Phillips Beer + Nature = Vote for Swan Lake’s Rye Ale

/ Dave Ingram

Who doesn’t like beer?

Who doesn’t like nature?

Now’s your chance to enjoy both. Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary has been selected as a finalist to receive funding in the Phillips Beer Benefit Brew 2013 project. You can support this wonderful nature sanctuary located just minutes from downtown Victoria, British Columbia by voting daily at Benefit Brew 2013. Note that you can cast one vote/device per day – if you’ve got multiple computers, a tablet, and/or a smart phone you can vote on all of them.

Swan Lake Boardwalk
A floating boardwalk crosses part of Swan Lake, giving excellent views out over the water and the chance to do some bird watching. Benefit Brew funds would help with its upkeep.

Why is it worthy of the funding? Swan Lake is truly a jewel in the middle of the Saanich Peninsula. It’s an excellent place to slow down and enjoy nature away from the bustle of city life. The bird watching is excellent and a variety of birds can be seen. Rare birds like the blue-gray gnatcatcher that made an appearance in 2012 turn up regularly. With a bit of effort, it is possible to find an owl (or maybe two) while circling the lake trail. Water birds of all kinds use the lake and its edges for food, habitat, and nesting. Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary protects valuable wetland and Garry oak habitat in the midst of an urban centre.

Barred Owl (Strix varia)
A Barred Owl (Strix varia) looks down inquisitively from a branch above the loop trail.

The floating docks and trails are a fascinating way for children to experience and learn about nature and the nature centre is excellent (I volunteered to help with school nature programs there years ago when I was living in Victoria). Students can attend school programs to learn about ducks, wetland plants and animals, aquatic insects, Garry oaks and much more.

Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus)
Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) enjoying the sun on the edge of Swan Lake.

So, how will the Benefit Brew project help Swan Lake? It’s pretty straight forward:

The proceeds of the sale of the limited release beer made by Phillips Brewing Co. will help us to continue to provide opportunities to bring people and nature together as well as providing education that encourages personal responsibility for the care and protection of our natural environment.  – Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary

Make an effort to visit Benefit Brew and vote for Swan Lake’s Rye Ale. Do it daily. Do it using multiple devices. It doesn’t take long. Voting closes on November 14th, 2013 so make sure that your votes count!

You can also follow Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary on Twitter at @SwanLakeNature for updates.

Have you voted yet?!?