EVENTS SCHEDULE

HORNBY ARTS’ HERRINGFEST 50/50 ART SHOW

OPENING NIGHT: THURSDAY, MARCH 7 | 5:30 — 8 PM

The 8th Annual HerringFest returns to the Hornby Community Hall, which means the HerringFest Art Show Fundraiser put on by Hornby Arts will return to kick off festivities!
This famous community-inclusive exhibition will showcase marine-themed works of varied mediums and disciplines. The colours, textures, subject matter, and diversity of the pieces are sure to inspire!

The official opening features a cash bar, 'On the Rocks’ band, and opening speeches!
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See the show:

Thursday, March 7: 12 - 8 pm (official opening from 5:30 - 8 pm)
Friday, March 8: 11 am - 7 pm (sorry, no Film Night this year!)
Saturday, March 9:  Show is open to ticket holders during Herring School and the Herring Ball

We encourage all local artists to participate in this group show and all art supporters to attend the opening or to take the time to see the show. For more details regarding submitting artwork and/or viewing the show, please read on…

Thank you to Hornby Arts for sponsoring the show, to Angela McIntyre and Rachelle Chinnery for all their hard work making it happen, and to John McLachlan for designing this year’s poster!

SOLD OUT! (waitlists available!)

SEA LIFE BOAT TRIPS

Join CHI on the water to view herds of sea lions, seabirds, spawning herring, and possibly whales! CHI’s Sea Life Boat Trips are fun, educational, exciting, and memorable!

BEFORE DONATING FOR YOUR TICKET, please read the directions below, as we cannot issue refunds.

Please note that children must be 5+, and dogs are not permitted.

$40 per person suggested donation.

If your trip must be postponed or canceled due to inclement weather, we will do our best to reschedule. As the payment for this event is a $40 donation, we cannot issue refunds.

TO BE ADDED TO A BOAT TRIP WAITLIST:

1. Email your TOP 3 preferred dates, preferred time, and boat (see choices below), along with the names of all your guests, to Bree at chiboattrips@gmail.com
   

2. Once Bree has confirmed your trip via email confirmation from the above email (CanadaHelps email does not count), she will then send you a confirmation email (which will be your ticket) with a link to donate and a waiver form to print/sign and bring with you on your trip.

THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO BOOK A TRIP— if you donate first without doing this, you will NOT receive a ticket, and we CANNOT refund you.

Choose your own adventure with two exciting options:

SOLD OUT! (waitlists available!)

BEFORE DONATING FOR YOUR TICKET, please read the directions below, as we cannot issue refunds.

Please note that children must be 5+, and dogs are not permitted.

$40 per person suggested donation.

If your trip must be postponed or canceled due to inclement weather, we will do our best to reschedule. As the payment for this event is a $40 donation, we cannot issue refunds.

TO BE ADDED TO A BOAT TRIP WAITLIST:

1. Email your TOP 3 preferred dates, preferred time, and boat (see choices above), along with the names of all your guests, to Bree at chiboattrips@gmail.com
   

2. Once Bree has confirmed your trip via email confirmation from the above email (CanadaHelps email does not count), she will then send you a confirmation email (which will be your ticket) with a link to donate and a waiver form to print/sign and bring with you on your trip.
   

THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO BOOK A TRIP— if you donate first without doing this, you will NOT receive a ticket, and we CANNOT refund you.

SOLD OUT!
(email Bree at chihornby@gmail.com to be added to the waitlist).

HERRING SCHOOL

Saturday, March 9th from 9:30 am — 4 pm (Doors at 8:30 am)

This year, Herring School will feature 7 honoured speakers who will dive into a variety of topics, including Pacific herring, the effects of climate change in the Salish Sea, ocean plastics, stewardship, eelgrass, forage fish, sustainable climate solutions, and more!

As always, we’ll wrap up the day with a lively panel discussion that will allow for more audience questions and discussions regarding the issues at hand.

This event is always jam-packed with important and enlightening information; you won’t want to miss it!

Please bring cash for coffee, tea, snacks, and lunch!
Thank you to our volunteers and the Co-op for lunch donations!

Herring School tickets are now available to the general public!

Entry is BY DONATION on this website or at the door (suggested donation for this event is $30).

Meet the Speakers

Dr. Si:yémiya, Albert (Sonny) McHalsie | Stó:lō First Nation

Cultural Advisor / Sxweyxwiyam (Historian) at Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre | Narrator/Guide of Bad Rock Tours with Stó:lō Tourism | Adjunct Professor at the University of the Fraser Valley

'Stó:lō Fishing & Climate Change'​

Si:yémiya is a member of the Shxw’ōwhamel First Nation, and is a proud father and grandfather. Known by many as Náxáxalhts’i, Sonny received his Stó:lō xwélmexw skwix (traditional name) – Si:yémiya – in October of 2023. Si:yémiya’s journey into Stó:lō cultural and history preservation and transmission began in 1978 when, while working in his home territory as an archaeological assistant, he was drawn into the oral histories and the stories of his people, which were shared with him by many Elders. Si:yémiya has worked for Stó:lō Nation for 38 years and is currently the Cultural Advisor / Sxweyxwiyam (Historian) at the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre.  He is also an instructor at the University of the Fraser Valley, and has taught in the past for the University of Victoria’s Ethnohistory Field School. Si:yémiya is an active researcher and publisher, having authored and co-authored various articles and books over the past twenty-five years. He has also been featured in many CBC, APTN, and Omni television documentaries and has recently been featured in several podcasts. The guiding principle behind his research is the ancient Stó:lō tradition of “being of good mind.” His areas of expertise include Stó:lō place names, sxwōxwiyám (ancient narratives) and sqwélqwel (family histories), fishing, and oral history. Si:yémiya is a treasured resource among both xwelítem (non-Indigenous) and Stó:lō communities, and is often called upon to teach and advise on aspects of Stó:lō culture and history. He is also the narrator and guide of Bad Rock Tours with Stó:lō Tourism, which takes people throughout Stó:lō Téméxw (Stó:lō territory/land/home) to learn about traditional placenames and sxwōxwiyám (ancient narratives). In 2011, the University of Victoria conferred an Honourary Doctorate of Laws on Si:yémiya, and in 2023 received an Honourary PhD from the University of the Fraser Valley. He continues to fish at his ancestral fishing ground at Aseláw within the Stó:lō Five Mile Fishery in the lower Fraser River canyon.

Nikki Wright | Co-founder of SeaChange Marine Conservation Society

‘Eelgrass, Pacific Herring, and Climate Change: Unveiling the Critical Connection.’

Nikki Wright served as the Executive Director of SeaChange Marine Conservation Society from 1998 to 2023. SeaChange is a non-profit charitable society working with community partners on marine education, conservation and restoration in the Salish Sea and BC. In 1999, 1800 eelgrass (Zostera marina) shoots were transplanted in Tod Inlet, a small inlet of Saanich Inlet north of Victoria BC. From that success was born the Seagrass Conservation Working Group in 2001 ( www.seagrassconservation.org ) and over 40 restored eelgrass habitats within the Salish Sea. SeaChange surveyed eelgrass within the Islands Trust Area between 2012 -2014. Maps created from these surveys can be viewed and downloaded from the Islands Trust Fund Ecosystem Inventories web site (click here). Ms. Wright has also published two articles on Eelgrass as Teacher and First Nations Science. Nikki lives and works in Brentwood Bay, B.C. and can be contacted via e-mail: nikki@seachangelife.org or 250-580-5859.

Sydney Dixon | Marine Specialist, Pacific Wild 

‘Collateral damage: the unseen threats to Pacific herring — Pacific herring as bycatch in the B.C. trawl fishery. What is happening, and what can be done?’

Sydney was born and raised on the coast of British Columbia, and her passion for the ocean began at a young age with a fascination for tide pools. This passion continued to grow through adolescence and into adulthood. Sydney completed an undergraduate degree in marine science and geography and began her career in the marine field through environmental monitoring.  

After moving to the west coast of Vancouver Island, Sydney entered the nonprofit world, where she worked as a marine researcher and educator. Today, Sydney works as the Marine Specialist for Pacific Wild and is thrilled to be sharing her knowledge and passion for the marine environment with a talented team of coworkers and a diverse audience. In her spare time, she loves being behind the wheel of a boat, hiking with her dogs, and curling up with a good book.

Bridget Catchpole | Contemporary Jewellery and Sculpture Artist

‘Stages of Healing — The Transformation of Waste Plastics into Wearable Art and Sculpture.’

Bridget Catchpole lives on the unceded territory of the K'ómoks First Nation of Hornby Island, British Columbia. She studied Fine Art at Concordia University (1998) in Montreal, QC and Jewellery Art and Design (1993) at Vancouver Community College in Vancouver, BC. Catchpole acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and is a recipient of the BC Achievement Foundation 2023 Applied Art and Design Award. Her work is exhibited nationally and internationally, and she is a member of the Craft Council of British Columbia and Vancouver Metal Arts Association. She is represented by Galerie Noel Guyomarc'h, Montreal, QC.

Artist Statement: ‘I am a visual artist with a practice in contemporary jewellery and sculpture. My art practice focuses on the global problem of plastic pollution. I collect single-use and found plastic debris to shift perceptions of plastic consumption and attempt to divert it from the waste stream. Ultimately, my works are symbols of hope and recovery — an invitation to reconsider "the material of a thousand uses" that has become a ubiquitous presence in our ecosystem. My latest project, Stages of Healing, mimics segmented geographical core samples of the Anthropocene Epoch and shows how plastics have contributed to anthropogenic climate change.’

Grace Baer | Research and Science Director for BC Whales

‘The Acoustic Traditions of Orca, Humpback, and Fin Whales along the Coast of British Columbia.’

Grace is a biologist, conservationist, and the research and science director for BC Whales. Growing up near Tsawwassen, BC and spending almost every summer of her childhood along the shorelines of Saratoga Beach on Vancouver Island, Grace developed a deep connection to the ocean and a special curiosity about the elusive lives of whales. Grace joined the BC Whales team in 2019 and now co-leads all research projects, investigating the acoustic culture, tradition and behavior of whales.

Grace’s talk will touch on the importance of sound within the daily lives of whales and the technologies being used to record and better understand their communication. She will also discuss the impact of noise within their soundscape and why these magnificent marine mammals are so important in the climate change crisis.

Sophie Silkes | Strategic Communications Lead, All Purpose Creative

‘Stories of Marine-Climate Adaptation in the Salish Sea Bioregion’

Sophie is a communications and program strategist who helps organizations scale their impact globally—from the United Nations and the McConnell Foundation, to IBM and Sustainable Ocean Alliance. She is a Masters candidate in Harvard's Sustainability program, where she researches collaborative approaches to marine stewardship here in British Columbia. Over the past few months, Sophie has conducted research on behalf of CHI to identify pathways to marine-based climate readiness for Hornby Island. 

SOLD OUT! (please email Bree at chihornby@gmail.com to be added to the waitlist).

This event is always jam-packed with important and enlightening information; you won’t want to miss it!

Entry is BY DONATION (suggested donation for this event is $30).

HERRING BALL DANCE

Saturday, March 9th at 8 pm: Herring Ball (doors at 7 pm)

Finally, to cap off our weekend, we invite our beloved community to come together and celebrate with the ‘Herring Ball’!

J.N. and the Funky Fish Band | 8 — 10 PM

This year, young local legends Jody Candlish-Rutherford and Nigel Fletcher return to the Herring Ball stage with: ‘J.N. and the Funky Fish Band’! The boys are sure to deliver a tantalizing performance featuring everything from country to funk to disco to rock! Fingers crossed, they’ll show up in some fabulous threads like last year…

DJ Jean-Mescaline | 10 PM — Midnight

Once the crowd has warmed up, acclaimed Hornby Island DJ Jean-Mescaline (Jeff Rabena) will be on the scene, providing a high-energy set of music that will have you dancing until the bitter end! Rumour has it he’s been working on this set for months…

Both acts will surely be phenomenal and make for a memorable evening of merriment!

Tickets are $25 online or $30 at the door.