fire hose	22
Wood	107	85	Glass, porcelain. tiles	28½	43
Rope, fish netting	127	194	Rubber boots	3
Surf board pieces	53		Corrugated cardboard	2½

The most interesting 'treasures' that we caught this year were:

• 1 medicine ball
• 1 surf board-in three pieces
• 3 car bumpers-from different 'cars'
• 1 more or less intact 5 ft bench seat
• a length of fire hose
• 7 crab trap buoys
• 5 boat buoys-tires with styrofoam
• 3 jerry cans

Our thanks to Grant Buday for volunteering to open and man the Recycling Depot. And, most especially, to Bette Hawes for organizing the event this year. Thank you too to Michael Dunn, in charge of the weigh-in and particularly to our unflappable tally person Ann Johnston, whose report this is!

May Day Report - May 22nd 2010

Under mostly sunny skies, a large crowd of residents and visitors were witness to a May Day that happened pretty much as scheduled. The day's fun started immediately after, or indeed slightly before, the end of the first Farmers Market of 2010. All kinds of rural jollification ended in a gently bawdy swearing-in of the polebearers, whereupon the May Pole, the Queen, her Attendants, the Green Man and sundry minstrels, vagabonds and string-players made their way, with the Market crowd in tow, to Miners Bay Park. There, the Labyrinth walked, the pole erected, the Queen coronated, and the Mayne Maidens having Ribbon Danced, more merriment broke out, involving kids sports, spiral dances and refreshments. Proceedings finally wound down sometime after the anticipated wrap of 3:15

In order of appearance we wish to thank the following for their huge contributions to an enjoyable afternoon:

• Banquo Folk Ensemble
• Quicks Bottom Morris Men
• Island Thyme Morris Dancers
• Mayne Island Country Dancers
• All those present who joined in the Merry Mayne (née Padstow) song "Unite & Unite"
• John O'Brian, Master of Ceremonies
• Jesse Thom, Master of Mirth
• Valiant Pole Bearers
• Marley Iredale, The May Queen
• Danielle Savard, May Queen 2009 who passed the Crown
• Mike Nadeau, The Green Man

And not forgetting MICS' band of organisers Mairi Munro-Kerr, Lael Whitehead, and Helen O'Brian, led and inspired by Maggi Cheetham. In turn, they want to thank the following people who did so much to help:

• Alan Guy & Doug McNiell who made sure the park was in great shape
• Bill Bender & Gail Woodward who created the Labyrinth
• Dove Lang for the face painting
• Tina Farmillo for helping the 4-8 class to make Banners
• Amber Harvey for directing the children's dance and Eden Evans, who baked a cake
• Anita Lau, Dorothy Mills, and Jessica Willows who helped with the "kids' games"
• Libbie Bake, Lynda Campbell, Jessica Easton, Deb Foote, Miriam Isaac-Renton & Chris Fretwell for selling Raffle Tickets
• Eden Evans, Home Hardware, Jaiya, Dove Lang, Nomadic Routes, Mike Nadeau, Toby Snelgrove who donated Raffle Prizes
• Richard Iredale for both groups of Morris Dancers, Brian Crumblehume for the MICD, Dave Chase for the Drummers and Gail Noonan for the Midday Chorus
• Toby Snelgrove & Bill Warning, with an assist from Peter Judd, who Addressed the Public in the park

Most of all the Mayne Island Conservancy wishes thanks to all those who contributed $ to our fundraising effort and those who simply turned out to have fun, and did!

Pictures from the Farmers Market - 2010t

May Day Table Sells Broom Garlands

The Banquo Folk Ensemble

The M.I.C.D. Get Ready to Twirl & Swirl

Quicks Bottoms & Banquos Perform

Polebearers Promise to Set it Up and ...

You can find many more photographs of the May Day Celebration 2010 on parade and in the park by visiting our Gallery page

Toby Snelgrove has posted lots of pictures of the full event on his website

Maggi Cheetham writes:

"We have been having so much fun planning this event from cake baking to garland making. Our volunteers this year were outstanding. Thank you everyone . . . . . .
If you would like to get involved in next year’s May Day email Maggi Cheetham or call and leave a message at 5919. See you next year!"

May Day 2009

This was the 2009 poster that helped to draw a big crowd to the Farmers Market for all kinds of merry-making. From there the marching/dancing crowd, dressed in all manner of costumes, and some wildly decorated, surged to Miners Bay with the May Pole bearing up and Banners flying. For some of Tom Hobley's pictures of the event see below!

Pictures from the Market to the Park - 2009

The Celebrating Crowd	The Choir's Month of Maying	One or Two Do Sing-along	Great Cheeky Brush Work	Many Styles of Face Paint
The Morris Men Sing & Dance	The MM's Knock Wood on Wood	Temporary Tattoos on Offer	There's a Morris Donkey Too!	The Mayne Island Mountie Leads
High Stepping to Miners Bay Park	Royal Progress to Fun in the Park	Coming into the Home Stretch	Will There be Sheltie Fun Also?	The Festive Drummimg Circle
May Pole on the Move	Bearers & Pole Well Dressed	Carefully Placing the Pole	Running the Labyrinth	Traffic Jam in the Labyrinth
Winding up the Streamers Begins	Inside Winders Gotta Duck

Conservation Talks 2010

Thursday April 22nd Ag Hall 7:30 pm - Living on the Edge

The Lives of Seabirds off NW Vancouver Island - with Michael Dunn

A celebration of Earth Day and a presentation on the extraordinary lives of seabirds off the northwest coast of Vancouver Island, one of the biodiversity hotspots for marine organisms on the Pacific coast of North America.

The number of seabird species who spend some part of their lives here is high, including the most diverse colonies found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

This is a story of their lives, and about the trials and tribulations of living on the edge.

If you missed the talk we will present a summary of Michael's presentation here, together with links to some of the significant slides shown. Coming soon! Meantime check out a few pictures of this and other earth Week activities on our Gallery page

Saturday May 1st Ag Hall 7:30 pm - Know Your Birds - Part 2

The Spring and Summer Birds of Mayne Island - with Michael Dunn

This was a follow-up to the popular winter bird workshop and targeted the spring and summer birds of Mayne Island. The core of the workshop provided participants with the skills, using field markings, to identify more of the diverse bird fauna on the island. The spring and summer focuses more on our forest dwelling birds where field marks and calls are critical to their identification. A good number of beginner birders (and others) joined Michael Dunn for this engaging workshop.

Illustrations of some of the raptors, sparrows, flycatchers and others discussed during the evening's slide show and Q&A session will appear here in a few days. Check back later!

Saturday August 14th, Dinner Bay Park 7:30 pm - "The Fire Management Paradox: Balancing Re-growth and Risk in Canada's National Parks"

Rob Walker will talk about the paradox inherent in trying to manage forest fires in protected areas and how Parks Canada tries to overcome it. I will use examples from two very different ecosystems, Garry Oak ecosystems, found locally, and Whitebark Pine ecosystems, found at treeline through portions of the Western Cordillera, to illustrate our approach. We will explore their status, ecology. fire regimes, cultural connections and the fire management approaches that Parks Canada, and others, are taking to sustain them.

Rob worked in fire management in national parks in the Aspen Parkland and Rocky Mountains for 12 years before moving to Gulf Islands National Park Reserve in 2004. During his time in the Rockies, he managed the fire management program for 2.5 national parks totalling 6,000km2. Rob originally came to Gulf Islands as the Fire & Vegetation Specialist and has since become the Manager of Resource Conservation.

Rob has extensive experience in fire suppression and in the use of fire to achieve ecological objectives. He has been a member of a Parks Canada National Incident Management Team for 17 years. Rob earned a BSc in Ecology from the University of Calgary and has been actively involved in research including reconstructing paleoecological fire and disturbance regimes, quantifying prescribed fire effects, whitebark pine conservation and wildfire risk assessment.

In April, some Mayne Island land owners attended a workshop we presented on the Stewardship of Sensitive Ecosystems. That initial workshop was put on in response to the recent Sensitive Ecosystem Mapping and a letter sent to some of you by the Islands Trust in late 2009 detailing one or more sensitive ecosystems that might have been identified on your property. By request we are now offering a follow-up workshop on Conservation Covenants which you are invited to attend. It will take place Saturday October 30 at the Agricultural Hall from 11 am to 3:30 pm. Lunch will be available.

A conservation covenant is a legal agreement between a landowner and authorized land trusts (usually two). This legal agreement remains attached to the title of the lands in perpetuity, and defines allowable and restricted uses for the property. Land donations and land purchases are other ways of protecting private land in BC.

The first part of the workshop will focus on stories from and about landowners who have placed conservation covenants on all or part of their property. Sylvia Pincott from Pender Island will talk about the NAPTEP covenant she has placed on her land and Rose Longini will tell her stories of the working landscape covenant on her Galiano property. Short case studies from a DVD called People Protecting Places made by the Land Trust Alliance of B.C. (LTABC) will broaden the picture of possibilities. Following lunch, Kate Emmings, Ecosystems Protection Specialist with the Islands Trust Fund, will talk about the Natural Area Protection Tax Exemption Program (NAPTEP) and Adam Taylor, Executive Director of Habitat Acquisiton Trust (HAT), will address other covenanting possibilities including steps to be taken towards achieving a conservation covenant. If time permits, there will be an introduction to the EcoGift program.

We hope you will consider joining us for this informative workshop. If you should have questions please do not hesitate to contact Helen O'Brian, MICS, or planner Alison Fox, Islands Trust. If you are planning to attend please RSVP Helen so that we can better arrange lunch.

Contact Info: Helen O'Brian [250-539-5619 or 250-405-5194] heleno@gulfislands.com    Alison Fox afox@islandstrust.bc.ca

Field Trips 2010

Sunday June 13, Oceans Day - 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Piggott Bay

Come celebrate Oceans Day at Piggott Bay. We are celebrating Oceans Day on June 13 this year because the tide is nice and low. Join biologists Michael Dunn, Leanna Boyer and Miriam Isaac-Renton for beach explorations, fish print making and live aquarium. Find out what kinds of fish live in the eelgrass bed with a beach seine led by Michael.

Saturday Aug 14th, Henderson Hill Community Park 2:00 pm - Walk and Talk with Tsartlip Educator and Historian John Elliott

John Elliott is an educator, historian and member of the Tsartlip First Nation, part of the Saanich People, whose territory is centered on the Saanich Peninsula and the Southern Gulf Islands. He is Chairman of the Saanich Native Heritage Society, and language and culture teacher at the LAU,WELNEW Tribal School. This event will be an opportunity for Mayne Island residents and visitors to learn about the indigenous history and cultural heritage of this area, and the relationship of the Tsartlip to these islands.

Meet at the Trailhead at the end of the dirt road. Bring water, sunscreen and adequate footwear for trail walking.

Sunday September 5th, "Maynely up" - A CRD Sponsored Walking Tour of Mt. Parke with the Conservancy's Michael Dunn

Join the CRD Regional Parks guest naturalist Michael Dunn to explore hidden treasures on the way to the summit. Bring a snack and water and wear sturdy shoes. The views are the best in the Gulf Islands. Meet at the Kim Road access at 1:00 in the afternoon.

The CRD classifies this event as a longer hike, having fewer interpretive stops. Trails may be uneven with steep sections. 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm | All ages

To view the full CRD Nature Walks calendar, click here

Workshops 2010

Sunday October 24th, Ag Hall 1:00 to 3:00 pm - " Get to Know your Grasses"

Presented by Miriam Isaac-Renton, this summer's MICS intern working with distinction in our Shoreline Care project. A long time visitor to Mayne Island, Miriam studied Natural Resources Conservation at UBC and conducted independent research for use in presentations as a Coastal Naturalist aboard BC Ferries. She has also contributed to a scientific paper regarding the flora and fauna of Southwestern BC and acted as a research assistant in targeted studies in the Strait of Georgia.

Bring samples of grasses you want to identify. Participants will receive a “cheat sheet” for identifying the most common native and non-native grasses.

Saturday October 30th, Ag Hall 11:00 am to 3:30 pm - "A Conservation Covenant Workshop"