The Clayoquot Biosphere Trust has invested over $200,000 to support food security and food system projects in the region. Eat West Coast provides ongoing support to fund recipients by contributing knowledgeable staff, community relationships to the wider region, program planning and development, and support functions such as evaluation and fundraising.

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Funding to Community Food Projects

 

Fruit Gleaning Pilot

WildSafeBC 2021

Pilot program to address unharvested or under-harvested fruit trees to both share local food in the community and reduce bear attractants

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Youth Health and Wellness

District of Ucluelet 2021

Skill building for overall youth wellness and mental health, including healthy foods and nutrition

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Pandemic Food Transportation Support

Food Bank on the Edge 2020

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Pandemic Food Transportation Support

Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations 2020

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Growing Resilient Coastal Gardens

Alberni Clayoquot Regional District 2021

Growing the 'Octopus Garden', a network of coastal community gardens community gardens to foster collaboration

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Mealworms + Polystyrene = Compost... what the heck?

Mady Mac (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2021

Demonstrating mealworm c

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Bake Bread and Fried Bread

Annie George (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2021

Teaching community members bread making

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Maaqtuiis Youth Hunting group

Charles Thomas (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2021

Teaching traditional hunting to youth

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Cultural Care Packages

Pat Charelson (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2021

Providing hunted meat packages to community members

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Consent Based Harvest and Traditional Herbal Medicine

Rachel Dickenson (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2021

Sharing knowledge of traditional harvest practices 

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TyHistanis Garden - Revitalizing knowledge

Craig Devine (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2021

Community garden work party and leadership development

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Fearless Food Project

Sharon Wu (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2021

Affordable school lunches for low-income families

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Butterfly Garden

Trina Matteson (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2021

Planting by the Ahousaht daycare and school to attract butterflies to the garden

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Breaking the Crust

Sylvain Rollin (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2021

Sharing home baked bread with the community

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Teaching youth how to feed their community

Charles Thomas (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2021

Hunting with Ahousaht youth, as well as processing and distributing

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Opitsaht Nettle

Ivy Martin (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2021

Sharing traditional harvesting and processing knowledge

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Fish care packages for Covid

Tom Campbell (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2021

Fishing and traditional preperation to share with vulnerable community members

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Toquaht Food Security: food preservation project

Toquaht Nation 2020

Teaching citizens traditional and modern methods of food preservation

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Addressing the need for better waste management in the region

WildSafeBC 2020

Reducing human-wildlife conflicts including managing food attractants like fruit trees, compost, and outdoor food storage.

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Advancing the Coastal Agriculture Roundtable: Actioning Priorities around Food and Agriculture

Alberni Clayoquot Regional District 2020

Supporting appropriate, implementable, and impactful local food policies and projects including food system policy and planning, emergency preparedness, and community food production projects.

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Creating Community Through Gardens

Mollie Law (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2020

Supporting home gardening in Lone Cone with native plants

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Ahousaht Home Food Gardens

Melodie Macloud (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2020

Providing vegetable starter plants to families in Ahousaht

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Herb Garden

Laura Peake (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2020

Creating a neighbourhood shared herb garden in Tree Frog Lane

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Food Preservation Workshops

Hélène Descoteaux (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2020

Virtual workshops on preserving seasonal produce

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Virtual Chicken Social

Leah Austin (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2020

Online gathering of local backyard chicken keepers

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Little Green Thumbs 

Paula Robertson (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2020

Container gardens with kids in Yew Wood

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Growing Food at the Hospital Garden

Anna Bichel (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2020

Planting edible plants in the hospital garden for staff and the patient kitchen

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Early Learners Food Security Garden

Jennifer Price-Francis and Kimi henderson (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2020

Creating an edible garden at the daycare

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Hatching Chicks - the Essentials

Leah Austin (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2020

Creating videos to share on local chicken raising

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For the Love of Bees

April Robson (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2020

Creting videos to share on the basics of local beekeeping

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West Coast Food Literacy Day

Coastal Family Resources Coalition 2019

A day of food skills and education for youth with community knowledge, dietitans, and schools

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West Coast Youth Food Project

District of Ucluelet (Future Launch) 2019

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Gardening Workshops

Toni Buston and Nicky Ling (Green Grants) 2019

Teaching gardening skills in Ucluelet for families

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Chicken Social

George Patterson and Leah Austin (Green Grants) 2019

A gathering of backyard chicken enthusiast to share and teach.

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Youth Bee Garden at Maaqtusiis Secondary

Kate Drexler and Trina Mattson (Green Grants) 2019

Bringing bees to the school garden

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Youth Healthy Harvest and Community Dinner

Norman Louie and Selina Frank (Green Grants) 2019

Teaching youth in Ahousaht traditional harvesting and food preparation for community feast

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Sustainable Seafood Community Dinner

Charles Lucas and Betty Lucas (Green Grants) 2019

Sharing knowledge of ethical and sustainable marine harvest in Hesquiaht

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Seafood Gathering, Fishing, Community Building

Ryan Churchill and Gynette Galligos (Green Grants) 2019

Sharing knowledge of ethical and sustainable marine harvest in Hesquiaht

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Preserving Food

Lil Webster and Hilda John (Green Grants) 2019

A canning and preservation party to share knowledge and food.

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Smokehouse Knowledge Sharing

Patrick Charleson (Culture Grants) 2019

Building a smokehouse together in Hot Springs Cove.

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Youth Food and Culture

Dwayne Martin and Chris Seitcher (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2018

Take youth hunting and harvesting to provide a feast and cultural support for the community

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Tonquin Park Villa Community Compost

Simon Allison and Warren Rudd (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2018

Exploring collaborative animal-proof community composting 

 

Opitsaht Neighbourhood Smokehouse

Raymond Brune and Sherann Findlay (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2018

Salvaging and hand-milling wood to build and donate community smokehouse on Opitsaht reserve

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Health Oriented Medicinal Plants

Ruth Charleson and Betty Lucas (Neighbourhood Small Grants) 2018

Building a community greenhouse focused on health-related plants and traditional medicines

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Ucluelet Community Garden

District of Ucluelet and Ucluelet Local Food Society, 2017

The first ever Ucluelet community garden.  The garden growing beds will be assigned for gardeners to grow vegetables, learn new skills, and share their enthusiasm for growing healthy, local produce.

The garden plots will serve as a foundation for a greater vision: Education opportunities for school age children, Volunteer options available for the public-at-large, The Food Bank will have a plot for growing produce making it available to low-income families.

 

Emergency Food Bank Study

Food Bank on the Edge, 2017

To address community food security and assist in Emergency Management response during an emergency event, the Food Bank wishes to relocate to a tsunami safe zone. The purpose of this study is to identify feasible sites in Ucluelet where the Food Bank could be housed with the potential for developing an adjacent community garden site in the future. During this process, Community stakeholder data will be gathered and public awareness of food security and the emergency food issue will be promoted.

 

Community Kitchen

West Coast Community Resources Society, 2017

The Community Kitchen project will bring small groups together twice a month to share ideas on how to stretch food dollars, how to prepare and preserve healthy foods and meals. The Ucluelet Community Centre main kitchen will be utilized for individuals to come together to cook healthy meals, connect with others, learn new skills and share recipes. Several meal portions will be divided among participants to take home for their freezer, shelf or fridge.

 

Teaching Youth about Aquatic Traditional Territory

Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government, 2017

The goal of this project is to develop, expand, and enhance the knowledge and skills of our youth as it relates to the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ traditional aquatic territory, through spending time on the water with our Elders listening to their stories and learning fishing and harvesting skills in our language about traditional names of species and places within our territory and waters.

 

Hesquiaht Food Preservation

Jeannnine Adams, Beverly Dorward, Patrick Charleson (Neighbourhood Small Grant) 2016 & 2017

Workshops in Hot Springs Cove on food preservation and canning.

 

Neighbourhood emergency prepardness and food preservation

Keith Orchiston and Bobby Lax, (Neighbourhood Small Grant) 2016

Bringing together the neighbourhood to learn about emergency prepardness including food preservation and canning workshop.

 

Kindergarden

Kori Wechlin and Stephi Munshaw, (Neighbourhood Small Grant) 2016

Buildin garden beds in Ahousaht for kindergarten age children

  

Fruit Trees for Yew Wood

Deddeda White and Leah Austin, (Neighbourhood Small Grant), 2017

Plant apple and fig trees along the public streetscape to provide fresh, locally grown fruits for residents

 

Hesquiaht Gathering

Gynette Galligos, (Neighbourhood Small Grant) 2017

Community dinner bringing together all families and neighbours to celebrate traditional foods and bring a fun event to the winter months.

 

Ucluelet Joy of Gardening festivals

Ucluelet Local Food Society 2016 & 2017

Bringing together local gardeners in the winter to share, learn, and celebrate growing local.

  

West Coast Farm and Garden Show and Seedy Saturdays

Tofino Community Food Initiative, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019

A showcase of regional farmers, growers, and backyard enthusiasts producing food on the West Coast.  While farming is not a term you hear every day on the West Coast, this inagural event highlights and promote farming of all varieties including aquacultures, specifically around kelp and shellfish, beekeeping, seed saving, urban farming, square foot gardening, composting and more.   This event aims to collectively pull together our community, our region, and Vancouver Island to share thoughts and best practices so that we may all come away with ways to make our lives a bit more sustainable.

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ƛułcamis Well-BEEing

Toquaht Nation, 2016

The Toquaht Nation community garden has been active for three years; it’s growing and

cultivating and we are prepared to take it one step further, to help aid production of pollination

and growth through these beautiful creatures, bees.

 

Youth Community Garden

Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government, 2016

To create a garden at the Cixʷatincommunity centre acessible to all members of the community of Hitacu, including children at the daycare and youth involved in recreation programs.

 

Heathy Start

Wickaninnish Community School, 2016

Healthy Start is a morning elementary school program offering exercise and nutritional food so children are well nourished and ready to learn. 

 

Community Feast

Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government, 2016

An event for upwards of 500 guests, to celebrate the five year anniversary of becoming an independent nation upon signing of the Maa-nulth Treaty. The feast is comprised of traditional food items, many of which will be gathered for this feast: Young Warriors program participants gather game, fish and clams. Youth gather berries and Elders and other community members to assist with the gathering and preparation of food. For instance, once the fish has been caught, a community member can teach the young people how to clean the fish and how to smoke the fish. The Nuu-chah-nulth language will be incorporated in these teachings.

  

 Water Catchement Seminar

Jennifer Price-Francis and Dede Monette (Neighbourhood Small Grant), 2015

Covering everything from basic garden barrel to large home cisterns, the seminar introduces expert advice on catchement systems then hand on building of rain barrels.

 

Ty-Histanis Community Garden

Craig Devine and Naomi Seitcher (Neighbourhood Small Grant), 2015

Good soil is hard to come by on the peninsula. The newly created garden in Ty-Histanis plans to gather kelp and seaweed from local beaches and use a vegetation shredder to chop and compost material to build nutrient rich soil.

 

Garden and Sustainability Education Centre

Ucluelet Elementary School, 2011, 2014, 2017

Immersing students into study of construction, community, ecology, and global awareness. School garden, greenhouse and outdoor classroom along wth classes in sustainability to educate students on the life processes of gardening, instill in them the values and benefits associated with gardening, and show them the enjoyment and satisfaction derived from producing their own healthy food. Includes multilingual sinage, planting, composting, insects, birds, pollinators, and more.  T

 

Back-to-Basics Youth Sustainable Food Initiative

District of Ucluelet, 2013

Back to the Basics program focuses on teaching youth about the importance of food security, and them with the skills and knowledge required to become more connected

with their food source. There will be a series of workshops offered to youth from a variety of skilled, knowledgeable instructors, including information on current food systems and the environmental impact of food production and transportation. There will also be a number of

hands-on courses that use local foods to prepare delicious and nutritious meals.

 

Toquaht Community Hunt

Toquaht Nation, 2013

It is the Toquaht Nation’s desire and intent to ensure that our traditional practices, such as hunting and fishing, are known and practiced by our citizens to ensure the continuation of our vibrant culture.

 

Ahousaht Youth Hunt

Ahousaht First Nation, 2010 and 2012

Give youth the opportunity to increase their confidence and abilities through cultural activities based on our Aboriginal traditions and beliefs, encourage them to make healthier changes for themselves their families and community.

 

Teaching and Demonstration Food Garden

Tofino Botanical Gardens Foundation, 2012

All of the projects will develop skills of west coast residents interested in growing their own food and in food security: Develop a teaching and demonstration food garden at the Tofino Botanical Garden; host eight workshops on gardening and food topics (e.g., composing, natural dyes, harvest and preparation of vegetables, etc.); and host an informal, weekly networking sessions for west coast gardeners and people interested in food and food security.

 

Community Compost & Ethnobotany Project

Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government, 2011

Creation of the infrastructure and community education/promotion about the value of composting in a central location

 

Food Skills for Families

Wickaninnish Community School, 2011

This will deliver a new Canadian Diabetes Association food skills program geared to the needs of vulnerable families. The program will build skills necessary for choosing and preparing healthy foods with hands on cooking experience.

 

Youth Healthy Cooking Classes

Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ First Nation, 2011

The program will build skills necessary for choosing and preparing healthy foods with hands on cooking experience.

 

Grade School Gourmet

Wickaninnish Community School, 2010

The program will build skills necessary for choosing and preparing healthy foods with hands on cooking experience.

 

Community Compost & Ethnobotany Project

Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ First Nation, 2011

Creation of the infrastructure and community education/promotion about the value of composting in a central location

 

Food Skills for Families on a Smart Budget

Westcoast Community Resource Society, 2010

The overall goal of this program is to assist Ucluelet community members to make healthy food choices.  The project is a 6 week, learner-centered program which builds on participants’ knowledge and experience. It promotes healthy cooking on a smart budget and also eliminates the myth that healthy food is expensive and boring. The program validates specific cultural preferences and respects the wealth of wisdom that each person brings to the learning process.

 

Food Skills for First Nation Families

Hesquiaht First Nation, 2010

For the community of Hesquiaht it was a great opportunity for community members to come and learn about healthy nutrition and cook together. Sharing knowledge, food and cooking is a big part of First Nations culture and the program managed to capture all of that in the 6 weeks of delivery.

 

Tofino Community School Garden

Tofino Community Food Initiative, 2010

Reconnect students and community members with their food, to cultivate an appreciation of growing and consuming fresh, healthy, organic food, and to enrich our local food system. The garden will have two separate sections, one for the students and another for the community.

 

Ittatsoo Community Garden

Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ First Nation, 2010

Our goal is to bring the positive energy back to Ittatsoo.  Looking to increase activities, soup kitchens, lunch-ins, and healthy image.  Build a green house for the health clinic.

 

Master Organic Gardener Training

Ucluelet Community Food Initiative, 2009

Provide expert training.

 

Community Feasting Project

Uu-a-thluk, 2008

The project will involve the whole community in the celebration of traditional foods.

 

Hesquiaht Gardening Project

Hesquiaht First Nation, 2010

Quantify the toxicological integrity of clams from important food harvesting sites throughout the harbour.

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Funding to Support an Environmentally Sustainable Food System

The CBT has also funded many research and environment projects that look at the health and viability of our local marine food sources. Below is just a sample of projects, the CBT will be exploring more in depth the connections between our natural resources and food system in the near future.

 

to be updated...

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Ah’ta’apq Creek Restoration

Central Westcoast Forest Society, 2017

The goal of the project is to restore once abundant salmon and trout populations to Ah’ta’apq Creek through habitat restoration. This project will help maintain the HFN and AFNs’ ability to harvest within Ah’ta’apq creek and contribute to restoring the overall health and quality of Clayoquot sound salmon populations.

 

Clayoquot Salmon Roundtable

West Coast Aquatic, 2014-2018

Identify factors limiting wild chinook salmon in six major chinook-bearing watersheds in CS; rank factors as having a high- to low-impact; use ranking to develop a chinook recovery action plan for CS. Process will be repeated for wild sockeye and chum.

 

Bedwell/Ursus River Chinook Recovery Plan

Thornton Creek Enhancement Society, 2011

Creation of the infrastructure and community education/promotion about the value of composting in a central location

 

Searching for sustainable local foods: A study of the heavy metal toxicity of Ucluelet Harbour clams

Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ First Nation, 2010

Quantify the toxicological integrity of clams from important food harvesting sites throughout the harbour.

 

Community Structure for Shellfish Plant

Ecotrust, 2004

 

Goosebarnacle Harvest

West Coast Vancouver Island Aquatic Management Board, West Coast Goosebarnacle Association, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, 2002

Host four community workshops to develop direction for sustainable gooseneck barnacle harvest