Soup's On - Wednesday, February 19

11:30 am until 1:00 pm

Gather at Forbes Hall for a very Thetis Island lunch...

Menu:
Vegetable Barley Soup (veg)
Cornbread
Assorted Goodies
Teas and Coffee

Suggested donation of $7 for soup, bread, treats and teas & coffee.

For those who find large groups challenging, enjoy your lunch in our designated quiet room, the Boardroom.

Everyone is welcome to join us, seniors, seniors who don’t think they’re seniors, workers, families, and everyone who just wants a mid-day meal!

Menu remainders for take-out when available. Soup’s On also supports the Thetis Island Food Pantry.

Coupon Booklets of 10 for your convenience, $70.00

The Soup’s On Team

Sunday Church Late Notice

The speaker today is David Banks.
Continuing the message on the Holy Spirit.

10 AM at the Community Centre, all are welcome.

Further info---Ernie 250-252-0144. 

Soup’s On: Wednesday, February 19

11:30 am until 1:00 pm

Gather at Forbes Hall for a very Thetis Island lunch...

Menu

• Vegetable Barley Soup (veg)
• Cornbread
• Assorted Goodies
• Teas and Coffee

Suggested donation of $7 for soup, bread, treats and teas & coffee. 

For those who find large groups challenging, enjoy your lunch in our designated quiet room, the Boardroom.

Everyone is welcome to join us, seniors, seniors who don’t think they’re seniors, workers, families, and everyone who just wants a mid-day meal!

Menu remainders for take-out when available. Soup’s On also supports the Thetis Island Food Pantry.

Coupon Booklets of 10 for your convenience, $70.00 

The Soup’s On Team

Why We Need TIRRA... the Visitors' Guide

The Visitors' Guide was started to provide a low-cost brochure where small island businesses and services could be listed and their contact information made available to visitors to the island. It's freely distributed from island businesses like the marinas and shops, and at the Chemainus Visitors' Information Centre, and from the ferry booth.

It's a venue where, for instance, the Fire Department can put in some guidelines, and TIRRA can put in reminders about things like garbage disposal. It's just a useful service. Doing it does require some familiarity with a layout program, but it's a pretty simple template to use. Or you can change the template if you want to try out a new idea. The point is just to keep it very affordable and an even playing field for the local businesses (the cost of listing is just the printing cost - an even split among all participants on a per-line basis.)

I started it after I heard a few people saying how useful something like that would be, and Grae and I had just started our B&B so we were looking for ways to advertise that would also serve other businesses like ours. Now, after about 20 years, it seemed like a good idea to have it sit under TIRRA's umbrella, so it can carry on.

Thanks for reading!

(another in the series of short notes on what TIRRA does for us all, and why we need it.)

Veronica for the TIRRA Executive Board

Blue Cottage Bread - Sunday

SOURDOUGH SUNDAY
Blue Cottage Bread is available today at Telegraph Harbour Marina Cafe

3 Varieties to choose from:
CLASSIC SOURDOUGH
SUNFLOWER FLAX SOURDOUGH
AGED CHEDDAR JALAPENO SOURDOUGH

Did you know Sourdough is better for your gut health?
Tracy

BC Bats Show No Sign of Infection from White-nose Syndrome – Public Asked to Report Dead Bats

Thetis Island, BC - The BC Community Bat Programs, in collaboration with the Province of BC, are asking the public for help in the effort to detect and prevent the spread of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats.  Residents are urged to report any bat activity observed in winter and any sick or dead bats found before May 31^st.

There have not been any bats with WNS found to date in BC, but Pseudogymnoascus Destructans (Pd), the fungus that causes the disease, was confirmed in 2022 in the Boundary Region.  Recently, the B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship released results from 413 samples taken last winter and spring, and they all came back as negative.  “This was surprising, but great news, as bats with WNS have been confirmed in Alberta and in northern Washington State, just south of the border,” says Rob Welsh, Thetis Island coordinator for the BC Community Bat Programs. 

First detected in New York State in 2006, the disease continues to spread, with detections in northwestern and central Washington and in south-central Alberta. The fungus does not cause disease in humans and pets, but WNS has devastated North American bat populations. The fungus attacks bats while they are hibernating, growing on their faces to give an appearance of a white nose. Bats often wake to clean the fungus from their skin. This uses valuable energy, and eventually the bats die from starvation. 

 “Across North America, millions of bats have been killed, and seven of our 15 BC species could be severely affected by the disease,” says Welsh.  The Little Brown Myotis and the Northern Myotis are both listed as Endangered in Canada due to WNS.  Though there is not yet a proven cure for WNS, several promising treatment options are being developed, and it may be possible to mitigate the effects of this wildlife health crisis. 

If you find a dead bat or have sightings of winter bat activity, please report to the BC Community Bat Programs online at www.bcbats.ca , via email at rmwelsh@telus.net or by calling 1-855-922-2287 ext. 12.  All live bats should be left alone — keep your distance, snap a photo and report it to the BC Community Bat Programs. If you must move a bat, visit www.bcbats.ca for advice and never touch a bat with your bare hands. Please note that if you or your pet has been in direct contact with the bat you will need further information regarding the risk of rabies to you and your pet.  Contact the BC Community Bat Programs for more information.  “The more bat reports from the public that we receive, the better we can understand how WNS might spread and affect local bat populations,” says Welsh.

“The bats of BC are key predators of many night-flying insects.  They are essential parts of BC’s ecosystems and provide a huge economic benefit by helping control agricultural, forest, and urban pests,” says Welsh.  In partnership with the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, the BC Community Bat Programs provide information and promote local stewardship and citizen science.  The BC Community Bat Programs Thetis Island Region extends its gratitude to partners involved in bat conservation including the Islands Trust Conservancy, HAT, and ThINC.   The programs are supported by funding from the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Forest Enhancement Society of BC, the Habitat Stewardship Program, the Province of BC, and the Thetis Island Nature Conservancy. You can find out more about the BC Community Bat Programs and options for helping local bat populations at www.bcbats.ca, rmwelsh@telus.net, or 1-855-922-2287, ext. 12.

Photos:

1.      White-nose syndrome occurrence map – by year (2025). Downloaded 2025-01-14.  Available at https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/where-is-wns

2. White-nose syndrome is caused by a fungus that covers the skin and wings of bats while they are hibernating.  Reporting any winter sightings or dead bats helps researchers monitor and learn about bats. Photo: Jordi Segers

Contact:

Rob Welsh, Thetis Island Region Coordinator, BC Community Bat Program

Toll free line. 1-855-922-2287 ext. 12.

Cell: 604-838-2575

Email: rmwelsh@telus.net

Website: www.bcbats.ca

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bcbats

Instagram: BC Community Bat Program (@gotbats) • Instagram photos and videos

click map to view in full-size

Jollity on Saturday ... still slippery

For folks coming to pick up milk, eggs, veggies etc. there is an area just past our gate that is still very icy. The spring runs every day, then freezes up at night.

Please walk up from the parking lot at the kiosk if you aren't sure your vehicle is good on ice.

Botanical Pear on tap for Kombucha this week.

With thanks,

Jollity Farmers

New Community Bulletin Board at Forbes Hall

A new Community Board has been installed on the outside of Forbes Hall, notice it to your right before entering, it’s by the Boardroom.

Please feel free to post your organization’s notices and bulletins, things you may have for sale or are looking for, job offerings, or services you might offer.  The one indoors will continue to be available. 

The Bulletin Board will be monitored and kept tidy by volunteers.

Thanks go to Ron Bannister and Bill Dickie for their work. 

TICA Board

What TIRRA Does... the Trails Committee

Islanders are islanders because of the extraordinary beauty of our natural environment. But we have no public parks on the Thetis - it's virtually all private property or nature conservancy reserve land, or in the case of the Meadow Valley trail, part is actually owned by TIRRA. The network of Trails on the island represents one of the most striking and unusual aspects of this wonderful community. Every step you take through the magical forests and meadows in our trail system, is because of the generosity and trust of private owners and the management of TIRRA or ThINC.

Most of these trails would not exist without the TIRRA Trails Committee, whose dedicated volunteers negotiated licenses with the various private owners involved, and who are out there regularly monitoring and maintaining the trails for safety and accessibility. The summer 2024 issue of the Quarterly (https://www.thetisisland.net/tica/Quarterly/Thetis_Island_Quarterly_Summer_2024_colour.pdf) goes into detail about the different Trails and their management. 

How much poorer Thetis would be without this wonderful service that TIRRA is able to support. You can't have licenses or insurance, which provides access, without that umbrella organization to stand behind them. One more reason we need to support TIRRA, so it can support these dedicated Trails volunteers!

(another in the series of short notes on what TIRRA does for us all, and why we need it.)

Thank you for reading,
TIRRA Executive Board

Thank You!

We are so appreciative of Jaime White (and family) of Telegraph Harbour Marina for their support for the TIVFD. Today Jaime facilitated transportation to and from Penelakut Island so that our three FR Instructors could put on a refresher workshop for the Educational Assistants at the Penelakut Elementary School. We could not have been as organized and efficient without Jaime’s contribution.

We also passed along to the Band Office the full envelope of the Thetis Island donations collected by the TIVFD for the families that went through the devastating fire last month. We drove past the remains of the razed buildings and burned vehicles and were amazed that there had been no serious injuries.

Thanks again Jaime and thank you to the Thetis Island community for your support of our Penelakut neighbours.

Thetis Island Vol. Fire Dept.

Free Coffee Table

Hello, we have a glass and wooden coffee table free for the taking! It is in good condition, but one area requires a bit of wood glue. Dimensions: 48'' (w) x 29'' (d) x 16'' (h).

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1410145453202138?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A623f1d93-bdd0-4ba5-97ad-8529c02235df

If interested, please contact Charlotte at cfesnoux@gmail.com
Thanks!

3-Course Dinner at Thetis Island Pub – February 14th

We still have a few seats available if you'd like to join us for dinner tonight, but
we are filling up.

Give us a call if you'd still like to join, and we'll see where we can fit you in!

And for you darts players, we'll have to move darts to Saturday this week instead of Friday.

Have a great Friday everyone!

Kelsey and the Thetis Island Pub Team
thetisislandresorts@gmail.com
250 - 246 - 3464