Coastal Fire Centre Wildfire News

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Wanted: Grolsch style swing top bottles

I'm looking for some Grolsch style swing top bottles that I can reuse for some of my Kombucha bottling. Any size!

I can pick them up if on island.

Please contact me at agalbraith@capernwray.ca or 250-246-4914

April Galbraith

Free Furnishings & Fixtures

Vanity - sink, drawers/cupboard below. 49" x 28"

Mirrored closet doors, 72" wide x 80" high.

Phone Jamie 780-990-5818

Zandra Burns ~ June 29th

Disaster averted! Ipod found, headphones on...the jazz festival awaits. Grab a program next time you're off island.

I'll be there on the 29th with some talented musicians. Wes Carroll - guitar, and Andrew Cullen - bass. Would be great to see some of the music loving faces I met on Thetis. We're playing at Centennial park on the outdoor stage at 2pm.

Have a great summer Thetis and thanks to all who encouraged, supported or smiled in my direction. It's made the journey much more interesting! 

Best Regards,

Zandra Burns

TIRRA Regular Meeting ~ Thursday, June 19th

Forbes Hall 7PM

Basic agenda includes: 

- committee reports

- treasurer update

- ferries update

- on going Islands Trust re Easton Vance letter

- solid waste update

- voting on bylaw change to give all property owners voting privileges on matters relating to the spending of solid waste parcel tax funds

Ernie Hunter

250-252-0144

thetis@island.net

July 12 Information Meeting for Proposed Burchell Hill Nature Reserve

It is with great pleasure that the Thetis Island Nature Conservancy (ThINC) announces the proposed Nature Reserve Project on Burchell Hill is a GO. An agreement has been reached to purchase 40 acres of Lot 1 Lower Burchell Hill (also known as Thetis Island Lot 320A). We have until the spring of 2017 to raise the required funds. ThINC will be holding an information session on Saturday July 12 from 3 to 5 pm 

at Forbes Hall to explain the details of the agreement and provide information about our fundraising plans. We welcome fundraising ideas from the community.

We would like to thank all of you who pledged early and have been patiently waiting as we negotiated this agreement, which resulted in a substantial reduction in purchase price. We look forward to presenting all the details of this wonderful opportunity to you and to the greater community of Thetis. Come out and find out what it is all about!

The ThINC Board of Directors: Stephanie Cottell, Ann Eriksson, Suzanne Sarioglu, Janice Young, Maureen Loiselle, Roger Hart, and Vicki Walker.

Temporary Youth Employment Opportunity

The Thetis Island Nature Conservancy (ThINC) is looking for a fun-loving, active youth between the ages of 16-19 to assist with our first summer nature day camp.

The program is scheduled to run from Monday July 7 – Friday July 11^th at a variety of locations on the island. The hours are12:30-4:30 Monday – Thursday, 9:00-1:00 on the Friday.  We are offering $12/hr for this position.  Enthusiasm is a must for this job! 

For more information, please contact Vicki Walker by June 17^that 250-246-9126. 

Nature Day-Camp ~ July 7 - 11

Are you going into Grade 3, 4, 5 or 6?

ThINC (Thetis Island Nature Conservancy)

Invites YOU to join our

Summer Nature Camp!

July 7th to 10th  1:00 - 4:00

July 11th 9:30 - 12:30

Exploring, Creating, Learning & Playing!

$25 for the week - MUST register by Tuesday, June 17th

Contact Vicki Walker

 250-246-9126

Fathers Day's Brunch at Telegraph Harbour Bistro

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Wanted ~ Person to do Yard Work

Wanted ~ some person to do General Yard Work, such as grass cutting,etc

Please phone Pat or Val Brown at 250-246-1023

Domain Jasmin Vineyard and Winery Open

Tasting room and wine sales open 12-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Come by and check out the vineyard as it leaps into form with all the heat we've been getting.

 

Denis & Coleen

250 246 9494

New Invasive Pest on Thetis

It looks like the European Fire Ant has made its way to Thetis Island.  Last year we discovered a nest of what looked like red and black ants near our woodshed.  My husband discovered them when he felt bites and looked down at his legs to find them all over his pants.  This year, while thinning apples in a tree, I was bitten by several ants and discovered them all throughout the tree.  

We do not have a definitive identification, but everything seems to indicate that this is what we’re dealing with. We know that they are definitely on Vancouver Island, arriving in potting soil, nursery plants, etc.  When we went to Shar-Kare today to get ant killer to deal with them, the employees told us that they’ve been instructed to inspect all plants carefully to look for European Fire Ants.  According to what I’ve managed to find out about how to get rid of them, sprays, etc. do not work and are not what we really want to use on our property in any event.  The best control seems to be with using ant bait with at least 2% boric acid.  It’s important not to let these ants spread as apparently there are whole parks in the Eastern U.S. which have been closed to the public because of these swarming, biting ants.  

If you think you might have them on your property, act now.  I bought a bottle of ant bait and dripped some on the bark of the apple tree they were infesting.  Within a short period of time, all of the droplets were covered with ants.  They carry the liquid back to feed the nest and in this way, you get the whole population.  Whatever you use, make sure you read the directions carefully.  Ant killer with boric acid as the active ingredient must not be placed where any domestic animals can have contact with it and it must not come in contact with any food sources.  

If you want to know more about the European Fire Ant, here is a bulletin put out by the Invasive Species Council of British Columbia - http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hra/invasivespecies/Publications/European_Fire_Ants_in_BC.pdf.  It contains instruction on how to collect specimens for identification - which we will do so we can positively identify our ant.

Pat English