Welcome to thetisposts.ca
Feel free to send us bits & pieces of information and interest, photos to share and notices of upcoming events etc.
Use the contact page or e-mail us directly.
Looking for Rental
Friday, February 7, 2020 at 11:19PM Looking for a place to rent.
Been on the island for 12 years.
If the place needs cleaning or fixing, we can do it.
We do have a dog and two cats.
Thank you,
Connie
Email address is drawers64@hotmail.com
Haida Filmmaker: Short Documentary
Friday, February 7, 2020 at 12:44PM Link below for a short documentary by Haida Filmmaker, Christopher Auchter
... two brothers carve their community’s first totem pole in nearly a century.
This film is part of a special Op-Docs series of short documentaries at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
In the late 19th century, the Canadian government outlawed the cultural practices of Indigenous people. Potlatches, a central ceremony where totem poles were raised, were banned in 1885. The ceremonies were driven underground, and totem poles — pillars of Pacific Northwest Indigenous culture — were destroyed or taken away.
The Potlatch ban was lifted in 1951, but many traditions were deeply affected.
Until 1969, that summer, 22-year-old Robert Davidson and his brother, Reg Davidson, led the carving of the first totem pole raised in their small Canadian town in nearly a century. As Haida people, they returned to their community a pole, monumental in scale and significance. A Haida renaissance had begun.
A 1970 film titled “This Was the Time” documented that occasion, but it left a lot unsaid. With access to the same archive, the Haida filmmaker Christopher Auchter captures the legacy of that bold act of defiance in the short documentary above.
Virginia J. Vitzthum
Islands Trust: Climate Action Focused Budget Review Survey
Friday, February 7, 2020 at 12:38PM Please connect with the survey by using either of the following links:
https://www.facebook.com/IslandsTrust
Survey closes Sunday, February 9, 11:59PM.
Community Bat Program ~ for Immediate Release
Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at 8:25PM WANTED: REPORTS OF DEAD BATS AND WINTER BAT SIGHTINGS
PUBLIC HELP IS ESSENTIAL FOR MONITORING FOR BAT DISEASE
Date: Feb 4, 2020
BC bats are threatened by disease, and researchers continue to ask the public for help. White-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease responsible for the death of millions of bats in eastern North America, is spreading on the west coast.
Confirmed to the west and east of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State, just 150 km south of the BC-US border, the presence of the fungus is very worrisome for the health of our bat populations. The disease has near 100% mortality for some species of bats exposed to the fungus, including the familiar Little Brown Bat. Although devastating for bats, WNS does not affect humans.
Tracking the spread of the disease relies on public assistance. “Detection of WNS in BC is challenging because our bats hibernate alone or in small groups across the province” says Mandy Kellner, provincial coordinator with the BC Community Bat Program. “To monitor the spread of the disease, we need more eyes on the ground. Outdoor enthusiasts and homeowners with roosts on their property may be the first to find evidence of trouble.”
Signs of the disease include unusual bat activity in winter and the appearance of dead bats outdoors as they succumb to the effects of WNS. “We are encouraging the public to report dead bats or any sightings of winter bat activity to your BC Community Bat Program Coordinator. Bat carcasses will be submitted for testing for white-nose syndrome and would provide the earliest indication of the presence of the disease in BC” says Kellner. Reports of winter bat activity will help focus research, monitoring and protection efforts.
While bats are generally hibernating out of sight this time of year, not every winter bat sighting signals disaster. Bats often hibernate by themselves in a woodpile or basement entryway. If possible, these sleeping bats should be left alone – keep your distance, snap a photo, and report to your BC Community Bat Program Coordinator.
Bat are also occasionally spotted flying on relatively warm winter days or evenings. Healthy bats may wake up to drink or even eat, if insects are active. Enjoy these sightings, and remember to let us know when and where winter bat activity was observed.
If you find a dead bat, report it to your BC Community Bat Program Coordinator as soon as possible for further information. Never touch a dead 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.
Currently there are no treatments for White Nose Syndrome. However, mitigating other threats to bat populations and preserving and restoring bat habitat may provide bat populations with the resilience to rebound. This is where the BC Community Bat Program and the general public can help. Funded by the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, the Forest Enhancement Society of BC, the Province of BC, and the Habitat Stewardship Program, the BC Community Bat Program works with the government and local partners (ThINC) on public outreach activities, public reports of roosting bats in buildings, our citizen-science bat monitoring program, and developing bat-friendly communities.
To contact your Thetis Island BC Community Bat Program Coordinator, please call or email Rob Welsh at 250-246- 1547 or rmwelsh@telus.net.
Map: White-nose syndrome occurrence map – by year (2020). Data last uploaded 8/30/2019. Available at https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/where-is-wns
Little brown bat with WNS – photo by Alan Hicks, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - A hibernating Little Brown Bat showing visible signs of the fungus.
A Silver-haired Bat hibernates in a woodshed in Victoria. Photo – Habitat Acquisition Trust.
West Coast Seed Fundraiser
Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at 8:16PM Thank you to all our island gardeners who purchased seeds this past month!
The students and parents of Thetis Elementary are so grateful for your continued generosity and support!
If you have purchased seeds through our fundraiser and have not yet received a confirmation email from us, please contact us at tipaorders@gmail.com.
Also, if your order number is any of the following, please contact us at the email address above, as soon as possible: #1054, #1055, #1132 or #1141.
Once we have a few final details sorted out your orders will be on their way! Please stay tuned for pick up information!
Andrea Gall - TIPA Pres.
Forage Fish Workshop: Feb 13
Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at 8:15PM On Thursday, Feb 13 from 12 pm to 2 pm, Haley Tomlin from the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute (MABRRI) from Vancouver Island University will be at the Portal Nature House (254 North Cove Rd) to teach interested Thetis Islanders about MABRRI’s forage fish citizen science project.
Come for a refresher, or to learn how to monitor a beach near you for Pacific sand lance and surf smelt spawning.
Everyone is welcome.
If you are already a volunteer, bring your samples along for processing
For more information call Ann at 250-246-8176.
Thank you from the ThINC board.
News Release - March 2020 Islands Trust Council Program Announced
Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at 8:14PM Thetis Island Local Trust Committee: Notice of Business Meeting
Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at 8:13PM to be held at 9:00 am on Tuesday, February 11, 2020
at Royal Canadian Legion, Chemainus Branch 191
9775 Chemainus Road, Chemainus, BC
Wil Cottingham
Office Administrative Assistant
Islands Trust-Northern Office
SOAS Service Auction Details
Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at 8:11PM ELLEN HRAD: 2hrs. yard work with 2 adults and 3 children. No power tools or construction. No work on gutters.
CECILIA INNESS: 5 hand crafted cards for special occasions – as you require them. Would like 1 week notice.
CAROL SWANN: A Custom soap loaf (7 bars plus 2 travel bars) value $60 for the winner of this item. Choose from oatmeal soap for sensitive skin, goats milk soap, or scrubby soap with pumice, plus your choice of scent and colour.
MIKE INNESS: Repair /tune up garden equipment. Parts extra. No outboard motors or leaf blowers.
LOISELLE: We will transport up to 4 people aboard Grail Dancer to 3 island destinations: Galiano, Salt Spring, and North Pender. Bus service is available on these islands and you would arrange your own B&B and dinner. We will provide lunches. Itinerary: Friday-Galiano, Saturday-Salt Spring Sunday-North Pender- Monday back to Thetis. Suggested dates: from May 15 to May 31. Contact us for plan details.
TRAVIS CLAYTON: Red Rock Marine: Outboard Spring Tune-up for an outboard motor up to 60hp. Value: $325 for a 15-point check-up: engine oil/filter change; replacement of gear lube; inspection of primary fuel filters; greasing of all lubricant points; replacement of spark plugs; inspection of thermostat (saltwater); lubrication of propeller shaft splines; inspection of all electrical connections; engine operating temperature check; engine compression check; checking of accessory belt for wear/damage; inspection of corrosion control anodes;inspection of fuel lines, primer bulb and tank for leaks; carb. adjustment check; checking of prop. for nicks and bends. You'll be ready for summer cruising.
KEYA WHITE A Vegetarian Dinner for 4 –with dessert. Delivered. Prefers to have it happen in February or March. Dinner will be a Mexican Sweet Potato and vegetable pot pie. Dessert TBA
ELLEN HRAD 1 dozen cookies
LYNDA POIRIER Seasonal brunch for 4
DAVE KNOWLES 2 hrs. machine work
MARK ROBERTS 4 hrs. carpentry/renovations
EMILY McIVOR 3 hrs. pruning
JAY T HAMMILL 5 hrs. bucking, splitting, stacking firewood
PAT ENGLISH 5 eco produce bags
SOAS Fundraiser - Update - RSVP Needed
Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at 8:10PM RSVP to Maureen at sunrisegrail@gmail.com
Just a heads up that if you plan to attend the fundraiser -Heartbeat- with Eugene Smith on Saturday, Feb.15, you need to RSVP by Feb. 8 so we know how much food to prepare. Please visit the Thetis Blog to see poster for details. Posters have also been put up in the usual spots.
Check out Eugene at www.eugenesmith.ca
Keep posted for details of services to be auctioned as well as menu details.
