Gulf Islands Gold?

      “There’s gold on them thar islands!” or so it seems. With the recent news of mining claims covering much of the privately owned rural and agricultural land on North and South Pender, “not in my back yard” has taken on new meaning. Property owners have been consulting with legal counsel, elected officials, neighbours and government websites to try to make sense of it all. Both the Islands Trust and CRD are conferring with the Ministry of Energy and Mines. It appears that land with a building, the area around a house, orchards, cultivated land, heritage land and parks are not included, but that still leaves large rural areas open to exploration. It surprises many residents who thought mining of this nature was not allowed in the Gulf Islands, especially since such activity is counter to the “preserve and protect” mandate of the Islands Trust.

      According to the Ministry of Energy and Mines, claim staking with Mineral Titles Online, established in 2005, has been a game changer. Creating an easy to use online system was intended to streamline the process, which it certainly did. Mining claims in BC increased substantially as a result. But there were unintended consequences. “Online staking now allows claims to be acquired without ever setting foot on the land. MTO has significantly reduced the cost of acquiring a claim, and, as a result, has allowed some claims to be registered by persons who have no intention of ever conducting any mining activity on the land.”

      Although a property owner’s initial reaction is to prohibit entry of someone with a free miner’s certificate and claim to the subsurface mineral rights, the provincial mining laws trump any local laws or private property owner’s rights. In most cases the province owns the minerals under the surface, so even if you own the land they own everything under your land. Property owners should be aware of the Mining Tenure Act regulations, which require proper notice to be given and compensation paid to the surface rights property owner. This can be as simple as an agreement with the miner, or as complicated as a hearing with the Gold Commissioner or a surface rights arbitration board. 

      In the far north corner of the province, the regional government has helped arrange for a Farmers Advocacy Office to help landowners through the complicated process with a compensation arrangement that is as transparent and fair as possible. The FAO keeps a map and database clearly showing the terms of other surface rights agreements to help farmers with their own negotiations. In the case of the grain and forage growing Peace River area the subsurface resource being extracted is oil and gas, but the principle is the same.

      All of this harkens back to the gold rush days of the 1800’s. The earliest regulation of mining in BC came with the Gold Fields Proclamation of 1859, with the appointment of two gold commissioners for the Colony of British Columbia. The original Gold Fields “Act” was to promote land settlement at a time when the province was sparsely populated and mines were smaller. The establishment of a Gold Commissioner was to serve as the law in what was a lawless frontier. It speaks volumes that we still have need of a Gold Commissioner today, and that we allow our province to continually tweak an antiquated law that clearly needs an overhaul and an updating into the 21^st century.

     The mining industry in BC is very strong and important to the BC economy. This fact is certainly not lost on our lawmakers. Perhaps a complete review is in order, and should include the importance that mineral and metal recycling may have on the environment and our economy. It is known that recycling has the advantage of energy savings and reduced pollution, in addition to the sparing effect on our environment from reduced mineral exploration. New tools and research in mining exploration can also reduce the damage to the surface and water resources and provide a targeted approach to mining, instead of a shotgun approach of yesteryear when land was seen as an unlimited resource and miners with no experience or training could stake claims over large expanses of land.

Free run, free range or just plain Free

   Caged, free run, free range or just plain free. You may be familiar with the first three terms, but “just plain free”? Raising livestock and poultry on a farm can be done different ways, depending on the facilities available, the inclination of the farmer and the market demand. Codes of practice in raising livestock and poultry are currently being revised and would also influence how animals are to be raised. But sometimes the animals take matters into their own hands (or hooves or wings).

    Last year we had a visitor fly into our farm. She was a lovely young Muscovy duck. Our two aged Muscovy drakes suddenly started to take better care of themselves, eating better, getting more exercise and grooming their feathers more. Their heads took on an Elvis Presley-style “pompadour” look.

    The female Muscovy eventually gave in to their charms, and in the spring she began to take on the nesting look and sounds – a bouncy waddle, puffed-and-fluffed up feathers, and a “ping” to her voice. We didn't know where she was nesting, but my husband found out on Mother's Day. She had hatched out fifteen babies on the porch above our deck. Glenn carefully gathered up the babies and brought them down a ladder to the ground below. Each time he went up the ladder she was waiting for him, attacking his head as he gathered more babies. Finally, she joined them on the lawn below, mothering them. We grew concerned as each day she would show up with one baby missing. It seemed that either a wild cat, or raven, or mink was snatching her ducklings. Out of desperation and with some encouragement by us, she started to sleep at night by our door, her wings gathered around her young ones. Five young ones survived – three males and two females. For quite some time they stayed each night by the door until they were big enough to fend for themselves. One day another female flew in to join them, and another male as well. I don't know where they came from. That is where the “just plain free” comes in.

    One of the challenges of “just plain free” is determining ownership. We did provide feed and protection to the ducks, but by the way they would go wherever they wanted I wasn't sure they belonged to us, or anyone. When the young ducks were big enough their mom spent a few weeks teaching them to fly. It was kind of a “OK, watch me do it, now you try” kind of trial and error. The mama duck would fly around the farm gracefully. Soon, the young ones would tentatively flap their wings and lift off for short runs, then longer ones. Sometimes they would fly over the ridge, sometimes into the neighbour's farm. One day I spotted a male and female looking lost on Port Washington Road. Somehow, this form of “just plain free” makes management a challenge. There are still three young ones that are by the door each morning, a bit hesitant about being so free. Some have been reported further down on Port Washington Road, hanging around at feeding time at one of the sheep farms. Yes, we could clip there wings, but should we? That would make them more vulnerable to predators.

    The same problem happened last year with our turkeys. All spring and summer they would stay close to home, eating lots of blackberries and such. At one point the females move far away from the males, as the females nest and go about raising their young. As fall came on they would move further afield, becoming an annoyance to some neighbours. I ended up gathering them into the barn and sending a batch at a time to the poultry swap and sales. The heritage turkeys have a way of getting up into trees, onto fence posts, or will go high on a hill to give themselves more range to fly over. I have spoken with other heritage turkey producers who occasionally need to go to the neighbours and gather up their stray turkeys, walking them home. At least I am not the only one.

    Even hooved animals can be in the category “just plain free”. A few years ago I took a healthy group of Border Cheviot sheep to a nearby farm of good size. That was my first mistake, because Border Cheviots have a wild nature. They settled into grazing, and as fall came it was quite a challenge to gather them and separate the lambs for market. The next year, it was impossible as a dog had chased and attacked them, so they would not be gathered by our Border Collie. I soon declared them “feral”, or back to wild sheep, and tried various ways to get them back to the home farm where I could use our corral to gather them up. As luck would have it, one evening the sheep decided to graze near the driveway, were spooked by a car on the driveway, ended up on the road, and the RCMP put them into our driveway and farm. Yes, the Mounties always get their lamb.

Where have the bullfrogs gone?

Where have the bullfrogs gone? Late in the spring I would hear bullfrogs plopping into our ponds as I walked the water's edge. Then summer came and poof - no bullfrogs. No deep throaty noises at night. Some people spotted the odd frog dead by the road. But what happened to the invasion? On our farm, something made them go away. And we didn't do anything to remove or kill them.

George Ross-Smith 1937-2012

George on left, with Isaac Grimmer, Martha McMahon and Wally Bradley stooking hay

      Pender Island lost long-time resident and retired farmer George Ross-Smith on Wednesday, September 5^th 2012 at Saanich Peninsula Hospital. George was just over a month from his 75^th birthday, and although his health had declined in recent years it was still a shock to hear of his passing.

      George Alfred Ross-Smith was born October 14^th, 1937 in Cornwall, Ontario. In 1947 George's father Ashton bought the big Menzies farm on Pender Island and moved the family to the farm, a few years before Pender Island had electricity. George loved the freedom of the farm and the island, causing a bit of a stir with his brother Ian whenever he could. George spent many an hour chasing sheep back to the farm in his childhood, as we all know how sheep ignore fences.

      In his teens, George went to Montreal and became an electrician. He married Marilyn in 1963, and next year they would have been celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary. In 1965 George and Marilyn and their growing family moved from Montreal to Pender Island. There was a lot of work for young people on the island at the time with the new Magic Lake Estates development. George worked as an electrician on the project, and he later worked in Vancouver on the construction of the Bentall Buildings. After that he worked for the Ministry of Transportation, later with JJM, maintaining the roads of Pender Island.

      George was also a farmer. George raised cattle and sheep, and produced hay on the Ross-Smith Farm for many years. At first he worked on the road crew full time, and managed to farm when he could make the time. He often spoke of how he looked forward to retirement so that he could farm full time. He especially liked the hay season and would spend many hours on his tractor, mowing, raking and baling. Many island children had their farm experience with George, helping lift bales onto the wagon and getting a good old fashioned hay ride to the big barn at the back of the farm. He also was a great help to those with small hay fields and no equipment. George would methodically move his tractor and equipment to the various acreages to make sure the hay was cut. George would help out if someone needed thistles cut, or a field tilled for a market garden. George was more than a farmer, he was a farmer's farmer. He would help anyone out. He taught newer farmers various skills. When he wasn't physically able to do the tractor work anymore, or keep livestock anymore, he allowed other farmers to cut hay and keep livestock on his farm.

      George also took a great interest in community. George was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion for 52 years. For many years George was a member of the Farmers' Institute, and he took a special interest in the Fall Fair. George volunteered as one of Angus McMonnie's assistants for the famous fall fair barbeque, back to when it first started. Even in later years as George passed the torch to the younger barbeque cooks, he would still show up and enjoy helping where he could. When the fair moved to the current site at the Community Hall next to his farm, George allowed parking in his hay field for several years, taking the time to mow the field a second time just before the fair. He helped set up and take down and enjoyed it very much. But the first year he would not allow parking there because he said when the Hall was built, there was not enough parking spaces allotted. Of course, he was right. That first year the parking was a bit of a disaster as cars went far and wide up and down roads. George just wanted to prove his point. George had also written to the Agricultural Land Commission to ensure that the Hall land remained in the ALR, which it does with the understanding that the Hall will support agriculture. George was also supportive of the Community Garden which is located on Ross-Smith Farm, which he tilled for them when he was physically able.

      There will be a graveside service at Pender Island Cemetery 12:00 pm Saturday September 15, 2012. A celebration of life will follow at the Royal Canadian Legion on Pender Island.

George second from right at Fall Fair BBQ, with left to right Aaron Grimmer, Michael Bradley, unknown, Fred Wiercyski , photo by Kelly Irving.

      George was predeceased by his son Scott. He is survived by his wife Marilyn, son Randall (Soinia) daughter Catherine, grandsons Geoffrey, Nicholas, Jorden, J. J and granddaughter Britney. He is also survived by his sister Jean (Wally) Bradley and brother Ian, and many nieces and nephews. George was a true island character, an independent soul who had a wide circle of friends and interests. He will be dearly missed.