Down at the Dock: Derelict Vessels and Green Boating Solutions

Photo by Alan Wilson

Recreational boating is an incredibly attractive pastime - who wouldn’t be attracted to time spent out on the water with family and friends?  Unfortunately, those who have never experienced the reality of owning a boat are more susceptible to being lured into taking a boat that’s offered for free or buying one on the cheap, and the results aren’t always good. Boaters know what I mean when I say that owning a boat is never cheap – in time or money – and the one in my yard in need of some serious TLC is a testament to that!

Unfortunately, if boat upkeep and the associated costs are not borne by the boat owner, the burden is frequently passed along to the community and the environment when that vessel reaches a problem state. It is only a matter of time before trouble comes along, as untended vessels will certainly end up adrift, washed ashore, or possibly even sunk. Unmaintained boats release fuel and other toxins into the marine environment, putting marine life and habitat at risk, not to mention the danger they pose to mariners and beachgoers and the damage they can cause to shoreline facilities.

The biggest challenge we have in mitigating the impacts of problem vessels is the jurisdictional quagmire that surrounds them. You’ll know what I mean should you ever want to contact the proper authorities to notify them of an incident - there’s a good chance you will be bounced around to various agencies such as the Coast Guard, Transport Canada, the Provincial Emergency Program, the Receiver of Wrecks, the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations, the local government, or perhaps even the police. In fact there is such confusion surrounding the issue that BC’s Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations has recently published a very useful 12-page guide, Dealing with Problem Vessels and Structures in BC Waters.

Ryan handing out our Guide to Green Boating
Photo by Michelle Young

The good news is that there are solutions:

• Clean Marine BC is Georgia Strait Alliance’s green boating and marina eco-certification program, and has distributed tens of thousands of our Guide to Green Boating. A clean, well maintained boat is a greener and safer boat, thereby reducing our environmental impacts, as well as helping to ensure that our experience is more enjoyable.
• MP for Nanaimo-Cowichan, Jean Crowder, is proposing legislation designating the Coast Guard as a receiver of wreck and requiring them to take reasonable steps to contact the owner and also to provide for government to make regulations on the removal, disposition or destruction of derelict vessels. The intention is to give the Coast Guard the regulatory power it needs to take action before a derelict vessel becomes a problem.

Bill C-638 is a step in the right direction in dealing with the jurisdictional quagmire surrounding derelict vessels. Please support this bill by writing the Minister of Transportation, Lisa Raitt (lisa.raitt@parl.gc.ca), and by contacting your MP. For more information on Bill C-638, visit http://openparliament.ca/bills/41-2/C-638/ and http://jeancrowder.ndp.ca/derelict-vessels.

It is up to boaters like us to prevent our pastime from becoming someone else’s headache. Let’s keep our boats afloat…Down at the Dock!

Art for social change - The Wild & Scenic Film Festival

What motivates a person to standup paddleboard 400 km along BC’s Central Coast or spend the winter on a remote arctic island with little but his surfboard? Over 120 people gathered in Victoria on November 13^th to find out!

Georgia Strait Alliance was proud to host these and six other inspirational stories at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival at St. Ann’s Academy. Now in its 11^th year, Wild & Scenic focuses on films which speak to the environmental concerns and celebrations of our planet, and travels to more than 100 communities throughout North America. When Festival organizers reached out to offer us the opportunity to bring the films to British Columbia, we jumped at the chance to play our part in spreading the importance of nature in our lives and the joy and adventure it brings us. 

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival featured
8 inspirational films about nature and conservation.

A highlight of the evening was the chance to hear directly from Norm Hann, star of the film STAND, about his experience paddleboarding the 400 km tanker route from Kitimat to Bella Bella. The film is a hauntingly beautiful examination of the people and culture of the Great Bear Rainforest - and the lives of those committed to defending its fragile ecosystems against the threat of oil tanker traffic on BC's coast.  If you haven’t had the chance to see this film yet, we strongly encourage you to seek it out!

The threats to the Central Coast and those we are facing here in the Strait of Georgia due to the potential increase in tanker traffic if the proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline is approved are eerily familiar. Films like STAND help us see what is at stake and motivate people to go out and make a difference in their community and around the world.  People in the north and south are standing up for their communities – you need only look at those people standing up on Burnaby Mountain  - and films like STAND make what’s important so clear.

Another crowd favourite was North of the Sun, which chronicles the adventures of Norwegian surfers Wegge and Ranum who spent 9 cold months on a remote arctic island off the coast of Northern Norway. With little food and meager shelter, they survived with their most important possession - their surfboards, as the remote bay holds a well-kept secret: some of the world's finest surfing waves. With humour, warmth and a strong sense of how important the natural world is to their lives, the surfers charmed the crowd, who left in awe at what these two adventurers endured and experienced, and with huge smiles on our faces!

A big thanks to the Wild & Scenic Film Festival for giving GSA the opportunity to explore art as a means of increasing the conversation about social change and our place in the natural world. It was a truly powerful and inspiring experience!

Ryan joins GSA for the summer

Hello GSA supporters,

Ryan with his friend and classmate Rabbi Salih
during his recent convocation ceremony. 

My name is Ryan Butler, and I am excited to be joining GSA’s dynamic staff this summer as the Clean Marine Outreach and Engagement Coordinator. Prior to this position, I’ve worked and volunteered with several NGOs and student organizations, such as: Camp Hornby, The World University Service of Canada, and The Radio Malaspina Society.

Having recently graduated from Vancouver Island University with a degree in sociology and political studies, I am thrilled to have found a summer job that is relevant to my field. Come September, I intend to carry my summer experience forward into my Master’s program at the University of Victoria.

I believe that all Canadians ought to undertake practices that protect or restore our environment whenever possible. As such, I am excited about joining GSA where I can fulfil this belief while still working. Here, students are able to making significant contributions to our public discussions regarding both regional and global issues.

Identifying environmental hazards is, of course, necessary but insufficient for creating change. Instead, change requires social and political processes to create and implement a variety of solutions. GSA’s Clean Marine BC program is one such solution, and therefore, I’m excited to contribute to its expansion this summer. Having previously researched the establishment of B.C.’s Forestry Stewardship Council, I appreciate how such eco-certification programs provide businesses and consumers with an avenue for reducing their environmental impact.

I am excited about the Clean Marine BC program, but I also recognize that GSA’s current Spills and Tankers Campaign, against the expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Trans-Mountain pipeline and increased fossil fuel exports, is confronting the region’s greatest environmental threat. Many of the benefits of CMBC would be greatly diminished should the Strait experience a major tanker spill, but together these GSA programs show that achieving environmental sustainability will require both preventative and adaptive actions.

I am proud to be contributing to GSA’s encompassing environmental work to protect the Strait, its adjoining waters, and its communities. 

Summer Outreach Begins!

Hello Fabulous Readers!



Taking a break from field work with the Larabanga
Girls Dance Group in Larabanga, Ghana

My name is Natalie and I am one of the lucky students who was hired to work with the Georgia Strait Alliance throughout the summer.

I’m a life-time resident of Nanaimo, and I just finished the third year of my degree in Tourism Management at Vancouver Island University. In my free time I love trail running, gardening, and exploring as much as possible with Skeena, my one year old Shiba Inu.

I wanted to work with GSA because I love the Georgia Strait!  I also believe in the power of community conservation management. Last summer, I traveled to Ghana and visited the Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary, which is made up of several communities that work hard to protect the resident hippo population. The conservation model was very complex, but through tourism, the community was able to benefit in many ways. Some residents had to change their behaviors, but they were still able to go about their daily lives. Even though the Georgia Strait covers a much greater area and population base, I believe that the Strait Community can come together and experience many positive benefits if everyone participates in making it happen.

The thing I’m looking forward to the most this summer is traveling around and talking with the public. I love meeting people, chatting, and making sure that everyone is enjoying themselves.  The Georgia Strait Alliance has some very powerful campaigns on the go, and people are very interested. This past weekend, Ryan and I had some great conversations surrounding the Drift Card Study and the Kinder Morgan Expansion. People were in awe with the spill maps and seeing how far and fast oil from a spill could spread. Community outreach is a great way to spread awareness with people, and also hear what individuals have to say.  Make sure if you see us out on the road somewhere that you stop by to say ‘hello’!

The program I’m most excited to help out with is GSA’s newest program- The Waterfront Initiative! I’m so thrilled with this idea because it brings everyone together in a brand new way and for a powerful purpose. Regardless of how individuals use the waterfront in Vancouver – work, home, industry, or play – the Waterfront Initiative has the power to create a collective image of what the waterfront should look like and work to make that happen. After all, isn’t the waterfront one of Vancouver’s most beautiful assets? I hope to help out with the launch of this project as much as I can while I’m here, throughout the summer and beyond.

Gathering to learn, share and protect the Salish Sea

We all have particular events we look forward to.  If you’re a fan of comics and science fiction, then the event you count the days to is ComiCon.  If you’re that person who has to have the latest gadget, then you can’t wait each year for the Consumers Electronics Show. But if you’re someone who’s passionate about the Salish Sea – like me – then you have on your calendar the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference.

This conference, which was once known as the Georgia Strait-Puget Sound Ecosystem conference, is held every two years and gathers together scientists (from government, academia and other agencies), policy makers, not for profits and businesses from both sides of the border, all with an interest in the health of these waters.  This year the 3 day event will take place in Seattle April 30^th to May 2^nd, bringing together well over 1000 people, based on past conferences.

If I’m doing my math right, this will be my 6th conference and I have no doubt like the ones before, it will leave me inspired and re-connected to those who share my deep concern for this region.  The scientist in me will revel in the data – I’m a science geek at heart! – but even more in the wide variety of shared learning that will happen.  A small sampling of the sessions that will take place during the conference includes “Shorelines of the Salish Sea”, “Toxics in the nearshore”, “Forage fish research and protection in the Salish Sea”, “Marine birds and mammals” and “Beyond the numbers- how science informs decisions to catalyze action” – to name a few!

The policy geek in me is very much looking forward to spending time with those in government, business and the not for profit sector who make good policy – and promote good ideas – based on the latest great science.

It is not a common sight at a conference to see scientists, policy makers and citizens milling about together, but that is what makes this conference so rich and important.  The Salish Sea – the beautiful waters of Georgia Strait, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound – is under increasing stress from urbanization and growing use, and the only way to protect and improve these waters is through this type of cross-sectoral shared learning and cooperation.  It is what makes this conference so special and so needed.

This is a very important conference to GSA as well, and many program staff will be joining me in Seattle.  I will be speaking about our new Waterfront Initiative, while Energy and Shipping Campaigner Alexandra Woodsworth will be speaking about building a cross-border movement to protect the Salish Sea from the risks of increasing fuel transport.  Clean Marine BC Program Coordinator Michelle Young will be talking about the success story that is our Clean Marine BC program.  We will also be joined by Waterfront Initiative Lead Sebastian Merz who will be sharing more about our newest project and connecting with our local and transboundary partners.

We look forward to sharing our stories with you during the conference (follow us on Twitter @GeorgiaStraitBC, hashtag #SSEC14) and bringing back new ideas, information and partnerships to continue our work to protect the northern arm of the Salish Sea.

SunCruiser supports Clean Marine BC

A huge thank you to SunCruiser Magazine for their ongoing support of Georgia Strait Alliance and our Clean Marine BC green boating and marina eco-certification program!

Watch for us in this year's SunCruiser, which will be out very soon. We have been given two full pages to update you on the goings-on of Clean Marine BC, plus our full page ad!

Our small but mighty organization runs a tight ship, and without their generous support we would not be able to reach so many boaters with our green boating message. Thank you SunCruiser!

Join us at the Vancouver International Boat Show

Once again we will be reaching out to boaters at the upcoming Vancouver International Boat Show, spreading the word about green boating and our Clean Marine BC eco-certified marinas. The Vancouver International Boat Show and Boating B.C. (formerly the B.C. Marine Trades Association) have long been supporters of Clean Marine BC and we would like to thank them for their generous contributions over the years.

We hope to see you at BC Place January 22nd to 26th - stop by and visit us at booth #255!

If you have a keen interest in Georgia Strait Alliance and green boating, we would love to have you volunteer with us at our booth. Just send Michelle a quick email, and she will get you signed up!

Goodbye Gorgeous Georgia Strait

This fall, Karen Jørgensen joined the GSA team as a volunteer and we were so happy to have her on board. Here is her last blog before she heads home.

****

I can’t believe that it is time for me to go already.

For almost three months now, I have been a volunteer at Georgia Strait Alliance. I have really enjoyed discovering what it is like to work at a non-profit organization. Unfortunately, it is time for me to return to my studies back in Denmark, which means leaving this great organization and beautiful province behind. With me I will be bringing all the experience and knowledge I have gained from my months here at GSA.

During my three months of volunteering, I have learned how it only takes a few people to make a difference in speaking up for this precious Georgia Strait region, seeing as it can’t speak for itself.

My time at Georgia Strait Alliance has also taught me that when volunteering for a non-profit organization, the tasks can vary a lot. Some days can be spent sorting out papers and filling out excel sheets, while others can be spent writing a blog and updating the social media.  

Back in Denmark I study international business communication. I definitely feel that volunteering for GSA has given me a solid insight into what business communication is all about, especially with the various communication related tasks I have accomplished during my time at this organization. It has been an eye opener for me to see all the hard work and long hours that each staff member has committed to GSA making the organization what it is today. I feel very privileged to have been a part of it.

One of the highlights of my time here included attending the “Defend Our Climate, Defend Our Communities” rally at Science World in November. Hundreds of people showed an interest in our work by signing up for our newsletters, signing letters to BC`s Premier Christy Clark, as well as giving generous donations. Another highlight was “An evening with the Strait” in Victoria in October where I got to meet the former Environment Minister.

To everyone considering volunteering at Georgia Strait Alliance, my only advice to you is to `Go for it`. I found that volunteering at an organization where people are so passionate about their job is very encouraging and motivating, as their results make a difference not only for the Georgia Strait and the marine habitat, but also to BCs future and economy!

An Evening with the Strait

This fall, Karen Jørgensen has joined the GSA team as a volunteer and we're so happy to have her on board.  From time to time, she'll be sharing her experiences of her work with us and our coast as a guest blogger.

***

I had such a lovely evening taking part in Georgia Strait Alliance’s successful fundraising event last Thursday at the Robert Bateman Centre Gallery, in Victoria. Meeting the former environment minister John Cashore, and Doug White who is the chief of the Snuneymuxw First Nation, were just some of the highlights of the evening.

I found it both inspiring and rewarding to have the opportunity to chat with people who have the same interests and concerns as I do about our precious coastline. Talking with these people gave me a sense of hope and encouragement.

Combining the inspirational speeches and chats together with the samples of Denman Island Chocolates, wine and sustainable seafood contributed to an even better evening. In addition to being an enjoyable evening, the event was a fundraiser with all the money raised going towards GSA’s ongoing work in the region.

The Robert Bateman centre gallery certainly was an excellent location for this fundraiser. Each piece of Bateman’s interpretations of nature and wildlife had an individual story to tell. This made for a perfect surrounding for the event as it reminded me how unique and incredible wildlife really is.

For those of you who were not able to join us this time, you can still support our efforts by making a charitable donation. I really do hope to see you at one of our future events!

Meet our Morale Officer, Miss Beazley!

Beazley's first time in a boat

I'm a very fortunate person, for many reasons. Not only do I find my job incredibly rewarding, but I also get to bring my dog to work. I mean, how awesome is that!

Miss Beazley is an Australian Shepherd crossed with I-don't-know-what. She is one of 18 pups born in a barn in Cedar on Vancouver Island, and her new home with me was at the north end of Georgia Strait on Sonora Island.

Beazley Passage between Hoskyn and Okisollo Channels (an ocean rapid pass near our former Discovery Islands home) is the origin of her name. It is a bit of a misnomer as my dog is not only gentle and sweet, but afraid of rough water, while Beazley Pass can be quite a wild ride at full flood.

Beazley is so loveable that our ED Christianne gave her the title of Morale Officer. Having her in the office lifts everyone's spirits, and she's my personal morale officer too. She has been with me through some pretty rough waters, both literally and figuratively.

This line of work can be very challenging, and social and legislative change is often a very time consuming and arduous process, to say the least. So simple little things like bringing Beazley to the office mean the world to me.

Thank you Georgia Strait Alliance! And Beazley says 'woof'!

A final goodbye from our summer outreach coordinators

Well, it’s been a fantastic three months, but it’s time for summer interns Mikaela and Megan to say goodbye and head on back to their university classes. Here are a few thoughts they wish to share about their summer with GSA:

We’ve had a great time working with Georgia Strait Alliance this summer. With just over 30 events stretched over 90 days and spanning 15 cities, it’s been a great way to see our beautiful region and meet hundreds of truly wonderful and friendly British Columbians. We’ve had the opportunity to share our knowledge with people about things we genuinely care about and show them how they can help make a difference in the health of the Strait of Georgia. We’ve heard many varying stances on our work, and every thoughtful opinion has taught us more about the very complex conservation issues so many communities are grappling with in our region. This summer was a great learning experience and a big eye-opener for us.

Hundreds of people stopped at our booths over the summer, keeping us busy even on those rainy days that we were convinced would be a colossal failure. We encountered individuals of all personalities and beliefs; from avid supporters and environmental advocates to business-minded idealists and “conspiracy theorists.” Some stopped and talked to us for hours, while others dropped by briefly just to buy a bumper sticker. We received many donations from generous individuals, and it really made us feel great to be able to help GSA directly by being out there to get these donations.

Enthusiastic M&M in late May (Photo by C. Booler)

For this great summer experience, we are truly grateful to everyone who we have worked with and met during our events. We thank all the event coordinators who organized the amazing events that we attended and those that went the extra mile to help us out with a broken tent or a site map mix-up. We also thank everyone who dropped by to talk to us, and especially those who made us think outside the box. And of course, we thank everyone at GSA (I won’t name them, because they all helped us and they’re all equally amazing!); these amazing people made our summer job more than just a job, and they were more than co-workers and employers. GSA is a tight-knit family unit that we were honoured to be a part of for this short summer.

So thanks everyone for your support, and we hope to see you around! GSA will still be at select events throughout the fall and winter, so don’t forget to check out the events page every now and then.

- Megan and Mikaela

BUT WAIT, I hear you say: what about the poor Mermaid? Weren’t you supposed to rename her? Isn’t that what we’ve all been voting for?

Oh yeah, we’ve got a new name for her. Thanks to the 80 people who voted, we have drawn a name from the voting ballots and that lucky individual will be contacted shortly to get their ToxicSmart prize pack. There are two other lucky individuals who will be getting their own mega-prize packs soon, and those are the two people who entered our winning name. Congratulations Rachel and Claudia for entering our winning name...... (drum-roll please) 

Aria! 

That’s right, folks! You agreed (by a very narrow margin) that our Mermaid was best represented by an “expressive melody.” We also later learned that Aria is the Latin term for air, which seems fitting. Please keep in mind that this name is pronounced Arr-eea (like a pirate), and not Air-eea (like the Disney character), mostly because we prefer it this way. Besides, we had so many adorable little girls entering Ariel as a name over the summer that we quickly grew tired of the idea, plus we want to steer clear of any copyright issues... 

The last issue with our Mermaid’s name is creating her full name. We had originally said we would make it Aria Georgia, but it doesn’t quite have the right ring to it, so we will be keeping the Mermaid’s name as Georgia Aria. These can of course be switched around to your heart’s content; Mermaid names don’t follow the same rules as Human names.

So thanks again everyone for voting, and look for our lovely Aria out on the town at an event near you!