CVN Facebook Posts
Bruce Moffat, our very own CVN Nature Photography group coordinator will be presenting at this month’s general meeting. He has prepared a handful of wildlife vignettes collected over the past 7 years on Vancouver Island. Each of these shorts will be played with Bruce pausing to describe the experiences and challenges for each of the diverse subjects covered.This presentation includes images first shown as entries in the Comox Valley Photographic Society’s annual Imagefest show at the Sid Williams Theatre. There will be time to ask questions after each short film and following the wrap up. Bruce will bring some of the equipment used to capture his images.
Bruce has been an avid photographer since his teen years and has focused on nature photography for the past 20 years. He has been published regularly in the local CV Land Trust
calendars and 4 of the last five CV Collective magazines here in the valley. His latest published shot is featured on this month’s cover of Scout Life magazine.
Comox Valley Nature is pleased to announce that Sophie Johnston has been awarded the Brandt Research Grant. This is a $5,000 grant in support of her field research on coastal areas of north Vancouver Island. Sophie is currently a PhD Student at the University of British Columbia.The intertidal zone ecosystem is critically threatened by ongoing climate change. Sophie’s PhD research is documenting the effects of ocean acidification on intertidal marine communities in the Johnstone Strait, British Columbia.
The goal of her research is to investigate how a dominant ecosystem engineer shapes marine community structure along a gradient of ocean acidification.
Ocean acidification not only alters the morphology of limpet species by increasing shell erosion, but can also increase their thermal sensitivity, limiting limpet grazing efficiency and survival in the intertidal zone. Thus, the effects of ocean acidification on such ecosystem engineers could result in large-scale, rippling impacts on marine communities, from microscopic algae to top predators.
The results of this research will be of particular interest to residents who inhabit areas near or along the Johnstone Strait and those interested in the trophic level effects of ocean acidification i.e., the reduced growth of herbivores, barnacles, mussels, and oysters can affect the population sizes of predators like sea stars and otters.
For more information on this grant and CV Nature in general, visit our website at cvnature.ca
CVRD News: Watershed Awareness Days: Discover Where Your Water Comes From 🫗The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) invites the public to explore the Comox Lake Watershed during Watershed Awareness Days, taking place from May 26 to 30, 2026. This week-long event features guided walks, lakeside talks, presentations, and family-friendly activities. It’s a unique opportunity to experience the watershed firsthand and learn how it sustains the health and wellbeing of the entire Comox Valley community.
Read the full story here 👉 comoxvalleyrd.ca/connect/news/watershed-awareness-days-discover-where-your-water-comes
View all the FREE* events here:
www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/connectedbywater
*Some events require registration
#ComoxValleyRD
Photos from Tsolum River Restoration Society's post
Category Archives: Ecology
Brandt Research Grant 2026 awarded
CVN’s Brandt Memorial Committee has awarded its first grant for Honours or Graduate-level environmental research in the North Island region. The grant program honours the legacy of Charles Brandt (1923–2020), a noted Comox Valley naturalist and conservationist who left a … Continue reading
Recording for talk on growing old-growth forests
Comox Valley Nature hosted the following presentation at our May 2025 general meeting: Title: Growing Old Growth: The relationships that define the future of our forestsSpeaker: Tal Engel (WolfTree Integrative Forest Rehabilitation)Date: Sunday, May 25, 2025 Our own recording of … Continue reading
Posted in Conservation and Restoration, Ecology, Guest Speakers
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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 forestsSpeaker: … Continue reading
Posted in Conservation and Restoration, Ecology, Guest Speakers
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Botany at Ruth Masters Greenway, April 2025
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 … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Field Trips, Learning material, Plants and fungi
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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 … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Field Trips, Learning material, Plants and fungi
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Recording for talk on Buttle Lake ecology
The Strathcona Wilderness Institute recently hosted the following online presentation, facilitated by the Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists: Title: Observations on the fish and aquatic ecology of Buttle LakeSpeaker: Paige StuartDate: Tuesday, August 27, 2024 If you missed this event … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Freshwater organisms, Guest Speakers
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Learn about Buttle Lake ecology
CVN members and the general public are invited to attend the following free online lecture hosted by the Strathcona Wilderness Institute, and facilitated by the Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists: Title: Observations on the fish and aquatic ecology of Buttle … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Freshwater organisms, Guest Speakers
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New Article: New microorganism and biodiversity in Strathcona Park
A new addition by Loys Maingon to our occasional series of long-form articles examines the implications of the discovery of a microorganism in Strathcona Provincial Park that appears to be new to science. Read this important article here: “Biodiversity and … Continue reading
Posted in Articles, Conservation and Restoration, Ecology, Microorganisms
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Recording for talk on reducing wildfire harms
Comox Valley Nature members and others recently attended the following webinar hosted by the Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists: Title: To Reduce the Social and Economic Damage from High Severity Wildfires, We Must Transform our LandscapesSpeaker: Bob Gray (R.W. Gray … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Guest Speakers
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Recording for talk on Vanier Garry oak restoration
Comox Valley Nature recently hosted the following webinar, facilitated by the Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists: Title: Conserving and Restoring a Legacy: Vanier Forest Garry Oak Restoration ProjectSpeakers: Jim Boulter, Karen Cummins, Eloise HollandDate: Sunday, January 21, 2024 If you … Continue reading
Posted in Conservation and Restoration, Ecology, Guest Speakers, Plants and fungi
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