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Drawing on the Salish Sea: A Zoom course in support of the Mitlenatch Island Stewardship Team (MIST)Have you wished that you could keep a nature journal or paint the life around you? During three Zoom sessions you can explore how to quickly capture wildflowers, inter-tidal life and birds You’ll learn how to draw quickly and accurately, starting with simple shapes, then using some refining techniques, which will help you draw with less frustration!You’ll look at materials: papers, pens, and coloured mediums like pencil crayons. Then you’ll jump into watercolours with a simple palette and mixes as well as quick watercolour techniques you can use in the field or at home. All the lessons will be accompanied with downloadable notes.You will finish the course ready to start your own Nature Journal.Zoom recordings will allow you watch the sessions at your convenience during the course and for a month after we wrap up. About Mitlenatch Island:Mitlenatch Island is a small rocky island that sits between Campbell River and Powell River, in the Salish Sea. Cast in the rain shadow of Vancouver Island, its flanks are clad in golden grasses and its meadows host an explosion of spring wildflowers. Anchored where tides rush in from the north and south, rich waters encircling the island teem with fish; intertidal life flourishes and thousands of seabirds nest on cliffs, in rocks, and on open ground. It’s shores provide refuge for mother seals with their pups, and haul out for sea lions in the winter. In recent years Humpbacks have returned to nearby waters, to feed on krill and schooling fish. With so much life, much of it on exposed nesting areas, the island has a special vulnerability. The Mist volunteer wardens are in place for the summer months to welcome people to the island (which is accessible by boat only) and to relate to visitors the natural and human history of the island. For 25 years Alison Watt has spent a week on the island in the summer, as a volunteer warden. Her journals are full of Mitlenatch sketches. She finds it a delight and a privilege to return each year to this jewel of the Salish Sea. MIST is a special organisation which works closely with BC Provincial Parks to ensure that Mitlenatch Island remains a haven for the plants and animals of the Salish Sea.Sign up and donate through www.alisonwatt.ca/drawing-on-the-salish-seaFor more information on Mitlenatch Island visit www.mitlenatch.ca/mitlenatch-island
Comox Valley Nature invites its members and the public to CVN’s October general meeting, where you can hear the following keynote presentation by our guest speaker: Birdbrains – Smarter than you think- with Sandra Milligan Once dismissed as “birdbrains,” birds are now recognized for their remarkable intelligence. Sandra explores the evolution of our understanding of avian neuroanatomy, focusing on local species. Through engaging stories and videos, Sandra explores how birds solve problems, use tools, express empathy, and communicate with rich vocabulary – inviting you to see these creatures with newfound respect and wonder.Sandra Milligan has been teaching university level biology at North Island College for over twenty years. With graduate degrees in neuroscience, she’s now a generalist, naturalist, and lifelong learner. In Campbell River, she’s a recognized environmental advocate and public educator. Her passion for birding has evolved into a deep interest in avian behaviour and intelligence. Drawing on her neuroanatomy background, Sandra has followed the growing research on bird cognition, confirming what many intuitively felt – birds display an extraordinary range of intelligent behaviours. Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 3 pm in the main hall of Comox United Church, 250 Beach Drive, Comox. Members of the public welcome.This will be an in-person only meeting. We will not record the presentation on this occasion [this is a correction to previous information].As always, there will be a break after the presentation with a chance to meet new people and socialize with old friends. Tea, coffee and treats will be available (by donation).A brief meeting follows. Reports from some of our interest groups and projects are an opportunity for guests to learn more about what we do.
It's that time of year! A couple of off leash dogs have been seen romping at the confluence of Morrison Creek and the Puntledge River. Dogs get quite excited to see those big chum. The chum do spawn right at the mouth of the creek, salmon eggs are very sensitive to disturbance so paws, or feet, in the creek kill eggs. Keep your dog on a leash, especially if you do not want a smelly dog! Dogs like to roll in dead fish. Salmon spook, be a quiet calm wildlife paparazzi.
Fish Walk!!! ( Well, not really...but don't miss this chance to follow their journey!)Join the Morrison Creek Streamkeepers for a walk along Morrison Creek, starting at its confluence with the Puntledge River in Puntledge Park, to watch salmon spawning after their remarkable journey back from the ocean. Register here: form.jotform.com/262924316992264
Thanks to community support, a property in Deep Bay is now protected, safeguarding its mature forests, salmon streams and diverse shoreline.Now, we’re helping restore this land so it can regenerate into a healthy forest.Join the Comox Valley land Trust and WolfTree for a hands-on day to rehabilitate the former homestead by planting trees and shrubsIf you'd like to volunteer your time, the work party is Sunday, October 25th, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.Meet at Rosewall creek Provincial Park parking lot at 9:50 to carpool to the deep bay restoration site.See this link or link in bio to register and for more information: www.jotform.com/form/262826298698277
Category Archives: Field Trips
Shoreline Outing Reports: Oyster Bay, May 8th, 2019
Hey Everyone, Betty Brooks led a great outing around Oyster Bay Shoreline Park last Wednesday. We got a bit of history, a bit of botany and a lot of interesting invertebrates, including an octopus. Species list to the best of … Continue reading
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Botany Outing Report: May 2019
On May 6th at Kin Beach Park, six of us including Helen, spent a couple of hours uprooting more of the invasive Lamium galeobdolon (yellow archangel) as well as equally aggressive Aegopodium podagraria (goutweed) under the watchful eye of the … Continue reading
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Shoreline Outing Report: Denman Island, April 24th 2019
Hey Everyone, Yesterday’s trip to Denman intersected with ideal spring weather. We visited two bedrock shorelines– one on the east side of the island and another on the west. Some notes to follow up on things we saw. (1) Geology … Continue reading
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Botany Group Report – April 1st Outing to the Comox Lake Bluffs Ecological Reserve
15 of us had a glorious day in the shade of the forested areas, and out in the sun on the old road that skirts around behind the open bluffs (which we avoided because of the extreme aridity). The hot … Continue reading
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Botany Outing Report: April 1 2019
Greetings all, Spring is suddenly upon us. Luise reported that there were goldstars (crocidium multicaule) blooming on Hornby on Sunday 17th; check out Point Holmes, usually one of the earliest spots here on the mainland. The coltsfoot (Petasites palmatus) that … Continue reading
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Shoreline Outing Summary: Mission Road Pleistocene Deposits, Mar 13th, 2019
Roughly twenty shoreline members made it out on Wednesday to investigate 12,500 year old sand deposits laid down 10m below sea level back when the the waves would have been lapping at the spot where today you find the front … Continue reading
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Outing: Shoreline and Botany, Miracle Beach, 4th March 2019
Between the Botany group and the Shoreline group, we had a big turnout on a lovely late winter day. Conditions were so great, in fact, that we were hardly bothered by the lack of seaweeds that were supposed to be … Continue reading
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Shoreline Outing Summary: Miracle Beach, Night outing, Jan 19th, 2019
Hi Everyone,Here is my take on last night’s wonderful outing at Miracle Beach Thirteen naturalists caught a break in the weather to survey the sand flats of Miracle Beach Provincial Park. Under the light of a full moon, the group … Continue reading
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Shoreline Outing Summary: Williams Beach, High Tide, November 28th, 2018
We had a good turnout on a mild and bright Wednesday morning at Williams Beach for the second highest tide of the year. While confined to a narrow strip of shore between the gentle waves and the slippery, imbricate logs, … Continue reading
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Botany Outing Report: Fungi and Soup, Nov 19th, 2018
Botany Group Report : November 19th Outing Tsolum River Road The range of fungi for later November was still large. Of note we identified many large Russula brevipes – short- footed russula- that heaves up moss, turf, branches etc. ( … Continue reading
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