Sign Up For One Cowichan Updates

(This piece also appears in November's Valley Voice)

When out of town friends tell me they are thinking of moving to the Cowichan Valley I have two competing reactions. First, I’m proud to live in such a great place that others want to come to. Then I worry that it’s probably not just my friends, but a lot of people, and that we’re not ready for that.

Back in the mid sixties at Mt. Douglas High School our teachers had some required reading for us that included George Orwell’s “1984” and Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451”.  They did not think the future described in these books was desirable and wanted to make sure our generation was aware of the dangers they portrayed.

Last November I spent a lot of time in the river fishing for Coho salmon and I noticed something unusual.  To get to the river I had to walk through rotting piles of chum salmon carcasses on the shore.  As the month went on, more and more carcasses arrived and the smell was one only a true salmon fisher could love.