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Happy, illegal hens.
In an earlier post, I laid out my best understanding of Powell River’s somewhat complicated Animal Control Bylaw 1979, 2003. After some months of work behind the scenes, the City’s proposed amendments to this bylaw will be presented for a first reading this Thursday at the meeting of the Committee of the Whole. These amendments come in the wake of the successful ‘Hens in the Hood’ youth employment project back in late 2010, which constructed a number of test sites within city limits and monitored them for problems with odour, pests, noise, and predators. At the same time, the youth in the project conducted a survey among Powell River residents which indicated strong support for increased freedom to raise hens in the city:
- food sustainability was important to 98.8% of respondents;
- 98.4% believed that it is important for City Hall to support local food practices; and
- 96.7% believed that people should be able to raise hens within the municipality.
In the context of the City’s own Sustainability Charter and ever-increasing public awareness of the need to promote local production of and access to healthy food, it’s a bit disappointing to see that the amendments as proposed actually appear to go backwards.
In order to best understand the situation, it might be good to review the earlier post, and especially to pay attention to the zoning map: specifically zone RA1 (which is restricted to parts of Wildwood) and zones R1 and R2 (scattered throughout Cranberry and Westview). It appears that the bylaw amendments will not affect agricultural zones A1 and A2
As I understand them, here are some of the main changes that this bylaw amendment would introduce if passed by Council as is:
- The current bylaw excludes animals other than dogs or cats from all zones except RA1, A1, and A2. The amendments would permit up to four hens on parcels of land zoned R1 or R2, provided that the lot area is 0.2 hectares (0.5 acres) or more.
RESULT: City staff, in their report to Council, admit that “By limiting hens to half acre lots, very few R1 or R2 properties in the City would even qualify as candidate sites.” None of the test sites from the Hens in the Hood project would qualify under this new regime.
- The current bylaw refers to “poultry” when setting out limits on numbers of animals that may be kept on parcels of land zoned RA1, A1, or A2. The amendments continue to permit “hens and other poultry” for zones A1 and A2, but hens only in zone RA1. In the City’s staff report it is noted that “The keeping of other poultry such as water fowl and turkeys is not recommended as these birds require different shelter, water, and care arrangements as well as additional space.”
RESULT: Anyone currently raising ducks, turkeys, or other fowl on a parcel of land zoned RA1 will be in violation of the new bylaw. - The current bylaw permits up to 12 poultry, none of which may be a rooster, or 20 rabbits on a parcel of land zoned Ra1, A1, or A2 having an area of 0.2 hectares (0.5 acres) or less; and up to 24 poultry, one of which may be a rooster, or 50 rabbits on a parcel of land zoned RA1, A1, or A2 having an area greater than 0.2 hectares (0.5 acres). The amendments allow a maximum of 10 rabbits in an area zoned RA1 provided that the lot area is 0.2 hectares (0.5 acres) or more. From the staff report: “Staff do not recommend expanding the keeping of rabbits as these animals multiply at exponential rates
if released or escaped from pens.”
RESULT: No change with respect to raising hens in zones RA1, A1, or A2. But the number of legally permissible rabbits is significantly reduced. - The amendments state that “All owners of lands accommodating hens must be registered as regards this activity with the City in the form and manner prescribed by the Animal Control Officer.”
The upshot is that things remain pretty much unchanged for agricultural parcels zoned A1 or A2; it will become much more restricted in zone RA1; and there will be relatively no change in any other area of Powell River.
What has happened is that the City has had input from a number of organizations and individuals who see only the potential downside of making it easier to raise hens and other small animals in the City: the Conservation Officer, Bylaw Enforcement, the Human Society, and the local SPCA office. The City has not had any organized pressure from groups or individuals interested in making it easier to raise small livestock. There are serious challenges involved, especially the threat from predators, and some kind of city-wide plan will be required in order to address these challenges. Advocating for a more liberal bylaw regime, and helping the City deal with the potential negative consequences, is something that an existing organization might take on; for example, the Powell River Farmers’ Institute. Or citizens who are genuinely concerned could form an organization to carry out this advocacy work.
The Oil Drum is one of the best internet sources for information about peak oil and resource depletion in general, as well as some of the very creative ways that people are planning to cope in a world with declining sources of fossil fuels.
Some of the posts on the Oil Drum are very complex and detailed and may contain too much math and too many graphs for the average reader. (Although the quality of information and discussion that you will find at TOD is as high as anywhere I know of on the internet.) Recognizing this, back in December the editors of the site started up a new department of The Oil Drum, which they called The Oil Drum: Campfire. Here is some of what they said about this new forum:
We intend this forum to be akin to a summer night sitting around a campfire, dreaming, hoping, and tossing around ideas that might bring about positive change. The types of discussions we would like to foster are where there are no right or wrong answers, just shared experiences, advice and wisdom. Topics will relate to wide boundary issues surrounding energy descent, including local food production, small scale energy production, experiments in living with less, or just general information and ideas to be shared with the online community.
On May 20, 2009, Jason Bradford published a Campfire post titled “Ecological Economics and the Food System“, which looks hard at the fossil-fuel consumption of the present system of industrial agriculture. There are some very interesting statistics on the relative levels of carbon-dioxide emission stemming from various food sources (meat, fruits/vegetables, chicken/fish/eggs, etc.) and lots of information about how the various parts of the industrial food system contribute to energy consumption. Here are some of Bradford’s conclusions:
The bottom line is that every measure must be taken to rapidly eliminate fossil fuel consumption and dependency in every component of our lives. The key word is “rapidly.” Don’t passively assume inexpensive alternative energy substitutes will arrive to replace fossil fuels-we may have waited too long to respond to have a smooth transition. Therefore, focus most attention on reducing energy demand rather than substituting a new energy supply. And finally, in the context of ecological economics, fossil fuel depletion and climate change, ask whether what you do in your life, vocation, hobbies, and habits, contributes to the long-term function (or dysfunction) of society.
Here are some of the things we should be doing, or agitating for in our food system, according to “Energy Use in the U.S. Food System: a summary of existing research and analysis”, a paper by John Hendrickson cited by Bradford:
It appears that some of the greatest saving can be realized by:
- reduced use of petroleum-based fertilizers and fuel on farms,
- a decline in the consumption of highly processed foods, meat, and sugar,
- a reduction in excessive and energy intensive packaging,
- more efficient practices by consumers in shopping and cooking at home,
- and a shift toward the production of some foods (such as fruits and vegetables) closer to their point of consumption.
All of this meshes nicely with many efforts underway on the Upper Sunshine Coast. The eat-local movement; workshops on growing, preserving, and preparing healthy local food; preservation of our lands in the Agricultural Land Reserve; Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) and other small-scale urban farming projects such as the various community gardens; the Open Air Market and other markets to give small producers a place to sell their goods — these are all beginning steps towards a local food economy which serves the needs of local producers and consumers and also helps us move towards a radically lower regional carbon footprint.
Bradford moves on to a discussion of Brookside Farm, a one-acre farm in Willits, California, which functions as a working farm with a fifteen-share CSA and strong connections to a local elementary school and the wider community. Here are some of the ways that Brookside confronts the challenge of reducing fossil-fuel inputs and overall energy consumption, conveniently broken down into the various areas in which energy consumption occurs “from farm to fork”:
| Type of Work | Common Fossil-Fuel Inputs | Alternatives Implemented |
| Soil cultivation | Gasoline or diesel powered rototiller or small tractor | Low-wheel cultivator, broadfork, adze or grub hoe, rake and human labor |
| Soil fertility | In-organic or imported organic fertilizer | Growing of highly productive, nitrogen and biomass crop (banner fava beans), making aerobic compost piles sufficient to build soil carbon and nitrogen fertility, re-introducing micro-nutrients by importing locally generated food waste and processing in a worm bin, and application of compost teas for microbiology enhancement. |
| Pest and weed management | Herbicide and pesticide applications, flame weeder, tractor cultivation | Companion planting, crop rotation, crop diversity and spatial heterogeneity, beneficial predator attraction through landscape plantings, emphasis on soil and plant health, and manual removal with efficient human-scaled tools |
| Seed sourcing | Bulk ordering of a few varieties through centralized seed development and distribution outlets | Sourcing seeds from local supplier, developing a seed saving and local production and distribution plan using open pollinated varieties |
| Food distribution | Produce trucks, refrigeration, long-distance transport, eating out of season | Produce only sold locally, direct from farm or hauled to local restaurants or grocers using bicycles or electric vehicles, produce grown with year-round consumption in mind with farm delivering large quantities of food in winter months |
| Storage and processing at production end | Preparation of food for long distance transport, storage and retailing requiring energy intensive cooling, drying, food grade wax and packaging | Passive evaporative cooling, solar dehydrating, root cellaring and re-usable storage baskets and bags |
| Home and institutional storage and cooking | Natural gas, propane or electric fired stoves and ovens, electric freezers and refrigerators | Solar ovens, promotion of eating fresh and seasonal foods, home-scale evaporative cooling for summer preservation and “root cellaring” techniques for winter storage |
There’s more to the article, including a slightly cheeky demonstration that Americans could spare some of their average daily viewing time of four hours and thirty-five minutes (!) to tend a productive home garden and become more self-reliant. Go read the whole thing.
Fri. May 1
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Breakwater Books (Alberni St. at Marine)
Robin Wheeler – Food Security Workshop
Hour One – Personal food security. In this hour we’ll look at the ins and outs of stocking up and buying on a budget, learn about our local food supply, and figure out natural food cycles.
Hour Two – Creating Community. How to create a local network for exchanging information, borrowing equipment, or working as a group. We will consider our resistance to sharing, and play with a mapping system that could help us create connections for our mutual benefit.
Cost: $5.00
Sat. May 2
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM (Location to be determined; contact David for details)
Robin Wheeler – Edible Landscape Workshop
We’ll analyze the strengths and drawbacks of our properties, get tips for using space well, learn how to “microclimate” a space, discover appropriate plants for the best place, and begin a garden map of our own and a list of where to start.
Cost: $20.00 (Space is limited; contact David to reserve a spot)
11:30 AM to 1:00 PM at the Four Square Church (Manson Ave. at Barnet St.)
From Garden to Pantry… or In a Pickle
Will & Nicole of Skeena Street in Wildwood will demonstrate preserving fruits and vegetables in jars. Session includes some hands-on as well as a tasting session and take-away recipes.
Cost: $5.00 (Space is limited; contact David to reserve a spot)
1:00 PM to 2:30 PM at the Four Square Church (Manson Ave. at Barnet St.)
Basics of Pressure Canning with Peggy Fedor
Local experienced canner Peggy Fedor will teach about pressure canning meats and fish, soups, beans, and other low-acid foods.
Cost: $5.00 (Space is limited; contact David to reserve a spot)
3:00 PM to 4:30 PM at the Powell River Public Library (Michigan Ave. at Duncan)
Robin Wheeler – Analyzing Barriers to Local Food Security
Robin will talk about our potential for expanding food security, describe ideas from other communities, and then will facilitate a discussion on making progress.
Free, thanks to the Powell River Public Library
Sun. May 3
9:00 AM to 12:00 noon (meet @ the Community Resource Centre, Joyce & Alberni)
Brian Lee – Wild Plant Walk
Join local ‘Bush Man’ Brian Lee on a walk through the woods to see what sort of wild edibles are available at this time of year.
Cost: $15.00
All workshops are on a sliding scale for low-income, underemployed, etc.
For more information, contact David Parkinson at (604) 485-2004 or at david@prfoodsecurity.org
Thank you to our friends and supporters at Breakwater Books, the Four Square Church, and the Powell River Public Library!
February 2009 plan for turning a lawn in Powell River, BC to a veggie garden, using the “lasagna” method. I used seaweed from down the street, and cardboard boxes from up the street, along with some straw and compost in the backyard. Visit this link for a long-range look at what a lasagna garden looks like over time: http://www.witsendbb.com/lasagna1.html And see here too: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1999-04-01/Lasagna-Gardening.aspx
Hello all:
There are a few things to announce, relevant to food-security efforts here on the Upper Sunshine Coast:
- We had a wonderful Kale Force meeting this past Wednesday (Feb. 11). There were about twenty people present, the food was awesome, and Wendy Devlin talked us through some of the information we need to know about seed-saving, including the details of the new seed-saving initiative starting up this year. Some of the participants in the seed-saving pilot project came to the seed-packing bee, and were able to pick up the seeds that they will be growing this year. Very exciting!
- Carol Engram is planning a series of monthly workshops this spring and summer to help people learn how to create and care for a productive food garden. She has asked me to see if I can help her find someone willing to let their garden be used once a month for a hands-on workshop and work party. During the course of the summer, Carol and the workshop attendees will build up a garden, learn about composting, weeding, planting, and other aspects of food gardening. If you’re interested in having some part of your property used as a demonstration garden in this way, please email me or contact Carol at (604) 485-2311.
- David Counsell has stepped forward to coordinate the community garden at the Seventh Day Adventist Church this coming growing season. If you are interested in helping out at that garden, which is on Manson Ave. near Alberni St. in Powell River, or are interested in having a garden bed for yourself or your family, please contact David at dcounsell@shaw.ca or (604) 413-1499. Or you can just drop by the church on Tuesdays or Thursdays between noon and 1:30 PM and talk to David in person.
- Hana-Louise Braun is continuing to coordinate activities in the demonstration garden of Powell River’s Community Resource Centre. If you would like to get more involved there and spend time learning how to grow food in your own garden, you can drop by the CRC any Monday between 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM and talk with Hana-Louise. Bring work clothes, gloves, and hand tools if you have them.
- Come and ‘Dig-it’ on Sunday March 1st 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM in Wildwood. This free workshop demonstrates the division and the digging up of of berries and other food plants. Volunteers are invited to bring their boots and extra large pots to Farmers’ Institute member farms: 1:00 PM at Hatch-a-Bird Farm (6603 McMahon Ave.); 2:00 PM with Wendy Devlin at 6834 Smarge Ave. The newly potted plants will be donated to the Seedy Saturday plant exchange.
- Seedy Saturday is March 14 2009, at the Community Living Place on Artaban in Powell River). Bring your seeds in dry, sealed envelopes and swap them for other seeds. Or you can buy seed packets for fifty cents. You can exchange bedding plants, perennials, roots/tubers, berries, shrubs, and trees. Community groups will be there to give out information on gardening, permaculture, composting, beekeeping, and seed saving. There will also be five free garden-related workshops during the day.
So, as you can see, there is a lot going on in and around Powell River, even though we’re not even into the growing season yet!!
As always, if you have any ideas for a workshop that you would like to attend (or facilitate), please contact me at david@prfoodsecurity.org, or phone me at (604) 485-2004.
Here‘s an interesting little piece from the Independent about the move away from ornamental gardening and towards more food gardening in the UK. It’s all great news, but here’s the slightly alarming bit:
The UK’s leading seed sellers, Tuckers, Marshalls and packetseeds.com, are struggling to cope with the number of orders coming in. The Horticultural Trades Association put UK sales of the seeds of edible plants at £40.3m in 2007; new figures expected shortly are likely to show significant growth.
I expect we’ll be seeing more of this in the next few years, until supply can meet demand again. But will the supply be just more genetically-modified seed produced with chemical agriculture methods? It will unless we all start saving seeds in our own communities.
Here is the online hub for seed-saving action in the Powell River (BC) region. I hope your community has a Seedy Saturday; if not, start one! And this is the time to start rounding up your serious local growers and get them to save more seeds. And save seeds yourself in your own garden.
