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Hands Off Old Growth, this Sunday October 4th in Simms Park:
Join Comox Valley Nature for a walk to celebrate Comox trees on Saturday, October 3, 2026. We will meet in the parking lot of the Comox Tennis Courts at 1:00 p.m. This 1.5 to 2 hour walk will be led by tree lovers Alora Griffin and Barbara Neilson. The number of participants is limited, and registration is required. RSVP on our events page at comoxvalleynaturalist.bc.ca/events/We will walk beneath the graceful boughs of some of Comox’s glorious trees, while enjoying their surroundings and the ambience they create for us. The trees selected will include examples of all the native trees now protected by the Town of Comox, as well as some exotic trees.We will discuss their biological features and historical significance as we amble along Brooklyn Creek and through Filberg Park and other parts of Comox. The path through Brooklyn Creek is uneven and there are stairs to climb. Bring your curiosity and questions as well as a water bottle and sun or rain protection, if needed. Please wear comfortable walking shoes. Children are welcome but please leave your furry friends at home, except for service dogs.This event is free, but donations are welcome.
The Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis laingi) is a top-level avian predator in mature and old coastal rainforests and is considered an indicator species of these habitats, as well as an indicator of forest health and biodiversity.Over half of the global range of this subspecies occurs in coastal British Columbia, where it favours mature coniferous forest. This non-migratory bird needs a relatively large home range that contains a good food supply. Despite some recent habitat protection efforts, continuing habitat loss is predicted, in part because of anticipated short rotation times in forest harvest. On Haida Gwaii, populations are very low and face an added risk from declines of prey species due to forest understory losses associated with high levels of browsing from an introduced population of deer.The Gitsegukla Huwilp of the Gitxsan.have drafted a petition to call for the legal protection of Northern Goshawks. These birds are keystone species in the Skeena Natural Resource Region which covers northwest British Columbia and includes the northern half of the Great Bear Rainforest. The coastal subspecies of Northern Goshawk on Haida Gwaii is the most vulnerable.The petition urges the Province of British Columbia to recognize and implement Regionally Important Wildlife protection for the Northern Goshawk. To sign please go to form.jotform.com/261745367749068For more information on the Goshawk visit www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/cosewic-assessm...
Our partners in conservation; CV Land Trust & Conservation Partnership are crowdfunding to purchase a very ecologically important property in Deep Bay.
Comox Valley Nature invites its members and the public to CVN’s September general meeting, this Sunday, September 27th.This month John Neilson will be speaking on “The Challenges in Maintaining an Urban Salmon Population – the Brooklyn Creek Story”Streams in urban environments that support healthy Pacific salmon populations are uncommon, as natural watercourses are often degraded or even buried during the course of development of roads and other urban infrastructure. Of the various Pacific salmon species, coho salmon show special abilities to survive and even thrive in close proximity to human settlements. In this talk, John Neilson reviews the status of coho salmon in the region, and explores the characteristics of this species that promote their resilience. He will also speak of the work of the Brooklyn Creek Watershed Society as they work to conserve the watershed in Comox.Dr. John Neilson has had a 30-year long career as a research scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, including leading research on the population status and ecology of bluefin tuna and swordfish in Canadian waters. He was also a member of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), and most recently, led the preparation of the status report on chinook salmon in southern British Columbia. He is the President of the Brooklyn Creek Watershed Society.A brief business meeting follows. Reports from some of our interest groups and projects are an opportunity for guests to learn more about what we do.
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July blooms
Catching up with communications in the Botany Group during July. This is from an email from Jocie to the group on July 9. It’s bloomin’ July! (but doesn’t feel much like it). Here are a few flower highlight photos from … Continue reading
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Interesting plants at Kin Beach
Catching up with communications in the Botany Group during July. This is from an email from Jocie to the group on July 7. Here are some notes from Helen R. about some interesting plants at Kin Beach: These two plants, … Continue reading
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Paradise Meadows update (July 1)
Catching up with communications in the Botany Group during July. This is from an email from Jocie to the group on July 1. Here are some updates from Alison M. on what is in bloom at Paradise Meadows [on July … Continue reading
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Elegant rein orchid at Woodhus Slough
Catching up with communications in the Botany Group during July. This is from an email from Jocie to the group on July 4. John B. discovered a nice patch of elegant rein orchid (Piperia elegans) at Woodhus Slough, and sent along … Continue reading
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Yellow beauties in bloom!
Catching up with communications in the Botany Group during July. This is from an email from Jocie to the group on July 2. Here’s a message from John B. about some yellow flowers he found on Quadra Island:“Three yellow beauties … Continue reading
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A June visit to the Puntledge Bog
From an email by Jocie to members of the Botany Group on June 27. A winding boardwalk, edged with lush salal and huge, shiny skunk cabbage leaves, leads to a small bog, known as the “Puntledge Bog” on the east … Continue reading
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Anja Leikermoser, CVN Bursary Recipient, 2020
The 2020 winner of our $1000 Bursary Award is Anja Leikermoser, who is enrolled at Mark R. Isfeld Secondary School in the French Immersion program and will be graduating this spring. She has been accepted into the Science Program at … Continue reading
Tree of the Year 2019
This old news from last year is being added to complete our coverage of the TOTY contest. In the second year of Comox Valley Nature’s Tree of the Year contest, the award went to a very large Garry oak (Quercus … Continue reading
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Featured plant: Honeysuckles
From an email by Jocie to members of the Botany Group on June 10. Here is a bit about honeysuckles, in the genus Lonicera, that are found in our area. Keep a lookout for Utah honeysuckle! Alison found it a few years … Continue reading
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Peloric foxglove
From an email by Jocie to the Botany Group on June 9. John B. took this spectacular photo of a “peloric foxglove.” This is a mutation where a bilaterally symmetrical flower (zygomorphic) mutates into a radially symmetrical flower (actinomorphic). It … Continue reading
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