THURSDAY JULY 19, 2018 VOL. 44, NO. 27
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BOWEN TRAIL SOCIETY
BITS will be doing some much-needed maintenance and they want your help!
GOODBYE, NORMA
THE GOLDEN TICKETS
The longtime marina owner is leaving Bowen The Dock Dance is celebrating 27 years and the in a few weeks. Undercurrent wants your best stories from events past.
Just keep swimming
DFO assures locals that red algae bloom is safe for humans BRONWYN BEAIRSTO EDITOR
Parts of the ocean around Bowen look like someone’s spilled gallons and gallons of tomato soup, but it’s just a Noctiluca scintillans bloom. “Noctiluca is a non-toxic species of algae,” said Elysha Gordon, Canadian shellfish sanitation program coordinator for Department of Fisheries and Oceans. “[It] does not hurt humans if they swim in this bloom.” Since last Friday evening, the algae has prompted worry on social media about “red tide.” “Red tide” popularly applies to harmful or toxic algae blooms. Such blooms include the algae that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), which is relatively common along the B.C. coast. When bivalves (think mussels, oysters, and clams) ingest the algae and then humans consume the shellfish, the toxins can cause severe and potentially fatal neurological illness. “Most people think the PSP variant is red, but it’s colourless,” said Gordon. She said that the “red tide” misnomer may come from the fact that multiple species of algae often bloom at once, including red/orange algae.
While Bowen’s current case of algae is non-toxic, it doesn’t eliminate the gross factor. “Most people don’t want to swim in the water when it is bright red or orange,” said Gordon. Bowen beaches may have sanitary closures due to e.coli levels, though. For that information check: bowenislandmunicipality.ca/beaches.
Derek Ing faces-off with a menacing figure: a life-sized bear. The bear is one of local artist Guthrie Gloag’s creations. Gloag and painter Di Izdebski opened their first show together last week. For more pictures of the event see Bowen Beat. Photo: David McCullum
Murray Skeels not seeking second term as mayor BRONWYN BEAIRSTO EDITOR
There’ll be at least one new face at council meetings this fall. Mayor Murray Skeels told the Undercurrent Tuesday morning that he would not be running in the October 20 election.
This was Skeels’ first term as mayor. “I decided it was time to get on with my retirement,” said Skeels. “It’s been four years of more work than I anticipated,” he chuckled. Skeels says he looks forward to using his newfound free time to play golf, garden and travel.
All told though, Skeels says he’s pleased with his term as mayor. “There’s less conflict,” he said, “we’ve managed to make local government boring.” In a 2014 question and answer with the Undercurrent, Skeels listed a “boring” council, manageble staff workload and beach protection as
his priorities. “I’m pretty happy with the state of the island now,” he said. No other council members or potential candidates have contacted the Undercurrent. Nomination packages for Bowen Island mayor and council are available at BIM starting July 23.