If the current economic climate has you feeling a bit poor, grab a friend or bring your family to celebrate a place rich in culture and heritage.
Three days celebrating the part of Gowlland Tod Provincial Park located near Tod Inlet begins Saturday, Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Celebrations will also occur Sept. 24 and Oct. 22. All are in celebration of the 100th anniversary of BC Parks.
The activities for the three scheduled dates relate to the history, culture and science of the area. All ages will enjoy the activities. Kids who come on Aug. 20 will enjoy dropping by an exhibit on Bones, Beaks and Teeth provided by Becky Wigan of UVic’s Anthropology Department. Then they can move on to drenching the Tod Creek watershed model with rain or sprinkling soy sauce that mimics motor oil on the model’s roads; making some crafts or exploring the area as part of a scavenger hunt.
Musician Leslie Gentile expressed her delight in playing a set for the community oriented celebration organized by SeaChange Marine Conservation Society. She was especially happy to pitch in for this celebration because she played at the ceremony held in honour of the establishment of Gowlland Tod Park in 1995. This time she will be playing with one of her grown daughters. In September, she will return with both daughters for the full Leslie Gentile Band experience.
Local first nations traditionally referred to the land around Tod Inlet as Snitcel, pronounced “sneak with,” which translates as Place of the Blue Grouse in English. W’saanich people retain their Douglas Treaty rights to hunt, fish and use the land as before. As the Sencoten language used by W’saanich people recovers, traditional place names are becoming more familiar. Hear stories people told such as one used to keep their children from wandering alone in the woods or where First Man arrived from the stars.
More recent history of the area includes a talk with Gwen Curry and covers topics such as the village of Chinese workers, Sikh workers’ short stay and what those concrete foundations around the park held up.
If you were among those that have helped to restore some of the land with plants that grew in the area before European contact, this is your chance to bring your friends and show off your effort.
And while the economic climate has been shaky more recently, the atmospheric climate has been changing along with the ocean as the by-products of the industrial revolution catch up with us. Check on current news regarding ocean acidification and the coast of Vancouver Island from the graduate research project of University of Victoria Earth and Ocean Sciences student Alejandra Lara Espinosa.
Remember that all these wonderful events occur in a provincial park. Part of assuring the place remains an enjoyable experience in nature is keeping our collective footprint light. That means bringing your own food and drink as well as packing your garbage and recyclables back out with you. Parking is limited at the entrance on Wallace Drive just south of Benvenuto Avenue. The walk along Tod Creek down to Tod Inlet usually takes about 20 minutes.