GREEN DIARY for February 2012

ALL MONTH

Daily, 9-4pm Festival of Eagles at Goldstream Nature House. Amazing Eagle Viewing, Scavenger hunts, Eagle Crafts and more. 250-478-9414

Every Mon, 10am -12pm. Brodick/Bow Parks (Saanich) Invasive Species removal. Volunteers needed. Training, gloves, and tools provided. No dogs please. For more info call Judy 250-472-0515

Every Wed and Sun, 9am Bird Walks with naturalists, Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary, 3873 Swan Lake Rd. Margaret Lidkea 479-0211

Every Wed, 7pm Conscious Choices, Church of Truth, 111 Superior St, Free or by donation  http://oneness.conscious-choices.ca/

Every Sat, 8am Saturday Morning Birding. Call the Rare Bird Alert 250-704-2555 the Thursday or Friday before to find out this week’s location. VNHS.

Every Sat, 9-12pm Beacon Hill Park Ivy Pull. Volunteers welcome. Cornelia 250-920-3556

Every Sat, 1:30pm Tour of Merve Wilkinson’s Wildwood Forest near Ladysmith. Jay 250-245-5540

Every Sun. Meditative walk through one of Victoria's Garden/ Urban/Natural Spaces to reflect on each of the weeks focused values of this year's 2012 Cultivating Peace Project, with Renee Lindstrom of Walk-Victoria. Different walk each Sunday. renee@insideawareness.com or 250-361-7508

Every Sun, 10-4pm O.U.R. Ecovillage weekly Sunday work parties. 250-743-3067. www.ourecovillage.org

WEEK ONE

Wed 1, 7pm The Emergence Of Universe, Earth, Life and Humans; Journey of the Universe Educational Series Part 1 of 5. First Met United 932 Balmoral Rd. $70, $15 drop in. With Gertie Jocksch SC DMin. Register  earthliteracies@shaw.ca 250-220-4601 www.earthliteracies.org

Thur 2, 7pm The challenges of wind power in an urban setting. Will Spaulding from Camosun College. Emerging Green Builders, Burnside Gorge Community Centre. 471 Cecelia Rd. RSVP and BYOMug.

Thur 2, 8pm Rob Stewart - Beyond Sharkwater. Join the award-winning filmmaker of the highly acclaimed documentary Sharkwater for an inspiring discussion of his journey from photographer to global change maker. Become inspired by Rob's fight to conserve human life on the planet through his new feature film project Revolution and new NGO, United Conservationists, both tackling some of the most pressing issues facing our planet... including making the world FinFree. UVic Farquhar Auditorium $10. Box Office 250-721-8480 or www.auditorium.uvic.ca/tickets

Sat 4, 5:45am Boundary Bay and Raptors trip - large flocks of wintering waterfowl and shorebirds, quick trip to Reifel Bird Sanctuary. Carpool from Elk-Beaver Lake Regional Park Sign on Elk Lake Drive. $55. Bring lunch and a drink. Dress warmly. Call Rick 250-885-2454 to register. VNHS

Sat 4, 10:30am–12 Mill Hill Story Stroll Guided Walk (12 years+) at Mill Hill Regional Park (Langford) with Liz Crocker, CRD Regional Parks guest naturalist and author of A Cultural History of Three Regional Parks, to explore the cultural landscape of Mill Hill. Meet info kiosk in parking lot off Atkins Avenue. BC Transit #50 or #53

Sat 4, 11-3pm Victoria Downtown Winter Market, Market Square, Inner Courtyard. www.victoriapublicmarket.com

Sat 4, 10am-12pm. Free Composting Basics Workshop.  Learn all the basics of composting and discover which system is right for you! Pre-register by emailing office@compost.bc.ca or call (250) 386-9676

Sat 4, 4:30pm Movie: Sushi:The Global Catch, Capitol 6. Feature-length documentary shot that explores the tradition, growth, and future of this popular cuisine. But can it continue without consequence? www.victoriafilmfestival.com

Sat 4, 7:30pm Ride2Rio Victoria Fundraiser: KMs for KMs (Killer Martini's for kilometers) fundraiser to help Naomi Devine ride to Rio de Janeiro for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) on her bike! Join Naomi, host Judy Fainstein, the Executive Director of YesBC, and change makers for an evening of fun, food, friends, and a great story. 3410 Woodburn Avenue (north of Lansdowne)

Sun 5, 11–3pm Anderson Cove - Mount Maquire Guided Adult Hike at Roche Cove Regional Park. Follow a CRD Regional Parks’ naturalist to the summit of Mount Maquire. Strenuous and steep. Meet info kiosk, Anderson Cove parking lot off East Sooke Rd.

Sun 5, 10am Urban/Nature Awareness Walk. Meet Governor House parking lot. Opportunity for inner focusing and deepening our connection with the land in our urban landscapes, to better heal, nurture and transform the environment.  250-361-7508. www.walk-victoria.com

Sun 5, 3-5 pm Transition Café, for entry into the local Transition scene. Solstice Cafe, 529 Pandora Ave. http://transitionvictoria.ning.com/events

WEEK TWO

Mon 6, 7 pm. Soil Building, with Christina Nikolic, SOUL certified organic gardener. Learn about the surprising relationship between the soil and the quality of food and
flowers. Bring a soil sample for a quick, low-tech assessment. Hillside Urban Farmers For Sustainability (HUFFS) Blanshard Community Centre, 901 Kings Rd. Jackie, 250-686-9446

Tue 7 - 28, 7pm Growing Research into Action:  Creating a Sustainable Food System on Vancouver Island with Lorenzo Magzul & Linda Geggie. $60. Call 250-472-4747 to register.  http://www.uvcs.uvic.ca/aspnet/Course/Detail/?code=ASSF022

Wed 8, 1-4pm Grow Local. Garden Easy. Free workshop on gardening with drought-resistant native plants with Patricia Johnston. Native plant identification, benefits and use.  Swan Lake Nature House, 3873 Swan Lake Rd. Must pre-register 250-479-0211

Wed 8, 6-8pm Inaugural Cyclists' Lounge at Pizzeria Prima Strada, 2960 Bridge Street from. Come and discuss cycling matters infrastructure, community. gvcc.bc.ca

Wed 8, 7pm Awareness Film Night presents Peace Out.  In the Peace Region of B.C. and Alberta an energy bonanza of unimaginable size is unfolding - far from the eyes of the world.  The mega-projects include a major new dam, tens of thousands of hydro-fracked shale gas wells, a nuclear power plant (!) and, of course, the Tar Sands.  A beautifully made, visually dynamic film that won the Most Popular Canadian Documentary award at the recent 2011 Vancouver International Film Festival.  Energy costs.  Let's talk about how much.  Post screening discussion with Fabio Wilkinson, one of the filmmakers, Ben Parfitt, who will bring a power point on fracking in the Peace, and local MLA John Horgan.  Edward Milne Community School theatre, 6218 Sooke Rd. in Sooke.  By donation to Peace Valley Environment Association.

Wed 8, 9:45pm Movie: Rainforest - The Limit of Splendour. Victoria Film Festival Empire Capital 6 Theatre 5.  Documents journey into the pristine rainforest on the northwest corner of Vancouver Island. Canopy photography of aerial gardens that have evolved over centuries high up in the ancient trees.  My guide throughout the film is Kwaxsistalla, Chief Adam Dick, a Kwakwaka’wakw clan chief whose knowledge of the forest has been passed down over thousands of years. www.rainforestmovie.ca and www.victoriafilmfestival.com

Thur 9, 7pm Solar Colwood public info session, Colwood City Hall, 3300 Wishart Rd. Come and find out about great incentives. www.solarcolwood.ca

Thur 9, 7pm Bach with Nature. This summer, Ryan May & Shoko Inoue will cross Canada planting fruit trees and playing Beethoven for art and ecology. This concert is a fundraiser for the tour, featuring Shoko playing Bach, Beethoven, Schubert and Ravel. Tom Lee Music Concert Hall, Millstream Village, #105-2401D Millstream Rd, Victoria. $25. www.bachwithnature.com

Thur 9, 7:30pm We are all Treaty People: New Models for a Shared Future. Free lecture by Dr. James Miller, Canada Research Chair, Native-Newcomer Relations, University of Saskatchewan. Sponsored by the Royal Society of Canada, Governor General Lecture Series. UVic Fraser 159.

Thur 9, 9:15pm Movie: The Island President, Capitol 6. The Maldives are a cross between paradise and paradise, says President Mohamed Nasheed, a man confronting a problem greater than any world leader has ever faced – the literal survival of his country, as climate change subsumes the island. Introduction by Guy Dauncey. www.victoriafilmfestival.com

Fri 10 - Sun 12. Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre coastal ecology workshop for families. http://www.bms.bc.ca/pubed.html  Kelly Clement
, 
Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre. 250-728-3301 #226

Fri 10, 7pm Movie Fresh, Farmer’s Institute, 351 Rainbow Rd. Salt Spring. www.freshthemovie.com

Sat 11, 10-3pm Salt Spring Seedy Saturday, Farmer’s Institute, 351 Rainbow Rd.

Sat 11, 9-5pm The Ecological Crisis and a New Cosmology. Explore Thomas Berry’s new way of seeing the world and its implications, with Gertie Jocksch, SC DMin and Bill Wilson SJ PhD. $75, Royal Roads. Registration:  earthliteracies@shaw.ca  250-220-4601 www.earthliteracies.org

Sat 11, 10-3pm Garry Oak Ecosystem Restoration at Fort Rodd Hill. Meet behind Admin building. RSVP if need a ride from Juan de Fuca Rec Centre. Veggy-friendly lunch provided. frh.volunteer@pc.gc.ca 250-812-8133. Repeats Sat 25th

Sat 11, 10–11:30am Moss Landscapes of Vancouver Island Guided Adult Walk at Mill Hill Regional Park with CRD Regional Parks naturalist Kem Luther. Learn how to identify the most common species. $7. Pre–register before February 10. Space is limited. 250.478.3344. BC Transit #50 or #53

Sat 11, 1-4pm Grow Local. Garden Easy. Free workshop on gardening with drought-resistant native plants with Patricia Johnston. Native plant identification, benefits and use. Swan Lake Nature House, 3873 Swan Lake Rd. Must pre-register 250-479-0211

Sat 11, 1-4pm Community Services Expo at Monterey Rec Centre, 1442 Monterey. Connecting people with community organizations and government services. Denise Savoie MP. 250-363-3600. www.denisesavoie.ca

Sat 11, 2-4pm. Planning your Year Round Veggie Garden. This presentation will show you how to make your garden more intensive by planning crop rotations and learning when to sow seeds. Cost $15 Non-Members $10 Members. Pre-register by emailing office@compost.bc.ca or call (250) 386-9676

Sun 12, 6am – noon VNHS Valentine Couples Birdathon. Count as many bird species as you and your valentine can find. Meet noon at Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature House to compare war stories, and share a laugh. $10 per couple. Alan MacLeod, bigadore@gmail.com, 250-382-3854.

Sun 12, 10am Urban/Nature Awareness Walk. Meet Gonzales Hill Observatory parking. Opportunity for inner focusing and deepening our connection with the land in our urban landscapes, to better heal, nurture and transform the environment 250-361-7508. www.walk-victoria.com

Sun 12, 1–2:30pm People, Plants and Places Guided Walk (12 years+) at Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park. Learn about common local native plants and their uses with a CRD Regional Parks’ naturalist. Meet Witty’s Lagoon nature centre off Metchosin Rd. BC Transit #54 or #55

Sun 12, 3pm Love Among the Feathers. The romantic adventures of our local water birds. Entertaining 90 minute multi-media presentation by local bird biologist James Clowater. $10/$12 250.479.0211 to reserve. Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary. www.swanlake.bc.ca

WEEK THREE

Tue 14, 10am-noon Creating an EcoMind. Start of 4-week course. $75 $20 drop in. Over 50 years ago Einstein, Teilhard, Schumacher and others stated that we needed to change the way we were thinking on a major scale. What we need to do to bring about a change in our thinking, and what the constructive consequences of that change would be.  With Bill Wilson, SJ PhD. Friend’s Meeting House, 1831 Fern St. Registration:  earthliteracies@shaw.ca  250-220-4601www.earthliteracies.org

Tue 14, 5-7pm Green Drinks at The Office on Yates, across from the Odeon. Drink and be green! greendrinksvictoria.ning.com

Tue 14, 7:30pm BC’s Magnificent Parks: The First Hundred Years. Join author James Anderson as he talks about the 100th anniversary of the BC Parks system. UVic Fraser 159. VNHS. Everyone welcome. Bring a friend.

Thu 16, 7pm. The Royal BC Museum’s Native Plant Gardens and Favourites for Your Garden with Charles Knighton. Which plants are most ornamental or fruitful in the urban home landscape? The ethical harvesting of wild plants. UVic, MacLaurin D116 $3. http://www.NPSG.ca

Fri 17, 11am–2pm Going Batty! Drop-in Event at Elk/Beaver Lake. Make a ‘bat button’, enjoy a ‘bat walk’ through the park at 11:15am or 1:15pm. Meet Beaver Lake nature centre. BC Transit #70 or # 75

Sat 18, 10 - 4. Victoria Seedy Saturday. Community seed and garden show. Non-GMO vegetable, flower and herb seeds. Seedlings, specialty and native plants, bulbs, perennials, herbs. New garden products; seed exchange. Master Gardeners help with difficult gardening questions. Many speakers - www.jamesbaymarket.com/seedysaturday. 250-381-5323. Conference Centre on Douglas St. $7 under 12 free

Sat 18, 11-3pm Victoria Downtown Winter Market, Market Square, Inner Courtyard.www.victoriapublicmarket.com

Sat 18, 1-4pm  Spring Ridge Commons Mulch Work Party with Ryan May, Corner of Gladstone Ave. + Chambers, Dress warmly.  http://springridgecommons.ca or Linda at (250) 380-6383

Sat 18, 7pm Owl Prowl Guided Walk (8 years+) at Mill Hill Regional Park (Langford)

Pre–registration required before February 17. Space limited. Call 250.478.3344. BC Transit #50 or #53

Sun 19, 10am Urban/Nature Awareness Walk. Meet Gonzales Beach parking. Opportunity for inner focusing and deepening our connection with the land in our urban landscapes, to better heal, nurture and transform the environment 250-361-7508.www.walk-victoria.com

Sun 19, 1–2:30pm What’s That Evergreen? Guided Walk (8 years+) at Francis/King Regional Park (Saanich). Take a closer look at local evergreen plants’ survival strategies with a Regional Parks’ naturalist and sip evergreen tea. Meet Francis/King nature centre off Munn Road.

Sun 19, 1-4pm Grow Local. Garden Easy. Free workshop on gardening with drought-resistant native plants with Patricia Johnston. Native plant identification, benefits and use.  Swan Lake Nature House, 3873 Swan Lake Rd. Must pre-register 250-479-0211

Sun 19, 5:30pm VIVA-Raw Potluck  Pioneer Room A  + B, Esquimalt Recreation Centre, 527 Fraser St.  Bring raw vegan finger food item of 6 or more servings with recipe / ingredients list, serving utensils  $5 per adult.  Linda:  (250) 380-6383

WEEK FOUR

Mon 20, 7pm How will a Smart Grid improve BC’s electricity supply? Speakers Dave Deyagher and Cindy Verschoor from BC Hydro. BC Sustainable Energy Association. North Park Manor, 875 North Park. Venue accessible, with ramps. Free, everyone welcome, tea & coffee. www.bcsea.org

Tue 21, 7:30pm The Highlands of Western Honduras - tropical dry forest, rainforest, pine/oak, cloud forest. James Miskelly will provide a botanical overview. Swan Lake Nature House. VNHS Everyone welcome.

Wed 22, 7:30pm Birding Southern Africa – A Truly Exciting Experience. Brent Reed has explored the entire southern portion of Africa as well as several major islands off the mainland. Armchair safari through Botswana’s Chobe National Park, Zimbabwe’s birding highlights and into Mozambique’s tantalizing hinterland where large areas of pristine lowland forest still exist. This talk will showcase both the amazing endemic birds of the region as well as Africa’s scenic beauty. UVic Fraser 159. VNHS. Everyone welcome. Bring a friend and a 
coffee mug.

Fri 24, 2pm Global Climate Solutions Treaties – a Possible New Approach, with Guy Dauncey, author of The Climate Challenge: 101 Solutions to Global Warming. World Federalists. St John’s Church Lounge, Quadra and Mason (north side door). 250-881-1304

Fri 24, 7pm EcoNews Dessert Potluck Mailout Party. Good friends and company! 395 Conway Road (off Interurban, one block north of Camosun College). Guy, 250-881-1304

Fri 24 - Sat 25 Men for a natural culture. A deep nature connection rite of passage for men. 4 weekends on Saltspring. 250-653-9122 instinct@saltspring.com

Sat 25, 11–3pm Sooke Potholes Hike Guided Adult Hike at Sooke Potholes. Explore the potholes with a CRD Regional Parks’ naturalist. Meet info kiosk in parking lot 1 off Sooke River Road.

Sat 25, 2-4pm. Mason Bees Part I. In this introductory workshop, local expert Gord Hutchings will familiarize you to this amazing local pollinator. Cost $15 Non-Members $10 Members. Pre-register by emailing office@compost.bc.ca or call (250) 386-9676

Sun 26, 8–10am The Winter Hummers of Cadboro Bay with Dave and Agnes Lynn in their garden, with special guest Cam Finlay about his banding of hummingbirds. 3913 Woodhaven Terrace, off Tudor Ave, Ten Mile Point. No pets. Dress warmly. Agnes 250-721-0634.

Sun 26, 10am Urban/Nature Awareness Walk. Meet Saxe Point parking. Opportunity for inner focusing and deepening our connection with the land in our urban landscapes, to better heal, nurture and transform the environment.   250-361-7508.www.walk-victoria.com

Sun 26, 1–3:30pm Wacky Woodpeckers Drop-in Event at Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park. Guided woodpecker walk with CRD Regional Park’s naturalist at 1:30pm. Meet the Beaver Lake nature centre. BC Transit #70 or # 75

Mon 27, 7:30pm Intriguing Behaviour of the Whales of British Columbia, with Marine educator, Leah Thorpe, Outreach Coordinator for Cetus Research and Conservation Society. UVic Fraser 159. VNHS. Everyone welcome. Bring a friend and a 
coffee mug.