The Importance of Eelgrass

Down by the Bay Where the eelgrass grows Back to my home, I dare not go For if I do My mother would say Have you ever seen eelgrass being transplanted?! Down By The Bay!

Did you know that eelgrass is not an actual “seaweed”? It is a seagrass that grows in shallow, muddy or sandy bottomed estuarine bays (such as Cowichan Bay). Eelgrass anchors itself in sand or mud using a rhizome which is a stem that has numerous hairlike white roots.

For the past 20 years, Cowichan Tribes, SeaChange Marine Conservation Society, Cowichan Land Trust, Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre and other local organizations have been working together to restore Cowichan Bay’s eelgrass beds to their former glory. According to some Cowichan Tribes members, there used to be a saying that “when the tide is out, the table is set”. Cowichan Bay’s eelgrass beds used to cover the entire estuary intertidal zone and were a critical habitat and food source for many different species of animals. Historically, Cowichan Tribes members were able to collect everything they needed for a meal from Cowichan’s eelgrass beds. Eelgrass beds are still a critical source of food and shelter for many different types of animals (salmon, crab, shrimp and others too numerous to list here). Salmon fry use the eelgrass as shelter while they’re transitioning to saltwater; crabs use eelgrass for both habitat and food source, even swans eat tasty eelgrass shoots and sometimes munch on snails and other creatures living on the eelgrass strands. In September, the Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre will be working with Cowichan Tribes, SeaChange Marine Conservation Society and others to transplant 4000 eelgrass shoots in the Bay as a continuation of our restoration activities.

So if you go down to the bay and the tide is out, take a moment to appreciate the habitat and food that our precious eelgrass beds provide. And if you’re a teacher, you might consider bringing your class to the Nature Centre for some more in-depth learning about eelgrass and its role in our estuary. www.cowichanestuary.ca

By Madeline Southern Nature Educator

Annual Poppy Envelope Stuffing

Come join us on October 14th. We are open for lunch and following lunch we will be hosting our Annual Poppy Envelope Stuffing. Help is needed as we have over 6,000 envelopes to stuff for the Poppy Campaign which starts on October 29th.

We will be honouring the Canadian service men and women who have lost their lives on Canadian soil by holding a Special Service on October 22nd starting at 10:45 am. This year we will be including those who were lost to PTSD.

Also on the program will our Honour Guard, Cds. Bob Collin and James Baird reading off the names of the veterans lost this year, Wayne Montgomery will sing a “A Soldiers Memoir” and a video of Taylor Fance playing “Society’s Disguise”. Malahat Legion President Isabelle Hammer and Allistair McGregor will also be laying wreathes.

Thanks to Mike Trepanier of Shawnigan Lake who crafted the cabinet on display at the Malahat Legion. Don’t forget to check out our Galley’s great food and our Saturday Meat Draws from 3 – 5:00 pm. Covid rules will be observed so bring your vaccine card and a piece of ID.