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Adding Housing While Reducing Human Impact On The Lakes

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By Roy L Hales

Cortes has a housing crises. Young families are being forced off the island because of the lack of affordable units and there is not much room for seniors who are no longer able to maintain large lots. The Cortes Housing recently purchased 51 acres in Manson’s Landing to help address this issue, but are facing another issue as well. There are already too many nutrients draining into Hague and Gunflint Lakes. In this morning’s program we talk to Rex Weyler, Lake Stewardship Coordinator for the Friends of Cortes Island and David Rousseau, President of the Cortes Island Foundation, about adding housing while reducing human impact on the lakes.

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Forests

Visiting Avatar Grove

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By Roy L Hales

Though it is no longer a secret, relatively few North Americans have visited one of the continent’s oldest extant stands of giant old-growth red cedar and Douglas fir. The site was slated to be clearcut, when T J Watt spotted a large cedar close to Route 14 just outside of Port Renfrew, British Columbia, in 2009. Figuring there was likely to be more, he hiked into the forest. The Victoria based Ancient Forest Alliance was born out of the campaign to protect the ten acre site now known as Avatar Grove.
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ECOreport Radio

Going Beyond Organic Farming

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By Roy L Hales

Michael Ableman started farming organically in California during  the 1970’s and is considered to be a pioneer of the organic farming and urban agriculture movements. He is the author of four books: From the Good Earth, On Good Land, Fields Of Plenty and Street Farm; Growing Food, Jobs, and Hope on the Urban Frontier. Michael has been the head farmer at Foxglove Farm, on Saltspring Island, B.C.,for close to twenty years. I recently asked him about going beyond organic farming.

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ECOreport Radio

Why Re-elect George Sirk As Regional Director?

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By Roy L Hales

In my second interview with the candidates for Cortes Island’s Regional Director, I became aware that they have a very different vision of how the island should be governed. The current Director, Noba Anderson, portrays herself as an instigator, who “convenes conversations that would not otherwise happen.” Many of the island’s best known projects came about through her direct intervention. Though George Sirk chalked up a similar list of accomplishments during the nine years he represented the island (1996 – 2005), he stresses the idea that there should be more of a separation between the Regional Director and specific business projects. In this morning’s episode, I ask, why re-elect George Sirk as Regional Director? 

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