Press Release About TIXEN

I like to put kayaking into perspective with water and waterfront use. This is a good opportunity to quote another press release sent to me by the CRD Parks, government officials working in the Greater Victoria area to promote the fine parks in our area. Our paddle group has taken our kayaks many time to Island View beach and Cordova Bay, the area mentioned in this press release.
And because of this note from the Habitat Acquisition Trust, which acquires and protects new park lands, Kayak Yak has now learned a new name for the Cordova Shore: TIXEN. This name is a word from the First Nations Saanich language, Sencoten. We've had some other words from Sencoten posted on the Kayak Yak blog before -- one way to recognize them is they're spelled using Capital Letters.

TIXEN is the shoreline where Alison and I saw two whales when we were paddling from Cadboro Bay around Ten Mile Point, and past Gordon Head and Cordova Bay to Island View Beach. You can read Alison's post about this glorious day and see her photos here, or read my post here. Meanwhile, here's the press release:


Habitat Acquisition Trust
Habitat Acquisition Trust (HAT) is a regional land trust established by the Victoria Natural History Society in 1996. HAT’s mission is to enhance the protection and stewardship of regionally significant lands on southern Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands. We do this through:
•community projects promoting environmental education and stewardship;
•conservation covenants and other legal mechanisms; and,
•acquisition of ecologically significant habitats.
Habitat Acquisition Trust is committed to creating a conservation legacy for current and future generations.
Since 2002, HAT’s award-winning Good Neighbours project has assisted hundreds of property owners to protect and enhance wildlife habitat on their land. To learn more about HAT and the Good Neighbours Stewardship Strategy, visit our website at www.hat.bc.ca.

News release from HAT
On the Dunes at Cordova Shore
Connecting Good Neighbours and Families with Ecosystem Conservation

June 7, 2010
Victoria – It’s time to talk about survival in some of British Columbia’s rarest ecosystems. The endangered sand dunes of Island View Beach along the TIXEN/Cordova Shore are an
exceptionally beautiful part of the Saanich Peninsula. Habitat Acquisition Trust (HAT) has
partnered with the Tsawout First Nation and CRD Parks to host community events in July and August. The Cordova Shore Good Neighbours Project will engage landowners and park visitors in stewardship of sensitive natural areas along the Shore. Our region’s last remaining habitats are disappearing under rapid development and population growth: the unique dune, marsh, and eelgrass ecosystems need help from our community to survive.
HAT’s award-winning Good Neighbours Project provides local landowners the tools and
information needed to protect the valuable natural features of their land. HAT staff can help
landowners to identify and manage rare habitats to protect against threats like water
contamination, invasive weeds, and soil erosion. This summer HAT will provide over forty free and confidential property assessments for landowners in the Cordova Shore neighbourhoods.
"We invite local residents to get our free information package with practical ideas on maintaining the natural features of their land and parks,” says HAT Land Care Coordinator Todd Carnahan. “Through the efforts of many concerned citizens, our goal is to protect and enhance the unique rare dune and marsh habitats which are the only home to several endangered species."
Members of the Tsawout Band have been restoring the local Tetayut (Sandhill) Creek for years, hoping to recover their culturally significant but contaminated clam beds in Saanichton Bay. Dan Claxton, Fisheries Coordinator, and Gwen Underwood, Tsawout Lands Officer are strong advocates of this project: "We are always looking for private partners upstream to help us to realize our vision of a renewed harvest," Gwen states. "We hope that through cooperation with our neighbours, this goal will become a success."
To date, HAT hosted a beach clean-up event at Island View Beach on May 29 with local
volunteers, and helped the 10th Garry Oak Cub Pack to plant native trees at the new Island View Campgrounds that opened on May 15.

Good Neighbours Project events at Island View Beach Regional Park include:
July 11- Eelgrass mapping with Nikki Wright (SeaChange) with intertidal touch tank;
July 25- Birding at Low Tide (featuring the ScallyWags Dog Agility Training Group
performance);
August 14- Super Dog Day (featuring Wonder Dogs training company show).
HAT encourages interested individuals, families, and other groups to join our fun family events on the beach this summer. Landowners in the area are invited to book their free and confidential land care visit by telephone or email.

For more information contact:
Todd Carnahan at 250-995-2428, todd@hat.bc.ca