Kick-starting cross-border organizing to protect the Salish Sea

I’m writing this from a ferry in the middle of the Georgia Strait, on my way back to Vancouver from our cross-border town hall about fossil fuel exports in the Salish Sea.

Talking at the town hall, with the tanker route
and the San Juan Island meeting in the background
Photo by Megan Spencer

A few hours ago, I was standing on a bluff just outside Victoria overlooking Haro Strait, speaking to concerned residents about the Kinder Morgan pipeline. At the same moment, allies across the border were holding their own town hall meeting about fossil fuels, just 13 kilometres across the Kinder Morgan tanker route, on San Juan Island in Washington. 

We were there to highlight the combined impacts of all the fossil fuel projects currently proposed for the Salish Sea, learn lessons from campaigns on both sides of the border, and kick-start a new wave of cross-border organizing to prevent the Salish Sea from being turned into a global carbon corridor.

We heard from Eoin at the Wilderness Committee about how community campaigns against coal in the Lower Mainland have blossomed in recent months, inspired by successes south of the border. I spoke about the environmental impacts of an oil spill in the Georgia Strait, and how unprepared we are to deal with a major spill of conventional crude at current levels of traffic, let alone a six-fold increase in tankers carrying diluted bitumen. A Victoria whale watching company, Orca Spirit, expressed their concerns about increasing tanker traffic, given their reliance on a vibrant, healthy ocean for their income. Torrance from the Wilderness Committee emphasized that the Salish Sea is one ecosystem and one climate, and we need to treat it that way if we are to be successful in our organizing.

Signing the petition to Premier Clark & WA Governor Inslee
Photo by Megan Spencer

We then made a cross-channel phone call to Stephanie from Friends of the San Juans, who shared the inspiring story of how a diverse coalition managed to defeat 3 coal export projects in the Pacific Northwest, and mobilize 100,000 people to speak out against the expansion of the Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point. Folks in Victoria shared stories and asked questions of their counterparts on San Juan and vice versa.

We wrapped up by pledging to continue to work together and find new ways to link up citizens who share these concerns to take action and put pressure on decision-makers on both sides of the border, and signing a petition to Premier Christy Clark and Washington Governor Jay Inslee, asking them to work more closely together to protect the Salish Sea. Watch this space to find out how you can sign it and get involved.

It was a really inspiring day, and a perfect way to launch our Save the Salish Sea campaign on Vancouver Island!

PS. Check out some more lovely photos from the meeting on our Facebook page.

Be a Wise Whale and Wildlife Watcher

Exploring the Whale Museum in Telegraph Cove (Photo by R. Spencer)

A couple weeks ago, I went up island with my family to do some whale and wildlife watching. Not only did we see belted kingfishers and a pair of sea lions and bald eagles, but we were lucky enough to glimpse a pod of northern resident killer whales and two humpback whales passing through Johnston Strait!  It was a thrilling experience for us, but I couldn’t help but notice some of the visitors and commercial operators were not following all the guidelines of our Wise Whale and Wildlife Watcher Pledge. If you’re planning an end of the summer camping or wildlife watching trip, it might be handy to review these guidelines, or Take the Pledge yourself!

As a recreational or commercial boater travelling in sensitive waters (like the Georgia Strait) it is very important to:

Be cautious and courteous. Marine mammals can be very cryptic creatures, and it is your responsibility as a boat operator to use caution while travelling through their habitat.
 

Slow down. Reduce speed to less than 7 knots when within 400 metres/yards to the nearest marine mammal, avoiding abrupt course changes.
 

*On our whale watching trip, the skipper was in constant communication with killer whale researchers positioned up the adjacent hillside. They would update him on their position, and make appropriate recommendations on how fast and what direction our boat should go (pretty neat!).
 

Avoid approaching closer than 100 metres/yards to any marine mammals or birds.
 

Limit your viewing time to a recommended maximum of 30 minutes to minimize the cumulative impact of many vessels and give consideration to other viewers.
 

Large male killer whale in Johnston Strait (Photo by R. Spencer)

*On our whale watching trip, the skipper was very attentive to our proximity to the whales, and the duration of our time in the strait. When it was safe, he manoeuvred our boat away from the whales, making sure to not approach them from behind, driving parallel to them, and allowing other boats to take our place.
 

Following these guidelines is an excellent start to your whale or wildlife watching experience. However, if you decide to book a tour with a commercial operation, I would recommend still doing some background research! For instance, TripAdvisor reviews of BC whale watching tours provides a useful starting point.
 

Interested in learning a bit more about killer whales, and what you can do to help protect them? Check out these useful links:
 

1) Read our Killer Whale Species At Risk Profile to learn more about resident, transient and offshore populations.
 

2) Be ToxicSmart! Reduce the use of toxic chemicals in your home. Make your home ToxicSmart and your garden pesticide free to help reduce toxins in the marine food chain.
 

 
Enjoy your last bit of summer sunshine! 

~Megan~

It's time to name our Mermaid - join the fun and win!

Here I am enjoying the 100th annual Coombs Fair! (Photo M. Wilson)

Hi everyone; it's your favourite mermaid here, asking for some help choosing my new name. Georgia Strait Alliance's Outreach Coordinators Mikaela and Megan have worked tirelessly all summer to get as many name choices as possible for me to choose from, and over 300 wonderful people contributed! Now the staff at GSA have narrowed all these names down to just five (plus one honorary entry). The problem is, these five name choices are all so beautiful I just can't choose my favourite, so I need some help from all of you. Please send Mikaela an email with your favourite name (just pick one, okay?) and she'll start a tally. The name that gets the most votes will be my new name and the person who suggested it will win a prize! And by voting online or at one of our Outreach events, you'll be automatically entered to win a ToxicSmart prize pack! Who can resist that?

Here are the great names you get to choose from:

• Aria (pronounced Arr-eea): an Italian term for an expressive melody.
• Indigo: the colour of intuition and perception.
• Marina: a graceful way to show my aquatic side (also a great place to moor your boat!).
• Salisha (pronounced Sal-ee-sha): an interpretation of the Salish Sea.
• Sirena (pronounced Sigh-ree-na): a variation of the beautiful Greek Sirens.

Aren't they beautiful? Oh, and there's one more entry, one I put in myself. I'm still so attached to my old name, Georgia, that I will accept votes for that name too! If Georgia is your favourite name, feel free to vote for it. If it gets the most votes, then I'll keep my old name, and the top suggested name will still win a prize. And I'm going to cheat a little; if Georgia doesn't get the most votes, the winning name will be my first name, and Georgia will become my middle name (I just can't let go of this great name!).

So go ahead and vote everyone, and thank you so much for helping me with this tough decision!

- The Mermaid formerly known as Georgia

Calling all Volunteers! How YOU can protect the Georgia Strait

Tacking on extra experience to your resume, networking and meeting people from diverse backgrounds or simply boosting your karma and self-worth, all are common reasons we sign up to volunteer.  A quick surf of the internet illuminates thousands of ways to provide your time free of charge – you could be cleaning houses, fundraising for charities, or perhaps advocating for a cleaner and healthier environment. And as our busy lives leave us little time to idle, you want to make sure the organization you volunteer with is not only accommodating of your schedule, but provides you with meaningful work and reasonable responsibilities!

To get some perspective on volunteering (particularly with Georgia Strait Alliance) I chatted with our awesome volunteer Jessie Russell.  She shared her thoughts on the structure of our organization, and why our programs and campaigns motivate her as a volunteer. Take it as a testimonial for how your volunteer journey could begin with GSA!

Jessie began volunteering with us this summer, using her past experience in public outreach to help Mikaela and I host GSA displays at events around the Georgia Strait. I had the pleasure of working with her at our Paddlefest Vancouver display, and was very impressed with her energy and knowledge of GSA programs and environmental issues. Clearly she is comfortable engaging the public in such discussions, and public outreach is the correct area of GSA for her placement!  

GSA volunteer Jessie models our Stewards of the Strait Pledge Card
Photo by M. Spencer

When asked about volunteering, Jessie noted that she loves meeting and speaking with all sorts of people, and that she “especially enjoys speaking with people who have different opinions than [her] and then having a conversation in which [they] can find common ground.” And as a biology student, she is pleased that many of our staff and board members have scientific backgrounds, and work to maintain a solution-based organization.

I then asked Jessie if she had a volunteering experience or moment that resonated with her, and this is what she described:

“One of the moments of this summer that keeps coming back to me happened at Langley National Aboriginal Day. A boy, about 11 years old, came up to me and asked me what the Georgia Strait Alliance was about and what we were doing. When I explained about the Save the Salish Sea campaign, he nodded knowingly. He had, as it turned out, done a school project on the expansion of the Kinder Morgan pipeline. He had chosen that topic specifically. When I asked him how he felt about a second Kinder Morgan pipeline-he looked at the ground in silence for a while. Then he looked up as if to speak as he shook his head back and forth, finally he said, "it's bad, it's very bad." He couldn't quite get the words out to describe how much he did not want this project. I think often of this boy and the passion he had to protect the rivers and the ocean.”

Like Jessie, we have all had critical discussions with those around us, be it a friend, family member, or kindly passer-by. However, they often end in a “So what?” or “Well what can WE actually do about it?” By volunteering with GSA, you have the opportunity to host such critical conversations, and offer practical solutions our organization supports. And of course you can always check our website for the latest Urgent Actions, such as sharing your opinion about increasing tanker traffic and pipeline expansion plans in our ecologically rich Georgia Strait region.

If you would like to begin your volunteer journey with GSA, we welcome your help! With Current Volunteer Opportunities ranging from joining our Clean Marine BC green boating and marine eco-rating team, to community events, shoreline cleanups, office assistance and more,  there is bound to be a position right for you.

Find something intriguing on our Current Volunteer Opportunities page? If you are interested, please fill out our Volunteer Form, and we will get back to you in hopes of matching you with fulfilling volunteer opportunities.

We look forward to hearing from you!

~Megan

Swim Guide App and Website Can Help Vancouverites Find the Best Quality Beaches

Over the summer, we have the pleasure of having Bryan Nordley join us as our Communications Assistant.  Here, he shares with us some of his thoughts on our oceans.

The sunshine, the seemingly endless daylight and the heat of summer make the great Strait of Georgia a beckoning beacon of an oceanic playground which most of us will enjoy at one point or another this summer.  As Vancouverites know, beach life in Vancouver is a meca for recreational fun and play. Whether it is a view of our striking skyline, or blissful blue horizon of English Bay and the Strait, or the spectacular North Shore mountains, Vancouver’s dynamic coastal views and active beachgoers  have given it a reputation as a beach city.  Vancouver actually makes it to number 10 on National Geographic’s Top Ten Beach Cities.  But it is important to remember that amongst the beauty and seaside ambience, most coastal waters have their health risks.  With major population centers growing around North America’s coastal waters, every beach city can pose an inherent risk to our health if we are not cautious.

Photo by Bryan Nordley 

Increased urbanization around the sea has an impact on the surrounding environment. Sewage, pesticides, and fertilizer run off as well as garbage and plastics are just some of the factors that can affect the quality of our beaches, the lives of marine organisms that inhabit the environment and our own personal health. Swimming in contaminated waters can have serious health consequences  such as skin rashes, respiratory problems, ear infections, stomach problems and even more serious illness like hepatitis and meningitis. 

Thankfully, environmental advocates and the government test our waters to inform citizens when pollution levels or bacteria levels are high enough to be hazardous to the health of the individual.  For Vancouverites, Vancouver Coastal Health created the Canadian Recreational Water Guidelines and makes sure that Vancouver beach waters are sampled during swimming season to comply with these guidelines.  Vancouver Coastal Health has established a level of 200 coliform bacteria per 100 mls of water in recreational areas providing a geometric mean over the most recent 30 days.  Levels above 200 are considered unsafe to swim in since they can behazardous to human health.   

Photo by Bryan Nordley 

A great way to know the quality and any potential health hazards of a beach is through websites and downloadable apps like the Swim Guide.  The Swim Guide was created by a Toronto branch of the Water Keepers Alliance, an international organization started by Robert F Kennedy Jr which protects some 100,000 miles of river, streams and coastline in North America, Europe, Australia, Asia, and Africa.

This great guide is a user friendly way to find local beaches within Canada and the United States and check the status and monitoring of those beaches. Using Google maps and your smart phone location, the website and app pinpoint all major local beaches within a vicinity giving the total number of beaches and the color status of each beach.

Beaches that appear in green have a current status of swimmable and healthy, currently meeting water quality standards and shows when this status was last confirmed by Water Keepers.  A status of yellow means that the beach passes water quality tests 0-95% of the time.  If a beach has the status of red it means that the beach fails to meet water quality standards at least 40% of the time and is likely to be hazardous to your health. Finally beaches with a grey status are either untested or recent and reliable water quality information is not available.

In addition to the most recent status of a beach, almost all beaches included on this website have a historical status chart showing their history typically going back to 2011 and showing the percentage of beach closures throughout the year. The Swim Guide also gives a brief description of each individual beach, as well as photos, and highlights featured beaches throughout North America.

Although the cleanliness of beach waters varies throughout North America, in Southern California, one of North America’s prime beach hubs, hallmark beaches in our sister city Los Angeles like Santa Monica Pier often maintain a dismal historical status of red throughout the swimming season with closures in effect 54% of last summer’s swimming season and 30% closure rate in 2012.  An article in the NY times “Surfs Up, but the Water is Brown,” from 2007 illustrates some of the issues of beach pollution and cleanliness examining the LA area.

However, Vancouverites should be proud of the cleanliness of their beaches. Over the past three years, notorious beaches like Spanish Banks,  English Bay and Kitsilano have held a status of green open for swimming 100% of the swimming season, continuing our cities strive and record for environmental cleanliness.