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July 26 dawned clear and another in our seemingly endless string of hot dry summer days was in store.  After breakfast I donned my work boots and loaded my shovel in the car, I wanted to get to the Shoreline Stewardship Project work site by 9 when the Cowichan Lake and River Stewardship Society (CLRSS) Planting Party was set to start.

Two years ago, the people of Shawnigan Lake were informed of a proposed plan to turn a quarry, located on Stebbings road, at the top end of the Shawnigan watershed, into a contaminated soil site.  

If you live in the Cowichan Region, you will know that water is always at the centre of our existence—geographically, ecologically, and culturally. As we enter yet another seasonal drought episode, consciousness about water is heightened. We humans are programmed to take a keener interest in all things scarce, but when that scarcity entails one of life’s necessities, our limbic systems concentrate the mind, sharpening our focus.