ROOT DOWN: Forest Workshops for Families
Four Sundays in August at 1pm in the endangered forest aptly named the Forest that Holds Water (aka Reed Rd Forest Reserve (DL 1313)). The hike is a gentle incline of about 30 minutes – a favourite of school groups. The classroom is mid-way under the giant Douglas Fir.
SUNDAY August 7, 1PM
Weave a Cedar Mat with Ali
Sponsored by the Sunshine Coast Arts Council
Come learn all about the Coast Salish traditional red cedar uses and weave a cedar mat with Ali, in amongst trees.
Bio: Ali Casey is an artist and art teacher of Coast Salish and European descent. Long fascinated by the arts, inspiration comes from her heritage. Having worked with toddlers, seniors, and everyone in between, Ali truly believes that art is for everybody. Ali has experience teaching acrylic painting, drawing, ceramics, weaving and macramé.
SUNDAY August 14, 1pm
Watersheds Forests & Salmon
Bring your family to hear Shirley Samples from Sunshine Coast Streamkeepers share all the ways a healthy watershed and intact forests help salmon! From the mountain top all the way to the ocean estuary - everything is connected!
The Sunshine Coast Streamkeepers Society’s work is to keep the creeks of the Sunshine Coast pristine for the salmon to spawn and for the fry to emerge in the spring. Salmon contribute to the whole health of our ecosystem, so all creatures can thrive including orcas, bears, eagles, and insects. The trees too! The Forest that Holds Water (aka Reed Road Forest) is one of many watersheds on the Sunshine Coast. Shirley will share why they need protecting through art and stories.
Bio: Shirley Samples is a member of the Cook's Ferry Indian Band located in Spences Bridge, BC. She moved to the Sunshine Coast almost 5 years ago to be close to the ocean and forests. She found a home in Roberts Creek and lives beside Malcolm Creek. That is when she discovered many of the creeks on the coast are designated as salmon bearing! This led her to founding the Sunshine Coast Streamkeepers Society in 2019. Since then she has been monitoring many creeks on a regular basis and counting spawning salmon every fall. Due to the rapid decline of returning wild salmon in recent years it is now more important than ever to speak for them and do whatever we can to protect their habitat. That has become Shirley’s life's mission.
What to bring: Water, power snacks, sturdy footwear, art supplies to draw, paint, write or sculpt, cushion and/or blanket (the seating area is uneven and could be wet).
All ages welcome with children 15 years and under accompanied by an adult.
SUNDAY August 21, 1pm
All about Soil (with Natasha, the Puppet)
Welcome Ceremony: xwechtaal (Dennis Joseph), respected Sḵwx̱wú7mesh elder, storyteller and singer
Together we will sing, create stories and weave ourselves into a deeper understanding of the soil. We will come away knowing all about soil and our role in keeping it healthy. We are the gift that makes change possible. Great family event the kids will love!
Presented by Jill Shatford and her puppet friend Natasha. Jill and Natasha are members of the Save Soil Movement, a global project that aims to bring awareness, education, and policy changes to help save our soil.
Bio: Natasha was born in Poland so many years ago she can't even remember. Having lived in Canada for a very long time now she has a passion for growing food and making the most exquisitely spiced soup. Natasha is a Mother to the world. She is like your Kookum, your Oma, your Nana, your Grandmother. She loves life, she loves you and she knows that you and life come from the soil, so she has come to help save soil. Natasha and Jill have been friends for over 30 years and they are delighted to partner together to find potential and solutions in the world.
Bio: Jill Shatford is a mother and good friend. She has shared her gifts of enthusiasm, empowerment and optimism through working as a pediatric speech-language pathologist, performance artist/clown, laughter coach, facilitator, folk & jazz singer, song carrier and writer. She was born under the big prairie sky in Saskatchewan and has an eternal love for nature, and a deep love for the forest and soil. She is a student of the Isha Foundation that initiated the Save Soil Movement - a global project that aims to bring awareness, education, and policy changes to help save our soil, the great unifier, and foundation of everything.
What to bring: Water, power snacks, sturdy footwear, cushion and/or blanket (the seating area is uneven and could be wet).
All ages welcome with children 15 years and under accompanied by an adult.
SUNDAY August 28, 1pm
Living Soundscapes: A digital, vegetal interface to spark your creativity
Join Joah Lui to experience what the invisible layers of the forest sound like as she hacks technology to create Bio-Sound-Art with mycelium, plants and other living bodies. Bring some art supplies and experience the invisible layers of forest sound. This will be a 2-hour experience culminating in a temporary gallery exhibit at the end of the workshop.
On a trip to Toronto, Joah met artists Tosca Teran and Andrei Gravelle (nanotopia.tv) and began to learn about hacking technology to create Bio-Sound-Art with mycelium, plants and other living bodies. With them, she was able to build and bring back her very own portable Bio-sonification module to sample, amplify and record microscopic fluctuations in conductivity. Could this be what our ENERGY or QI sounds like?
Bio: Joah Lui aka digi majou is a maker, filmmaker, and community-engaged media artist enlivening stories and activating audiences through video, sound, interactive installations and accessible technology. With gratitude, Joah creates on the beautiful, storied lands and waters of the shíshálh and Sḵwxwú7mesh peoples.
What to bring: Water, power snacks, sturdy footwear, art supplies to draw, paint, write or sculpt, cushion and/or blanket (the seating area is uneven and could be wet).
All ages welcome with children 15 years and under accompanied by an adult.
Suggested donation on location is $10 per adult or $20 per family per program. Your generosity is greatly appreciated and goes directly to supporting the work of the Living Forest Institute. No one is turned away.
Location
The Classroom Series takes place in the endangered forest aptly named the Forest that Holds Water (aka Reed Rd Forest Reserve (DL 1313)) located in the community of Gibsons on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) people. The forest is under threat to clearcut logging by BC Timber Sales, the BC Government’s logging company. The forest is a “water-shed reserve” part of the Gibsons’ aquifer re-charge zone, above farms and homes.
The Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF), and other community groups, are campaigning to save this neighbourhood forest. ELF describes why connecting and preserving the forest is so important: “Lot 1313 contains a fabulous low elevation forest of massive Douglas fir trees. Although the trees are only 110 years old, they are as big and gorgeous as any old growth because of the amazing growing conditions on this site. The forest grew up after the 1904 fire, and as such is natural forest that has never been logged. It is an impressive intact ecosystem filled with a diverse flora and fauna typical of the most productive and rarely protected maritime forests”.
Upon registration, your confirmation email will provide detailed information on itineraries, and a waiver to sign. See below for the “fine print”. The event takes place rain or shine.
Directions
Turn off Highway 101 (in Gibsons) onto Henry Road heading north. At the top of Henry Road turn left (west) onto Reed Road (dirt). Meet at the end of Reed Rd at the sign that says “End of Public Road”.
The Fine Print
All Programs run rain or shine, except if it is raining heavily, then a backup plan will be communicated the morning of the event.
Suggested donation on location is $10 per adult or $20 per family per program. Your generosity is greatly appreciated and goes directly to supporting the work of the Living Forest Institute. No one is turned away.
Meet at the trailhead at 1 pm, where you will check in and then gather for a welcome before being guided to the venue. The programs are about 45 minutes long. Please allow three hours for the event.
All ages welcome with children 15 years and under accompanied by an adult.
There are no washrooms on location
Cell phone (GPS) service on location is intermittent for the Songbird Forest
Dress in layers, as it is cool in the forest even in the summer, and wear sturdy footwear
Bring water, power snacks, sun hat and a waterproof cushion or blanket or a festival-type chair that sits on the ground (the seating area is uneven, on a rock and could be wet)
If registered for “Watersheds Forests & Salmon” and “Living Soundscapes” be sure to bring some art supplies.
No smoking
No dogs
Take only photographs and leave only footprints
LFI gratefully acknowledges SCRD financial support for our 2022 programming.
