Hello there!

It's no secret that the Westshore is both an increasingly populated area and, in many parts, a wooded area close to forests. That proximity to nature is a big part of why many people live here. But it also leads to situations like the one last week, in which a local kid suddenly faced a cougar on the trail to school. Today we look at why these animals encounters happen—and how you can stay safe.

— Cam

NEWS

Cougar and young student come face-to-face on Sooke trail

We may “feel” like we are seeing more cougars in the region. But according to Sophia Cuthbert, manager of fish and wildlife programs at the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, it’s because urban sprawl continues to creep into more corners of Vancouver Island.  

But it was more than just “a feeling” for 12-year-old Ginevra Servant, who last Friday had a close encounter with a cougar while walking near SEAPARC on her way to Journey Middle School on Throup Road. The trail, wooded on either side, backs onto DeMamiel Creek Park and connects to wildlife corridors that reach northward into Sooke Potholes Regional Park and westward into Otter Point Park and beyond. 

BC has one of Canada's largest and most intact cougar populations, according to a BC government technical report published last winter. Though their numbers have not consistently been tracked, its authors say there are 800 to 1,100 on the Island alone. Predators such as cougars are an integral part of regional ecosystems and the Westshore is one of their many primary habitats. But the Westshore is also one of the fastest growing regions for the human population and development.

That means the human and animal populations are colliding more often.

“Bear Mountain is a good example of this,” Cuthbert told The Westshore, “where urban development has taken place over important intact wildlife habitat. These developments, including in Sooke, will often cross over existing active wildlife corridors.”

Read the full story by Sidney Coles on how our shared landscape makes for more encounters with cougars, but not necessarily more cougars. 

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NEWS

If you see smoke sometime soon, it's probably from this: a controlled burn in Metchosin by the DND

Depending on where the wind blows, we may soon sniff the burning of up to 50ha of land in Metchosin around Rocky Point. Sometime between now and mid-October, the Defence Department and BC Wildlife Service (BCWS) are planning to conduct a prescribed burn near the Canadian Forces Ammunition Depot (CFAD) Rocky Point.

The depot is surrounded by dense forest and brush and can be susceptible to a fire.

“Prescribed burns are effective in achieving several land management objectives for DND including mitigating wildfire risks, maintaining open natural landscapes for military training, and protecting and restoring rare Garry Oak ecosystems which support a large number of species at risk,” the District of Metchosin said in a release.

They’ve been doing these prescribed burns since 2017. The supervised fire eats up combustible leaves, branches, and twigs, lessening the risk of a wildfire.

While last Thurs.-Fri. was the initial target, The Westshore confirmed yesterday that the burn has been pushed back because the right mix of conditions (including daily weather, atmospheric conditions, dryness, etc.) wasn’t met. Per CFB Esquimalt, the burn can’t go ahead until the experts determine the conditions are right—and if those conditions don’t emerge, they won't do the burn.

It will likely last 3-5 days, again depending on weather.

Around the 'Shore

🏃‍♂️ Another ultramarathon runs through the Westshore. The 58km For No Good Reason ultra arrived a week after the Finlayson Arm. Started by a Shawnigan runner who wondered how long it would take to get from his cabin to the Legislature, it passed last Sat. through the Trans Canada Trail, Jordie Lunn bike park, Royal Roads, Galloping Goose, and E&N. [Cowichan Valley Citizen]

🌮 A new Latin market just opened in Langford: Mamá Tinas at 119-829 Goldstream Ave. is a spinoff of Mexican House of Spice in downtown Victoria.

🏈 Rebels lose for just the 3rd time since 2022: The Westshore football team (now 5-2), which went undefeated in the BCFC last year, fell 10-23 to the Langley Rams (6-2) at home last weekend. The Okanagan Sun (8-0) look like this year's top seed—but the Rebels can get back in the race by beating the Sun this weekend in Kelowna. 

⚽️ Pacific FC pulls back into playoff position with weekend win: The 3-0 win over Vancouver FC pulled the sibling soccer clubs into a tie with 26 points each. But PFC had the advantage on games-played and on goal differential (-3 vs. -12).

Community Events

🎼 Fall into Harmony, Pacific Edge Chorus’s 6-week a capella workshop, begins tonight at Gordon United.

🌳 Livable Futures, a 3-part climate action workshop series in Sooke, begins this Sat. 

🎨 Last days for “Out of the Mist and into the Light” art show: 10 professional artists use clay, photography, watercolour, cold wax, acrylic, and oil to represent the area between Colwood and Port Renfrew. [Wed–Fri]

💃 Beginner salsa dance class at 6:30pm on Friday at the Langford Business Centre.

🎤 Open Mic Tuesdays & Karaoke Fridays at the Sooke Legion. 

🍺👹 Brewery & the Beast food & beverage festival is this Sunday at Starlight.

What’s Offshore?

🚢 The YM (Yang Ming) Movement container ship (2013-built, Panama flag) was visible in the distance from Metchosin & Colwood yesterday. It was anchored while en route from 🇺🇸 Tacoma ➡ 🇨🇦 Vancouver.

🚢 HMCS Max Bernays (AOPV 432) is anchored off the coast of Colwood. It's an Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) launched less than 3 years ago and named after a WWII naval hero who remained at a burning helm in order to ram and sink a U-boat.

Westshore Snaps

Sombrio Beach, Juan de Fuca Trail on Sept. 8 2024. —Richard Steward of View Royal

“A fixer upper.” —Glenys Pumfrey, Colwood

That’s it!

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