Gorge Waterway Action Society - Gorge.ca

Photo Contest

10 0 0 0 — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:54:08 +0000

Gorge Waterway Action Society's First Photography Contest

All Things Gorge

Prizes offered by the community to date include:
- 1 annual pass on a Victoria Harbour Ferry valid until Oct. 15/12 (value $112)
- 12 day-passes (any age) to Ocean Discovery Centre in Sidney
- 1 dinner for 2 at Canoe Brew Pub (value $50)
- 1 Intro To Open Water Rowing - training plus 4 hrs rowing time (value $100) from Whitehall Spirit Rowing Club
- 2 sets of kayak or stand-up paddle board rentals for 2 people for 3 hours (approx value $80 each) from Ocean River Sports
Watch this spot for more as the are donated

A big thanks to all Sponsors for their

generous support

What photographs are eligible?

All photographs must have been taken in, on or around the Gorge Waterway in Greater Victoria, BC (Portage Inlet to the Johnson St. Bridge). They may have been taken at any time.

Contests categories include, but are not limited to:
   Water    Wildlife    Environment Fun People
For any submitted photo in which a person may be recognized, the photographer must, upon request from the contest organizers, be able to provide a signed consent form from those individual(s) or their guardian(s) allowing the photograph to be utilized by the Gorge Waterway Action Society (GWAS). A model consent form is available on this website (www.Gorge.ca) To print it, please scroll to the bottom of the second page.

Who can participate?
Anyone, other than GWAS Board members, the appointed contest judges and individuals residing at the same address as the preceding, is eligible to enter.
How Much?
There is no fee for entering the contest.

The Photograph
The photograph must be submitted by the individual who took the image, unless it was taken by an individual of 15 years or younger in which case it must be submitted by his/her parent or guardian.

The photograph must have not have been previously published in any form or have won a prize in any other photo contest.

All photographs must be submitted as a non-compressed JPEG file of between 1.7 and 5 MB

Photographs not meeting contest criteria will be disqualified.

Photographers may have edited the photograph using any software, provided it was edited without assistance.

All images remain the property of the photographer.

Age Groups and Deadline
By submitting an entry the entrant agrees to abide by the rules of this contest and the use of the photograph by the Gorge Waterway Action Society.

Entries must be submitted by midnight, PDT May 31, 2012.

Entrants must choose one of the following categories, depending on their age as of the contest closing date:
        Child: 10 and under
       Youth: 11 to 15
       Adult: 16 and over.
Entries are to be sent to the age appropriate email address:
        Child: GWASchildphotocontest@shaw.ca
        Youth: GWASyouthphotocontest@shaw.ca
        Adult: GWASadultphotocontest@shaw.ca
Entries must include the name, address and phone number of the photographer and the approximate location where the photo was taken.

Entrants are encouraged, but not required, to provide a statement of no more than 250 words describing their intent in capturing the image.

Judging and Winners:
Because all photos will be judged anonymously, the entrant's name must not appear on the image.

Entries will be placed in the contest categories by the judges.

The decisions of the judges will be final.

Contest winners will be announced at 1:00 pm on July 1, 2012 at the GWAS information table at the Canada Day Picnic on Gorge Road.

A list of winners will be published on this website
A list of prizes will be available on this website
Prizes must be accepted as presented.

Use of Photographs by Gorge Waterway Action Society
The Gorge Waterway Action Society may display submitted photographs on this website, without photo credit, to promote the current contest.

The Gorge Waterway Action Society may later publish submitted photographs in any form - without compensation to the photographer, other than photo credit - to promote the objectives of the Society.

Enquiries
Enquiries may be sent to GWASphotocontest@shaw.ca

Gorge Waterway Discovery Centre now open

10 0 1 1 — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:20:30 +0000

A milestone was reached on June 8, 2008 on the Gorge Waterway. After months of hard work, a group of dedicated partners with a common vision proudly hosted the inaugural event at the new Gorge Waterway Discovery Centre. The first annual Rivers and Oceans Festival was held in Esquimalt Gorge Park, featuring the former concession stand in its new role as a community environmental learning centre.

Take the Pledge to be Pesticide-Free!

10 0 2 2 — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:11:30 +0000

The Capital Regional District (CRD) has issued a challenge to residents in the region to eliminate the use of pesticides on our lawns. Here's the link to take the pledge, and find out more:

http://www.crd.bc.ca/takethepledge/

Here's another site that has information on a wide variety of pesticides and their effects:

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/gateway/index.htm

Gorge Waterway Links

10 0 3 3 — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:15:53 +0000

COASTAL AND SHORELINE STEWARDSHIP RESOURCES

Gorge Waterway Initiative : A collaborative, community-driven group of organizations concerned with protecting and enhancing the natural and cultural features of the Gorge Waterway, Portage Inlet and the surrounding watersheds.

BC Stewardship Centre

Conservation Connection : Directory of conservation groups working in the Capital Regional District

Habitat Acquisition Trust : Our local land trust, operating in the Capital Regional District

The Land Conservancy : British Columbia's land trust

Harbours Atlas : Comprehensive web-based information and mapping tool for the Gorge Waterway, Esquimalt and Victoria harbours, and their watersheds.

SeaChange Marine Conservation Society : Focussed on restoration, conservation and education around nearshore marine environments of southern Vancouver Island; also involved in province-wide eelgrass mapping initiative.

Living by Water Project : Marine and freshwater shoreline stewardship

Georgia Strait Alliance

Green Shores

NATIVE PLANT SOURCES AND INFORMATION:

Naturescape : BC-wide program to help improve wildlife habitat in home gardens

Streamside Native Plants : Courtenay, BC nursery offering wide range of native plants

Fraser's Thimble Farms : Salt Spring Island nursery offering wide range of native and rare plants.

REGIONAL AND MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS:

Capital Regional District

District of Saanich

Township of Esquimalt

Town of View Royal

City of Victoria

ARTICLES ON FRIENDS OF THE GORGE PROJECT:

Aug. 2007 CRD Stormwater News article on Friends of the Gorge

Winter 2006 Saanich "Our Backyard" article on Friends of the Gorge

Restoration Work initiated at the Railyards Waterfront

10 0 4 4 — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:48:56 +0000

Friends of the Gorge has initiated a new project at the Railyards, a condominium development on the Gorge Waterway in Victoria. The waterfront area was overgrown with horsetail, blackberry and thistle. City parks crews cleared some of the area, and provided native shrubs to replant along the trail. Volunteers turned out in November 2007 for a work party to dig in the new shrubs, and will meet once a month to continue the restoration work.

New Stewardship Sign for Friends of the Gorge

10 0 5 5 — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 21:47:22 +0000

Look for our new Friends of the Gorge stewardship signs at participating properties along the Gorge Waterway.

In February 2007 the Friends of the Gorge Project had new metal signs made up for participating property owners who demonstrate their commitment to environmental stewardship on the Gorge. Contact us for more information on how you can become a Friend of the Gorge.

Friends of the Gorge Demonstration Site Now Planted

10 0 6 6 — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 00:00:02 +0000

January 20^th 2007 was a banner day for the Friends of the Gorge project. After months of planning, followed by a winter of uncertain weather – snow, torrential rains, freezing temperatures, road closures - all the stars lined up for a wonderful morning of planting native plants at our demonstration site on Portage Inlet. The achievements that this site represents go beyond the removal of invasive plants and replanting with native species. There was an unprecedented level of cooperation between municipalities (Oak Bay and Saanich), parks and environmental services departments to accomplish all the work that needed doing.

Gorge Waterway Native Plant Workshop

10 0 7 7 — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 02:59:03 +0000

Removing invasive plants like the English ivy on this Douglas fir is one of the first steps in restoring a more natural waterfront. Ivy can kill a tree by creating wind resistance so the tree is vulnerable to wind throw.

In October 2006 the Friends of the Gorge sponsored a workshop with local native plant gardening expert Pat Johnston. Twenty people attended this event, held in the penthouse common room at Treelane Estates on the Gorge Waterway. Pat showed slides of many gardens in the Victoria area where native trees, shrubs and perennials have been incorporated into the landscapes. We are fortunate in this area to be blessed with a wide variety of beautiful native species to choose from, for all garden conditions. Native plants are well-adapted to local climatic conditions (summer droughts, winter rains) and are naturally resistant to local pests and diseases. Pat stressed the importance of removing invasive plants like blackberries, Scotch broom and ivy from our gardens and waterfront areas.

6th Annual Gorge Waterway Cleanup

10 0 8 8 — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 04:07:59 +0000

On Saturday, September 23rd the Burnside Gorge Community Association will be hosting the 6th Annual Gorge Waterway Cleanup. The event is a great opportunity for people who share a love for the environment and specifically our local waters to get together for a morning of environmental and community action. The BGCA would therefore like to invite you to lend a hand in this year's cleanup effort. what that means is ...WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!

www.gorgecleanup.ca

Gorge Waterway Initiative

10 0 9 9 — Mon, 22 May 2006 18:03:04 +0000

What: The Gorge Waterway Initiative (GWI) is a community-driven, collaborative group of organizations dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the Gorge Waterway, Portage Inlet and surrounding watersheds in a way that respects the local cultural heritage. It was created after a founding meeting initiated by the Gorge Waterway Action Society in 2005.

Mission: GWI's mission is to maintain, protect and enhance the health of the Gorge Waterway, Portage Inlet, their watersheds and communities, for the enjoyment and well being of present and future generations.