Pollinators: The Foundation of Life

Pollinators like bees, hummingbirds, bats, and butterflies are the unsung heroes of our ecosystems. These small creatures play an important role in sustaining life on Earth. Around 75% of the world’s flowering plants and 35% of global food crops rely on pollinators for reproduction. Without them, we would lose not only fruits, nuts, and vegetables but also the wild plants that support wildlife and stabilize our ecosystems. But these vital creatu.... Read more >>

One of the most frequent motifs in Coast Salish art was also a tool of high cultural importance. The spindle whorl allowed Salish women to weave beautiful textiles of spiritual and social significance. The spindle whorl was used to spin fleece into a thick yarn. It consisted of a small disk (whorl) with a shaft, inserted through a hole in the middle. The shaft was up to four feet long, or 120 cm, while the whorl was up to eight inches across, or 20 cm. The whorl was intricately carved from w.... Read more >>

From the Tlingit in Alaska to the Coast Salish in Southern British Columbia and Northern Washington; the Pacific Northwest is home to more than a dozen First Nations. It is an area of exceptional linguistic, cultural, and artistic diversity. The brief discussion of Northwest coast art below outlines some of the major cultural art styles. For simplification, a number of Indigenous cultures have been grouped under one heading, as the artistic work of these cultures exhibits many similarities. .... Read more >>

Ours was an abundant land. Our forests, meadows, creek sides, marshes and seashores offered many plants for our use. – Dave Elliott Sr., 1980

This Area Was A Natural Park

Climbing up the summit at Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, BC, visitors can see a plaque affixed to a rock that reads: When Victoria was settled in 1843, this area was a natural park (….). Or so the Europeans who arrived by ship in 1842 thought. They were exploring the South coast of Vancouver Island, .... Read more >>