Just keep swimming......

I've been busy scouting the Campbell River for summer steelhead, hence the lack of a recent post. For you see, I was given the opportunity to aid in the release of 28,000 summer steelhead smolts into the Campbell - what a thrill! The smolts were around six inches long and came spewing out of the hose at an alarming rate. I was sporting a pair of hip waders and could feel the bewildered smolts bumping in and around my legs. I knew they were pretty fish, but these guys were magnificent. Their color changed from a sea blue to a light green depending on where the sun caught them. The enhancement project is organized by a group of volunteers and is privately funded through their fund raising efforts. This was the third year, so it is quite probable that the first years release will be finding their way back up the Campbell River this summer. Steelhead were one of Roderick's favorite fish, it is a shame that his home river has been without a summer run for over ten years, however, there is now hope that the Steelhead Society's efforts will change that. To use a quote from the movie, "Finding Nemo" I hope those little guys, "just keep swimming".

Battle of the Bunnies

Just before he left Campbell River, "Brian Brett, this year's Writer in Residence" forewarned me to watch out for more rabbits around the Haig-Brown property.  It seems he spotted them in broad daylight doing what rabbits do best - making more rabbits.  Still being somewhat new to country living I didn't think too much about the consequences, other than "won't their babies be cute."

Then later this spring, my neighbor who regularly tours the trails next door with his dog Lady, was out enjoying a sunny day.  I was working in the vegetable garden when I heard a ruckus and found him ordering Lady to heel.  It seems Lady found a littler of baby bunnies stashed off the trail and by the time I got there had killed one.

I looked back and saw my dog Charlie was preoccupied with something - it was a little teeny bunny.  Charlie's head was tilted to the side, his ears were up and I suppose he was confussed - all he was interested in doing was sniffing its rear end!  The poor bunny was trembling, I dragged Charlie away and went back to Lady and the stash to see if there were any left.  I know at least two got away but most definitely one did not.

I took some spinach over to where the stash was and thought at least when the parents come back they'll find some food.  I wasn't sure what was going to happen to the little ones running around now parentless, potentially helpless.

However, since this incident I've become aware of the situation in Kelowna where the rabbit population has grown to an epic sized proportion.  The city of Kelowna has allocated $54,000 to combat the bunnies.  I've learnt that female rabbits give birth to as many as seven babies every...thirty-one days.  Apparently people dropping off their unwanted domestic rabbits into the wild rather than the SPCA has made the problem worse.  With this being said, I suppose I should have offered Lady the spinach it seems she has done us all a favor in reducing our potential rabbit population by one.

Home Sweet Home......

Charlie and I are back and have settled in at the Haig-Brown house.  I'd like to thank everyone who visited and contributed to a wonderful first season last year - I have many great memories.

This year, I am donating produce grown on the property to a local Women's shelter, The Ann Elmore Transition house.  The shelter was named after Ann (Elmore) Haig-Brown due to her tremendous contribution to women in need.  I've invited residents of the shelter to help tend to the garden and share in the growing process.

Returning guests will notice the addition of a new greenhouse as opposed to the makeshift one I used last year, which in the end was held together primarily with duct tape.  The greenhouse is a result of the contributions by local businesses such as:  Windsor Mill Sales, Island Ready-mix, Rockin Robin Trucking, Habitat for Humanity, Home Hardware and the Museum at Campbell River.

The project would never have happened with out the hard work and creativity of Discovery College who donated the time and energy of their lead instructor and his construction and framing students who built it.

Thanks to all of the above-mentioned people for their generous donations and support - it's a wonderful start to this 2008 season.