COMPASS MAGAZINE VANCOUER ISLAND | ISSUE 42 | DECEMBER 2022 - JANUARY 2023 | MOTIVATION

Sharing the Direction of Vancouver Island Communities

Publisher's Note

As we are in the heart of the darker days, it can sometimes be a difficult task to get motivated daily. The forecast this winter seems to be more of last year’s white stuff which makes it hard to get around this beautiful Island. Get motivated and prepare the best you can for this weather’s arrival. Getting your vehicle ready, your yard and home, even your clothing! Life becomes easier when we have access to the things we need that keep us warm, dry and happy. It’s also important to make room for reflection and processing our daily happenings. Try to carve out a bit of self-reflection time and meditation; this will help with your focus and motivation to complete those more challenging tasks, one at a time. Now is a great time to look forward to next year and create your vision of wants, needs and necessities. Identifying key tasks ahead of time can demystify some of the work that you need to do to cross the finish line! “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving” – Albert Einstein

Gilakas’la, Emote, Marsii

Kealy Donaldson

PUBLISHER

compassmagazine@ourmail.com www.compassmagazine.ca

WE ARE ART

Taking Reproduction to the Next Level

KEALY DONALDSON

COMPASS GALLERY + GIFTS has been busy supporting local artists on Vancouver Island and beyond! For the gift giving season, the Gallery has partnered up with ‘Find Bliss Here’ on an incredible art reproduction line of kimonos, wrap skirts, lounge pants, Christmas stockings, pillow covers, bags, totes and note books! Find Bliss’ founder, Kenna Smith, has taken her original paintings and converted them to beautiful fabrics to create this stunning line of wearable local art.

After searching internationally, Smith finally connected with a design house in Montreal who hosted the exact materials that were needed to deliver this unique and beautiful line. “I’m extremely happy with the products and very proud that not only is my art work brought to a new level, but I found a Canadian company to work with,” shares Smith. The colours of her artwork pop against the plush micro-velvet used for the pillow covers and stockings; the smooth silky fabrics for the wrap skirts, kimonos and lounge pants feel gorgeous to the touch. There are ingenious touches to each piece!

Compass Gallery + Gifts will be carrying the full line of ‘Find Bliss Here’ clothing and accessories through the Christmas season and into the Spring/Summer of 2023. Take time to visit the gallery to see the beautiful quality of these this gorgeous wearable local art! It’s a perfect gift for yourself or someone special!

1811 Comox Avenue, Comox (beside Scotiabank) , open Mon-Sat 10-5

Winter Workshops

Spring Workshops

OFF THE BEATEN PATH

The Magic of Artificial Reefs

HOWIE ROBINS, President, ARSBC RICK WALL, Vice President, ARSBC

FOR END-OF-LIFE SHIPS, a new life starts at the bottom of the ocean. Underwater artificial reefs take marine vessels and convert them to living incubators for a plethora of marine life, from plants, to sponges to fish. For a group of marine environmentalists, underwater visits to two ships reminded the team of the magic of reef making.

A team from the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia (ARSBC) and the producers of a new groundbreaking underwater TV documentary, Water Worlds, came together in September to explore two artificial reefs: The YOGN located near Powell River and the former HMCS COLUMBIA near Campbell River. The purpose of the dive was to explore and film marine life for an upcoming Water Worlds episode featuring artificial reefs. Due to COVID restrictions, the ARSBC had not visited their

latest reefing projects since 2018. Like magic, teams discovered over the last few years marine habitat has exploded. Like other artificial reefs managed by ARSBC, the YOGN and COLUMBIA show how end of life vessels have a second life in expanding marine habitat.

Rockfish and Lingcod Call YOGN Home

The teams were amazed to see so many resident rockfish and lingcod on the YOGN after only a few years as a reef. The USS YOGN-82 was an unpropelled gasoline barge built in 1943 by Concrete Ship Constructors, National City, California and launched in 1944. Displacing 4860 tons, she is 375 ft long, 56 ft wide and 38 ft deep. Each vessel had a crew of twelve and carried ten million liters of gasoline in twenty-four cargo tanks. She was reefed in June 2018 off Willingdon Beach in Powell River, BC and

Photo ©Dirk De Keersmaecker, ARSBC Archive

now rests on her keel fully upright in one hundred feet of water.

As an artificial reef, the YOGN has been positioned where water currents deliver and deposit embryonic organisms onto its complex structure, continuously seeding all areas, especially the exterior. The ship now has a coating of algae that has formed a diatom matt holding numerous species of plants and filter feeder species. A diatom matt is essentially the basic building block of a new reef habitat and support system. Importantly, certain marine species that photosynthesize on artificial reefs also aid in carbon sequestration, the act of pulling in and capturing CO2 emissions from the atmosphere. The YOGN demonstrates how artificial reefs not only expand marine habitat but also help reduce greenhouse gases.

COLUMBIA

is an Incubator for Sponges and Fish

Teeming with life, the COLUMBIA appears to be an incubator for juvenile marine life, from sponges to fish. The former HMCS COLUMBIA was a Restigouche Class Destroyer Escort, built by the Burrard Drydock Company in North Vancouver. Commissioned on 7 November 1959, she served on Canada's East Coast until 1967 when she returned to Esquimalt as a stationary training ship. She was decommissioned in 1974 and reefed in June 1996 off Maude Island, Campbell River, BC and rests on her keel in about 120 ft of water with a 36⁰ list to port.

Water Worlds Feature Artificial Reefs

Water Worlds Season 1 is the first all Aboriginal Canadian film production that focuses on the oceans and waterways around Canada through an Indigenous lens that highlights Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples working together to save Mother Earth. Each episode in the series will highlight those who’s mandate is to help make a difference. The ARSBC was thrilled to learn one episode will feature artificial reefs and include ARSBC as the ships-to-reefs disposal experts. The show is scheduled to air in the fall of 2023 on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). Narration by Metis actress Tantoo Cardinal is being negotiated.

For more information about Water Worlds, Contact len@ciasolutions.ca

Howard Robins, President and CEO Howie has been involved with the ARSBC since its start in 1989 and assumed the role of President in 2006. He has been an active diver since 1973.

Film crew and ARSBC management team aboard Abyssal Dive Charters, Campbell River (ARSBC)

2018 YOGN-82 dockside at Catalyst Paper Powell River BC (ARSBC Archive)

2022 YOGN-82 Nature filling the void as brittle stars, sea cucumbers, sponges, filter feeders take hold. (Photo Dirk De Keersmaecker, ARSBC Archive)

Richard Wall, Vice President and COO Rick served 36 years in the Royal Canadian Navy as a Marine Systems Engineer, retiring in 2008 at the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Rick served on three of the ships that are now artificial reefs. He assumed the role of Vice President in 2017.

ISLAND CHRONICLES

Nine History-Making Women You Won't See in History Books

From discovering aquifers to chronicling the past, these outsiders redefined Vancouver Island in their own, unique ways

DAVE FLAWSE

THESE ARE THE WOMEN who did things their own way, often in a leading role. While you may have heard of the more famous women like Emily Carr and Cougar Annie, the lesser-known residents and travellers on this list similarly lived, explored, and left their mark on the Island.

Evelyn Penrose

Evelyn Penrose possessed a special gift. From a young age, her father had taught her how to divine water. She could find aquifers without the use of divining rods and even estimate the depth of water with accuracy.

From her home in Cornwall, she took her water finding skills around the world. In the 1930s she visited

the Okanagan where she found water for orchards. She traveled to California to divine for oil. The signal for oil was so strong it made her sick.

She eventually made her way to Vancouver Island where she not only found water but could find minerals by pointing at a map.

In her autobiography, Adventure Unlimited: A Water Diviner Travels the World she claimed to be able to

Home sweet home for Mary Ann Croft and her family at Discovery Island lighthouse. © Vancouver Maritime Museum

locate almost anything, including illness in the body and wanted criminals.

Frances Macnab

When journalist Frances Macnab arrived in Victoria harbour aboard the Empress of Japan in 1897, the evening light set the harbour in a serene calm. The scene transfixed her. She thought to herself, “What a heavenly spot to live in!”

Once she landed and met the locals, however, her opinion changed: “With Vancouver Island itself I was greatly disappointed, though many people tried to persuade me of its advantages.”

The Englishwoman traveled to BC across the continent on the CPR railway to gather information for her 369-page book entitled British Columbia for Settlers: Its Mines, Trade and Agriculture. As one of few female journalists in the British Empire, she had written similar books in other locations. She possessed amazing recall and a writer’s eye for detail.

Land speculation, it seems, stood near the top of her list of reasons for not liking the Island. She stated speculators “only intended to screw as high a price as possible out of the purchaser, but their influence in the Government was sufficiently strong.” (Some things don’t change.)

The drinking water situation in Victoria has improved now, but when Macnab visited, she called it “a disgrace and a constant menace to health.” Water was in abundance, but she claimed, “only the energy and enterprise is lacking to bring this much-needed blessing into Victoria.”

She lamented the poor roads and other infrastructure, including bridges that were “known to be unsafe, and only one vehicle at a time is allowed upon them, and that at a foot pace.” When an old-timer told her Victoria was the “London of the Pacific,” she “marvelled that no rumours of the existence of San Francisco had reached him.”

Macnab would continue by steamer to Port Alberni to examine the gold mines there and Nanaimo to the coal mines. After Nanaimo she took a canoe ride to Cowichan with two Indigenous guides. The two men “accidently” guided their canoe onto rocks and claimed she would have to pay more for them to continue. She was having non of it. The world traveler was accustomed to these types of schemes and held firm until they finally brought her to her destination. Despite this she thoroughly enjoyed the canoe trip and seeing the Island’s natural beauty.

Norah Drummond Davis

Artist Norah Drummond Davis, famous for her scenes of wildlife around the Banff area, arrived on the Island with her two Airedale dogs between the two world wars. She lived in a small cabin in Sydney, and her two dogs pulled a cart full of paints and brushes around town.

When these dogs got too old, she shot them. Then got two more to take their place.

Agnes Deans Cameron

Born in 1863 in Victoria, Agnes Deans Cameron was the kind of teacher children feared but respected. She became a teacher at 18 years old and trained in Comox and Vancouver before returning to Victoria four years later, eventually becoming the first-ever female principle at South Park School.

Quick to the whip, she thrashed disobedient children. When one rebellious student complained to his father about a particularly bad beating, she doubled down in a letter to the editor in the local rag about the incident. “I whipped him severely,” she said. “Just as severely as I possibly could.” Despite this, many students said she was a great teacher.

© Courtenay Museum

© City of Victoria Archives

She held firm to her beliefs. Eventually, she lost her job over defending children accused of cheating on an exam. After which she became a freelance journalist and traveled to Chicago to report on America’s industrial success. Two years later, she became the first non-Indigenous woman to travel up the Mackenzie River to the Arctic Ocean. There she met with the Inuit and found them marvellous. She condemned the racism of the settler society and any thoughts of superiority. Back in Victoria in 1912 she fell ill with appendicitis and died after a few days after the operation.

In her later years she was the official photographer for the Victoria Police Department. She died in 1918 and was buried at the Ross Bay Cemetery.

Mary Ann Croft

When the Discovery Island lighthouse keeper became too ill to continue with his duties in 1899, the federal government scrambled to find a replacement. The answer to their problems, however, was already solved. The keeper’s daughter, Mary Ann Croft had been performing his duties for years.

Hannah Maynard

Born in England Hannah Maynard immigrated to Canada with her husband, Richard in 1852. In 1858 Richard struck gold on the Fraser River, and the couple moved to Victoria in what was then the Colony of Vancouver Island.

Hannah Maynard used her photo-taking skills around town. Throughout her career, she photographed almost every resident in the city, from street vendors to the Lady Douglas, Governor Douglas’s wife, and became recognized throughout Canada for her work which she displayed in her studio downtown.

She eventually taught her husband the trade and he became a famous landscape photographer as well. Photography in the 19th century took time and patience. She was one of the first to use back lighting from angles. In photo development, Maynard would play with multiple exposures and overlap photos to create surrealist art that was far ahead of the time. After the death of her child her art became more abstract.

With these unofficial years in account, she is thought to be Canada’s first female lighthouse keeper. She would continue to keep the lighthouse at Discovery Island for 30 years, and in that time life’s events passed while her family lived a secluded existence on the craggy and broken islets off the coast from Oak Bay.

She raised and supported two daughters. Her husband was, according to one of her superiors, “worthless in sorry sense of the word,” and spent time in hospital. In 1919, and thinking about retirement, she enquired into what her pension would be in a letter to Ottawa:

“This is the case shortly put, as I do not believe in long and tedious stories. I think that after 23 years’ service in such employment as the Lighthouse Branch, a person is due for some rest and something to make that rest free from worry for whatever few years that may be left.”

“I could make an appeal a mile long about the desolate situation of the Lighthouse Keeper in bad and stormy weather, but you know the coast, and you know the circumstances as well as I can tell you, if indeed not a good deal better.”

“I hope you will be able to convince those warmly housed gentlemen at Ottawa that when 23 years are

taken out of a woman’s life in a lighthouse, she is about due for a recognized and guaranteed rest.”

The reply came with a denial of any pension. She was forced to work until she couldn’t handle the duties at age 67. She did receive a medal and eventually a small pension and could look at the lighthouse from her residence in Victoria. Three years later she died.

Phyllis Munday

Back in the days when some of the mainland’s coastal mountains remained unmapped, Phyllis Munday and her husband hiked Mount Arrowsmith on Vancouver Island. From the top they spied a mountain thrusting beyond the others across the Salish sea. They dubbed the mountain Mystery Mountain.

Archives of North Vancouver #5650

They explored the area at the head of Bute Inlet and bushwacked up to a glacier. Mystery mountain would not give its peak so easily, and after a few attempts, getting within 60 feet of the summit, they were forced to turn around.

This didn’t matter to Munday. She wasn’t a peak-bagger. She was in it for the journey and was happy just exploring the area of what would become BC’s tallest peak—Mt Waddington. “We didn’t go into the Waddington country just to climb one mountain and run out and leave it,” she wrote. “We went into the Wadington country to find out all we possibly could about glaciers and mountains and nature and everything about the particular area—completely unknown before we went into it—so that we could bring out the information for the interest of other people as well as ourselves.”

Munday began climbing mountains in North Vancouver at 16 years old. She met her husband while in the mountains and took their newborn child into the mountains as soon as she could hold her head up. With over 200 peaks climbed in her lifetime, she died in 1990.

Gilean Douglas

Similar to the more famous Cougar Annie, pioneer and writer, Gilean Douglas, was born in 1900. When her father died in 1916, she received a handsome inheritance. Three years later she worked as a reporter for the Toronto Star. She had relationships with several men at the same time. In 1921 she married her first husband, Slim, who took her last name, at her insistence.

The relationship didn’t last, Slim disappeared, and she assumed he was dead. When she married another man again in 1929, Slim reappeared and they started back up again only for both men to leave her a short time later. A few years passed, and she met another man. They moved into a remote cabin near Hope, BC where she authored Silence is my Homeland, an award-winning book. In 1947 her cabin caught fire and her life was uprooted.

She eventually moved to Cortes Island where she spent the final forty years of her life. She became widely known on Vancouver Island for her column in the Victoria Times Colonist. She would continue to publish ten books of poetry and prose. In 1993, two days after publishing her last book, she died at home.

Rosemary Neering

Much of the research for this article was done with my copy of Wild West Women written by Rosemary Neering. Neering was born in England in 1945 and has spent over thirty years in British Columbia. Her impressive list of publications includes over forty titles, many of which are award winning (including Wild West Women). She writes non-fiction for all ages with a focus on history and exploring the lives of ordinary people. She’s been a freelance writer since 1981 and lives in Victoria.

©

NOW THEN

WALKING IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS

Blue Heron Books Celebrates 50 Years!

STEWART GOODINGS

ANY 50 YEAR ANNIVERSARY is worth celebrating, but for Blue Heron Books in Comox, it’s more like a miracle. Started in 1972, this independent bookstore passes the half century mark this Christmas. Unlike the bookstore chains, who have national financial backing and huge publicity budgets, independent stores such as Blue Heron have to rely on walk-in traffic from people who love the feel of a book in their hands.

Like other independent book sellers—the Laughing Oyster in Courtenay, Abraxas Books on Denman Island, Coho Books in Campbell River, and The Mulberry Bush in Qualicum Beach—the Blue Heron has had its ups and downs, but for owners Dirk Meckert and Barbara Kelly, they are relishing the success of their venture.

“It’s also a testimony to the book lovers of Comox, who have supported the store all these years!” says Dirk. “We could not do it without them.”

The history of the store goes back to 1972. It was founded by Margaret Lord, who chose the Blue Heron name in homage to those elegant birds often present in the waters near the Comox Harbour. Initially on the

corner of Comox and Church streets, it’s been a fixture in its present location for many years. It had several owners after Lord, one of whom Grace Lindsay is still a loyal customer.

Dirk and Barbara bought the store in August of 2019, and, within six months, had to cope with the Covid pandemic and its damaging impact on sales and customer visits. “We haven’t had a ‘normal’ year since buying the store!” says Dirk. He calls himself a “relentless reader” who’s been collecting books since he was a child in Germany. After coming to Canada in 1991 and earning a Ph.D from McGill University, he and Barbara moved out to BC first to Victoria, then Courtenay, and they’ve been in Comox since 2003.

Dirk knows his bookstore has to cater to a wide variety of tastes in books, but he takes a special pride in having introduced and become known for carrying unusual titles; for example, the literary science fiction offerings of the Polish writer Stanislaus Lem, or the Russian brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. He’s made an effort to carry the books of local self-published authors and to sponsor book signings.

I asked him about favourite authors, both his own and his customers'. “Well, Louise Penny’s books sell very well here, and my own favourites are Barbara Gowdy, the Toronto writer, and Bill Arnott, the travel books writer from Duncan,” he says. His partner, Barbara Kelly, enjoys the novels of the Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche.

Meckert sees the need for more retail stores in downtown Comox, and would love to see a new timber -frame boutique hotel on the site of the old Lorne Hotel, right opposite his store. “We need something attractive and inviting to draw more people onto Comox Avenue.”

“I’m an optimist. I’ve renewed the lease for five more years, and plan on selling more books to my customers. The miracle of Blue Heron Books goes on. See you at the 100th birthday celebrations in 2072!”

Stewart's first novel, My Friend, My Enemy was recently published by Friesen Press. He chairs the Denman Island Readers and Writers Festival.

FEATURE ARTIST

carving legend Junior Henderson. My sit down with Junior and Karver Everson ended with an amazing lunch and a great story!

Hailing from a strong family legacy of First Nation Carvers from the Wei Wai Kum Nation, Henderson is working with Karver as an Artist Mentor and Elder; right now they are stationed in Cumberland working on two welcome figures for

the new Dawn-To-Dawn housing project. Art is always about flow and the medium you are working with; we get chatting about the welcome figures and Junior tells me that originally their plan was for a Man figure and a Woman figure. After learning more about the Dawn-To-Dawn project and the society, he and Karver decided to add two children, one with each figure, to recognize this as Family Housing and the importance of youth in community.

Henderson has been competing for decades in Chainsaw Carving Competitions. He has competed internationally and featured on television, which was an honour and a bit nerve

wrenching. “There was a time when I may have taken my talents for granted. I see value in my talent and sharing culture – it is our way of life,” he says.

For the past two years, he's been mentoring Karver, using chainsaw carving as the main tool for traditional First Nations 3D carving. His chainsaw of choice? “Echo Saws all the way!” he tells me as we both laugh – straight from Terry’s Power Equipment in Campbellton. “Looking at our heritage and art history, tools have played an incredible important role in carving,” Henderson says. “My legacy is to pass on the knowledge of our ways to the next generation. It’s humbling to have the opportunity to work with a young, talented Artist such as Karver.”

Everson says, “I was looking for mentors as we don’t have a designated carving shed in K’omoks. I began mentoring with Calvin Hunt from Fort Rupert and now I have the great honour of working with Junior. I am very proud to be able, in present day, to be working with him. Junior being the man he is just enjoys everyday.”

Watching these two Artists interacting and working together is fascinating. Their grandparents were very close friends and their legacy to continue the friendship and carve together is very special for both of them.

When I ask Henderson to reflect on his past projects and his own mentors, he lights up with memories and acknowledgements. “Contemporary is not really my way, but I like fancying pieces up with abalone and copper. I have been involved with numerous totem pole projects, 3 canoes and 3 Big Houses through 25 years of carving. I feel very lucky to have had all these amazing opportunities,” he says.

He acknowledges his family’s place in the First Nation Art World and we touch on some of the greats who have shared their talents and time mentoring him: Bill Henderson, Jonathan Henderson, Beau Dick and more. Henderson finds inspiration everywhere and truly enjoys giving back through Potlatch gifting and helping his Elders and family members prepare for these celebrations.

Henderson is splitting time between current projects. He is also working on a 44’ canoe project with Max Chickite at Carihi Secondary School in Campbell River - another great way of sharing knowledge and giving back to youth and community.

It’s a family affair with Jessica Chickite, Max’s incredibly talented daughter, lined up to paint the canoe once completed. The project is creating a balanced presence with Wei Wai Kum and We Wai Kai First Nations and both male and female artistic input. “The canoe project is really meant to show the indigenous way of life – the simple steps of everyday life and showing youth how to walk and live in our cultural way,” says Henderson.

When asked about his favourite project, Henderson smiles and talks about being the Lead Carver on the Port Hardy Big House. He shares that in his youth he had high hopes of leading a Big House project—and 20 years later that dream came true. While working away in Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw on the Big House project, Henderson took time to work with youth and roughed out a totem pole for them to work on. “They did 70+% of the work; I just kept them going with ideas through my mentorship. The totem and Big House are scheduled to be raised sometime in 2023-24,” he speculates.

“I was fortunate to have been brought up in ‘culture’; I wouldn’t be carving today if it wasn’t for my grandfather and grandmother, Sam and May Henderson,” Henderson sayssentimentally. There was a time when he was young and embarrassed by putting on his regalia but now he holds his pride high for his culture. As for Reconciliation, Henderson thinks we are walking forward gently and looks to the next generation for inclusiveness and a better understanding.

As for his future plans, he is looking towards a solo Art Show which would encompass all his work, from the beginning stages to present. Henderson will continue with his passion of teaching and passing on his cultural knowledge. He continues to reside in Campbell River as a member of Wei Wai Kum Nation and enjoys spending time with his daughter and family.

To find more of Junior Henderson’s incredible work, connect with him on Junior the Carver or visit Spirits of the West Coast Gallery in Courtenay with his current family show, Looking After A Legacy, on till the end of December 2022

My legacy is to pass on the knowledge of our ways to the next generation.

JUNIOR HENDERSON Hawk Sun Mask

SHIFT HAPPENS

ANDREA WAGEMAKER

CREATIVITY IS CRUCIAL to growth and evolution. Short Lucia light sessions are great for taking you out of the loops.

Life is full of action and distraction. Taking time to center, breathe and receive light from our third eye helps put the little details and stresses into perspective. In every moment we can come home to the light within us, the peace and bliss and joy of life itself.

Need a break from the task at hand? Hit a wall? Unsure of what to do? A “light break” is a great solution for getting the mind out of the way.

Quantum shift sessions with the Lucia light include a process of deep inquiry, where we discuss what is going on with your life currently, what challenges you are facing and what you wish to create.

As you drop into the session, you visualize your life in full bloom. The beautiful colors guide you deep within, where you may receive insights from your spirit guides, higher self or simply a deep sense of safety and relaxation. Lucia light sessions are as much about the Practitioner and space being held as the light session itself. You will be guided before the session, assisting your nervous system to feel safe so you can go deep into the experience.

Each session is different. Over a series of sessions, you learn how to navigate the space within, opening doors in your perception and recalibrating your nervous system. Lucia light sessions are powerful for integration of plant medicine journeys, of traumatic experiences or even to open the door to new possibilities in your life. Activate your pineal gland, recalibrate your nervous system and take a journey!

All That You Seek is Inside You…

Photo

Andrea Wagemaker • Shift Happens & Lucia Light in Courtenay • ShiftHypnotherapy.ca • 250-338-3401

NORTHWEST COAST NATURE

Drought Tolerance in Plants

LUNA LOISEAU-TREMBLAY

AS THE DAYS GET darker and the coast settles into November, the damp cool air gives a sense of normalcy, in contrast to the extended summer we had this year and the months of drought that are a constant reminder of the impacts that climate changes make on us.

While it feels like the wet season is here, digging our fingers into the soil tells a different story. Weeding the garden and planting garlic, I noticed that the soil directly below the surface was bone dry, a consequence of an extremely dry fall. Almost no rain fell in September and October and while we are seeing some rain in November, it is much, much less than usual.

Who knew that we could miss the sound of wind in the trees and the feel of raindrops around us; however, as droughts become more common, many people are trying to learn how to live in them and the habitats around us will have to adapt.

The temperate rainforest that surrounds us is full of plant species that are adapted to wetter climates, such as easily identified Western Skunk cabbage and Red Cedar, but the ecosystems on Vancouver Island also contain plants that are adapted to warm temperatures and seasons of drought.

Plant adaptations for living in certain conditions are diverse and complex. Characteristics, such as hollow, spongy stems for plants living in wetlands, and air roots for plants living in high humidity, are basic examples—but what adaptations are needed for plants to be drought tolerant?

In order for a plant to be drought tolerant and/or tolerant to high temperatures, adaptations follow three main strategies: drought avoidance, drought tolerance and desiccation tolerance.

Woolly Sunflower © Luna Loiseau-Tremblay

Desiccation tolerance, or anhydrobiosis, is the ability for an organism to lose 80 to 90 percent of its water and go into a dormant phase, recovering from anhydrobiosis and restarting its metabolism when the conditions are more favorable. While the reproductive structures like pollen, seeds and spores of plants exhibit this characteristic, vegetative desiccation tolerance is less common and occurs mostly in mosses, lichens, ferns and bryophytes (liverworts and hornworts), which are able to enter long periods without water and recover as soon as water is provided.

South-west facing bluff ecosystems in our area are notable examples of this, as they are covered with an incredible variety of moss, clubmoss and lichens baking in the hot summer sun and rehydrating quickly when the fall rains start. These sensitive habitats are also colonized by a long list of diverse plant life, all adapted to areas with poor soil quality and extreme weather exposure.

Drought tolerance is exhibited by “xerophytes”, plants that have certain structural characteristics to save or store water in order to survive periods of annual drought. Examples of leaf adaptations include evergreen leaves covered by a waxy cuticle, which cuts down on water loss through evapotranspiration occurring through the stomata, which are tiny, microscopic structures used in photosynthesis by plants in controlling gas exchange. Long thin leaves, or leaves that drop as the temperature warms up, decreases evapotranspiration because there is less surface area exposed to extreme heat and light.

Wild onions in our area, like Nodding Onion and Hooker’s Onion, have these adaptations which allows these plants to live in hot bluff ecosystems. Hairy leaves shade the stomata, like those of Woolly Sunflower and Mullein, which also helps reduce water loss. Having small leaves or sunken rows of stomata to cut down on water loss and a waxy cuticle, such as in needles of pine trees, allows for plants to withstand extreme temperatures. Having thick, fleshy leaves, such as those of succulents which work to store water, as their growing conditions may be less than favorable.

Many plants in the family Ericaceae (Heather family) express these water saving tactics, a common example being Arbutus menziesii, the Arbutus or Pacific Madrone

The fleshy leaves of Small-leaved Montia, growing in rock fragments © Luna Loiseau-Tremblay

The hairy and reduced leaves of Harsh Paintbrush © Luna Loiseau-Tremblay

tree. These majestic trees, with their peeling bark and large evergreen leaves are often seen growing on exposed rock bluffs.

Lastly, are the characteristics of drought avoidance. Annuals avoid drought simply by taking advantage of the cool spring growing season and dying as the temperatures increase and conditions become dry. The seeds of many of our native annuals germinate during our fall and winter, as water availability is higher during these seasons and temperatures are low.

Another drought avoidance tactic is Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM), which is a unique pathway used by some plants to fix carbon and it is a process by which the plants using this type of metabolism are able to photosynthesize during the day, while performing gas exchange (collecting carbon dioxide) during the night. The name “Crassulacean” comes from the plant family Crassulaceae, also known as the stonecrops or succulents, in which the CAM pathway was first discovered. Sedums are an easily recognizable genus belonging to this family, the fleshy leaves being another water storage adaptation to living in arid or dry conditions, such as rocky bluffs and making them perfect for rock gardens. The benefit of this type of metabolism is that the stomata remain closed during the day, as extreme heat increases water loss through evapotranspiration. The types of plants that use this type of carbon fixation pathway are those that live mostly in dry, rocky, arid conditions, such as succulents and cacti. Plants that grow on other plants, known as epiphytes, may also use this kind of metabolism adapted to temperatures where less water is available. Some ferns, bromeliads and air plants such as some species of orchids, are examples of CAM plants. Other more local examples are the Prickly Pear Cactus, Opuntia fragilis, which grows happily amongst the rocks at Mitlenatch Provincial Park and the stonecrops we see growing on mossy rock bluffs along our coast.

As our climate warms up, it is inevitable that many species will expand their distribution northward, to take advantage of cooler temperatures, while many species may disappear altogether as ecosystems change. Plants have an incredible ability to adapt to their conditions but also need support to be able to do so. Learning about and planting native plants instead of ornamentals is a small way to contribute positively to the changing habitats around us.

Thank you to everyone for the support this year, and we are looking forward to seeing you next year!

From all of us at Boatland

WELLNESS ARTIST

Kristina Campbell : Ancient Songs

ARTFUL : THE GALLERY PRESENTS ‘Ancient Songs’, a solo exhibition of artwork by local multi-media artist Kristina Campbell. This body of work, produced over the past decade, is populated with the Norse gods.

Kristina Campbell is a settler on these lands, the eldest daughter of Danish immigrants. She grew up on the unceded traditional territories of the K’tunaxa in the interior of B.C., the Creston Valley. Since 2015, she has gratefully made her home in the Comox Valley on the unceded traditional territories of the K’omoks First Nation.

Campbell’s deep fascination with Viking culture and the Norse gods began in a Viking graveyard, Lindholm Høje, on

a trip to Denmark 15 years ago, culminating with a University of Victoria continuing studies trip to Iceland in 2014 accompanied by a Viking archeologist and a geologist.

Campbell has reached back through her Danish ancestry to bring the Nordic gods to her mythopoetic sensibility as an artist. Painting with warm, rich red and earthen pigments, Campbell often adds gold leaf to her lyrical designs. Campbell initially learned how to ‘draw like a Viking’ by copying designs from each of the various Viking periods. She quickly found her signature method of ‘drawing’ with a Dremel drill into the surface of wooden cradle panels. In 2020, seeking security in the early days of

Kristina Campbell © Artful the Gallery

the pandemic, Campbell began producing shields on round wood panels, complete with iron shield bosses and runic inscriptions for strength and protection.

Campbell’s mythopoetic style is an expression of her belief that working with mythology can give access to timeless human wisdom. Campbell believes that many people today are over-stimulated and starving for genuine, soulful connection. This, she believes, is leading many people to feel strife as they experience the essential patterns of life and death: the seasons, birth and renewal, change and stagnation, problem and solution. By using symbols, we can access human wisdom directly, instead of having to wade through the mess of information that we experience today. Mythology, metaphor, poetry, symbols, and dream imagery all embrace the non-linear, non-binary, fluid flow of experience, and these realms offer wisdom rather than truth.

These beliefs are also reflected in Campbell’s counselling practice, in which she suggests that the many aspects of human experience are to be understood as aspects of ourselves, and that each aspect can bring us both grief and joy. By using images and metaphors, Campbell believes we can loosen our defensiveness and regain access to lost, disconnected or unused parts of ourselves.

Early in 2020, moments before the pandemic, Campbell opened Artful : The Gallery in Courtenay. The gallery is not a typical commercial gallery, as Campbell provides exhibition space and promotional expertise to a wide variety of emerging and mid-career artists. The current exhibition, the 17th since the founding of the gallery, exemplifies the breadth of themes and styles featured at the gallery. Every visit to Artful : The Gallery is a unique experience, as the space is transformed with each new exhibition. Campbell has added monthly poetry readings to the gallery’s roster, featuring Vancouver Island poets.

For Campbell, without imagination there is no access to the language of myth or poetry, and she believes it is through immersing ourselves in myth and poetry that we grow our imaginations and creativity capacity.

Ancient Songs runs through December 24 Weds-Sat 12-5pm · 526C Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC kristinacampbellartist · www.artfulthegallery.com

NATUROPATHIC INSPIRATIONS

Your Winter Home Care Kit

INGRID PINCOTT, ND

THE BEST PLACE TO BE when you are sick is at home, unless you are seriously ill or not improving, then head to the Emergency Room or your health care provider. This information is for self-care in the early stages of your symptoms of colds, coughs and flus.

A well stocked “Home Care Kit” comes in very handy when you are sick in the middle of the night or on the weekend! Here are some of my favorites. Dosages are reduced for children.

Vitamin C chewable or powder: Vitamin C is good for every body system. It improves your immune system to fight both bacterial and viral infections. If you are not sure what you have yet but you feel congested in the sinuses or chest, have a sore throat and feel a cough coming on, dose it upwards of 3000-6000mg per day in divided dosages or until you get a bit of

diarrhea. You can maintain these high dosages until you feel better then gradually decrease it. Maintaining on 1000-2000mg per day during the winter and spring is a great preventive. Look for ACES and Zinc which is a natural immune formula that is easy for the whole family to take. Did you know that vitamin C is great for constipation? If you feel toxic you might want to take extra vitamin C for a week. It is great for cleaning out the gallbladder.

Echinacea, astragalus and goldenseal are more of my favorite herbs that give deeper immune support. St. Francis Herb Farm make a wonderful Deep Immune formula for those who tend to get really sick every winter with chest infections, colds or flus. This can be taken regularly all winter long as a preventive 5 days on and 2 days off. If you are getting sicker, then these wonderful liquid tonics can be dosed at 3-6 times per

Photo © Adobestock / gpointstudio

day. A natural antibiotic that I have made up for my family contains vitamin A, vitamin C, echinacea, goldenseal, zinc and garlic. For children, tasty chewable echinacea or zinc tablets taken throughout the day are great at the onset of sore throats, colds and flus.

Drosera Cough Formula: It is always great to have a good cough formula on hand. This formula is for a dry cough. Bronchosan is good for a wet cough. My patients relied on my Upper Respiratory Formula for getting over a nasty bronchitis. Contact your ND for a comprehensive formula like this to have on hand.

Homeopathic Influenzium: these homeopathic pellets are taken weekly as a preventive all winter long, and taken up to 6 times per day at the onset of symptoms for both children and adults.

Probiotics: Acidophilous products can be wonderful for treating diarrhea. 10 billion organisms per capsule is a good dosage and can be taken every hour to help with diarrhea. Did you know taking probiotics regularly helps prevent colds and flus?

Epsom salts: one to two cups into a hot bath is great for fever and chills or aches and pains. For children, transdermal magnesium may work better rubbed into the feet or the neck to help with aches and pains. Did you know that Epsom Salts is a detoxifier? If you feel you are having a reaction to something take a hot Epsom salt bath.

Ginger: I recommend having this fresh root frozen in your freezer. This makes a great tonic for the lungs as well as the digestive tract. 2 cups of ginger boiled in one gallon of water for one hour makes a strong tea that can be diluted if you find it too strong. It can be consumed hot with honey or in the case of children made into popsicles. Ginger breaks up mucous in the lungs and helps with chest infections. It is also great for

nausea and digestive upset as well as motion sickness. Did you know ginger is also a treatment for morning sickness?

Peppermint tea is great for spasms of the digestive tract, gas and bloating and heartburn. This can be mixed with chamomile tea for a calming effect on the body. Children will enjoy this sweetened with honey. When I was a child my father made me drink 1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar in hot water with honey at the first sign of a sore throat. It tastes bad but kills the sore throat! Did you know apple cider vinegar is also a natural antacid?

Knorr Chicken Noodle Soup is a favorite in our house when feeling under the weather with no appetite. The salt keeps up the electrolytes and the noodles provide a few carbs. Follow with a hot bath to help you sweat a bit.

Keep these things in your Home Care Kit, as the last thing you want to do when you are sick is head out to look for any of the above. You will be glad you did!

SOUND IS THE OLDEST FORM OF HEALING. To understand the use of sound for healing, it is helpful to realize all things vibrate: atoms, the cells of our bodies, all living matter. This is where OM Oasis and Jolie Nasralla, Comox Valley Sound Practitioner, really heightened my understanding of our personal frequencies and connection to sound through healing.

Jolie is a certified Healing Touch, Yoga, Somatics and Sound Practitioner and offers a unique fusion of these health and wellness modalities. She has been studying and offering sound healing since 2016. Her journey began in Banff, Alberta where she was first introduced to sound through crystal bowls. Nasralla says she was instantly drawn to the tones and frequencies of Crystal Tones™️ alchemy bowls. " It felt like I was coming home to myself, to my primordial soul essence. It was so profound. It instantly resonated with every cell of my being on inexplicable levels and I knew this was something bigger than myself, it was an Aha moment. I knew this was life changing, was meant to become my purpose. My heart and soul desired to learn more about this modality and to share it with others," remembers Nasralla. She enrolled in the Sound Harmony Crystal Tones™️training and certification with Nancy Watters of Luminous Tones in November and December of that year.

"The beauty of this modality is that it can be given and received anywhere. Everyone who breathes can use sound as a wellness tool just by toning or chanting or doing breath work. The sound instruments that I use are portable. Some are easier to travel with. I can travel, and I have travelled as far as Mexico, to offer sound healing. I can simplify and use just a couple of tuning forks, one alchemy crystal bowl or Himalayan bowl, a gong or a didgeridoo. Or I can set up a large repertoire of instruments and offer a diverse spectrum of what is known as a 'sound bath.' Whether a person receives sound healing from one instrument or a soothing soundscape of multiple instruments in multiple rhythms and layers as a fully immersive sound bath session, it's simply about the vibration supporting the mind-body-spirit resonance and bringing the cells into equilibrium. It is like a sonic massage from the inside out bringing your entire being into harmony." The Om Oasis motto is Harmonize Your Inner Vibe.

Nasralla explains that since our bodies are 70+% water, and sound travels 4 times faster through water

than air, on a cellular level we pick up the vibrations, sounds and frequencies that exist all around us. Our environment and other people, the sounds of the machines, sounds we don't hear, the sounds of nature, all of these vibrations do permeate and affect us.

The Heart Math Institute, in Boulder Creek, CA, has researched and studied the electromagnetic frequencies of our heart. When we are in resonance, when we are feeling in tune, safe, and at peace and we are in harmony, our heart's electromagnetic field increases and shows as a large field. When we are in physical pain, hurting on an emotional or mental level and have higher levels of stress that we are reactive to, the electromagnetic field contracts or shrinks to a much smaller space.

Sound Therapy, among other ancient healing modalities, has been in existence for thousands of years. What is new is that we have advanced technology, and science has ways to measure how these modalities affect us.

Based on ancient teachings in several cultures the sound or vibration of Ohm, also spelled Om or Aum, is the primordial sound that created our universe. Nasralla continues to learn and practice various techniques; the most recent being training and certification using Ohm Therapeutics™️Tuning forks. Her teacher Dr. Samantha Jennings is a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and a well known and experienced Acupuncturist who teaches the Ohm Therapeutics™️ courses in Vancouver. She teaches the Five Elements, Acupuncture and Acupressure with Ohm Tuning Forks incorporating Aromatherapy and crystal stones.

Nasralla is fascinated and excited to utilize and incor porate the tuning forks offering a unique treatment called a Mind Body Balance Tune-up; it's a fusion of sound tools to support the client to bring their cellu lar vibration and energy meridians back into harmo ny. Essentially the tuning forks, crystal bowls, Himalayan bowls, crystals, are placed along certain Chinese Acupressure points and meridians. A subtle yet gentle treatment, and interestingly children and animals also enjoy this type of treatment because it is soothing, gentle and almost instantly helps to soothe and calm the nervous system.

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Nasralla mentions one of her tuning forks is tuned to the same frequency of a cat's purr. We discuss the connection between pet therapy, electromagnetic heart resonance and benefits of pets to the physical, emotional and mental wellness of humans. We further discuss how being in nature and connecting with the earth and its elements, like walking by the ocean or in the forest or being in the garden helps de-stress and is so calming to the human body. Which then touches on why these Ohm tuning forks and bowls have such unique frequencies for healing us.

The Ohm Therapeutics ™️ Tuning fork's tone is based on the measured frequency of the elliptical orbit of the Earth as it travels around the sun through four seasons. The rhythmic flow of the seasons, Lunar cycles and the pulse of day and night characterize this yearly cycle. This measurable vibration permeates every living organism at C# 136.1 Hz or A=432 Binaural Beats.

In our modern civilization we have experienced a huge increase in disease, and science is finding a correlation between stress and disease. To release stress and muscle tension, to release energy blockages and bring a healthy vibrant flow back into the energy channels, to let go of emotional, mental and physical trauma, and support the body's natural intelligence to reorganize itself into a vibrant and harmonious resonance is accessible through sound healing and other complimentary vibrational healing modalities.

Om Oasis sessions (private and small group) are available at Jolie's Comox home studio and treatment room. Jolie is honoured to be part of a lovely group of practitioners and teaches weekly Soma Flow classes and offers monthly Sound Events at Broken Squirrel Yoga Studio, also known as The Collective. Her fusion of Sound Therapy, Healing Touch, Somatics, Soma Flow (a fusion of Sound and Somatics Yoga) Restorative Yoga (relaxation yoga), Guided Meditation, and Breathing Techniques is her joyful authentic soul purpose to be of service to our Vancouver Island community and abroad. It's about healing and raising the vibration as individuals and as a collective consciousness, so we may all live a more joyful and meaningful life, nourishing all living beings and our planet!

For the full article: www.issuu.com/compassmagazine8 Issue 42 info@omoasis.ca • www.omoasis.ca aunching soon f JolieNasrallaOmOasis WestCoastOmOasis

Start here, fly anywhere

Make sure you have a bowel movement every day and taking a fiber, such as flaxmeal or psyllium, treats endotoxicity which are toxins created in the body in the bowel. Pectasol, a form of modified citrus pectin, has been studied to remove heavy metals. Colonics are also available (in Courtenay) if required and reduces endotoxicity.

Avoid non organic dirty dozen foods that contain the highest organophosphate neurotoxic pesticide residues according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) ie peaches, bell peppers, apples, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, grapes and lettuce.

Saunas, either radiant heat or infrared, are effective at increasing the ability to sweat, eliminating toxins through the skin: the second kidney. Exercise also falls into this category. People such as hair dressers can smell chemicals exuding from their skin after sauna therapy.

Use air filters in the home to improve air quality. Don’t forget toxins come into the home on the furniture and other household items.

Don’t store food in plastics or microwave in plastics.

Greens in the form of cilantro, spirulina and green vegetables rich in chlorophyll can bind with toxins such as PCB’s for easier elimination, so add a “Greens Drink” to your daily routine. See “Clean, Green and Lean” by Dr. Crinnion.

Eat foods that help eliminate toxins: Cruciferous vegetables, resveratrol and quercitin foods (ie: blueberries, apples, onions, kale), celery, garlic, ginger, green, black, peppermint, rooibos and chamomile teas.

Use chemical free make up and skin care products: ie Lei Lani Makeup (Save On Foods) or Jane Iredale.

For more of Dr. Pincott’s articles visit www.PerceptiveHealth.ca or www.drpincott.com and www.bcna.ca to find an ND near you.

WIth over 40 shops, restaurants, banks and services, Discovery Harbour Shopping Centre is a convenient and relaxing place to stop, shop and dine on the North Island. Visit discoveryharbourcentre.com for a complete list of shops and services available at the Shopping Centre.