The Brae Road Gospel Chapel is celebrating the restoration of their facility, following a fire on Sept. 17, 2021 that destroyed the kitchen and damaged the fellowship hall.
Now, the kitchen is brand new and the hall and sanctuary have been restored, and the public is invited to celebrate on March 19 at 11 a.m.
“The fire was a blessing in disguise as the chapel has seen modernization and upgrades during the repairs,” said a press release for the event.
The congregation is also thankful to the 7th Day Adventist Church on Gibbins Road, which provided a meeting facility while repairs were conducted.
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The Cowichan Watershed Board is announcing the return of their Speaker Series, with the first event scheduled for Monday, March 20.
“Safeguarding XPey’/Cedar” runs from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Cowichan Campus of Vancouver Island University in Duncan, in room 140.
The event is free.
“Central to local culture and ecosystems for millennia, this tree, called XPey’ by the Quw’utsun indigenous people, is under stress in our watershed,” says a press release for the talk. “Learn why, and what Quw’utsun elders, tree scientists, and others are doing to safeguard cedar for the future.”
Speakers include Elder Qwiyahwultuhw Robert George of Quw’utsun’ Cultural Connections, Heather Pritchard, eco-forestry consultant with Quw’utsun’ Cultural Connections, and Lise van der Merwe, research scientist at the Cowichan Lake Research Station run by BC Ministry of Forests. Alison Nicholson of the Cowichan Watershed Board will facilitate.
The event is presented in partnership with Quw’utsun’ Cultural Connections.
For information about future Speaker Series events go to https://cowichanwatershedboard.ca/content/cwb-viu-speakers-series/
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The Cowichan Valley Naturalists are hosting an evening about slugs.
“Slug-hunting in the Misty Islands – Haida Gwaii Slug, a Canadian Endemic, its Discovery, Distribution, and Conservation” is scheduled for March 21 at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom.
“Join me on a hunt for slugs on the misty islands and mountain tops of the Haida Gwaii Archipelago and beyond in a presentation on March 21,” said presenter Kristiina Ovaska in a press release for the talk.
Ovaska has a PhD and is a senior ecologist with Biolinx Environmental Research Ltd., and is a research associate with the Royal BC Museum.
“In the early 2000s, I had an opportunity and privilege to carry out surveys for slugs and snails in the Haida Gwaii archipelago, including the Gwaii Haanas National Park and Haida Heritage Site. The surveys resulted in the discovery of an unusual little slug, which we later described as Staala gwaii (island slug). Although it mostly inhabits remote subalpine habitats in protected areas, it is not necessarily safe. Climate change and introduced species pose threats to the slug and the ancient ecosystems of which it is a tiny part.”
For the Zoom link, email cvns@naturecowichan.net.
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The House of Grace Pregnancy Centre is holding a fundraising fashion show on Saturday, March 25.
They are inviting the public to Swing into Spring at New Life Church from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Tickets are $20 and are available at the door and online at houseofgrace.ca/our-events.
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The Duncan branch of the Cowichan library is offering tech support for seniors at a series of sessions in April.
From 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on April 6, 13, 20, and 27 Tech Buddies for Seniors will have local high school students act as volunteers to help with basic tech needs.
You can register for a 30 minute one-on-one session by calling 250-746-7661.
Space is limited. Participants are asked to bring their laptop, tablet or phone or there will be library gear provided.
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Cowichan Hospice is hosting a session titled “Speed Advance Care Planning: Identifying Your End-of-Life Wishes” on Friday, April 14.
Communications coordinator Todd Foley says this will be a “fun and interactive event” where “you will gain awareness of what is important to you for your end-of-life care.”
Refreshments are provided and the event is free of charge.
It takes place from 10 a.m. to noon at St. John’s Anglican Church, 486 Jubilee St., in Duncan.
Find out more or reserve your spot by emailing frontdesk@cowichanhospice.org or calling 250-701-4242.