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Coming up in Cowichan: Estuary fundraiser, landlord info and more

Chance for landlords to learn about their rights and responsibilities
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Paul Ruszel will be entertaining the crowd at the Estuary Nature Centre’s Burger and Beer fundraiser. (Citizen file)

Chance for landlords to learn about their rights and responsibilities

The Cowichan Housing Association is hosting a free tenancy information session for landlords on Wednesday, Feb. 20.

From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the upstairs meeting room at Sands Memorial (187 Trunk Rd., entrance on Ypres Street), hear speaker Kate Lambert from Ready to Rent BC.

Lambert will talk about responsibilities of landlords in residential tenancy arrangements, Rent Smart courses and workshops, and the upcoming attainable housing strategy for the Cowichan region.

Registration is preferred but not required. Call 250-597-1376 ext. 106 or email admin@cowichanhousing.com

Refreshments will be provided.

Entertainer Paul Ruszel headlines Estuary Centre Burger fundraiser

Local singer-songwriter Paul Ruszel will be playing at the Cowichan Bay Pub on Sunday, Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre’s spring Beer and Burger Fundraiser.

Doors open at 5 p.m. There may still be a few tickets available at the door.

Ruszel has hundreds of songs under his belt: acoustic blues, sea shanties, folk, bluegrass, Celtic and gospel, and he embraces an old-time storytelling tradition where his songs are often as much poetry as they are music. Ruszel’s talent for bringing together groups of musicians that create magical harmonies will also be on offer for listening pleasure of estuary supporters and jazz lovers alike.

Be prepared to enjoy the Pub’s usual delicious fare, good conversation and a silent auction with local art, crafts and gift certificates for goods and services from Cowichan Valley shops and organizations. Included in the $25 ticket price is your choice of a beef, chicken or veggie burger, a side of salad or fries and beer, cider or a glass of wine.

Organizers from the Estuary Nature Centre promise a fun and relaxing evening — an easy way to support environmental awareness and education in the Cowichan Estuary.

The Estuary Nature Centre offers a window onto the estuary, its watershed, marine life, and natural and cultural history through its hands-on exhibits, aquarium and touch tank, and educational program for school groups and marine biology summer camps.

Proceeds from Sunday evening will go towards operating the centre as well as to fund new exhibits and programming.

Tickets are $25 and available from Volume One Bookstore, Eventbrite, and at the Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre in Cowichan Bay, open Thursday through Sunday afternoons.

For additional information: www.cowichanestuary.ca or contact the centre at 250-597-2288 or info@cowichanestuary.ca

How to save endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales

The Cowichan Watershed Board is hosting a free public lecture titled “Killer Whales and Legal Tales” on Thursday, Feb. 28.

From 7-8:30 p.m. hear from Ecojustice lawyer Devon Page as he explains what’s needed to save B.C.’s endangered species.

Page will focus his talk on the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale and what legal tools can be leveraged to save them. The fish-eating whales spend much of their lives in the Salish Sea, including near Cowichan Bay. There are currently only 75 individual whales left, with declines attributed in part to fewer Chinook salmon, their dominant prey.

Some of the Chinook salmon needed to support killer whale survival originate in the Cowichan watershed, making this topic particularly relevant for Cowichan residents.

The lecture takes place at the VIU Cowichan campus, 2011 University Way, Duncan, in lecture hall 140.

The Cowichan Valley Naturalists and VIU Cowichan are co-sponsoring this event.