Photos and Links from “Safeguarding XPey'” Speaker Night

Thank you to everyone who came out for our  wonderful ‘re-start’ of the Cowichan Watershed Board Speaker Series on Monday night! 

Huy tseep q’u to the elders, including those who were with us in spirit, for bringing forward their concern, love, and commitment for the well-being of cedar, and to the speakers from Quw’utsun Cultural Connections Society’s XPey’ Project team for providing a hopeful vision forward.  

Thank you to Lise Van der Merwe and the Cowichan Lake Research Station (MoF). Lise shared this link for the Cedar Research Working Group where research is shared. http://cedargroup.blogspot.com/

And thanks to MC Alison Nicholson for being the first Watershed Board Member to step up to host a Speaker Night in this series. In the month’s ahead, our intention is that each Speaker Night will be facilitated by a different Cowichan Watershed Board member as a way for the community to “Meet the Board”. 

We are grateful to Vancouver Island University-Cowichan Campus for their generous collaboration, and the Real Estate Foundation of BC for financial support to make the Speaker Series possible.

And finally – thank you to Barry Hetschko for the photos (and one from me – guess which one). 

p.s. Audience member Erik Piikkila also sent the following references he thought the audience might appreciate. Thanks Erik! 

• 2010 A Tale of Two Cedars (Red & Yellow) Conference at UVic & Mesachie Lake & Port Renfrew:  https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/36731
• Research on Forest Understory n Washington State at Wind River by:
• Jiquan Chen and Jerry Franklin in 1990s, Van Pelt 2000, AN Gray 2012, North 2004:  https://www.google.com/search?q=chen+and+franklin+understory+and+gaps+wind+river

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• Natural Conifer Seedling Regen Under Variable Retention Harvesting:  https://www.google.com/search?q=natural+conifer+seedling+regen+under+variable+retention+harvesting
• Western Red Cedar as a Calcium Pump for Ecosystem, Douglas-fir, & Loss of Cedar Calcium Impacts trees abilities to get water to tops of trees and thus Die Back:
• Google Search:  https://www.google.com/search?q=western+red+cedar+calcium+pump
• Google Search:  https://www.google.com/search?q=western+red+cedar+dieback+map
• Google Search:  https://www.google.com/search?q=western+red+cedar+calcium+deficiency+top+die+back
• Western Red Cedar Shade Tolerant Characteristics:  https://www.google.com/search?q=western+red+cedar+shade+tolerant+characteristics
• Nutrient Inputs of Red Alder which also reaches down to bedrock, breaks apart the bedrock, and bring the minerals to the surface:  https://today.oregonstate.edu/news/nitrogen-fixing-trees-%E2%80%9Ceat%E2%80%9D-rocks-play-pivotal-role-forest-health