A recent report says that we can expect a omnibus rezoning amendment for Quinsam Heights to be prepared which will include a  section herding horses, sheep, goats and chickens into one bylaw. Already the cluck, cluck, clucking has begun about how much space a horse requires as compared to the space needed to raise a few chickens. The report states that councilors are willing to agree on one point…that chickens are smaller than horses. Good thinking. 

If the urban chicken issue is lumped in with other farm animals it will get fowled up in the hot debate that is sure to follow. We need to separate the question of a chicken bylaw and bring it forward on it’s own merit for the City of Campbell River rather than entangling it with the Quinsam Heights zoning. If Victoria, Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Esquimalt, Oak Bay, Ladysmith and New York City have urban chicken bylaws, do we need to squawk over a few hens? Ask Esquimalt about their bylaw. A spokesperson for Esquimalt says they haven’t received a single complaint since the bylaw was approved 18 years ago.

There is a need for city councils everywhere to get involved in the support of community food sources. According to research, there’s a flock of chicken and fresh food activists across this country standing up for the right to keep egg-laying hens in their backyards.

A current Green Party report states that 85 per cent of Vancouver Island’s food was produced locally 25 years ago, now it’s down to only 10 per cent. We all remember what happened last winter when a snow storm cut off fresh food delivery to the Island. Within three days the grocery shelves were emptying fast. This is the best example of what is meant by food security. If we can grow some of our food locally and raise chickens for eggs and meat, then we are taking small steps towards food sustainability…we become part of the solution. 

Chickens provide healthy, pesticide-free eggs. They consume kitchen waste, produce great compost for the garden, make great pets. Times have changed  and we have to think about being environmentally smarter and being sustainable. Raising chickens fits that goal. We activists are buck-buck-bucking for change.

The Foraging for Mushrooms trek, sponsored by the museum,  attracted my interest and I was fortunate to tag along as the program was fully booked. Local mushroom expert Sequoia Lesosky led us along a Beaver Lodge Forest trail and from there we veered off into the bush. 

The first fungus along the route turned out to be the deadly amanita, also tagged as the “Destroying Angel.” With our leader instilling the fear of God into us with colourful warnings about the consequences of consuming these fungi, we neophytes peered timidly at every sighting. Despite anxieties, it turned out to be a great learning experience and I, particularly, was excited about discovering the lobster mushrooms. They are an intense orange in colour and can be found around or under rotting logs. One needs to get down on hands and knees and scratch around as they are not obvious at first, being generally covered over with soft moss. The lobsters do not have the traditional shape, more like shrivelled potatoes.

I filled up my small basket and left for home in a state of great anticipation. I washed them thoroughly, cut away the black spots and grilled them lightly in mix of butter and bacon fat with a sprinkling of pepper. Served on a toasted slice of whole wheat sourdough bread, my meal turned out to be a sensational snack. I can hardly wait to go back to same area. This time I’ll take a compass as it is very easy to get disoriented.

msostler@telus.net