Bowen Island Undercurrent, June 21, 2013

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FRIDAY JUNE 21, 2013 VOL. 39, NO. 4

75¢

including GST

Watch for more online at: WWW.BOWENISLANDUNDERCURRENT.COM

Take a hike

BIG gears up for a fundraising event that benefits youth leadership program

Get creative

Bowfest board asks islanders to submit their ideas for this year’s logo

Give ride sharing a chance

Bowen Lift plans a practice week with music and instructions on the ferry

Water from the roof This is the first article in a series that examines Bowen Island’s water issues SUSANNE MARTIN EDITOR

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It’s a game that celebrates spirit and participation and IPS students love playing it - Ultimate. More on page 12. Debra Stringfellow photo

Prompt service, good food, great prices DEBRA STRINGFELLOW CONTRIBUTOR

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ast week, the Bowen Island Community Foundation presented Snug Cove House Society with a cheque from the Maggie Cumming’s Estate to support the Better Meals program. April Sear, along with her daughter Kim Sear, travels to Burnaby every two weeks to pick up soups, entrees and desserts from a company called Better Meals and hand deliver the food

to Bowen Island clients. This service has been available to local residents for about 12 years. The client base fluctuates and six Bowen islanders currently utilize the service. “We have had a small increase in subscribers since we did the seniors’ dining brochure that promotes the service but we’d really like to be serving about 15 people on the island,” says Murray Atherton, vice chair of Snug Cove House Society. The meals are very reasonable, start-

ing at only $6 for an entree which includes a free dessert and soup. This program offers diabetic meal plans, low sodium and even pureed meals. It also has a la carte items that include individual entrees such as beef stew, baked lasagna, salmon teriyaki and home-made pies. For more information about the Better Meals program, contact Snug Cove House Society at 604-947-0333. To check out the menu and food offerings, go to www.bettermeals.ca.

ric Lawson has accumulated approximately 13 years of data relating to the weather on Bowen Island. He recently enlisted Dominique Kluyskens’ help to determine whether Bowen’s weather patterns have undergone any changes over the last decade. “I’ve taken the data for the last 13 years and have combined them on a season by season basis to see if there was an evolution of rainfall,” Kluyskens said, adding that 13 years are not usually enough time to conclusively predict a trajectory. But the graphs he created have shown a clear trend - one that he feels Bowen Islanders need to be aware of. “Over the summers, rainfall has decreased quite steadily. An average of 200 mm over the summer months has gone down to 75 mm. That is quite a hefty decrease. There is some evolution here to be noticed.” Lawson explained that as summer months he is counting July, August and September. For the winter, he looks at January, February and March. And he has seen a change there as well. “In the winter, there has been an increase in rainfall,” Kluyskens said, adding that the change is less dramatic than the decrease in the summer, but it is noticeable as well. “The other seasons are pretty stable,” Kluyskens said. “But the changes we’ve seen could lead to serious water problems. They could have consequences that can be dangerous for the island.” Both Lawson and Kluyskens believe that a shift in policy and regulations could effectively address the issue. And they have seen examples in other places of the world that could serve as models. Lawson has lived in Bermuda and Kluyskens in the Caribbean. “In Bermuda, it is mandatary of have a 50,000 gallon capacity cistern,” Lawson said, adding that he stayed in a house where showers and toilets for about 16 people where all fed by water from the roof. “On islands where there are similar problems, municipalities have asked for water storage systems,” Klyusken explains. “A lot of islands are independent from exterior water supplies and only rely on cisterns. A similar approach could be good for our municipal budget.” continued, PAGE 2


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