Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/118161
AQUADEMICS COMMUNITY VANCOUVER ISLAND UNIVERSITY'S SHELLFISH ANGEL? The timing of the opening of Vancouver Island University's flagship satellite facility couldn't be better. The proposed Raven coalmine near Baynes Sound, as well as changing ocean conditions caused by climate change, are raising concerns about the future of the local shellfish industry. coalwatch.ca spectacular new marine research station on Baynes Sound overlooks some of B.C.'s most productive oyster- and clam-producing waters, sandwiched between Vancouver and Denman Islands. The first marine satellite facility in Canada dedicated to academic research and public education on the shellfish industry and marine ecosystem health, the $8.5-million Deep Bay Marine Field Station – a 45-minute drive north of Nanaimo – includes aquariums, touch tanks and other interpretive displays, conference facilities and laboratories. It is also designed to be one of the greenest buildings in Canada, with a unique, curved roof – evoking an abstract crustacean – for rainwater capture, just one of several features geared to stringent platinum LEED certification (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design). –Andrew Findlay For more info on the VIU field station's tours, education and research: viu.ca/deepbay ECO WATCH CANADA'S NATURE CONSERVANCY (NCC) has released new property management plans for Darkwoods, a 55,000-hectare preserve between Nelson and Creston, allowing for some public access to this amazing forest. The one-time cold-war refuge and lumber holding of German duke Carl Württemberg supports 17 tree species and 15 species-at-risk, including wolverines, bull trout (pictured), peregrine falcons and western toads. But not only is Darkwoods the largest private conservation project in Canadian history, it is also North America's largest forest carbon effort. The sale of carbon credits generated by conserving this swath of the Selkirks will contribute $4 million to NCC's eco efforts. natureconservancy.ca WESTWORLD p10-13_FreshTrax.indd 11 >> FA L L 2 0 1 1 11 8/17/11 12:10:35 PM