Consumable Earth – Kamloops

The Shuswap Watershed Project has lined up an impressive list of speakers for its upcoming Watershed Conference to be held on April 23rd from 2 to 11 pm. at the Sullivan Campus of Salmon Arm Secondary School . Conference participants will have an opportunity to listen to and question speakers representing conservation organizations and all levels of government. The objective for this event will be to examine how best to conserve, protect and restore the Shuswap watershed.

Salmon Arm Secondary – Sullivan Campus
This conference is free thanks to the sponsorship of the Salmon Arm Savings and Credit Union and Shuswap-North Okanagan School District #83

DRAFT AGENDA

1:00-2:30 pm Poster Session
The conference begins with a poster session, where participants have an opportunity to view the posters and displays set up by government agencies, conservation groups, and students, as well as meet with representatives from these groups. After the opening welcoming addresses by a local First Nation leader and Salmon Arm Mayor Marty Bootsma, students will read their winning essays about what they can do to help protect the watershed. Mayor Bootsma will also be speaking about the work of the Fraser Basin Council, which works to promote environmental and economic sustainability throughout the region.

2:30 pm – Welcoming address by a local First Nation leader, followed by a welcome from Salmon Arm Mayor Marty Bootsma

2:40 – 2:45 Brief talk by Jim Cooperman about the Shuswap Watershed Project

2:45 – 3:15 Essay contest winners read their essays, hosted by Kim Fulton, Shuswap Watershed Project Education Coordinator

3:15 – 3:20 – Mayor Marty Bootsma will talk about the work of the Fraser Basin Council

3:20 – 3:50 – Keynote speech by Craig Orr, Exec Director of the Watershed Watch Salmon Society, titled “Water, salmon and resilience: maintaining healthy watersheds in the face of climate change” followed by Michelle Walsh, with the Secwepemc Fisheries Commission, who will talk about their work on the connection between groundwater and salmon.

3:50 – 4:00 A song by Old Man’s Beard guitarist Jesse Cooke and short break

4:00 – 4:05 – Hiking, biking, canoeing and kayaking the Shuswap to experience the watershed first hand by Shuswap Trail Alliance Executive Director Phil McIntyre-Paul

4:05 – 5:30 – Panel discussion “What needs to be done to best protect, preserve and restore the watershed?” Five minute talk by each panelist, followed by a question period (using written questions submitted by conference participants and allowing for discussion between panelists)
Conference participants will then have an opportunity to pose questions to a panel comprised of staff from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Ministries of Environment and Forests, the CSRD and King Campbell with Ducks Unlimited Canada, who will provide their perspectives on what actions are needed to protect the watershed. The conference will end with a summary talk by Dr. Warren Bell about what was learned from the presentations and what needs to be done in the future.

Panelists:
Carol Danyluk, Environmental Protection Officer, Ministry of Environment
Bruce Runciman, Habitat Management Biologist, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Jan Thingsted, Planner, Columbia-Shuswap Regional District
Kimm Magill-Hofmann, Forest Technician, Ministry of Forests and Range
King Campbell, Agricultural Program Head, Ducks Unlimited Canada

5:30 – 5:40 Warren Bell, Conference summary by Dr. Warren Bell and “Where do we go from here?”

5:40 – 6:15 free networking time (tables set up for dinner)

6:15 – 7:15 dinner by Cookshack Creations
A low cost dinner comprised mostly of food sourced locally from Shuswap farmers and prepared by Cookshack Creations will be served to conference participants after the talks. The event will finish with a concert that begins with the Song for the Shuswap songwriting contest winners followed by an all-ages dance to Old Man’s Beard sponsored by Askews.

7:15 – 7:30 networking time (tables down and chairs set up)

7:30 – 8:30 concert beginning with “A Song for the Shuswap” winners

8:30 – 8:45 break (chairs moved to make room for dancing)

9 – 11 dance to Old Man’s Beard

The conference will be free thanks to the sponsorship of the Salmon Arm Savings and Credit Union, but early pre-registration is recommended as seating will be limited. Registration forms are available at Wickett Business Services, Salmon Arm Observer and Bookingham Palace and participants can also register online at www.shuswapwatershed.ca.

For more information, contact:
Jim Cooperman, Project Leader, 679-3693
Kim Fulton, Project Educational Coordinator, 546-3644
Monica Gail Kriese, “Celebrate the Shuswap” Event Coordinator, 833-6100

Young Leaders sought for ‘Trip of a Lifetime’ down the Fraser River!

Live-Learn-Lead

Journey 1,400 km down the Fraser River, one of the most diverse river basins in North America. Travel through ten of BC’s fourteen biogeoclimatic zones; spend evenings camping along the banks of the Fraser River. Breathtaking scenery greets you along the way, from ancient rainforests and grasslands, to sage brush and floodplain.

Passion-Commitment- Change

Through the program you identify issues you are most passionate about, recognize your talents and gain the
skills and confidence to make a difference in your community.

Change Starts Here!

Personal leadership is the first step toward community action. Supported by the RSBC’s network of SLLP alumni and staff, you return home having developed a new relationship with the Fraser, an understanding of river issues and a vision for change.

Apply Today!

Visit our website to register and for complete program details.

Scholarships available.

APPLICATION DEADLINE May 31st

The Earth Run is a grassroots run that will launch for the first time in Kamloops this Spring on April 24th at Riverside Park Bandshell. Other runs were held last year, for the first time, in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. Kamloops is one of only six official Earth Run locations in 2010.

The Earth Run Foundation ( the parent/national organization) is committed to raising funds to be used for local, regional and national environmental issues. The Earth Run is a new annual awareness and fund raising initiative that will help bring people together to build green communities and promote sustainable lifestyles.

The Earth Run is centered on a 5K community run/walk fund raising event with the two major elements of Education and Fund raising. National charities are the David Suzuki Foundations and the Earth Run Foundation. Locally, the Organizing Committee has chosen to support the Grasslands Conservation Council.

We will have a mini-expo of sponsors and other environmental initiatives on site for the participants to enjoy before and after the run. The idea is for the event to be zero (or minimal) impact. We are not handing out paper materials of any type and have asked our exhibitors to minimize waste and use only recyclable or compostable materials. We’d like our “carbon footprint” to be as small as possible.

We are hoping for between 100 and 200 participants and their families. Registration will mainly be done online but we will have some promotion of the event in the media and a couple of on-site registration opportunities at Nature’s Fare, our major local sponsor. We are also hoping to set up for one day at the Farmer’s Market.

Registration Tables will be set up at 8:30am and the run will start at 10:00am.
With the event wrapping up around 12:30pm, perhaps sooner if the weather is uncooperative.

On Saturday, April 17th 2010, the City of Kamloops will be hosting a public forum on planning for sustainability in the community. It will run from 9am to 5pm at the Interior Savings Centre. I hope many people will attend to share their thoughts and to converse with other citizens.

This is a message that those of us who were part of a Facebook Group called ‘Opposed to Creosote Burning in Kamloops’ received this morning:

March 19, 2010 at 10:36am

Subject: Congratulations Everybody

Whoever said that the people don’t have the power haven’t come to Kamloops, because we proved a lot of people wrong. It is confirmed that the ACC has pulled out of their gasification proposal in Kamloops, thanks to all of you. There are so many people to thank and dedicated citizens behind this that I hope we can get the chance to give them the thanks that they deserve. SaveKamloops website took alot of chances being created and those behind it did vast research. Ruth Madsen is a veteran at standing up for the environment and the health of citizens, so chalk up another victory. Derek Cook and many of the faculty at TRU got us educated at the public forums, and our city councilor Dennis Walsh fought this the whole way. Thanks to our mayor and rest of city council for sticking up for your decision as well, and thanks to our doctor for caring. There has been so many other people doing huge amounts of work that have been unrecognized, so I hope they also get the acknowledgment they deserve.

Well that’s all for now and thanks for being part of this group. Stay involved if you can, cause I’m sure there might be more ordeals down the road that requires us to come together. If the title of this group changes I’ll let you know.

Cheers

It truly is an amazing thing what people can do when they come together. I for one am proud to live in a community that contains such powerful and brave spirits.

How many of you have dreamed of having a hobby farm? A few acres, a horse, some sheep, some chickens. If you are anything like me and the people I seem to be around then you have. So many of us have the dream and yet so few are able to commit to it or make it part of their reality.

Commune. The word conjures up many different ideas.
Co-op. Again all sorts of thoughts and preconceptions come to mind.

Is it possible for people to work together for a common goal? Do you want to? Because I do. I would love to build something that people could take part in and create with me.

What would it look like for you? What do you need? What would you like to see? Can we make your dreams come true?

For me it would be a large property (there’s 80 acres for sale that is about 15 min outside of Kamloops). It would have water, lots of it, for irrigation of pasture land and gardens. It would have flat areas and sloped areas, open areas and treed areas. There would be a creek with a willow on it’s banks who’s leaves dipped into the water late in the summer.

We would put up fences for our Jersey cows and sheep. We would let our ponies and horses run free in the pasture knowing they would happily come back to us when needed to pull the plow. We would sculpt the earth and fill it with permanent plantings which would feed our families for generations to come. We would camp out under the stars while we built a straw bale house together and dance under the same stars as we celebrated moving in day for the first family.  Our chickens would run free in the yard snacking on our compost and seaweed we gathered from the coast. We would put up a barn and hay shed as the winter winds drew near.

And oh so much more but as with anything worth while doing it requires work. And commitment. And vision. And determination. We can do this all we need to do is commit.

Want to read more about our plan? visit Kamloops Family Eco-Village

Monday Feb 22, 2010

5:30 pm
Henry Grube Education Centre
245 Kitchener Cres
Room 1A

5:30 pm
Kamloops Food Policy Annual General Meeting and Potluck

7:00 -7:30 pm
Presentation by Rose Soneff, Program Manager for Community Capacity
Building an initiative of the BC Healthy Living Alliance led by the Canadian Cancer Society.

AGM Meeting:

1. Membership verification (membership dues up-to-date)
2. Executive Members Report
   Executive Co-chairs, Paula Rubinson/Laura Kalina
   Treasurer, Laura Kalina
3. Working Group Reports
   • Food Policy/ City of Kamloops Social Plan (Laura and Jenn)
   • Community Gardens (Vera)
   • Heartland Foods/FNALA  ( Lesley)
   • Community Mapping (Dave)
   • Urban Agriculture
   • Urban Hens (Bonnie)
   • Seed Saving (Fawn Knox)
   • Election of Executive – New Slate 2010
4. Slate:
   • Chair
   • Past Chair
   • Treasurer
   • Secretary
   • Directors (3-4)
5. Adjournment

WHAT: Organizational meeting for a Kamloops sustainability network (we need a name for it too!)


WHEN: Thursday, March 4, 2010 at TRUSU Boardroom, TRU from 7 pm to 9 pm


WHO: Clubs, NGO’s, faith groups, government ministries: anyone concerned about the health of the earth in general and the Kamloops area in particular – at least one representative per group. Unaffiliated Individuals are welcome as well.

WHY: Kamloops has many environmental, sustainability and other “greenish” clubs and organizations that often have overlapping interests.  Better communication would facilitate collaboration and a stronger, more unified voice on community issues.


PURPOSE: What do you want this network to look like?  How would it ideally function?  Help us brainstorm a vision for connectivity and then formulate a plan to implement it.

Please RVSP attendance to the-cap@shaw.ca

Saturday, February 6th, 2010
10am to 4pm

Clearwater Secondary School

For more information or to reserve a booth:
Cindy: (250)-674-2939 / Cheryl: 674-3260

Or email: cfesevents(at)yahoo.ca