Nominate a tree for 2023 Tree of the Year

Posted on January 15, 2023 by web_admin

Nominations for Comox Valley Nature’s Tree of the Year for 2023 are now open. Some key features of the contest:

  • Any resident of the Comox Valley can nominate a tree, not just CVN members.
  • We have an online nomination form to make nominating easier.
  • The winner will be decided by public vote. All residents of the Comox Valley can vote for their choice among the nominated trees using online voting.

You can nominate a tree any time between January 15 and March 15. Visit our Tree of the Year page to learn more about the contest and to access the nomination form. There you will also find some details of the nomination rules (which have not changed from last year’s). Or go directly to the nomination form here:

Tree of the Year Nomination Form

After nominations close, we will publish an illustrated list of the nominees on this website, along with maps of their locations. We encourage you to visit as many as you can, preferably by cycling or walking, before you vote.

The voting period will start April 1 and end May 31. Watch for additional details at that time.

Posted in News, Tree of the Year | Comments Off on Nominate a tree for 2023 Tree of the Year

Learn about high marsh communities and goose grazing in estuaries

Posted on January 31, 2023 by web_admin

Comox Valley Nature is pleased to host the following free lecture at our February online meeting:

Title: High marsh plant communities and response to Canada Goose grazing in Salish Sea estuaries
Speaker: Stefanie Lane
Date: Sunday, February 12, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. PT

This webinar is facilitated by the Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists and is open to the public (see the registration link below).

Land managers may assume that no human disturbance will preserve ecological quality, and that nature will “take care of itself” to recover to a “pristine” state after disturbance. Stefanie will discuss trends of biodiversity loss in an unmanaged Wildlife Management Area in the Fraser River Estuary, and a significant increase in exotic species following goose grazing on Vancouver Island.

This is an excellent opportunity for the public to learn more about disturbance and trends in biodiversity loss.

About the speaker

Stefanie Lane is a PhD candidate at UBC studying estuarine habitat around the Salish Sea. She is most interested in plant community stability and succession in tidal marshes. Stefanie is currently working to understand vegetation and seed bank resilience following goose herbivory in small estuaries on Vancouver Island.

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.

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

Although CVN lectures are free, donations of any size from non-members who attend are always appreciated ($4.00 is suggested

Posted in Botany, Ecology, Guest Speakers, Shoreline and Marine | Comments Off on Learn about high marsh communities and goose grazing in estuaries

Winter at Miracle Beach

Posted on January 31, 2023 by web_admin

From an email by Jocie to the Botany Group on December 31. Click a photo to enlarge it.

Here are a few wintery photos from Miracle Beach Provincial Park.

1. Black Creek view.

2. Cones of western red cedar.

3. Cones of western hemlock.

4. Orange jelly spot fungus (Dacrymyces chrysospermus).

Posted in Botany | Comments Off on Winter at Miracle Beach

Article: Taildropper slugs

Posted on January 22, 2023 by web_admin

In a fascinating and amusing article titled “Life Over Limb: Conversation with a Taildropper Slug“, CVN member Véronique McIntyre describes this unusual creature and how and why it manages to sever its own tail section and still survive. Read the article here.

This is the second submission in a new facet of this site devoted to long-form writing from CVN members, following the publication yesterday of a book review. Each of these contributions will have its own page on the site and be introduced by a blog post (like this one). You can access these contributions any time using the new blog post categories “Articles” and “Book Reviews” in the sidebar, or the Search box, also in the sidebar.

Posted in Articles, Ecology | Comments Off on Article: Taildropper slugs

Book review highlights looming global soil crisis

Posted on January 21, 2023 by web_admin

In the initial contribution to a new facet of this site, CVN member Tony de Castro has shared his review of the book Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations by David R. Montgomery. As a longer form article the review has its own page on the site. You can read the review here.

Posted in Book Reviews, Conservation | Comments Off on Book review highlights looming global soil crisis