One of the Comox Valley’s favourite recreation areas, enjoyed by mountain bikers and hikers alike, the Comox Lake Bluffs region is above all a frequently overlooked special ecological jewel.  It is registered as a rare northernmost arbutus/manzanita/maritime juniper ecosystem.  It is home to many rare and endangered plant species.

As such, it has been designated since 1996 by the province as an ecological reserve.  Care must be exercised to preserve it as such. As with 150 other such areas throughout the province, these ecological reserves are protected for educational and scientific research. The recreational public needs to take an informed approach in the enjoyment of the Comox Lake Bluffs to preserve its value for generations to come.

As part of its public educational mandate Comox Valley Nature (The Comox Valley Naturalists Society) will be hosting a one hour talk on the Comox Bluffs and the ecological reserve system on Sunday January 15^th, at the Filberg Centre at 7pm.

Helen Robinson is one of the Comox Valley’s best-known plant taxonomist. Helen Robinson has been the volunteer warden for the Comox Bluffs for the past 4 years, and is very familiar with the botanical and geological features that make this area so special.  Her powerpoint presentation will cover ecological reserves in general, and then show pictures of many flowering plants, as well as birds and mammals found in the Comox Lake Bluffs Ecological Reserve.

The Comox Valley Naturalists Society (Comox Valley Nature) is a non-profit society affiliated to BCNature which fulfills its educational mandate by hosting monthly lectures, organizing weekly guided hikes and undertakes a variety of environmental projects .  Founded in 1964, it is one of the oldest environmental societies on the North Island.

Meetings and lectures of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society are held on the third Sunday of most months at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton, Courtenay.  Meetings and guided walks are open to the public, including children and youth.  A donation of $3.00 for the lecture is suggested for non-members.  New memberships are always welcomed.

Forthcoming events include:  February 19, Richard  Somerset Mackie, “Bird Man of Comox: Mack Laing and the Natural History of the Comox Valley.”

Please come out and join us for these important environmental topics. For more information on CVNS please visit the website at www.comoxvalleynaturalist.bc.ca

The Comox Valley Naturalists Society will host Katie Terhune,  Energy Campaigner for Living Oceans Society (http://www.livingoceans.org) at the Filberg Centre, Courtenay November 20 at 7:00pm.   Ms. Terhune will present a one-hour lecture Oil and Water: Navigate the Facts outlining the risks posed by the Enbridge proposal.

Living Oceans Society is a marine conservation organization based in the fishing village of Sointula, on the Central Coast of BC. Katie holds of Bachelor of Science from the University of Victoria. Her past experience revolves around habitat restoration and conservation in riparian, estuarine and coastal environments. With Living Oceans, her task is to aid in the battle against Big Oil in the effort to protect B.C.’s coast from oil spills.

The Comox Valley Naturalists Society is a non-profit society affiliated with BCNature which fulfills its educational mandate by hosting monthly lectures, organizing weekly guided hikes and undertakes a variety of environmental projects .  Founded in 1964 it is one of the oldest environmental societies on the North Island.

Meetings and lectures of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society are held on the third Sunday of most months at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton, Courtenay.  Meetings are open to the public, including children and youth.  A donation of $3.00 is suggested for non-members, and new memberships are always welcomed.

Upcoming events include:  December: The Audubon Christmas Bird Count (held in The Comox Valley since 1919) ;  January: Helen Robinson,  “ Comox Bluffs Flora”;   February: Richard Mackie, “The Life and Times of Melda Buchanan.”

Mike Yip is a retired teacher who discovered birds and bird photography in 2003. He has since published 3 very successful books, Vancouver Island Birds vol. 1-3 (2006, 2007, 2010). His work has supported environmental and educational programmes world-wide.  The third volume which came out in 2010 was supposed to be his last publication, however an encounter with the beauty and biodiversity of Denman and Hornby has resulted in a new book.  In addition to documenting island landscapes, birds, wildflowers and butterflies, this new book includes the undersea photography of Amanda Zielinski.

A partial prelude to this book can be found in Mike Yip’s website: http://vancouverislandbirds.com/Journal357.html.

Meetings of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society are held on the third Sunday of most months at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton, Courtenay. Meetings are open to the public, including youth.  A donation of $2.00 is suggested for non-members and new memberships are always welcomed.

Upcoming speakers include: Katie Terhune (Living Oceans Society) “The Enbridge Proposal and Potential Oil Spills”; Helen Robinson “Comox Lake Bluffs Flora and Fauna Conservation” and Richard Mackie “The bastards are at it again!: Life and Times of Melda Buchanan.”

Please come out and join us for these important environmental topics.

Whether discarded accidentally or deliberately, all of the shoreline litter we find in Canada is the result of human activities. From food wrappers, beverage containers and cigarette butts to fishing line, nets and oil bottles, aquatic litter can leach harmful chemicals into the water, be accidentally eaten by wildlife, or entangle aquatic animals such as otters, sea turtles and birds.

Vancouver Aquarium and WWF-Canada have a formal partnership to grow the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup direct action conservation program — the largest shoreline cleanup program in Canada and third largest in the world. Presented by Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw), the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup engages thousands of Canadians annually to clean up their local shorelines through the removal of shoreline litter.  Through individual action, nearly one million kilograms of shoreline litter has been removed from these fragile ecosystems since 1997.

The 2011 cleanup takes place September 17-25 across Canada. This week-long opportunity ends on BC Rivers Day which was established 30 years ago. The Rivers Day approach “seeks to raise public understanding of rivers and the many benefits they provide to us — clean water, spawning salmon, historic trade and exploration routes, a place to play.” It is a model that has been adopted nationally, and more recently, internationally (www.orcbc.ca/pro_bcriversday.htm).

To celebrate both initiatives, on September 25th, Comox Valley based Project Watershed has registered to clean up three shoreline sites along the Courtenay River Estuary: the Airpark, Simms Park and St Josephs/Port Augusta Park. These three sites form a V – like the heart-shaped Estuary itself.

Members of the Comox Valley Naturalists and employees of Comox Valley Kayaks & Canoes will be partnering with Project Watershed volunteers for this event.  Members of the public are encouraged to join in. Shoreline work parties will take place between 10 AM and 12 Noon on September 25^th and the water clean-up will occur later in the day.  Gloves will be provided thanks to North Island Labs and Mark’s Work Wearhouse.

Everyone interested in participating in keeping their environment healthy is asked to go online at http://shorelinecleanup.ca/en to join Project Watershed at one of their sites, chose another site to sponsor or obtain further details about the event.  For further information on Project Watershed activities go to http://projectwatershed.ca/ or call 250-703-2871.

Genevieve hails from the Cowichan Valley, and has been a naturalist and interpreter since the late 1960′s. She has worked/volunteered for BC Parks for many years and runs an environmental consulting firm with her husband, Dave Polster. She has been sharing her passion for the outdoors, particularly her love of the creepy crawlies and plants with children and adults in many settings through the years.

“Flower Power!!…” illustrates very well her passion for plants and will include many interesting tidbits about ethnobotany, current uses, and folklore, and will be accompanied by Dave Polster’s photographs.

Please come and join us to become better informed, and to learn how you can help CVNS provide education and protection for B.C.’s natural environment.

Meetings of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society are held on the third Sunday of most months at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton, Courtenay. Meetings are open to the public, including youth. A donation of $3.00 is suggested for non-members, and new memberships are always welcomed. Meetings are not held in July, August, and December.

The CVNS May 15 presentation features Maj. Birch, with a lecture on the activities of the Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society, and on June 19 we will have our annual CVNS Society Picnic.

The regular monthly meeting of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society will be held March 20, 2011 at 7:00 pm at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Avenue, Courtenay. The speaker will be author and explorer Anthony Dalton, who will speak on his newest book “Arctic Naturalist, The Life of J. Dewey Soper”.

J. Dewey Soper was the last of the great pioneer naturalists in Canada. He was also a skilled and meticulous explorer. In the 1920s, Soper completed the last links in the complex map of Baffin Island’s coastline. As a naturalist, he was a major contributor to the National Museum of Canada and to the University of Alberta, as well as to other museums across the country.

Anthony Dalton is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a Fellow of the Explorers Club. He is also National President of the Canadian Authors Association. The author of eleven non-fiction books on exploration and marine subjects, Anthony is a former professional expedition leader with years of experience in the Sahara, the deserts of the Middle East and in the Arctic.

Please come and join us to become better informed, and to learn how you can help CVNS provide education and protection for B.C.’s natural environment.

Meetings of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society are held on the third Sunday of most months at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton, Courtenay. Meetings are open to the public, including youth. A donation of $3.00 is suggested for non-members, and new memberships are always welcomed. Meetings are not held in July, August, and December. The CVNS April 17 presentation features Genevieve Singleton, with a lecture on “Wildflowers of Southern Vancouver Island”, and on May 15 we will have a presentation on the Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society.

Please come out and join us for these important environmental topics. CVNS is a local 45 year old registered charity, with primary functions of protecting the environment, and educating the public about the environment. For more information please visit the website at www.comoxvalleynaturalist.bc.ca.

The regular monthly meeting of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society will be held February 20, 2011 at 7:00 pm at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Avenue, Courtenay. The speaker will be Victoria bee expert Gordon Hutchings, and will consist of detailed information on native bee pollinators and their habitat requirements. An abbreviated meeting, and our annual AGM will follow.

Gordon has been studying native bees for 22 years in BC, Yukon and Saskatchewan. He has been a contract field biologist for the Royal BC Museum, BC Ministry of Environment (Conservation Data Centre), the Yukon Territory Government, and Canada Wildlife Service. He also has a book on dragonflies of western boreal forests coming out soon.

There are over 450 species of bees in BC, and some species are adapted to very specific types of flowers. The biggest threats to native bee species are habitat loss/degradation, habitat fragmentation and pesticides. Native bees (especially Mason bees) are becoming increasingly important as pollinators since honey-bee populations have been drastically reduced by an introduced mite. Most of the agricultural crops in British Columbia depend on pollination by bees.

Please come and join us to become better informed, and to learn how you can help CVNS provide education and protection for BC’s natural environment.

Meetings of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society are held on the third Sunday of most months at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton, Courtenay. Meetings are open to the public, including youth. A donation of $3.00 is suggested for non-members, and new memberships are always welcomed. Meetings are not held in December, July, and August. The CVNS March 20th presentation features author Anthony Dalton, with a lecture on the northern naturalist, botanist J. Dewey Soper, and on April 17th we will host Genevieve Singleton on Wildflowers of Southern Vancouver Island.

The regular monthly meeting of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society will be held January 16, 2011 at 7:00 pm at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Avenue, Courtenay. The speaker will be local environmentalist Wendy Kotilla, and consists of slides from her 1995 fisheries study of the entire length of the Clayoquot River.

Wendy Kotilla has been involved with wild Pacific salmon for over forty years through commercial fishing, salmon enhancement, fisheries research and ecological restoration.  Fisheries work has taken her to many areas of the coast including Skeena River, Queen Charlotte Islands, Tsitka River, Clayoquot River and Carnation Creek Experimental Watershed Project.  Currently, Wendy coordinates the Youth and Ecological Restoration Program in the Comox Valley to educate young people about the natural world.

In 1993, over 850 people were arrested in Clayoquot Sound to stop clear-cut logging. Clayoquot Biosphere Project began baseline data collection in the pristine Clayoquot River valley and built a cabin at Clayoquot Lake to be used as a base camp.  In 1995, Wendy initiated assessment of longitudinal distribution of fish communities in the Clayoquot River, walking most of its length to conduct the field work.  Her presentation highlights the fisheries research she was involved with during that time and contains “never before seen” slides.  Clayoquot River valley remains unlogged to this day.

Please come and join us to become better informed, and to learn how you can help CVNS provide education and protection for B.C.’s natural environment. A donation of $3.00 is suggested for non-members, and new memberships are always welcome.

The 40-minute Power Point presentation will highlight the current status of Vancouver Island’s forests and what citizens can do to protect old-growth forests, watersheds, and related ecosystems. The presentation includes Watt’s superb photos of some of the most magnificent forests in the country, including Clayoquot Sound, the Walbran Valley, Red Creek Fir, and Avatar Grove.

“Our diminishing old-growth forests are important for wildlife, tourism, the climate, water quality, and for many First Nations cultures,” stated Wu. “How many jurisdictions on Earth still have trees that grow trunks wider than a car’s length and as tall as downtown skyscrapers? We need a plan to protect our endangered old-growth forests and to sustainably log the second-growth stands that constitute most of the landbase on Vancouver Island now.”

According to satellite photos, 75% of the original productive old growth forests of Vancouver Island have been logged. This includes 90% of the original productive old growth forests in valley-bottoms, where the largest trees grow and most biodiversity resides.

Slideshow will take place Wednesday, December 8th at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Avenue from 7-9pm.

Chris Czajkowski: A Wilderness Dweller's Cookbook

The regular monthly meeting of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society will be held November 21, 2010, at 7:00 pm at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Avenue, Courtenay. The featured speaker will be noted author Chris Czajkowski, who will present on her life in remote areas of Northern British Columbia, as well as her newest book “A Wilderness Dweller’s Cookbook”.

In 1988, Chris Czajkowski walked into British Columbia’s Central Coast Mountains to build a homestead, a business, and a life. Raised in England, Chris was in her thirties when she moved to a remote location some 300 miles north of Vancouver. There, she single-handedly cleared the land and – despite a total lack of experience – built her own home. Later, she perfected her stone oven and her recipes – and word began to spread of Nuk Tessli and “The Best Bread in the World.”

This is not a ‘how-to-skin-a-moose-and-salt-it-down-and-make-the-offal-into-sausages’ kind of book. Rather it is a fascinating account of how a wilderness dweller – in a ‘none-growing climate’ 20 km from a road, 60 km from a store, and 250 km from the nearest town large enough for a supermarket – feeds herself and the visitors that come to her small ecotourism resort.

From tangy sourdough loaves of freshly-ground grain, Nuk Tessli Fruit Bread sweetened with molasses and aromatic spices, to Montreal Bagels with an alpine touch, here are hearty, adventurous recipes that bypass the bread machine. Also included are quick breads and desserts, like Trail Mix Cake – perfect for a hike – and Nuk Tessli’s enigmatic Spotted Dick, plus a few indispensable recipes for any wilderness dweller (or frugal urbanite), such as fresh yogurt and sprouts. Of particular interest to readers with their own wilderness dreams will be her descriptions of how she gets wholesome, fresh food to the table in this remote and spectacular location.

Please come and join us to become better informed, as to how you can help CVNS provide education and protection for B.C.’s natural environment.

Meetings of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society are held on the third Sunday of most months at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton, Courtenay. Meetings are open to the public, including youth. A donation of $3.00 is suggested for non-members, and new memberships are always welcomed. Meetings are not held in December, July, and August. The CVNS January 16 presentation is by Wendy Kotilla, with a ‘never before seen’ show of an early1990’s trip up the Clayoquot Valley. On February 20 we will have a presentation by Gordon Hutchings, with a wide range of Bee topics, stories and information.