FRIDAY JULY 6, 2012 VOL. 39, NO. 10
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Full program guide inside
Bowen Island welcomes revellers at the first annual Steamship Days
Get the scoop on the festivities and island life here
Little space but lots of users
The bounty of the ocean around Bowen
Bowen library is looking to be included in community centre
YouTube video showcases this year’s nature dive
SUSANNE MARTIN
SUSANNE MARTIN
EDITOR
EDITOR
C
t this year’s Nature Dive, many of the participants were captured, not only by the fascinating creatures from the sea that were brought to the surface, but also on camera. The Marine Life Sanctuaries Society of B.C. (MLSS) joined Bowen’s divers and nature enthusiasts on Galbraith Bay on June 24 for the annual Bowen Island Nature Club event and filmed the proceedings. This week, the society released a short video titled Bowen BIP [Beach Interpretation Program] 2012 and those who missed the event, can watch (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=2sfGDEbZRFM) as divers bring up nudibranchs, sea cucumbers, crab species, brittle stars, leather stars, sun stars and urchins and explain the bounty of the ocean surrounding Bowen Island to a young (and surprisingly knowledgable) audience. Claudia Schaefer, the event’s coordinator, said that the Nature Dive started six years ago. “The Bowen Nature Club was hoping to engage more young families and get kids out to appreciate the nature just past our backyards. We came up with the idea of bringing sea creatures to the shore,” she said. “Anyone on Bowen with young kids has made a trip to the Vancouver Aquarium but this has potentially more meaning since it is right here on our island, and the critters are from our waters. It is also more interactive as the kids are able to touch and hold some of the organisms.” Schaefer said that the idea found resonance with Bowen Islanders. “We were amazed by how successful it was in its very first year, with over 60 people attending. Now we get double that,” she said, adding that not
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ompared to communities of similar size, Bowen Island has a library that has a high number of users and is in the lowest bracket for space – a discrepancy that Tina Nielsen, the chief librarian, brought to council’s attention at the council meeting on June 22. The solution? To include the library in the plans for the community centre. Tina Nielsen explained that the library board looked at the library’s long term need. “In our strategic planning session, the board decided that we needed to come up with a long-term strategic plan and we hired [consultant] Florrie Levine,” Nielsen said, adding that Levine completed the report and presented it to library board. “At this time, we would like to proceed with the request to include the library in the planning for the community centre,” Nielsen said. “We feel that having the library there will be of mutual benefit for other community centre stakeholders.” Nielsen explained that the library currently has about 100 users a day and would bring a great synergy to the project. “We’ve looked at the current location of the library,” she said. “and the report has identified a number of deficiencies. It was the board’s decision to look for future spaces for the library outside the building we are in now.” Andrea Little, the library’s board chair, spoke about the rich history of Bowen’s library. “It began as a small reading room,” she said, adding that libraries enhance community and are vital elements of a democratic society as they ensure equal access to information. “It was a significant milestone when we become a municipal library,” Little said.
It seems like there is something to celebrate on Bowen Island every weekend. And even though it was a wet day, locals were determined not to continued PAGE 6 miss out on last Sunday’s Canada Day festivities. Debra Stringfellow photo
Fabulous Finds on Bowen
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Spectacular Summer Sale Event
Corner Village Square 604-947-0881
Honouring the Heritage of Bowen Island and Steamship Days
Fashion for ladies, men and kids. One of a Kind Treasures at Old Fashioned Prices • Designer Samples