Category Archives: Quadra Island

Trip Photos – Kayaking Granite Bay to Small Inlet 7 Sept 2013

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Four paddlers departed from the Granite Bay dock in quite dense fog, complete calm and quiet.  The fog lifted after about half an hour and conditions were idyllic.  We paddled to the end of Small Inlet, stopped for a snack on the largest island and then continued on to Orchard Bay.  The group explored, basked in the sun and tried out the apples.  Still wanting to paddle more, we went around the eastern island of the Chained Islands in Kanish Bay on the return to Granite Bay.

Kayaking Granite Bay to Small Inlet 7 Sept 2013

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Town Hall meeting regarding proposed communication tower

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Notes from the Sunday 18 August 2013 Town Hall meeting regarding the
proposed public safety communications tower on Heriot Ridge, Quadra
Island.

For more background on events leading up to this meeting, see
Proposed Communication Tower on Heriot Ridge

These notes are arranged in Q&A format in order to distinguish between comments made by the presenters and the audience, even if the Q is not strictly a question.
The attempt here is to report the ideas and issues discussed and not to try to do a transcript. Wordings are paraphrases, not exact; it has organized by topic.
The identities of audience speakers have been left out.

Dave Emery, North Island Communications, the applicant for the land tenure for the tower site, the “landlord” for the proposed tower.
Brian Fentiman, Mgr. RCMP Communication Sys. Vancouver Island District, one of the “tenants” of the proposed tower.

Dave opened by expressing his regrets and an apology that he did not call this public meeting 8 months ago, before he applied for the land use tenure.
Dave is withdrawing his current application for the site (letting it fail) because of community concerns. Dave plans to reapply for a tower site in a different location. This meeting is to get all issues out in the open before going to the expense of submitting a new application. The existing application cannot be amended because it is a change of site.

Conclusion of Meeting

  • Due to concerns expressed about the health effects of microwave radiation, Dave agreed that all microwave transmission from the tower will be done using very narrow beam antennas and that they will be aimed at Campbell River and away from Quadra, and also that
  • No cell phone antennas will be installed on this site. If a cell phone company expresses interest in the tower, they will be referred to Quadra Island.
  • The proposed internet service for Open Bay and Hyacinthe Bay (WiFi AP) will be dropped.
  • Dave and Brian will work with residents who have concerns about radiation to predict, measure, and ensure that they will have no measurable microwave radiation from this tower.
  • Aesthetic issues are important
  • A legal covenant covering community issues including the above is to be included in the land title from Ministry of Forests and NIComm will sign off on this.

Next Steps

  • hire a local biologist to investigate whether there are rare plants in this site
  • survey the new site
  • draw up legal covenant regarding agreements, working with Quadra and the SRD
  • hold another public meeting on the new site when there is a firm proposal
  • reapply for the site from Lands and Forests.

Meeting Notes

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Trip Photos – Kayaking Main Lake 21 August 2013

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Nine club members enjoyed a beautiful, sunny, calm day at the Lakes.  Leaving from the Mine Lake boat launch, we paddled to the northeast corner of Main Lake, landed on the sandy beach and hiked across to Yeatman Bay.  Several of us walked out to the tidal island at the south end of the bay to have a look at the channel.   The paddle took about 55 minutes.  The trail, which is 1.6 kilometres long and in good condition apart from some muddy bits, takes just under half an hour one way. After lunch, about half the group went for a short swim (very welcome as it was hot!), then we headed back to the parking lot, arriving at 2:30.  The lakes seemed busy (at least busy for Quadra!), but it was a very pleasant and relaxed outing. Perhaps on a future trip, we’ll paddle right round Main Lake and possibly venture into Clear Lake or Little Main.

Darcy Mitchell

Kayaking Main Lake 21 August 2013

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Kayaking Octopus Islands 21-23 Sept 2013

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Activity Multi-day paddling trip
Destination Octopus Islands Marine Park
Date Saturday 21 September 2013 to Monday 23 September
Trip Coordinator Darcy Mitchell and Lonn McMartin
Contact Info darcm@telus.net  or 250 285 2739 .
Description This is a two-night camping trip to the Octopus Islands Marine Park on the northeast side of Quadra Island.  The trip needs to be timed for slack water at Beazley Passage, therefore it is important that departure times are prompt.  It is 5.5 – 6 nautical miles from the departure point to the probable camping area.  Sunday will be spent exploring the Marine Park and adjacent areas, including possible  hikes to Small Inlet or up to Newton Lake.  We should be back at Surge Narrows dock  between 2:00 and 3:00 on Monday (slack water is 1:45 p.m.).

Participants should be fairly experienced paddlers and campers.  Training at the Paddle Canada Level 1 or equivalent is strongly advised.  Ability to perform both self-rescue and assisted rescue is essential!

Participants must be paid up members of the club for this outing.
Meeting Place Surge Narrows dock/boat launch (about 45 minutes from Quathiaski Cove)
Departure Time 11:15 am
Difficulty
 Intermediate
Costs None
Trip limits 10 (but no more than 6 tents)
Dogs? No
Notes: There will be a meeting of participants on the evening of Monday, September 16 at 7:30 at 533 Grouse Road to discuss arrangements for equipment sharing (radios, first aid equipment, stoves, pots), food preparation, etc.  Camping space is limited, so it is important to minimize tent sizes and numbers; sharing is good if you’re willing.

This trip is highly weather dependent.  Participants will be contacted by 9 p.m. on Thursday, September 19 if the trip is cancelled due to weather. 

octopus

Park info:
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/octopus/

Proposed Communication Tower on Heriot Ridge

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An application has been submitted to Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (MFLNRO) for use of a small parcel of land on Heriot Ridge for a communications tower. There are several concerns about this, including concerns about mistakes in the application and the procedure, in addition to concerns about the usage and the site chosen. There is some confusion about this, so it’s best to go through this in order of history.

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Hiking Mt. Seymour 18 August 2013

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Activity hiking
Destination Mt. Seymour
Date Sunday, 18 August 2013
Trip Coordinator Syd Lapan
Contact Info 285-2999.  Please contact the trip coordinator prior to the trip.
Description We will hike to the summit viewpoint with a side trip to Nugedzi Lake on the way down.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay store parking lot, to arrange carpools
Departure Time 09:00
Difficulty
 moderate
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs? yes; owners must bring a leash
Notes: Bring lunch and water

Trip Photos – Hiking Shellaligan Trail 27 July 2013

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The group hiked the longer loop, on a warm, sunny, windy afternoon.  This is a beautiful forest and coastal walk.

Hiking Shellaligan Trail 27 July 2013

Social Rebecca Spit 24 July 2013

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Activity Potluck
Location Rebecca Spit
Date 24 July 2013, Rescheduled from 17 July.
Trip Coordinator Darcy Mitchell
Contact Info Call Darcy Mitchell at 285 2739 or email darcm@telus.net if you have any questions
Description Calling all QI Outdoor club members and guests to a Potluck Picnic Dinner at Rebecca Spit on Wednesday, July 24 starting at 5:00 p.m.   We’ll have a few kayaks on site, so if you’ve been wanting to try your hand at paddling, this is your chance!  Dinner starts at 6:00.  We’ll also have some short reports on club excursions to date and time to discuss your ideas and feedback on Club activities and plans.  AND – there will be a draw for a door prize, so be sure to bring family and friends!
Notes: If a postponement is needed, it will be posted here as a comment.

Trip Photos – Hiking Seymour Ridge 13 July 2013

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Four intrepid hikers went for this challenging hike on a clear, warm day.  We hiked up to the Seymour summit with excellent views of Little Nugedzi Lake, the outer islands, coastal mainland and Vancouver Island.  The trail was in excellent condition after being cleared from winter damage by volunteers for the Trails Committee.  We continued on to Nugedzi Lake for lunch.  There was an amazing display of wild tiger lilies around the lakes.  The hike then followed the Nugedzi trail through the forest and past the beaver ponds, with a side trip to the viewpoint over Georgia Basin.  There has been significant wind damage in this forest over the past winter.  From this point the route followed an unmaintained track along the ridge to Beech’s Mountain.  Progress was very slow, as the wind damage was severe in this area also.  After bush whacking and climbing through fallen trees, the group reached the Beech’s Mountain with rewarding views to the east.  The wild flowers were still very good along the way.  On the descent to the Chinese Mountain parking lot we encountered a grouse with chicks.  It took us 7 1/2 hours to go the 12.2 km, with lots of breaks and stops for photos.

Hiking Seymour Ridge 13 July 2013

Trip Photos – Kayaking Hyacinthe-Open Bays 7 July 2013

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Six club members and one guest enjoyed a beautiful day for our paddle from Hyacinthe Bay to Open Bay. A light wind, gusting NW to about 12-15 knots in more exposed waters, provided some challenge, but the warm, dry weather made for a very pleasant paddle overall. The low tide at Hyacinthe Bay made for a good work out in getting launched. A river otter interrupted his fishing off the rocks to watch us warily as we paddled out into the Bay.
Our first pause was to admire the new, custom designed Toelle built, Peterson home in Hyacinthe Bay, which hugs the bluff as if grown, rather than built, there.
We skirted around seal rock, being careful to not disturb the dozen or so seals enjoying the sunshine and low, low tide.
The very low tide at Open Bay gave us plenty of beach to enjoy as we ate our lunch, and chatted with friends there with their dogs for a good beach run.
Somewhat reluctantly we left our relaxing lunch spot to tour the amazing rock formations of Open Bay. We made a note to plan a club tour with a local geologist to learn more about the fascinating geological history of this area.
With the wind rising, we headed directly back to Hyacinthe Bay, admiring the cliffs of pillow lava as we rounded the point. Some members spotted the route they took on an earlier club hike over Hyacinthe Ridge.

Route: Hyacinthe Bay (Len Road) to Open Bay and return
Total time from put-in to return: 4.5 hours (10 am – 2:30 pm)
Number of participants: 7
Winds and Sea state: light to moderate winds, 5 – 15 knots; slight ripples to low waves
Weather: sunny, warm, 23C
Trip Coordinator: Valerie van Veen

Kayaking Hyacinthe-Open Bays 7 July 2013

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