by Alejandro Frid, alejandro_frid@alumni.sfu.ca, February 28, 2008

Introduction
Here I comment on the PGL (January 2008) report on CRC. To make the best use of the time I can allot to volunteer work, I will focus on ecological issues that complement the expertise and input of local naturalists (e.g. SE Fast, A Whitehead, B. Gowans and others). Read more

Letter from the Directors of the Cape Roger Curtis Trust Society
to Bowen Island Municipality, Attention: Michael Rosen, 81 Artisan Lane, Bowen Island BC V0N 1G0

Re: Cape Roger Curtis — Preliminary Neighbourhood Plan and Implementation Options (dated January 3, 2008)

The Cape Roger Curtis Trust Society has been asked to comment on the three development options for the 631-acre Cape Roger Curtis (CRC) set out in maps on pages 22-23, 24-25 and 26­27 of the Ekistics brochure entitled Preliminary Neighbourhood Plan & Implementation Options, dated January 3, 2008.

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by Nerys Poole
February 10, 2008, submitted for publication to Bowen Island Undercurrent

I have just reviewed the Cape Roger Curtis (CRC) Comprehensive Transportation Impact Study prepared by Opus Hamilton for the CRC owners, dated February 2008.

There are a few glaring errors that lead me to question the extent to which the authors analyzed our island situation. In addition, there is a blatant manipulation of numbers that results in a totally misleading calculation of the actual impact of any CRC development on the island roads and ferry. Read more

by Peter B. Banks and Jessica V. Bryant
Biology Letters (2007) 3, 611-613

Dog walking is among the world’s most popular recreational activitiesFour-legged friend or foe? Dog walking displaces native birds from natural areas, attracting millions of people to natural areas each year with diverse benefits to human and canine health. But conservation managers often ban dog walking from natural areas fearing that wildlife will see dogs as potential predators and abandon their natural habitats, resulting in outcry at the restricted access to public land. Arguments are passionate on both sides and debate has remained subjective and unresolved because experimental evidence of the ecological impacts of dog walking has been lacking. Here we show that dog walking in woodland leads to a 35% reduction in bird diversity and 41% reduction in abundance, both in areas where dog walking is common and where dogs are prohibited. These results argue against access by dog walkers to sensitive conservation areas.  DOWNLOAD PDF: Four-legged friend or foe? Dog walking displaces native birds from natural areas

February 14, 2008, February BIM Link

EXCERPT: [T]he municipality . . . is taking steps to formalize and strengthen the Greenways Strategy within the framework of the Official Community Plan (OCP). At a committee of the whole meeting this month, the new planner on staff, Celene Fung led Council through a proposed bylaw, intended to help guide future land use decisions as well as park and recreational planning. Read more

by Don Maclean
February 08, 2008, Bowen Island Undercurrent

Yes Virginia, size matters, particularly population size that has to be absorbed by a struggling infrastructure that has enough problems fixing potholes. Completely ignoring all the wonderful amenities and beachfront parks that are continually being used as a lure to support substantial development, I’ll restrict my observations to numbers. Read more

Editorial by Lisa Shatzky
February 08, 2008, Bowen Island Undercurrent

Ian Fry’s and Marion Moore’s letters in last week’s Undercurrent raised some important questions about the direction in which we are going as a municipality in terms of balancing the needs of the community with the delicate and rural atmosphere of island life. The following are my personal thoughts and not necessarily that of council.

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by Bruce Russell
February 08, 2008, Bowen Island Undercurrent

I commend Ian Fry’s suggestion in his “developer’s should be held to task” letter (Feb. 1, 2008) as to the vision of a south island passenger ferry. This is not an overly new concept. From the outset of the Bowen Island Properties’ Cowan Point development, provision has been made for a passenger only dock in Seymour Bay. In due course, I have every confidence that it will happen, provided all the regulatory authorities work with, not against, the developer. Read more

by Bill Granger
February 08, 2008, Bowen Island Undercurrent

Thanks for publishing Ian Fry’s letter about the horrible state of Bowen’s roads, especially targeting the heavy traffic of eighteen-wheelers coming and going, taking our precious forest logs and bringing tonnes of concrete, gravel, fill, milled wood and building materials to the far reaches of the island. Read more

by Ian Fry
February 01, 2008, Bowen Island Undercurrent

EXCERPT: If ever there was an opportunity to pay more than lip service to the term ‘green’ this should have been it. When people say that they want to get away from the noise and stress of cities, what they mean is getting away from traffic. Read more