Photographer and naturalist extraordinaire, Terry Thormin recently retired to the Comox Valley after 23 years at the Royal Alberta Museum where he curated the entomology collection. Terry has been a naturalist all his life and first became interested in insects in his early teens. Anyone interested in an illustrated insight into the world of Terry should visit his photo website .

Of the 41 species of dragonflies that can be found on Vancouver Island, 38 occur within the Comox Valley. This is an impressive diversity of dragonflies for such a small area, and the reason for this is the great diversity of dragonfly habitats. From high altitude meadows dotted with lakes and streams to sea level ponds, marshes and bogs, from forested lakes to fast flowing rivers and quieter streams, they all occur in the valley and support a diversity of dragonflies. Terry, through the use of his photographs, will take you on a journey to these habitats and show you what species can be found in each habitat. As well you will learn about their life histories and find out how to identify the various species.

This lecture promises to provide the public with a rare insight into the biological wealth at our doorstep.

Comox Valley Nature is a non-profit society affiliated to BC Nature which fulfills its educational mandate by hosting monthly lectures, organizing weekly guided hikes and undertakes a variety of environmental projects .  Founded in 1966, 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. An entrance fee of $3.00 for the lecture is suggested for non-members.  New memberships are always welcomed.

Jack Minard, President of the Tsolum River Restoration Society, will give a one hour lecture on the value of habitat protection in light of his two decade experience in bringing back the Tsolum River. He will be our guest speaker at the Filberg Centre at 7 pm, Sunday March 18. The meeting is open to all members of the public, young and old, with an interest in the diversity of the Comox Valley environment .

Enacted in 1976 Section 35 of The Fisheries Act, which is now under serious political attack , has been instrumental in reversing decades of streamside degradation by de-regulated development and industry. Legally it was a direct extension of acts governing pollution and health. Scientifically, it was the logical outcome of work done mainly by the Yale University Forestry School and the Canadian Experimental Lakes Station of the Fisheries Research Board.

Jack Minard is the ideal person to speak out on the value of fisheries habitat protection. With more than two decades of valuable and irreplaceable experience in working to bring back a river that was killed by poorly-regulated mining practices in 1962, Jack Minard and local volunteers have managed to bring salmon back upstream the mainstem of the Tsolum by capping the mine site which is not directly connected to the main fish-bearing areas. This experience highlights the intimate ecological connection between non-fish-bearing habitat zones and the economically important zones, which proposed revisions to the Fisheries Act would open to destruction.

Comox Valley Nature is a non-profit society affiliated to BC Nature which fulfills its educational mandate by hosting monthly lectures, organizing weekly guided hikes and undertakes a variety of environmental projects .  Founded in 1966, 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. An entrance fee of $3.00 for the lecture is suggested for non-members.  New memberships are always welcomed.

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

Forthcoming lectures include:  Bernice Muir:  “The North Woods: Sights and Sounds of Lazo Marsh”

May 22, Tuesday,  Comox Lake Bluffs Ecological Reserve.  Meet 9:00 am Harmston. Bring a lunch. Wear good walking shoes. Leader Helen Robinson 250 339-2608

May 26, Saturday, * Seal Bay Park.  Meet 9:30 am Harmston – 10:00 am Seal Bay Bates Rd. entrance. Leader Frank Hovenden 250 338-9962

June 2, Saturday, Point Holmes Beach Walk. Meet 9:30 am Harmston – 10:00 am at Point Holmes boat ramp. Wear boots because of slippery rocks. Leader Robin Harrison 250 339-4754

June 17, Sunday Annual CVNS potluck—place TBA

 Please note:  Guides:  All non-member field trip participants need to sign a waiver recognizing that there are risks inherent to all outdoor activities.

On all field trips wear suitable clothing and footwear, and bring water & a snack.  No dogs please.  Please share travelling expenses when car-pooling.

On Sunday, February 19 Comox Valley Nature (Comox Valley Naturalist Society) will hold its Annual General Meeting, at the Filberg Centre at 8pm.  The meeting is open to all members.

Prior to the AGM, as part of its public educational mandate, Comox Valley Nature will host Canadian historian Richard Somerset Mackie at 7pm. Richard Somerset Mackie is the author of  the well-known histories: Island Timber (2000) and Mountain Timber (2009). 

In this illustrated talk,  Richard Somerset Mackie will discuss the long residence and work of Comox Valley naturalist and writer Hamilton Mack Laing (1883-1982). Laing, a Manitoban, arrived in the Comox Valley in 1922 and spent the rest of his life at the two houses he built on Brooklyn Creek: Baybrook and Shakesides. Along with Allan Brooks, Theed Pearse, and Ronald Stewart, Laing helped form perhaps the tightest and most productive fraternity of practicing ornithologists in rural Canada — a group that Betty Brooks has termed The Pioneer Birdmen of Comox. Laing also hunted with Cecil “Cougar” Smith, John and Norman Pritchard, and many other local men. Mackie will assess Laing’s significant contribution to the valley’s natural history.

Comox Valley Nature is a non-profit society affiliated with BC Nature which fulfills its educational mandate by hosting monthly lectures, organizing weekly guided hikes and undertaking 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.  An entrance fee of $3.00 for the lecture is suggested for non-members.  New memberships are always welcomed.

Richard Somerset Mackie will be available for book sales and  signings at the Blue Heron Bookstore from 2 -4pm and after his lecture at the Filberg Centre at 8pm.

Forthcoming lectures include: “ Dragonflies of the Comox Valley” by well-known photographer, Terry Thormin, retired curator of invertebrate zoology, Royal Alberta Museum.

This camas was planted as seed 5 years ago and is blooming for the first time.

For a naturalist these current times can be depressing with widespread ecological destruction being one of the constant themes of life in the new millennium.   However optimism is also part of the human condition and with most naturalists it gains momentum every spring with  perhaps the arrival of the first rufus hummingbird or the first salmonberry bloom.

 For myself this moment happened in June during a walk  through the Courtenay Air Park when I noticed several camas plants in bloom.  The camas is a special plant intertwined with the history of our region. The American  explorer Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark fame described the beauty of fields of camas so vast that they appeared as small lakes of clear water.  Many early European explorers did not believe that a lansdcape so beautiful could be possible without man caring for it.  In fact they were right. The camas fields were not wild.  Many First Nations tended these fields. The camas produces a bulb which when steamed is a nutritious source of carbohydrate.  The camas bulbs were thus highly prized. They could be stored, used for making flour, and frequently traded amongst First Nations.  Camas fields were highly valued, and were tended by their first owners though not in the traditional methods to which Europeans were accustomed.

There are two camas species found locally, the common camas and the great camas.  Besides the size difference the flowers have slightly different diagnostics.  The colour of the bloom varies from a pale lilac  to a deep magenta. Occasionally a pure white bloom can be found.

The camas is often associated with the Garry Oak ecosystem where it frequently grows.  Unfortunately on Vancouver Island only remnants of this most beautiful of ecosystems remain.  In the Courtenay Air Park the Comox Valley Naturalists have been working for many years to create a small piece of  Garry Oak ecosystem. Non-native invasive plants such as Scotch Broom and Himalayan black berry have been systematically removed, while native plants such as Garry Oak  have been planted and tended.

Over five years ago a large quantity of camas seed was scattered and covered with mulch.  I for one had given up on ever seeing the camas emerge.  Last year I found a couple of flowering plants which I dismissed as a fluke.  This year there was no mistaking that a small patch had indeed taken hold.  When it is not flowering, the camas plant is a rather nondescript lily-type plant.  However in flower there is no mistaking this native blue jewel.  Recent DNA testing has resulted in camas being removed from the lily family.

I look forward to the day in the future when the Courtenay Air Park is blue with the blooms of camas under the pale green of Garry Oak trees.   The Naturalists’ vision for this Park  is part of their Wetland Restoration Project which fights invasive plants in the Courtenay River Estuary.  Recently we have erected a new sign on the viewing platform overlooking the lagoon explaining our work in the area.

This work is made possible though funding this year received from the City of Courtenay, the Comox Valley Regional District,  BC Nature, and Ducks Unlimited Canada for which we are grateful.

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