Learn about growing old-growth forests at our next general meeting

Comox Valley Nature members and the general public are invited to CVN’s May general meeting. where you can hear the following keynote presentation by our guest speaker:

Title: Growing Old Growth: The relationships that define the future of our forests
Speaker: Tal Engel (WolfTree Integrative Forest Rehabilitation)
Date: Sunday, May 25, 2025
Time: 3:00 p.m. PT
Location: Main hall of Comox United Church, 250 Beach Drive, Comox

Members, please also take note of the special resolution to be voted upon, detailed below.


Tal’s talk presents an integrative and regenerative forestry approach to foster fire-resilience, moisture retention, and overall ecological integrity so that degraded forest ecosystems may endure the ever-increasing anthropogenic pressures to one day become old growth forests. He will present evidence that for old growth forests to develop, far more than just time is required.

Tal holds workshops for community groups in which he first explores how industrial forestry has radically altered the structure, composition, function, and relationships essential for the growth of a resilient and healthy forest. The second part of the workshops covers methods he has developed to help dense young forests recover from a century of industrial forestry.

This talk is based on the first part of Tal’s workshops. He will focus on his theories relating to succession, pathology, and cultural relationships in forests and will include an overview of forest ecosystems in crisis from other parts of the world.

Tal has kindly offered to conduct the second, field-trip, part of his workshop for CVN members later at his farm in Merville where he puts his methods into practice. Watch this website and our social media accounts for details when they are confirmed in the near future.

About the speaker

Tal Engel is a forest restoration practitioner and regenerative farmer who lives in the Merville area. On his family’s farm, Honey Grove, he researches and develops forest restoration methods and models that his organization, WolfTree Integrative Forest Rehabilitation, applies throughout eastern Vancouver Island.

Tal is currently working on his master’s thesis in restoration ecology.



More about the meeting

This will be a hybrid meeting (in-person and videoconference). We encourage members and the general public to attend the in-person meeting. Members (only) who cannot attend can participate via videoconference. The link to join the Zoom meeting will be sent to members by email before the meeting.

The business part of the meeting will follow the main presentation after a break with coffee/tea and goodies. Members please note the following important item for the business meeting.

Proposed change to CVN bylaws

One change to the current CVN Bylaws, which were approved on February 23, 2025, is proposed. The affected section is bylaw 2.4 which concerns who can vote at CVN meetings.

The current bylaw 2.4 states, in its entirety:

2.4 Only adults can vote.

The board has listened to a few members who felt this bylaw is too restrictive and now agrees that CVN should allow for the possibility that interested youth can become voting members.

Therefore, the following special resolution will be proposed at the May general meeting:

Be it resolved that Bylaw 2.4 be repealed.


If you are new to Comox Valley Nature, find out more about us here.


Posted in Conservation and Restoration, Ecology, Guest Speakers | Comments Off on Learn about growing old-growth forests at our next general meeting

Trees of the Year events, 2025

What’s up with trees? Join Comox Valley Nature as we get to the root of the matter.

Over the past seven years, Comox Valley Nature (CVN)  has hosted very successful Trees of the Year events, asking residents of the Valley to nominate a  special tree. Over 120 notable trees were nominated, and their unique stories, photographs and locations can be viewed starting at our general Trees of the Year page with details in many blog posts.

For 2025,  we are taking a break from the nomination process and will spend the year  honouring the work  that has  been done thus far and taking a deeper dive into the world of trees, their importance to the ecosystem in your own garden, in our local parks, and in urban forests.

Brochure

CVN is producing a brochure describing the history of past Trees of the Year events, highlighting 10 of the most significant trees (the 7 past “winners” and 3 selected others). We will also place QR codes by each of these trees.

Spring workshops and walks

As part of TOTY 2025, we are offering a series of  guided workshops and walks to explore and learn more about the trees in our community, including  the benefits, history and care of  the trees in our gardens, public spaces, parks and urban forests. Prior registration is required (see below).

The first spring workshop will be held on March 8 (now postponed) in Seal Bay Nature Park, led by members of Comox Valley Nature. “Finding the Mother Tree” features the western white pine and explores the concept of the Mother Tree through a guided walk of discovery. Participants will learn about the forest environment, the evolution of maturing second and third growth forests, and the ecological role of the western white pine.
[NOTE: With high winds predicted for March 8, we have rescheduled this walk to Saturday March 22. Those who have already registered have been automatically registered for the new date.]

The second workshop is “Don’t Fear Your Trees” which is focussed on the biomechanics of trees. Why are some trees more prone to storm damage than others? What makes a tree move in the wind? (Scheduled for May 3, 2025.)

The June workshop is all about growing: “Getting to the Roots of the Matter.” How do roots work, and what do they do? We will dig up some small roots and look at root plates of trees to understand this vital but often forgotten part of a tree. (Scheduled for June 7, 2025.)

Depending on public interest, more workshops and guided walks may be offered in the autumn. We invite you to check back on CVN’s blog and Events calendar to stay up to date on our Trees of the Year activities.

Registration

Updates on the location, date and time of each workshop will be on the CVN website and social media pages. They are limited to a maximum of 15 participants, and prior registration is required via the CVN website’s Events calendar.

Posted in Education, Plants and fungi, Tree(s) of the Year | Comments Off on Trees of the Year events, 2025

Botany at Ruth Masters Greenway, April 2025

Riparian habitat at Ruth Masters Greenway

The Botany Group’s early-spring field trip to Ruth Masters Greenway on April 1 (repeated on April 12) was a followup to the winter outing in January. Although plenty of spring growth was visible, including some flowers, observing bark, branches and buds still played a significant role, particularly in identifying the trees and shrubs that had not leafed out yet. Forbs were identified mostly by leaves, but the abundance of trillium and fawn lily flowers was appreciated. As usual, the group was also keen to identify mosses, fungi, and lichens.

Co-leader Véronique has again prepared a photographic guide to the observed plants using her own photographs and research. You can download it here.

Here’s a selection of photos from the guide [click a photo to see the whole image]:

Posted in Ecology, Field Trips, Learning material, Plants and fungi | Comments Off on Botany at Ruth Masters Greenway, April 2025

Audio and slides for “Bird Friendly” Comox talk

Comox Valley Nature hosted the following presentation at our April 2025 general meeting:

Title: The Bird Friendly Cities Initiative in Comox
Speakers: Robert McLennan, James MacKenzie, Dianna Talbot
Date: Sunday, April 27, 2025

The presentation was in two parts. Robert and James described the overall “Bird Friendly” initiative. Dianna described her progress to date on creating a native plant demonstration garden in Comox, an important factor in making a community bird friendly.

Due to technical difficulties, the usual Zoom recording is not available. However, you can hear the presentations in the audio recordings listed below, and follow along in the corresponding copies of the slides:

  • Robert and James’s audio (MP3, 20.3 MB) and slides (PDF, 556 KB)
  • Dianna’s audio (MP3, 11.8 MB) and slides (PDF, 1 MB)

For more information about this talk, see the announcement in our earlier post.


Posted in Birds, Conservation and Restoration, Guest Speakers | Comments Off on Audio and slides for “Bird Friendly” Comox talk

Learn about the Comox “Bird Friendly” initiative at our next general meeting

Comox Valley Nature members and the general public are invited to CVN’s April general meeting. where you can hear the following keynote presentation by our guest speaker:

Title: The Bird Friendly Cities Initiative in Comox
Speakers: Robert McLennan, James MacKenzie, Dianna Talbot
Date: Sunday, April 27, 2025
Time: 3:00 p.m. PT
Location: Main hall of Comox United Church, 250 Beach Drive, Comox

Common Yellowthroat
(Photo: Terry Thormin)

A group of Comox Valley residents has formed Comox’s Bird Friendly Team to pursue the  Bird Friendly designation for the Town of Comox. This initiative is part of the Bird Friendly Cities program run by Nature Canada. The program recognizes communities that have programs and volunteer organizations creating a safe environment for birds to thrive within their community.

For a community to be designated as Bird Friendly, it must satisfy criteria in these categories:

  1. Threat reduction
  2. Habitat protection, restoration and climate resiliency
  3. Community outreach/education

The first goal of the Bird Friendly Team is to have the Town of Comox designated as Bird Friendly by September 2025. They are aiming to have the rest of the Comox Valley and surrounding communities designated in the near future.

To learn more about the Bird Friendly Cities program, visit Nature Canada’s website.

About the speakers

Robert McLennan has a long history with the Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society, as described on the MARS website:

Robert joined MARS as a volunteer wildlife caregiver when MARS was located on its Headquarters Road location and joined the board shortly after. When MARS founder Maj passed away, he was asked to fill in as manager. He was actively involved in the search for a new property and the transition to the current location when the hospital was under construction.

With a background in adult education and training, he took on the role of education coordinator when the new visitor’s centre was still in the planning stages before construction started. After a few years pursuing other opportunities, Robert returned as visitor centre manager. Recently he rejoined the board, continuing to advocate for the MARS mission and connecting us with the Bird Friendly Cities initiative.

Robert brought the Bird Friendly program to Comox Valley and is the Coordinator of the Comox Bird Friendly Team.

James MacKenzie and Dianna Talbot are members of the Comox Bird Friendly Team. James is an expert birder, and Dianna is an expert gardener.

Posted in Birds, Conservation and Restoration, General Meetings, Guest Speakers | Comments Off on Learn about the Comox “Bird Friendly” initiative at our next general meeting

Botany at Lazo Marsh, March 2025

The Botany Group made a late-winter visit to Lazo Marsh on March 4 (repeated on March 15) to continue identifying plants without the aids of leaves, flowers or fruits. This was the first trip that repeated the usual first Tuesday outing on a Saturday to give more members a chance to participate. Both outings were well attended.

The leaders described some of the history of the marsh and how that has led to the variety of plant communities that were observed. Of particular note were soil moisture differences and (inferred) differences in soil nitrogen.

Co-leader Véronique has produced another enlightening photographic guide to help us identify the species seen during this pair of outings. In this case the guide comes in two parts which you can download:

Here’s a selection of photos from these guides [click a photo to see the whole image]:

Posted in Ecology, Field Trips, Learning material, Plants and fungi | Comments Off on Botany at Lazo Marsh, March 2025

Recordings for the two March meeting talks

Chum fry ready to be released.
(Photo: Little River Enhancement Society)

Comox Valley Nature hosted the following keynote presentation at our March 2025 general meeting:

Title: Introduction to the Little River Enhancement Society
Speaker: Henry Ellis and Don Hicks (Little River Enhancement Society)
Date: Sunday, March 23, 2025

If you missed this event or would like to see it again, a recording is available here (MP4, 89 MB if downloaded).

For more information about this talk, see the announcement in our earlier post.


Horned Grebe (Photo: Neal Erickson)

In addition, the leader of CVN’s Birding Group presented a short summary of the group’s activities in 2024. Be sure to see some of the great photographs taken by members on the group’s field trips in this recording of the birding presentation (MP4, 47 MB if downloaded).

Posted in Birds, Conservation and Restoration, Guest Speakers | Comments Off on Recordings for the two March meeting talks

Learn about pronghorn antelope in Alberta

The Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists invites CVN members and the general public to attend the following free online lecture:

Title: All paths stop at the fence: Pronghorn antelope management in southern Alberta
Speaker: Paul Jones (Alberta Conservation Association)
Date: Thursday, April 10, 2025
Time: 12:00 p.m. (noon) PT

See the registration link below.

About the speaker

Paul Jones tells us:

In life they say that there is always a fork in the road for which one needs to decide which direction to take. As a senior biologist with Alberta Conservation Association, but even before, my career has not been directed by the road taken (or not) but by the path to the fence. As with the pronghorn, I may not have found my way across the fence yet, but it has led me to being the 2024 recipient of the Berrendo Award at the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ 30th Biennial Pronghorn Workshop.

Registration

“Seating capacity” for the talk is limited, and you need to register in advance. You can check the computer requirements for attendees here.

Register here

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the webinar.

Posted in Conservation and Restoration, Guest Speakers, Mammals | Comments Off on Learn about pronghorn antelope in Alberta

Learn about the Little River Enhancement Society

Comox Valley Nature members and the general public are invited to CVN’s March general meeting for the following keynote presentation:

Title: Introduction to the Little River Enhancement Society
Speakers: Henry Ellis and Don Hicks
Date: Sunday, March 23, 2025
Time: 3:00 p.m. PT
Location: Main hall of Comox United Church, 250 Beach Drive, Comox

In addition, the coordinator of CVN’s Birding Group, Kelly Kline, will report on the group’s 2024 activities and observations.

Chum fry ready to be released.
(Photo: Little River Enhancement Society)

More about the meeting

This will be a hybrid meeting (in-person and videoconference). We encourage members and the general public to attend the in-person meeting. Members who cannot attend can participate via videoconference. The link to join the Zoom meeting will be sent to members by email before the meeting.

If you are new to Comox Valley Nature, find out more about us here.

Posted in Conservation and Restoration, General Meetings, Guest Speakers | Comments Off on Learn about the Little River Enhancement Society

Recording for talk on Kus-kus-sum restoration

Comox Valley Nature hosted the following presentation at our October 2024 general meeting:

Title: An Overview of the Kus-kus-sum Restoration Project
Speaker: Caitlin Pierzchalski (Project Watershed)
Date: Sunday, October 27, 2024

If you missed this event or would like to see it again, a recording is available here (MP4, 98 MB if downloaded).

For more information about this talk, see the announcement in our earlier post.

Posted in Conservation and Restoration, Guest Speakers | Comments Off on Recording for talk on Kus-kus-sum restoration

Learn why nuclear energy cannot solve the climate crisis

The Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists invites CVN members and the general public to attend the following free online lecture:

Title: Why nuclear energy cannot solve the climate crisis
Speaker: Dr. M.V. Ramana (UBC)
Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Time: 12:00 p.m. (noon) PT

See the registration link below.

This talk will lay out the key arguments for why nuclear energy is neither a feasible nor a desirable solution to climate change, highlighting the high economic costs, the lengthy timelines for reactor construction, the risks of accidents, and the environmental consequences of building nuclear power plants.

About the speaker

Dr. M.V. Ramana is UBC Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs.  Dr. Ramana will draw on his expertise as a noted theoretical physicist to discuss why nuclear energy is incompatible with Canada’s climate goals.

Registration

“Seating capacity” for the talk is limited, and you need to register in advance. You can check the computer requirements for attendees here.

Register here

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the webinar.

Posted in Climate, Guest Speakers | Comments Off on Learn why nuclear energy cannot solve the climate crisis