Marathon!

On Sunday Ken and I spent a delightful few hours absorbing the energy of the Victoria marathon. For a few days we had been seeing signs along the streets in the James Bay area alerting us to an upcoming special event on Sunday, when from 2 am to 3 pm no stopping would be permitted along the streets. 

We finally learned the day before what the event was to be: a race, and not just a small one. Almost 8,300 people participated, with 1,500 competing in the full marathon (over 42 km), 3,400 in the half marathon, and 2,500 in the 8K race.

The energy was palpable.

Runners, joggers, and walkers along Dallas Road. The race started at 8:00, this photo was taken around 9:30 am. However, there was an early start (6:30 am) for those who estimated that they would take more than 5.5 hours to do the full marathon.

A rainbow of colours streamed past

In some sections, the runners were so focussed, that the only sound I could hear was the slap of shoes hitting the pavement.

I felt emotional seeing this little girl cheering for her mom!

Community support included signs like this, applause from onlookers, and bells, drums and other noise makers encouraging the runners and walkers. 

Volunteers handing out water at one of the aid stations

I was impressed at how many people were pushing themselves to complete whatever objective they had set for themselves.

We saw so much evidence of individual grit and determination, as shown in the above photo.

Another man was half walking, half jogging, holding onto the arm of another man. I later learned his story. Eleven years ago he had a stroke moments after finishing his first marathon. For years he was in a wheelchair and could not walk. Now he has started running again, and has completed three half-marathons. The man whose arm he was holding is his brother, who was quoted as saying that he is inspired by what his brother has accomplished.

I think this man must have laughed the whole way. Somehow he had attached a contraption to his head, with a beer can dangling just out of reach. "Motivation", he called as he went by.

A lead vehicle and bicycles cleared a path in front of the lead marathon runner. The runner's time is shown on the car's roof. At this point we were about 500 metres from the finish line. The time shown is 2:16:10.

The lead runner, Eric Finan of Oregon, who won the race with a time of 2:17:52 over the course of 42 km.

I missed catching a photo of the top woman runner, Andrea Lee of Black Creek, a small community on Vancouver Island which has spawned other runners. Her time was 2:46:46.

The finish line. The emcee, in the tent on the left, gave a "play by play" of  some of the runners as they arrived. He seemed to know a lot about each - their personal bests, how many races they had participated in, and where they were from. I was impressed at the amount of knowledge he had at his fingertips.

As I watched the numbers of people participating in the race, at all levels of ability, I realized that it is time I set an objective to do something like this, and not let problematic knees stop me.

Next year, I intend to be a participant - rather than watching from the sidelines!

To Rebel or Not?

Extinction Rebellion started this week with global action in over 60 cities worldwide. Victoria was one of them. We happened to be on the Johnson Street bridge at the time of the protest.

Times Colonist photo of the action on the bridge. Photograph: Adrian Lam

The protest led to the closure of the bridge to vehicle traffic, except for transit buses and emergency vehicles. Bicycles and pedestrians were able to cross. I was impressed at how the Victoria police were handling it. Everyone seemed quite cheerful. One bus crossed while I stood nearby, and the driver tooted his horn in support; people cheered in response.

The Extinction Rebellion logo of the hourglass in the circle represents time running out for the planet.

The next day the Times Colonist newspaper ran a very grumpy editorial. The action, claimed the editors, was "an assault on our civic way of life".  Furthermore, the editors queried "by what right do these groups claim to impose such turmoil?" They argued that the protest was "hostage-taking" due to the inconvenience imposed on people who could not carry out their normal everyday business. They also said the protesters were "arrogant" and "overly filled with righteousness".

They thought the police should have been much harsher in laying down the law, saying that because they did not do so, others will also be encouraged into civil disobedience. But I think the police took the right approach in not making the event confrontational.

The Times Colonist editorial board entirely missed the point that Extinction Rebellion is conveying, that government inaction is forcing protesters to civil disobedience because of the severity and urgency of the climate situation. It's not just another protest for the lawn of the legislature, as the editors suggested; climate change is an urgent issue but it is not being dealt with as such. Those who protest with Extinction Rebellion see this as our last opportunity for serious action.

The "11 years" in the banner comes from the most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Non-violent protest has a long tradition. There is a TED talk by Erica Chenoweth about her research showing that non-violent action has been twice as effective as violence and armed conflict at causing societal change. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w)

I am reading an online booklet by Roger Hallam, one of the founders of Extinction Rebellion. He has titled it "Common Sense for the 21st Century". It is a play on the title of the original pamphlet "Common Sense", which remains a best-selling American title and is still in print today (Source: Wikipedia). Printed in the year 1775, "Common Sense" argued for the separation of American colonies from Great Britain. In other words, it argued for the American Revolution.

The sub-title of Hallam's piece is "Only Nonviolent Rebellion Can Now Stop Climate Breakdown and Social Collapse".

Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King are two of the most well-known, articulate spokespeople for non violent resistance. 

Gandhi's Salt March, 1930 (Image: public domain)

Gandhi led a march to the sea to gather salt, the production of which was controlled by the British in India to favour salt imported from Britain. Starting with 78 hand-picked volunteers, by the time they reached the sea thousands had joined the march. Nearly 60,000 people were arrested. It took years, but this act led to the ultimate declaration of Indian independence from Great Britain in 1947. 

In 1963 over 200,000 people marched in Washington demanding equal rights for African Americans. King's speech is still quoted today, "I have a dream".

Martin Luther King, August 28, 1963. (Source of image: AFP / Getty images from https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/08/26/photos-mlk-dream-speech

And in Canada, the largest act of civil disobedience in the country's history -- British Columbia's "War in the Woods"-- brought thousands of protesters in the early 1990's to the remote area of Clayoquot Sound, and resulted in the arrests of almost 1,000 people. These protests of logging in old growth areas led to some wins.  However, the overall war has not been won yet; while some areas have been protected, the rate of harvesting old growth areas is unsustainable in B.C.

Protesters blocking a logging road at Clayoquot Sound, July 1993. Source:  https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/so-many-people-giving-a-damn. Photo: Chuck Stoody/CP Images

I am inclined to believe Hallam's thesis, that we have reached the point where only nonviolent rebellion can stop climate breakdown and social collapse. 

However, I also believe deeply in Martin Luther King's words: "True pacifism or non violent resistance is a courageous confrontation of evil by the power of love." 

Those of us who are moved to civil disobedience need to meditate on the power of love. We need to come from a place of love and understanding, especially of those who would oppose us.

Looking Up - The Trees of Downtown Salmon Arm

Recently we walked with friends from Vancouver and showed them some of the things we enjoy about our downtown. My eyes were constantly caught by the colours of blooming flowers, brightly painted buildings, and downtown art.

Flower bed at Marine Park

Amazing hydrangeas in front of City Hall and the Law Courts

Flower garden and reflecting pool in front of City Hall

The bright colours of this building particularly intrigued our friends. The photograph is from earlier in the year.

Looking north down Shuswap Street

The wonderful colours invited our eyes to enjoy their richness, and the fragrance of flowers added to the sensory experience.

Occasionally, as in the picture below, my eyes wandered past the flowers, and looked up, to take in the many trees growing downtown.

Hudson Street

The Downtown has a wonderful array of trees along its streets, in various private parking lots, and tucked around buildings. There are many reasons to appreciate these trees - the shade they provide, the ways they soften the lines of buildings, the rustles of leaves, and the attraction they provide to birds.

There are challenges to growing trees in paved areas, and some of the trees in the core area are struggling, especially at this time of year, when heat and dry weather can stress trees and make them vulnerable to disease and pests.

Brown leaves and bare branches show a story unfolding for many of downtown's trees.

A stressed tree in the Ross Street parking lot has leaves turning brown

Signs of a struggling tree - brown leaves, bare branches

Alexander Street

The trees which line the downtown streets have their roots below pavement - asphalt roads and concrete sidewalks. I have often wondered how they get enough water, and how their roots avoid getting compacted by the pressure of vehicles driving over the soil.

While various maples seem to be struggling, conifers seem to be in better shape.

The two conifers on the right of the picture appear to be healthier than the deciduous tree on the left.

The corner of Shuswap St. and Lakeshore Dr.

Lakeshore Dr.

South side of the highway, near the Fire Hall

These images are just a few of the many trees I see, in the downtown and elsewhere, which are showing signs of stress.

What to do?

Soil Cells

One of the things that the City has been doing since 2015 is to gradually plant new trees which are going into paved areas in what are called "soil cells". These are proprietary technology; there are a few different types available. Many of the older downtown trees were planted in barrels, surrounded by gravel. Soil cells are improved technology, can provide the trees with better growing conditions, and can tolerate the weight of vehicles.

Soil cells are very expensive though; the cost of an individual planted tree in a soil cell can be upwards of $5,000.

These trees on the east side of 3rd street, near Centenoka Mall, were recently planted in soil cells.

Plant diversity

When dead trees are replaced, we need to ensure a variety of trees along a street. With the stress of changing climate, diversity will give at least a chance that some trees may survive drought and insect pests.

This street, near Peter Jannink Park, has at least two varieties of trees planted along it.

This street, which is near Okanagan College, has the same species planted down its length. If an insect pest hits one tree, they could all be vulnerable. It makes sense to replicate nature and plant a variety of species in our urban areas.

Piccadilly Mall parking lot is graced with some fine trees. Many of them are the same variety however.

In 2015 the City contracted CropHealth Advising and Research to do a report on the downtown street trees. This report, which is not publicly available, documented each tree species, its age, diameter at breast height (DBH), condition and also gave pruning recommendations.

Some of the main species of downtown trees are

Acer Rubrum - Red Maple

Fraxinus - Ash

Platanus - London Plane

Tilla Cordata - Littleleaf Linden

Gleditsia - Honey Locust

I do not know how tolerant these landscape tree species will be to the fluctuations and extremes that are likely to occur with a changing climate.

Plant native

Native trees and shrubs are likely to be more resilient than imported landscape species to extremes of temperature and moisture. There are many resources that list native garden plants for different areas in B.C. - flowers, shrubs, and grasses - but much less material available for planting native trees. Here is one resource from On the Living Edge, Your Handbook for Waterfront Living, a book for which I was prime author. Although now over a decade old, much of the content is still relevant and useful: https://www.bcnature.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Appendix2.pdf

Remnant native vegetation along the Turner Creek trail

Conifer on Marine Park Drive

Healthy conifers at Fletcher Park. The tree on the right is a Larch.

Appreciate conifers.

The dominant native species in our area are Douglas fir on drier slopes, and Western Red cedar in moist gullies and on north facing slopes. However, with increasing variability of summer precipitation, cedars may well become a species that cannot survive in this area.

Cedars struggle in much of Salmon Arm

The north-facing slope of Pileated Woods Park helps keep the area moist for healthy cedars. In the future, they may only survive where there are conditions such as these.

Compared to cedars, Douglas firs are hardy and should be able to tolerate more stressful conditions.

The City of Kamloops has been promoting tree planting, and lists Douglas firs as one of the species which has low moisture requirements, compared to many landscape trees. 
https://www.kamloops.ca/sites/default/files/sus-_plant_selection.pdf

I would like to see more firs planted around town.

A magnificent fir just outside downtown

This conifer fits in with the plantings of the area and provides shade for the sitting area.

Variety of trees, curved paths, benches .. who would have ever thought this beautiful spot is beside a mall parking lot?

One of the many beautiful conifers at Piccadilly Mall

A Larch tree in Marine Park. Although Larches are not listed as having low moisture requirements, they seem to do well in the Salmon Arm area.

Two other native tree species which are tolerant of low water are Ponderosa Pine and Rocky Mountain Juniper.

A variety of trees adds greatly to our enjoyment of our urban streets. Let's ensure that they are here for the long term by planting wisely and choosing species that will survive our changing climate.

Listening to Silence

A few days ago I had the opportunity to sit for awhile along Canyon Road, several kilometres above Enderby. For half an hour, all I listened to was silence. I heard the occasional rustle of a leaf in the breeze, and a few lone birds. Once or twice a car went by and punctuated the quiet, but most of the time, silence was all I heard.

When I lived at Gardom Lake, I was surrounded by silence. Now, living in the heart of a city, I wonder how we can create more outdoor opportunities for quiet. It should not be necessary to drive or cycle out of town to find a few moments of peaceful solitude in nature.

Since 1972, urban noise has been considered a pollutant by the World Health Organization because of its effects on human health. Apparently cities have become so much noisier that sirens have had to become louder by 40 decibels in order to be heard!

Are we as a society getting more used to noise? Many people seem to accept using hand dryers in washrooms, which can be as loud as 90 decibels (dB)! To put this in context, a whisper is about 30 dB, normal conversation is about 60 dB, and a motorcycle engine running is about 95 dB. Noise above 85 dB over a prolonged period of time may start to damage hearing. Loud noise above 120 dB can cause immediate harm to ears. (Source: https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/what_noises_cause_hearing_loss.html)

Hand dryers in washrooms can be as loud as 90 decibels!

Finding, and creating, quiet places is a health issue, as well as one of aesthetics and quality of life. I have heard people say, "Well, I just close the windows and doors and stay inside!" That does not feel right to me, being forced to retreat indoors to find stillness.

Surely we can design outdoor spaces in our cities where nature, and quiet, are both part of the experience?

Those who live in detached suburban houses may be able to create quiet retreats in their patios or back yards. But for the rest of us who live in denser forms of development such as apartments and townhouses, we look to public and semi-public spaces to help provide respite from the din of the city.

Unfortunately for Salmon Arm, both the Trans Canada Highway and the railway are sources of significant noise. The city is laid out with Mount Ida as a backdrop which echoes the sound back to us.

It is very hard to escape the roar of the highway in any of our parks. I walked around McGuire Lake recently and was hard-pressed to have a conversation with my friend, because of the jackhammer-like rumbles of semi-trucks, gearing down to either ascend or descend the hill.

Early spring at McGuire Lake. Such an attractive setting - park benches, a burbling creek with covered bridge, canopy trees and flower gardens. The only detraction from a peaceful experience at McGuire Lake is the noisy highway immediately behind.

Though a little further away from the highway than McGuire Lake, other city parks, such as Peter Jannink, Fletcher and Marine, still suffer from the constant thunder of vehicles streaming in the distance.

Finding innovative ways to create quiet outdoor spaces is a challenge in Salmon Arm - but one that is critical.

One obvious idea is to focus attention upon areas that are a distance from noise generating sources like the highway.

Nancy Clark garden at Okanagan College. The nearby gazebo is a peaceful place to contemplate nature. The highway can still be heard, but it is a muted distant presence.

Another view of the Nancy Clark garden 

This cool idea from Okanagan College recognizes the importance of quiet time in nature. Where might these chairs be taken in Salmon Arm to find the solitude referred to in the poster? 

A fountain or other water feature provides soothing sound, while masking more annoying ones such as highway noise. As the video below illustrates, the fountain at the wharf does a good job of covering other sounds - except for the lone chirping of a young osprey.

Here are a few ideas that might work for Salmon Arm to add quiet outdoor spaces to our city:

Take advantage of the sound-baffling function of buildings and walls. 

Buildings can act as a barrier to sound transmission. For example, the mass of the CSRD Building and Lakeside Manor block the sound of both the railway and the highway. Consequently, the walkway which goes along Shuswap Lake on the north side of these buildings is relatively quiet. A "pullout" with benches was created on this walkway; the benches are quiet havens from noise. Opportunities like this need to be taken advantage of whenever they are presented.

A quiet space where buildings have blocked highway and railway noise

We need to pay attention to the role that the "back" of a building can play. Any time a public or semi-public building faces away from a busy road, let's ask the question of the designer and architect - "are there ways this building can be used to create a public quiet area outside"?

These chairs in front of Askews can be relatively quiet, despite the local street sounds. The buildings across the street block highway noise, and the building behind can block some of the noise from the railway (although unfortunately it can bounce back from across the street).

These benches at Fletcher Park are protected from highway noise by the building behind them, and the restroom building (below).

The restrooms at Fletcher Park help reduce highway noise for users of these benches.

There are multiple opportunities in the downtown area to create small sitting areas using building walls to help muffle sound. Here are a few thoughts.

Physiotherapy offices recently moved into this building, revamping the parking lot and installing a ramp. There is protected space tucked against the building which could be converted into a pleasant outdoor sitting area free of highway noise, with container plantings of trees and shrubs adding to the atmosphere.

The north side of the SASCU building, while it faces the tracks, is protected from highway noise. The oversized parking lot could sacrifice a few stalls to create an outdoor space without causing a parking problem.

In many cases the most protected spaces between buildings are occupied by parking lots. As we look at ways to reduce our use of fossil fuels, and create a sustainable, pedestrian-oriented community, these parking lots could provide quiet outdoor spaces free from both highway and railway noise.

This parking lot, on the north side of the tracks, is nestled between two buildings and offers potential for a small quiet space in a corner, using a few stalls.

Use trees and shrubbery to reduce sound. 

Plants have the ability to baffle sound. One source I found indicated that a row of plants 25 feet deep, reaching to the ground and composed of mixed species of shrubs and trees (conifers and broad-leafed) can reduce sound levels by up to 10 decibels. Perhaps that is an idea for the slope below the highway, between it and McGuire Lake. A dense buffer of vegetation could muffle sound below it.

A thick border of plants along the south side of City Hall. The space beside them is devoted to grass. There is an opportunity for a sitting area here.

A small but thick planting along Harbourfront Drive. Many more plantings like this would help muffle noise in the urban environment.

Attractive landscaping at the Credit Union building. Some thicker shrubs or conifers would add to the ability of this area to create a quiet space.

This attractive sitting area along Lakeshore Drive seems to be underutilized. I wonder if having only one entrance is a barrier. Do people feel more comfortable going into an enclosed space if there is a second exit?

This fenceline between Fletcher Park and Okanagan Avenue presents an opportunity for a planting of dense shrubs. These could replace the grass, and would muffle highway noise for park users. 

I have written in other posts about the many benefits of planting trees. Dampening urban noise is another reason to do so! Plus, trees and shrubs give us nature sounds to focus upon such as rustling leaves, the swoosh of bird wings, and their songs and chirps.

Create water features. 

I have mentioned the fountain at the wharf. The one at McGuire Lake is attractive, but the highway is just too close and too noisy to be adequately muffled by the fountain.

The fountain at Ross Street Plaza helps mask highway noise - as well as creating an attractive focal point in the downtown.

A water feature at the new Shoreline development near the Prestige Hotel. The bubbling of this miniature fountain is enjoyed by passersby on the walkway.

I suspect there are many opportunities to use water on private properties. Garden centres sell a variety of small pumps and fountains of different sizes.

Of course, the best water feature is a natural one! Here is Turner Creek, heard along the Turner Creek trail between the Hilltop Hotel and Okanagan College.

I encourage readers to think of ways we can create more quiet spaces in our city, especially the urban core. As humans, we need silence in nature. It's part of our genetic make-up!