FRIDAY AUGUST 30, 2013 VOL. 40, NO. 14
75¢
including GST
Watch for more online at: WWW.BOWENISLANDUNDERCURRENT.COM
More than a choir
Free riding to the top
The winners
Community choir offers friendship, musical awareness and a lasting legacy
Success at the World Heli Challenge after lots of efforts and some hard falls
Announcing the best of this year’s Bowfest
Making tracks near the fen ATV activity has the potential to damage nature reserve SUSANNE MARTIN EDITOR
A
Jugglers were part of Bowfest that celebrated our Island Paradise on August 24, more on page 6.
Kristin Jarvis photo
Signs encourage islanders to report impaired drivers SUSANNE MARTIN EDITOR
N
ew signs will soon remind islanders not to drive a car or a boat under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The signs were presented to the public at Bowfest on August 24, says Cpl. Nancy Joyce of the Bowen Island RCMP. “Drivers will see the signs posted along four island corridor roads: Dorman Road, Miller Road, Grafton Road and Mt Gardner Road,” she said. “The boating signs will
be placed at both municipal docks (Mt. Gardner and Snug Cove), as well as the Dallas Dock.” The signs read R.I.D. 911 and Joyce explained that this stands for Report Impaired Drivers, an action others are encouraged to take. Joining Joyce at the Bowfest presentation was Tracy Crawford, the chapter services manager for B.C. and the Yukon for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada. Crawford said that the signs encourage the public to pull over and
call 911 if they see a suspected impaired driver. MADD Canada’s mission is to stop impaired driving as well as support the victims of this action, according to the organization’s website. As the leading antiimpaired driving organization in Canada, MADD Canada’s efforts are focused on five key areas: youth services, victim services, public awareness and education, public policy and the advancement of anti-impaired driving technology.
t Fairy Fen, the tracks of ATVs and off-road vehicles are coming dangerously close to the nature reserve, says Jennifer Eliason of the Islands Trust Fund. And the activities pose a threat to the area that only three years ago was one of the least disturbed and ecologically rare fens in southern BC. “Previously, there was evidence that ATVs were operated in the vicinity but now we see tire marks that go right up to edges of the fen,” Eliason said, explaining that the area has been closely monitored over the last months due to growing concern that it could be destroyed despite it protected status. The Fairy Fen Nature Reserve was formerly Crown land and was transferred by the province to the Islands Trust Fund to protect its remarkable biodiversity. The Islands Trust Fund and the Bowen Island Conservancy have posted signs designating the area as vehicle-free but this year, off-road activities like mud bogging have increased. And riding ATVs and dirt bikes close to the fen can have serious impacts. “Creating ruts in the soil can alter the hydrology of the fen,” Eliason explained. “It can change the drainage patterns of the low-lying area where water has collected for millennia. The water flow in and out of the wetland is crucial to this very sensitive ecosystem.” “Many people from the community worked very hard for a number of years to see the fen protected,” said Owen Plowman, president of the Bowen Island Conservancy. “But now, a very small number of people are undoing all that work. The loss of Fairy Fen, especially after it was secured as a nature reserve, would be heartbreaking.”
continued, PAGE 2
continued, PAGE 3
D OF SUMMER CLEARANCE EN 50% OFF ALL SOILS SOILS, MANURE MANURE, MULCH & PEAT WHILE STOCK LASTS, 25 % OFF ALL SUMMER STOCK GARDEN TOOLS, FURNITURE, HOSES ETC. STORE HOURS: MONDAY TO FRIDAY 7:30A.M. TO 5:00 P.M. SATURDAY 8:00A.M. TO 5:00P.M. | CLOSED ON SUNDAY CLOSED LABOUR DAY SEPTEMBER 2ND
BOWEN BUILDING CENTRE
604-947-9622
See us for all of your business needs! We have a great selection of:
Extension Cords Ladders Power Bars Light bulbs Fans Ice Salt Garbage Bags
Shovels Rakes Furnace Filters Cleaners Shop Towels Paint Safety Gear ...and so much more!