The Nov. 17 Elphinstone Community Association will meet over Zoom at 7 p.m. Please contact [email protected] for the code. Guest speaker Kelly Foley will discuss affordable housing on the coast. Kelly is the co-chair of the Communications Working Group for the Sunshine Coast Housing Action Steering Committee and has previously worked with a team to fund and operate the first Cold Weather Shelter on the Sunshine Coast. Everyone welcome!
With the growing body of knowledge about what forests provide, not just for wildlife, but humanity, it’s no wonder that protests against clear-cutting old growth and old forests are getting louder. Although European settlers began cutting trees on arriving to colonize Canada and our coast, the First Nations were not consulted about the removal of their forests, but that is changing. Settlers valued ‘cleared’ land, but with our mountainous and steep terrain, the loss of forest has led to wash-outs and problems downstream and downhill. Forest eco-systems with their vast underground root network not only hold slopes in place but hold huge amounts of water, operating as a slow-release system. In Elphinstone, the esplanade below the Lower Road washout is again experiencing a debris flow with the recent rains, and people throughout this area have complained about over-flowing ditches and concerns that streams (many diverted) are unable to deal with the deluge; a situation sure to get worse with the climate emergency we’re facing; as weather events grow more frequent and more intense. It’s heartening to see young people standing up to demand action on this crisis.
Recently, the committee established to protect Reed Road Forest (DL1313) met with MLA Nicholas Simons to ask what he can do to help ensure it doesn’t get logged; a meeting attended by Gibson’s Mayor Beamish, since this forest along with others above the town, are essential in retaining water and facilitating recharging the aquifers that ensure the community’s supply of fresh water. The mayor invited the group to attend a meeting he organized to discuss aquifer protection. Hermann Ziltener, representing the group, was pleased to note the participation of many officials and said, “Climate change is threatening our fresh water supply, as witnessed by this summer’s Stage 4 restrictions. Climate change will need a serious and concerted effort by nations worldwide. However, our provincial government has the power to mitigate impacts (but) needs to move swiftly to protect our forests, especially the ones situated in sensitive watershed areas.” Hermann goes on to note that Reed Road Forest (DL1313) is not only a beautiful forest worth spending time exploring, but its trees (along with the trees left on Mt. Elphinstone) also fulfill an essential recharge function for the health of the aquifer.
Cedar Grove PAC is selling beautiful Christmas poinsettias, wreaths and planters to raise money for Cedar Gove Elementary. Orders must be in by Nov. 16 for pick up on Nov. 30. Place your order online and pay with credit card or Interac e-transfer. Here’s the link to view products and support Cedar Grove Elementary School! cedargrove.growingsmilesfundraising.com/home.
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