Climate
The first year of the pandemic the air is far cleaner - a result of the cessation of activity . In mid-April Mount Rainier is visible from Willows Beach. One elder said it has not been seen for thirty years. This one minute CDC slide show of air quality before and during the pandemic makes a dramatic point . When we ramp society back up, we can and must do so in a manner that better respects the environment and our health.
We put an 850 gallon cistern under the porch to catch rain from the gutters to feed our garden. Three days after being made operational in December it was overflowing. Feast and famine as far as rain is concerned. We will add a second storage tank.
Vancouver Island and Victoria
We have two climates to contend with when it comes to this project: the temperate rainforest conditions of southern Vancouver Island and, of course, climate change.
Imagine a Mediterranean climate in the summer and a temperate rainforest in the winter. You have Victoria. Coming from Chicago by way of the cloud cover/snow belt capital of Upstate New York, we were shocked at the mildness. Pilots say there is a hole in the clouds over the south end of the island. The sun shines here far more than in neighboring Vancouver or Seattle. This climate resembles the south of England’s (and Ghent’s -another favorite place we have lived). Just about anything you can grow in the South of England grows here, but twice as fast. Same goes for just about anything that grows in the entire Pacific Rim.
But, from increased wildfires, a heat dome, frequent local flooding, to sustained periods of drought, Vancouver Island is feeling the effects of climate change. A 2019 report from the provincial BC government suggests those effects will get significantly worse over the next 30 years, leading to the loss of lives, natural resources and billions of dollars from the economy. The preliminary provincial climate risk assessment evaluates the risks of 15 specific events that are being driven by climate change, and what the consequences could be by 2050. We are trying to mitigate by making our house energy self sufficient, harvesting water, reducing runoff, and landscaping with native, drought tolerant plants.
“Vancouver Island (coordinates), is located along the south west coast of British Columbia, Canada. The Island is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west, Queen Charlotte Strait on the north, Johnstone Strait on the northwest, Georgia Strait on the west, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the south separating it from Washington state.
The Vancouver Island Ranges make for a wet and rugged west coast and a dry, more rolling east coast. The Golden Hinde, at 2195 m or 7200’ is the highest point and is located near the Island's centre in Strathcona Provincial Park. The Golden Hinde is part of a group of peaks that include the only glaciers on the Island, the largest of which is the Comox Glacier.
The rugged, and in many places mountainous, west coast is characterized by fjords, bays, and inlets. It is also known for beaches such as Long Beach and Wickaninnish Beach in Pacific Rim National Park, between Ucluelet and Tofino BC. The Island’s interior has many lakes.
The Island formed when volcanic and sedimentary rock scraped off the ancient Kula Plate and plastered against the continental margin when it was subducting under North America 55 million years ago.” (source: Parksville Qualicum Beach website)
