The next time you are passing by Chapman Creek, glance at the big bare boulders with only small pools and a slight trickle of water running. This is where salmon fry will be huddling to survive. Twenty years ago, I very rarely watered in the summer on the Sunshine Coast because there was always a healthy balance of rain and sun. Even then I told my three children not to waste water as they brushed their teeth because the salmon needed it. In a heat wave such as this, the salmon depend on us to conserve water and stop with the green lawns.
We need to understand this drought in the West Coast rainforest is a reflection of global climate change and that we are called to do more than just be water wise. It's time to be car wise. The number one cause of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada is our personal car use. This summer, walk, bike, take the bus, run all your errands at once (including your neighbours'), enjoy some carfree days.
The salmon can't just turn on the faucet for water; they depend on you to be smart. When there are no salmon, the bears and eagles can't shop at another grocery store; they depend on you to be caring and connected to their needs.
Your children and grandchildren deserve for you to become a wise elder and a living example of how to live as a steward of the Earth.
We live in really exciting times. Global warming is a challenge for us all to live more courageously, creatively and more committed to life.
Denise Lagassé
Halfmoon Bay
