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Spending a lazy summer afternoon floating down the Okanagan River Channel is a little more expensive this summer.

The $2 environmental levy being implemented by Coyote Cruises is aimed at improving the channel experience for everyone, cleaning up the channel, the walkway beside it, the landing zones and maybe even some shade tree plantings.

Coyote Cruises is a Penticton Indian Band-owned company that provides both tube rentals and lake to lake bus service for people floating down the channel. Anona Kampe, one of the directors of the company, estimates that about 100,000 people from all over the world take the popular trip each summer. A majority of the people who float the river channel bring their own floatation devices, beverages and food, with the packaging from those items often winding up in the river.

The idea of an environmental levy, Kampe said, is not a new idea.

“Even before us it had been discussed, but nobody knew how to just get the ball rolling,” said Kampe. They took it first to the PIB administration and then to the City of Penticton, earning the support of both councils. Permission for a fence — intended to help collect the levy even from those not using Coyote Cruise services —- at the cruise starting point was denied.

“We had thought perhaps erecting a fence would get the traffic to go right through past the cash registers, but the fence was denied by the City of Penticton. “I understand, erecting a fence in that area might not be cosmetically pleasing.”

Kampe said they are proceeding with the levy regardless.

“I would pay $2 myself to use the stairs, for the convenience,” said Kampe, noting that the channel is not easily accessible except at their starting point.

“If people are that upset about the $2 levy for the environment and they want to jump in down the way, then so be it,” said Kampe.

Coyote Cruises understands that this initiative might be unpopular since floating the river channel has always been free for the floater, provided they use their own floatation device and transportation. However, the levy has the potential to generate a substantial amount to care for the water and the land.

“We are the stewards of the environment,” said Kampe, explaining that the funds would be used to help refresh the landscaping at the pickup points as well as keep the river channel and walking path on the western side clean.

“The pickup point is pretty shabby looking, the one at the very end near Skaha, the asphalt is coming up in the parking lot. The weeds are out of control down there, the landscaping itself just looks run down,” said Kampe. “When you are first coming into Penticton from that side and people are driving by, it looks pretty run down. We want to update the landscaping and beautify the area, and also in the halfway point as well.”

They will be looking into bag dispensers to try to deal with the large amount of dog feces on the walking path as well as talking with a local diving club to help clean up the channel bottom. Kampe would also like to see some trees planted at locations along the west bank as the city has done on the east, which would provide shade areas for spawning salmon and kokanee.

“These are all the ideas we are throwing around,” said Kampe, who added they still need to lay out a strategic plan and consult with stakeholder groups, like the PIB, the City of Penticton or the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. “We’ve got all these great ideas and it is just a matter of getting them done now.”

James Young

Last January I wrote about the possible effects of Peak Oil and Climate Change on landscaping. The effects will extend well beyond landscaping, of course. However, what better place to start doing something about these problems than the landscape just outside our door?

There’s a name for these efforts to adapt to this new world of diminishing energy and unpredictable climate. It’s called “Transition

The Transition Movement

Illustration by the one of the primary originators of the Transition Movement, Rob Hopkins. Learn more at Transition Culture.org.

Transition started in Great Britain but has spread around the world. It’s an approach to handling the coming challenges we all face using a philosophy that leads us in a positive and empowering direction. The hallmarks of the process are self-determination combined with local action teams and a worldwide network.

Transition is not centered on trying to change other’s behavior. The idea is not to dictate to an unreceptive audience how we must respond to these coming problems. Nor does it seek direct political sway in the halls of power.

Transition asks each of us who are willing, to envision how to live our lives better, period. Given our personal desires and the background of constant change that engulfs us, our answers won’t all be the same but they will be channeled in the same direction. The needs and constraints of our time will necessarily lead us in the right direction. And when good ideas arise, they will spread through the network and beyond.

Transition is a set of guidelines that allow us to envision a better future based on resilient ways of living and by finding roots in our local culture. Transition teaches us that resilience is the goal we should shoot for, not dependency on ways of living that will essentially disappear in the near future. The need for resilience is the backdrop that will tend to channel us all in the same direction.

Resilience is a much under appreciated characteristic. We usually only need it during times of great change. However, who can predict when sudden change will come upon us? Those who question the status quo are generally ignored until radical change comes upon so forcefully that it is undeniable. For example, the housing crisis was predicted by a handful of people, like Dean Baker. They were all ignored and the lack of resilience in our financial system was revealed to the world.

Another example of resilience (or lack thereof): Hurricane Sandy came ashore and over 8 million people lost power. A city the size of New York just about came to a standstill. Take away the easy energy and the modern city falls apart. This is not a city of resilience; this is a city utterly dependent on an increasingly scarce and clearly limited resource; fossil fuels. Lucky for New Yorkers there is still plenty of easy energy left to rebuild. How long will that last? And what about the next time it happens?

Transition gives individuals and small groups a way to affect their own futures, without dependence on government or big business to do it for them or get in the way. It asks the question: What can we do today to bring a better vision of the future into our immediate reality? Let’s look to where we need to go instead of focusing with dread on the oh-so-many negative things coming our way. And we certainly have a plethora of negativity to distract us these days.

With each of us dreaming a new world and forming small local groups dedicated to shared visions of resilience and sustainability that we want to live in, in roles that we want to play, we can finally move forward with enthusiasm.

My description of Transition does not do it justice. Follow the links here to get to the source:

http://www.transitionnetwork.org/

http://transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins

In the spirit of Transition then, I have been envisioning my response and my dreams for the future of my particular family unit.

For a start, I decided to plant an orchard. I’ve always wanted to be better at orcharding. What better place than just outside my door, right? And I love a garden that you can eat. It’s not lost on me that our supermarket food supply will begin to stress and strain from the impacts of Peak Oil and Climate Change in the coming years. This orchard will develop resilience against that. Regardless of the added resilience provided by a hyper-local food supply, it’s the fun of it all that draws me in.

The next article, “An Orchard in the Front Yard,” will follow shortly.

– By James Young

James Young is the owner of Blue Wheelbarrow Landscaping in Edmonds.

David Broyles | The News

This is a view of the newly installed pond on Surry Community College’s Dobson campus. Horticulture students installed this near a high traffic walkway on the lawn of the Richards building. Students put down more than 2,000 square feet of sod and planted dozens of trees, shrubs, perennials and ornamental grasses.

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David Broyles | The News

These are just some of the trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and ornamental grasses SCC horticulture students planted on the Dobson campus. Students not only designed the plantings and a small pond, the project had to be reviewed and approved by Director of Facilities Randy Rogers.

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DOBSON — Horticulture students at Surry Community College turned ideas into reality, building a waterfall and small pond on the Dobson campus.

According to Horticulture Instructor Jeff Jones, the work was the result of a capstone design project for students in Horticulture 112 and Landscape Design I.

Jones said the project was closely tied to real world experience with students presenting their proposal to SCC’s Director of Facilities Randy Rogers who approved the project. Rogers had previously assisted the students with a site location for their project.

“The Horticulture program at SCC is second to none. The work done by this group of students proves that they not only learned the principles of landscape design but they also learned how to work together to put them into practice,” said Rogers.

Students installed near a high traffic walkway on the lawn of the Richards Building where a new sidewalk had recently been completed. They put down about 2,500 square feet of zoysia sod and planted dozens of trees, shrubs, perennials, ornamental grasses and annuals. The Ararat rock company also donated large rocks which were used to create a small pond.

“We were dealing with a large area with a limited amount of time and weather is always a factor in our work,” said Jones. “The water feature was new to many of the students including myself. There weren’t any challenges we couldn’t overcome. They put a real life project into action including design, approval and installation. They improved a section of campus for all the students, faculty and staff to enjoy for years to come. “

Jones said two factors involved in the high profile area project were making the area look nice and make it engaging to persons using the sidewalk. Student Hallie Johnson had landscaping experience and had installed pre-formed ponds before but said she had never worked with a free form pond.

“It was a challenge but not too challenging. Of all the components in the project the sod surprised me most,” said Johnson. “It surprised me how quickly it went down. We worked together well and I enjoyed it. This is what I want to do for a profession.” She estimated the entire project took two months with four days devoted to pond installation. She said she wound up doing a lot of the tractor work which made her feel at times like she was at home and not school.

Johnson said the class was surprised at times by people who would just watch them preparing and planting the areas. She said she had never thought of landscaping as a spectator sport. Classmate Pam Dhesi said this had been her first time participating in a landscape project of its kind. She said the students received a lot of support from the administration and were pleased with how the project went off.

“It’s a big difference from paper to planting,” said Dhesi. “It was a lot of work and well worth it. Teamwork is what made it easier.”

Jones said students had done various other projects around campus but this was the first one with such a high level of coordination with the facilities and maintenance department.

“We are able to use our campus almost like a laboratory at times,” added Jones. “Trial and error can teach us a lot and we are always able to fix our errors.” He said recent trends in outdoor living spaces, edible landscaping and emphasis on local produce were opening up more opportunities for horticulture students.

SCC offers a diploma and degree in horticulture technology and a certificate in sustainable horticulture. Interested persons may get more information by contacting Jones at 336-386-3391 or visit the school web site at www.surry.edu.

Reach David Broyles at dbroyles@civitasmedia.com or 336-719-1952.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.– The vision for the West Meadows of Jordan Valley is getting closer to reality.  Crews have planted grass on the rolling hills just west of downtown Springfield.  And this morning, various city departments, along with engineers and landscape architects met to tour the site and share ideas for the park design.  The sixteen acre site will have a greenway trail running through it, as well as some historical features.

“There’s a lot of history, a lot of Springfield history gathered in a relatively small place, so we’re going to play off those synergies and make sure that when you’re at the mound in West Meadows, you’re learning about College Street Corridor, Route 66, Fulbright Springs, the Civil War Fort, all the different aspects of Springfield history,” says Springfield City Manager Greg Burris.

The initial landscaping and trail could be complete sometime next year, with additional features being added to the park in the coming years.

“We talked about things like having an observation deck off the big mound, having educational kiosks around, creating some spots that can become an outdoor classroom, and those aren’t going to happen right away, but they might happen five, ten, fifteen years down the road,” says Burris.