Read Island’s 2018 ‘out of control’ wildfire spread over 8 hectares. According to the Campbell River Mirror, the 2019 blaze consumed 34 hectares. The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) is concerned about the potential for fires on some of the neighbouring islands in the Surge Narrows as well. After consultation with Read Island residents, on March 12, 2020 their protection plan was amended to become the Surge Narrows Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
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Resilience on Cortes Island
Originally published on Cortes Radio.ca
Folk U Friday for April 3, 2020: Resilience on Cortes Island 101: Food resilience and storage, energy systems, and much more! with Mark Lombard and Eli McKenty
Mark Lombard and Eli McKenty are two members of a group of Cortesians interested in the infrastructure for resilience brought together by Karen Mahon and the Cortes Climate Hope organization. They spoke about some of the elements necessary to help create a Cortes that would be more self-sufficient and survive short term natural disasters such as fire, earthquake, and extended power outages. Of course, they had no idea when they started meeting that it would be just in time for a pandemic to hit, nevertheless their group had numerous practical suggestions that many are beginning to think about with new enthusiasm.
What More Would Linnaea Offer?
April 16 update to the article that follows: the SRD first denied a motion to defer their decision for six months and then denied Linnaea’s application.
On April 15th the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) Board denied Linnaea Farm’s application for provincial gas tax funding to purchase a new heat pump. While this charity does not fit the description of a typical recipient of this grant, there are numerous reasons why it should be an exception. No one questions the fact this educational resource centre offers a great deal to Cortes Island. At a recent SRD committee meeting, Chief Administrative Officer David Leitch asked what more would Linnaea offer if it received a new heat pump?
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First SRD Virtual Board Meeting Ever; Public Denied Access
As a precautionary measure to help slow and limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) closed the doors of its administration building to the public on March 17, 2020. They also cancelled their usual board meeting at the end of the month. The first SRD virtual board meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 15, 2020.
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Coming Home From Africa
“The Kingdom of Uganda is a fairy tale. The scenery is different, the climate is different and most of all, the people are different from anything elsewhere to be seen in the whole range of Africa … what message I bring back … concentrate on Uganda.” – Winston Churchill, My Africa Journey,
A group of 23 Cortes residents just returned from Uganda and neighbouring Kenya. They decided to travel this year because the tour company owned by Chris Hartwick’s parents, is going out of business. Nobody anticipated there would be any complications coming home from Africa.
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