Three days of sunshine, they said...

Yet again it's been quite a while since my last blog. It's probably because I'm well over my jet lag now and therefore I don't wake up at 6 and spend an hour blogging before breakfast! I've spent some of my time hanging out with the other interns and exploring the local area with them. 

Sculpting nature on a wet walk at Crescent Beach with the interns...

Then, two weeks ago, I got to take part in the A Rocha Canada staff retreat. It was great to meet other like-minded people from all over Canada. It was particularly wonderful to hear about the exciting ongoing work being done to establish more A Rocha centres, protect God's creation and share God's love with others around us.  

An Ethiopian adventure: all sharing(!) food from the same plate, on the staff retreat.

Apart from that I've been spending time preparing project plans and management schedules for the upcoming field work, and taking part in surveys ranging from the weekly bird surveys to water quality monitoring.

A male Goldeneye: A nice surprise on the early morning bird walk!

It's been wonderful to settle back in and catch up with people properly after being away, and I've enjoyed the chance to get to know the new interns better. But, after a few weeks spent mostly in the office, I'm very much looking forward to the imminent start of what looks set to be a very busy period of field work for the conservation team. On the other hand, I'm very glad to be in a period of relative calm right now! This is mostly because of the adventure I had last weekend.

When I arrived back in Canada, I found out that the conservation team would be getting the opportunity to spend a long weekend, helping a local university with their ongoing studies and restoration work of the Garry Oak ecosystem, on Salt Spring Island. It's an extremely rare ecosystem and I'd heard a lot about how beautiful it is, particularly in summer, so of course I jumped at the opportunity to explore another of the Gulf Islands (like Mayne and Galiano) and learn more about the conservation work being done there. In the run up to the weekend the weather forecasters seemed unable to make up their minds. A few days prior to setting off, three days of glorious sunshine was predicted, and my boss lamented that she wasn't going to be able to come with us for the weekend. The evening before departure, the forecast changed to a more typical forecast of three days of rain, rain and more rain. We quickly made sure to pack all of our waterproof gear. The next morning we were quite surprised to awaken with Brooksdale covered in an icing sugar dusting of snow. The forecast was consulted again: rain, rain, more rain, maybe a little sprinkling of snow and even more rain! Undeterred by this, and in good spirits, we packed up the car and set off for the ferry terminal.

Loading up the van!

We arrived at the island to another light dusting of snow. Noone in our group, be they a professor or student, seemed overly concerned by this weather, so we drove in convoy up to Crow's Nest Ecological Research Area, for a good look around at the Garry Oak Ecosystem.

Discussing our plan of attack!

The Garry Oak in its winter glory...

Just a little snow...

The snow was still coming down in flurries in the evening as we made our way back down to Cusheon Cove, where we were staying. But news of a warm front meant that we were confidently assured by the geography professors that the snow would turn to rain before long. Reassured, we went to bed. Down at sea level the next morning, we were greeted again to a light dusting of snow and steady snowfall. The first we became aware that something was wrong was when we attempted to drive the few km up from the coast to the study area. The first car load made it, but our van and the Chrysler couldn't even make it up the 1 km driveway from the cove. We were generously allowed to borrow the guest house owner's 4x4 truck. This got us up the driveway and onto the roads, where we started to realise the extent of chaos on the island...

One of the many abandoned cars we found...

Did we accidentally get the ferry to Narnia?

We drove as far as we could, and then walked up the forest tracks to the top of Crow's Nest with our lunch and as much equipment as we could manage.

Partway up the track to Crow's Nest: we'd gotten the car up beyond this point less that 24 hours previously!

Much snow related excitement...

A brief break on our ascent...

At the top!

Fencing, fence posts, a really heavy post tamper, trundle wheel, clippers, saws, wire cutters and a few feet of snow... who says ecology is a doss subject?!

Having a well-earned rest before the real work began!

Having got our breath back, we had a wander around the study site to try and work out what we could realistically achieve given that planting and surveys were unlikely to happen. We decided to see how far we could get with creating a large-scale deer exclosure before a) the snow became too deep to work in; b) we all got too cold and hungry and miserable c) we realised that this wasn't going to be at all feasible.

What to do when planting isn't going to work... go for a walk!

Fencing going surprisingly well!

A recurring theme... people standing in the snow discussing options!

As it happens, apart from the extra challenges of having to dig out a path for the fence to be built in and trying to find areas that weren't bare rock, so that fence posts could be driven into the ground, the fencing went well. With more completed than we'd ever hoped for, we called it a day and headed back down the hill. By this point it was only possible to drive the 4x4 truck, so we were shuttled back to Cusheon Cove, where we were greeted with the wonders of central heating, hot water and baked potatoes! The snow was forecast to stop during the night and we were optimistic that the road situation would improve enough that we'd be able to get the cars up the driveway. Just as I was going to bed, the power cut off. What with the number of branches and trees coming down in the uncharacteristically heavy snow it's really a surprise that the power had lasted so long! I snuggled up in bed, grateful for the extra jumper I'd packed.

Next morning (still snowing) we started to realise we wouldn't be getting the cars off the island that day. Even at sea level, the snow lay thick upon the ground and was falling continually, and the power still wasn't back.

Cusheon Cove in the snow...

We made plans to shuttle those who needed to get back to the mainland that day to the nearest ferry terminal in the trusty 4x4, and then set off back up the hill.

Who knew how many granola bars I could fit inside my ski jacket!?

Much more snow and we'd have lost lovely Emily!

Philip, Andrew, a post tamper and a step ladder... job done!

Shoveling snow... how Canadian!

In the kind of high spirits that seem to come from messing around in snow, we cracked on and finished all the fencing by mid afternoon.

Take that deer!

We returned to the bottom of the hill, where we found the ferry goers desperately attempting to fix a shredded tyre on our beloved truck! They missed their first ferry, but we changed the tyre and they made it to the later ferry in good time. Disaster yet again averted, the non ferry goers returned to the still powerless Cusheon Cove for some candlelit conversations, camping stove broth and wood burning stove tea. We laughed and talked into the night in the comfortable semi-darkness, wondering if we would ever leave the island, as snow continued to fall outside.

Flat tyre!

How many scientists does it take to change a tyre?

When all else fails, perhaps just give up and walk...

Tuesday morning dawned and I was woken by sunlight streaming into the room. There was still no power, but, for the first time since we'd arrived on Salt Spring three days previously, it had stopped snowing!! The trees were dripping and it felt like the spring that came to Narnia after years and years of perpetual winter.

Cusheon Cove in the sunlight!

Sun, sea, snow...

Spring at last!

Encouraged by the news that the road at the top of the driveway had been cleared by snow ploughs, we decided to try and get the cars to the ferry terminal. Much snow shoveling, towing attempts, snow chains, and pushing was required, but success! We were free! Rejoicing, we drove to Fulford and made it to the ferry in the nick of time.

A beautiful day...

Filled with pushing...

...towing...

...shoveling...

And success!!

The team triumphant on the ferry...

Exhausted, the A Rocha contingent returned to an also rather snowy Brooksdale, with the feeling that we'd encountered and survived something rather special. I've tried to put my finger on precisely why a trip that had so much potential to be cold, back breaking, miserable and a dismal failure from a conservation perspective, had been so successful and utterly enjoyable in every way. I think in part it comes down to teamwork at its best. Not once did anyone despair, instead problems were discussed, ideas shared (and respectfully listened to!), and solutions found. Perhaps less profoundly, it also comes down to the simple fact that not one of us believed the weather forecasts enough to leave our ski jackets behind on the mainland! Hooray for weather-based cynicism, wood stoves and 4 x 4 trucks!

Home sweet (snowy) home...