Earth Day cake and fun will be served at noon on Saturday, April 20 at the Qualicum Beach Town Hall square followed on Sunday with an easy two-hour walking tour to Canada’s third tallest Sitka Spruce tree in the Qualicum Beach Salmon Forest.
“Environmental displays, face-painting, and fun from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. will be highlighted by the cutting of the Earth Day cake at noon on Saturday,” said Annette Tanner, organizer of the event. “The yearly Earth Day tour on Sunday, to Canada’s third tallest Sitka Spruce will showcase the globally identified sensitive ecosystems within the 60-hectare Little Qualicum River floodplain forest.”
The Town of Qualicum Beach purchased 3.5 hectares of the forest as protection for the drinking water wells for the town. Island Timberlands owns the remaining 57.5 hectares that the community has been working for 13 years to protect as a Regional Park.
The Little Qualicum River is known as one of the most popular fishing and wildlife viewing rivers that supports all seven species of salmonids.
Meet at 1 p.m. at the junction of Kinkade Rd. and Old Island Highway, next to Riverside Resort in Qualicum Beach.
The tour is by donation, with proceeds going towards the RDN’s acquisition of the remaining 57.5 hectares of the Salmon Forest, as a regional park.
For more information contact Annette Tanner at 250-752-6585.
That’s not all that will be taking place on the Earth Day weekend however. The North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre is also planning to celebrate.
The fun kicks off on Sunday, with volunteers staffing biofact tables and giving guided tours. As well, glove trained birds available .
This family-friendly event is being held at no charge. Organizers noted that the Beach Club is sending out volunteers to help with the festivities.
In Fanny Bay, the Sierra Club is organizing an event called Letters from Ground Zero on Saturday, in a bid to solicit letters of support against a proposed coal mine in the area.
On April 20 we celebrate Earth Day,” said Sierra Club chairperson Mike Bell. “This year we have an exciting opportunity to help our Comox Valley neighbours save our environment from an immediate and looming threat — the proposed Raven Coal Mine. It is a clear and present danger.”
The event is slated to run from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Fanny Bay Community Hall.
