SISKA's  April 2017 Newsletter. Upcoming events, reports and articles
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April 2017 SISKA Newsletter

Introduction

 
Dear <<First Name>>,

This newsletter is a day or so late due to both editors being out of the country for much of March. We hope it is still timely! :)

Thanks to those members who contributed photos and materials. After enjoying a SISKA event or paddle, please consider putting fingers to keyboards and cobbling together a short (100-150 words) summary article; for more information, contact one of us. If you would like to start a regular column, please let us know! Any feedback or suggestions will be gratefully appreciated!

Michael Jackson (SISKA president) and Ben van Drimmelen (editor)
 
PS: You can find SISKA on Facebook at this link.

PPS: SISKA has a Meetup site for "impromptu" and other paddles organized by club members. For more details, go to https://www.meetup.com/SISKA-Meetup/. To join this, you have to be a club member.

Table of Contents

 

Upcoming Events


April 04, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm, 

April 08, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm, 

April 09, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm, 

April 16, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm, 

April 22, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm, 

April 26, 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm, 

April 29, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm,  

April 30, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm, 

May 06, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm, 

May 21, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm,  

For more details, go to the SISKA website

SISKA ByLaw Revisions

Due to BC's new Societies Act, we are required to revise and update our club bylaws. Under the leadership of one of our directors-at-large, Lynn Beak, we now have a set of new bylaws to put to the membership at our AGM on April 26th. Links to the new proposed bylaws as well as a summary are inlcuded below and are on the club web site. If you have any comments, please contact Lynn Beak

Full Bylaws Document 
One page Summary

2017 membership renewals

If you have not renewed your membership for 2017, this will be the last newsletter you receive and your name will be removed from the SISKA Meetup site. If you need to renew post-haste, please go to: http://siska.ca/membership/online-registration-3

SISKA Picnic June 10th 

Just a quick "save the date notice" to let you know that we will have a club picnic on June 10th from 9 AM to 3 PM in Gyro Park, Cadboro Bay. Gear swap, kayak games; bring your own lunch. Cost is $5: includes tea, coffee, dessert and nibbles. Will be set up with PayPal. Keep an eye out for an email within the next month!

April meeting - AGM and Pacific Storms

On April 26th, we will have the club's Annual General Meeting and we will also have a talk about Pacific Storms. What are the types of Pacific storms? Where do they form, where do they travel, and why do they move as they do? Why do we have more storms in winter than in summer? How do El Nino/La Nina affect them? Presented by Dr. David Atkinson, Assistant Professor Department of Geography.

What’s in a Name? Fisgard Lighthouse

 
This is our local name series! Most of our featured names are drawn from “The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names” by Andrew Scott. We have a copy in the library! Vic Turkington is our place names editor - please contact him if you have suggestions for future articles.

BC's first lighthouse was built on Fisgard Island in 1860 and named after the 46 gun frigate HMS Fisgard. Its red brick house and attached 47 ft. white tower and red lantern provides an attractive landmark for entry into Esquimalt Harbour. 

The 18 ft. lantern flashes equal periods of light and darkness (chart symbol Fl  Iso W-R).  A nearby sandy beach provides a handy lunch spot for paddlers. Fisgard Island  was connected by a causeway (1951) to Fort Rod Hill (named after Admiral John Rod, 1816-92). The fort was equipped with three quick-firing artillery guns for defence against anticipated attacks from Russia (which never happened). 

The light was automated in 1928 and the fort decommissioned in 1956. The area is now designated a National Historic Site (free admission in 2017, as part of Canada's 150 year anniversary).
Fisgard Lighthouse (from http://fisgardlighthouse.com/)

Tips from the trips - SLEEP ON IT!

Catriona Campbell's tip is to use a "space blanket" as a reflector inside your tent to insulate against the cold, cold ground (although it can get kind of crinkly and loud when shifting positions at night....)