For nearly five years now, Bowen Islander Stephen Foster has been working hard to understand what’s happening in Howe Sound and to get to know people throughout the region who are working to protect it. At the Great Howe Sound Recovery Event on Nov. 5 at Cates Hill Chapel, Foster is hoping to provide a comprehensive picture of what’s happening in the region, and also to spur a critical conversation on the meaning of “recovery.”
“It can be convenient for people bringing new industrial proposals to the table to talk about recovery in Howe Sound as something that has already happened,” says Foster. “From another perspective you could say that recovery has only just started and needs to be nurtured. I think we need to be studying this, we need to create some kind of benchmark for recovery and what it means.”
The evening will begin with a “video feast,” with screenings of Foster’s short films (featuring citizen scientist John Buchanan and marine biologist Ramona DeGraaf), as well as Bob and Tim Turner’s film on the Sea to Sky Marine Trail, and Roy Mulder’s film on glass sponge bioherms in Howe Sound.
Following the screenings, there will be an interactive session aimed at gathering questions from the public about threats to Howe Sound as well as solutions. From there, a panel will discuss some of those key questions.
“The idea is to engage the broader community on Howe Sound. I want people to know about some of the important victories that have happened here. I also want people to start viewing themselves as part of a community of 30,000 people instead of as a part of disparate communities,” says Foster. “The only way we can start to plan for a comprehensive future of Howe Sound is if we know our neighbours. This is only the
beginning.”
