Fundraiser by students at Thompson Rivers University for Help The Kelp

Students at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops are holding a special fundraiser this Friday for Help The Kelp and another organization by hosting the premiere of an incredible documentary about high alpine skiing called Almost Ablaze. I am so gratified and thrilled that they did this on their own volition.

Dr. Jane Watson from VIU on kelp and the role of the sea otter

In this beautifully shot short video, Dr. Jane Watson from Vancouver Island University discusses why kelp is important and how sea otters contribute to the health and vitality of kelp beds. To view the video click here.

Fundraising!

My old buddy from Nashville Jeff Coffin was visiting the island last week with his wife and her parents from Japan. JC wanted to do some busking and I figured why not help some kelp? The bank account was a tad skinny but thanks to Jeff's horn and a few generous Gabriolans who happened to be in the village that morning, we raised $108.15 for the cause and had a blast doing it. Photos by Ryoko Suzuki.

Mapping and Results

Help The Kelp volunteers have just finished mapping the entire island's bull kelp canopy. It was a wonderful experience with a team composed of new and old volunteers, and the results are promising. We now have two consecutive years of whole island mapping on file and most importantly are able to do two things next.

First, to identify areas on the island that could benefit from replanting.

Second, to compare maps from the Summer of 2013 and 2014 on our replanted zone on the north end of the island.

Below is the map for that region from August 3 2013.

And here's the map from July 29 2014. Things are looking quite promising!

A Rookie's Perspective - Helping the Kelp

Michael with the tools of the trade...a GPS
and rubber ducky thermometer. 

I'm very fortunate to have had some amazing experiences in my life, and today was no exception. I've recently moved to Gabriola Island, and was looking for ways to contribute to my new community...and Help the Kelp caught my eye. When I saw they were looking for volunteers to go out and map the bull kelp beds, I jumped at the chance, and am I ever glad I did.

Today Michael, Nancy and I mapped a chunk of the north end of Gabriola, which leaves one section to be completed tomorrow. My job was to take GPS waypoints and temperature readings, as Nancy took detailed notes. She noted everything from the temperature of the water, whether we were mapping single kelp, lines of kelp, or full beds, the density of the kelp beds, health of the kelp, and more. Not only that, but she swam out to get our 'sweet ride' and towed it back into shore...Michael figures she's about a half horsepower!

Michael was our able Captain as we navigated shallow waters amongst kelp...of course...avoiding rocks and other hazards on a bit of a rough day. Rough enough to be fun, but rough weather also makes it more difficult to spot the kelp, and more dangerous as we had to get close to shore and over reefs where the kelp beds are found.

Not only did I have a fantastic time today, as pretty much any day on the water is a good day for me, but I learned a ton about kelp, and got to meet some really great people too. As if that wasn't enough, I got to drive the boat...and so did Nancy!

Me driving the boat!

But most importantly, this is citizen science at its best. There was no baseline data on kelp beds around Gabriola Island before this mighty and determined little group of folks came along. And baseline data is critical since HTK not only monitors the kelp around Gabriola, but advocates for its protection from threats (such as climate change, reckless boaters, and log booms), and plants kelp too.

So this is it...what we know about bull kelp around here, and a chance for its recovery, is thanks to a group started by Ken Capon, who sadly passed away in 2012. What an amazing legacy he leaves behind...I only wish I got to meet him.

Nancy got to be Captain too.

We found some 'cut' kelp today, so I thought I would try out the
kelp pickle recipe I found on the blog.

Innovative ‘help the kelp’ program seeds success

An article in the Flying Shingle newspaper states:

Efforts to help regrow the kelp beds off Gabriola’s coast have paid off, according to kelp helper Michael Mehta.

And the technique used to seed new kelp beds is internationally recognised for its innovation, Mehta said in a July 2 interview at his home off Orlebar Point.

Mehta said the reseeding efforts are clearly working, as bull kelp heads are peeking up above the water’s surface “all the way down to Clark Bay” from Orlebar Point.

“We planted in Clark Bay – right in front of Camp Miriam – to the end of Seagirt, and all the way down to just beside the Surf Lodge,” Mehta said. “That’s filling in, and what’s happening is, because the currents run both directions throughout the year, it seems that a lot of the spores have worked their way down and are now filling in the gap between the Surf, and Orlebar Point.”

To read the full article click here.

Help The Kelp Profiled in the Nanaimo News Bulletin

Tamara Cunningham wrote:

Citizen scientists were all smiles as they caught their first glimpse of young kelp bobbing beneath Gabriola Island’s Clark Bay.

“I had snorkeled down before we planted the spores ... and observed very little life and no kelp whatsoever,” said Nancy Laird, a Help the Kelp volunteer working to reforest kelp beds off Gabriola Island. “Six months later, there were actually small kelp plants.

“When you are 20 feet under the water you can’t go whoopee, but I guess I let out a few more bubbles from my regulator.”

Help the Kelp, a group of citizen scientists, tested a new technique last summer to replant kelp with hopes of helping to fight the loss of the underwater beds.

To read the whole story click here.

Awesome Ocean's Day 2014

If you missed us .......
Here are some pics of our booth today 

Our zodiac 'Kelpie' doing its part

Play 'Identify the kelp'

 Mapping is fun, come and experience it this year

Our last year in photos

Two of our fabulous volunteers

Oceans Day 2014

Come and join Help the Kelp this year at Oceans Day. We'll have some great displays and lots of information about kelp and its importance to the planet.

Survey Dive Today On Planted Area

Today was an exciting day for kelpers Nancy Laird and Michael Mehta. We did a survey dive on the transplanted area around Clark Bay to see if any Bull Kelp sprouted from the experimental carboy approach used last Summer.

Here's what we found.

Although much of the area is sandy and excellent eel grass habitat (see below), there were many rocky areas filled with a wide variety of kelp - including Bull Kelp!

During our mapping in the Summer of 2013 there were only a handful of Bull Kelp plants in the area, and right now there are many times more of them growing and some of them in dense groupings. A remapping over the Summer of this year will give us more precise data on this and we remain cautiously optimistic about the carboy protocol.

Volunteers for 2014

Volunteers welcome:

Help The Kelp has another exciting season of work coming up with reviews of last year’s planting outcomes, more mapping, and hopefully more replanting. Please send an email to Michael at michaeldmehta@hotmail.com if you wish to play an active role in these activities for 2014.