TLC's Duck Creek Conservation Holiday

What: Duck Creek Farm Holiday – Experience Organic Farming
When: Wednesday, July 23 to Friday, July 25, 2008
Where: Duck Creek Farm, 134 Tripp Road, Salt Spring Island
Arrival time: 5pm
Cost: $125 + GST (TLC Member), $160 + GST (non member) includes food, workshops, tools, and tenting site.
For more information or to book this holiday: Call 1-888-738-0533 or visit www.conservationholidays.ca

Conservation holidays are a new concept to many Canadians but they are quickly gaining popularity as an affordable and inspirational way to vacation. Gone are the days of lounging on the beach. People are looking for adventure and educational getaways, and TLC The Land Conservancy of British Columbia’s Farm Conservation Holidays are the perfect ticket.

As a society, we are becoming increasing disconnected from the farms that supply us with the basic means to survival: Food. This year TLC is partnering with a number of local farms in the Vancouver Island area to help urban dwellers reconnect with the land and learn what it takes for farmers to bring food from the fields to the table.

If you want to learn about organic agriculture in B.C. – whether it is policy, directions for the future or just plain knowledge about how to grow a good carrot – John Wilcox from Duck Creek is your man. He’s a fixture in the local farming community and his energy and passion for local food is inspiring. The principles of bio-dynamic agriculture are practiced here, emphasizing ecological diversity, optimum soil health and plant vitality.

Activities on this farm will include: the great garlic harvest, stream habitat work, transplanting starts, harvesting produce for market and planting seed for a winter vegetable garden. There will also be plenty of time to curl up with your book or go for a dip in nearby St Mary’s lake.

DUCK CREEK FARM
Duck Creek Farm yields bountiful crops on 13 acres of the upper valley of Duck Creek, northwest of Ganges. John has been farming here for 18 years and has seen an outstanding quantity of organic food grow from his well-cared soil. John also worked with the Island Stream and Salmon Enhancement Society to restore fish and wildlife habitat on the farm. Cutthroat trout and Coho salmon are able to live year round in the stream and ponds John helped create on his property. Three acres of the farm, along the Creek, have been set aside for conservation values

THE LAND CONSERVANCY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
TLC is a registered charity and land trust protecting wilderness areas, cultural landmarks and agricultural lands in B.C. Since 1997, TLC has protected almost 120,000 acres of sensitive and threatened lands, involving more than 300 projects. TLC has grown to include over 7,000 members, and is now part of an international network of National Trusts with over 7 million members. What are you doing with your $100? Donate your Climate Action Dividend to the www.specialplacesbc.ca and help build sustainable communities across B.C