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Join the Comox Valley Conservation Community for a day long celebration of the watersheds and waterways that connect us all in the Comox Valley!Learn about restoration and habitat enhancement projects, salmon cycles, drinking water, forests, creeks, wetlands and estuaries – and so much more. Art projects, kids activities, volunteer engagement opportunities, hands on learning and guided walks – all looking out over the beautiful Puntledge River.Comox Valley Nature will be there with our new outreach tent. Come by and say hello, and try our bird identification game. We can also show you why native plants are best for your garden, and how to spot invasive species.Pack a picnic and stay for the day! Saturday Sept 19th from 9 am – 3 pmin Puntledge Park 1111 1st , Courtenay
In her memoir, Pacific Northwest author Caroll Simpson recounts the highs and lows of running a remote fishing lodge on her own following the untimely death of her husband, and of falling in love with the natural world. Simpson tells stories of living in the remote wilderness and managing the lodge, becoming an accidental environmental activist, fending off wild animals, working as an angling guide and finally, fighting off a proposed mining operation and participating in the development of a government land management plan as a spokesperson for the wilderness tourism industry.While Simpson welcomed paying guests at Ookpik Lodge, unwanted house guests included a woodchuck, a pack rat, and martens. Simpson constantly had to watch out for grizzlies, moose, and cougars. Storms and extreme weather also provided fodder for hair-raising tales. All this makes for wonderful storytelling.Caroll’s story is essentially a love story. In an essay for Sierra Club, Simpson wrote: “I developed an immense passion for flora and fauna. Just walking back and forth on the 300’ dock several times a day, I was exposed to the unbelievable beauty of the northern spectrum of water life: the golden eagle soaring above, the osprey and kingfisher diving and coming up with fish for their hatchlings, the muskrats and otters looking for an easy meal, the tireless beaver working into the late evening sunsets. All of these creatures and more expressed their generational ownership of this small piece of the world. In return each was given my utmost respect and admiration…As I listened to the loons at the end of each day and the owl and the wolf in the night, I felt blessed to be witnessing such beauty. “On September 20th, join Comox Valley Nature and Save Our Forests Team for an afternoon of storytelling about this remarkable time spent living on a remote British Columbia lake.The event is being held at the Comox United Church Hall. (250 Beach Drive, Comox) Admission is by donation. Doors open at 2:30; the event begins at 3:00 p.m. There will be time for Q&A after the presentation, as well as books available for purchase. Tea/coffee and cookies - including forest-themed cupcakes - will be available for a donation.Join us, and prepare to fall in love.
🎟️ Get your tickets to the Project Watershed 2026 Keeping It Living Dinner today! projectwatershed.ca/2026-keeping-it-living-dinner/Every ticket holder makes a difference. 💙 🎟️ Get your tickets to our 2026 Keeping It Living Dinner today! projectwatershed.ca/2026-keeping-it-living-dinner/When community and local businesses invest in conservation, our entire ecosystem benefits. Ticket sales directly support habitat restoration, scientific research, and environmental education, while the generosity of our sponsors helps offset event costs, ensuring that more of the funds raised can go directly toward this important work. Thank you to our incredible sponsors and dinner attendees for believing in the power of community-led conservation. Odlum Brown Community and Northwest Hydraulic Consultants, 40 Knots Winery, CNB Together, we're keeping our watersheds living. 🌿 Hope to see you September 12, 5 - 8 pm at 40 KNOTS Winery #KeepingItLiving #ProjectWatershed #CommunitySupport #Conservation #ComoxValley
The City of Courtenay is developing a long-term vision for Bill Moore Park and Dogwood Park to guide future improvements. To help guide these decisions, three initial concepts have been developed, and there is an opportunity for you to offer your input.The latest survey on the City website engagecomoxvalley.ca/bill-moore-and-dogwood-park asks for feedback on three concept plans and specifically which concept you prefer. The three concepts present a range of recreation possibilities and there is room on the survey for your comments.Dogwood Park is a 2.32‑hectare nature park featuring mature forested areas, natural habitat and a small wetland. Only Concept A will maintain the intact forest areas in Dogwood Park. Concepts B and C propose increased recreation in the park including an off leash dog park, disc golf course, pump track (a purpose built track for children’s cycling) and nature play areas. While the planners may say that no trees or few trees will be taken down to accommodate this, the under-story will not survive this level of trampling and fragmentation. The trees as well as all the wildlife who now call that area home will disappear over time. For those of us who value this forest, Concept A is the only option that makes sense.Dogwood Park is one of the few islands of green for many, many blocks. It provides habitat for wildlife, shade, retains water and acts as a carbon sink. On the architect's base plan of current conditions it is now characterized as an "underutilized space". The City has heard from sports enthusiasts but not nature lovers. Let them know why you value an intact forest and your connection to it. The survey is open until Sept 15.
The Canadian Coalition for Invasive Plant Regulation (CCIPR) wants the federal government to establish a regulatory body for the horticultural industry and create a national database identifying invasive plants and their risks in different regions. "Even if we don't prohibit them, we need to let the public know when there is potential harm," said CCIPR co-founder Cathy Kavassalis. "We do this on other products, and we should do it on plants too. It's just common sense."In July, Nanaimo council passed a motion to pursue a bylaw amendment restricting the sale of plants on a list maintained by the Invasive Species Council of B.C. A week later, Surrey moved to ban sales by businesses including nurseries, large retail chains and florists. Kavassalis said a problem that could be addressed at higher levels of government is being pushed down to municipalities."These are all patchwork solutions that, in some ways, just waste a lot of resources," she said. The CCIPR says a national database could give provinces, territories, retailers and gardeners a shared source of information about which plants pose risks in different regions. Kavassalis also wants invasive plants removed from shelves or clearly labelled.For more on this story visit www.cbc.ca/news/science/invasive-plants-sale-federal-regulation-9.7312362 or see our link in bio
Category Archives: Guest Speakers
Link to: Slideshow – Wetland Conservation and Resilience with Dan Buffett
Wetland Conservation and Resilience with Dan Buffett The presentation will highlight some of the protected and restored wetlands on Vancouver Island and introduce the topic of ‘resilience’, which provides a different lens to look at how we conserve wetlands that … Continue reading
Posted in BC Nature AGM 2016 News, Guest Speakers, News
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Link to: Slideshow – Limits to Growth by Neil Dawe May 2016
Ever since the publication of “Limits to Growth” in 1972 it has been obvious to practicing scientists that environmental conservation was unsustainable if the problems posed by classical economics of endless growth was not simultaneously addressed. Limits to Growth advocated that … Continue reading
Posted in BC Nature AGM 2016 News, Guest Speakers, News
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Guest Speaker: Dan Strickland, ‘West Coast Gray Jays’, Sun. Oct. 16, 2016
Comox Valley Nature would like to introduce Dan Strickland, the Chief Naturalist of Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park from 1970 to 2000. Dan grew up as a keen young naturalist at the west end of Lake Ontario, graduating in biochemistry from … Continue reading
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Link to: Slideshow – Tree Diseases in Gardens and Parks with Duncan Morrison
Tree Diseases in Gardens and Parks with Duncan Morrison Diseases are normal components of ecosystems and will be illustrated with examples of diseases of foliage, stems, and roots from local broadleaf and conifer species. In his presentation, Duncan will define … Continue reading
Posted in BC Nature AGM 2016 News, Guest Speakers, News
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Guest Speaker: Dr. Will Marsh, “On the Ragged Edge of Land & Water”, Sun. Sept. 18,2016
The next Comox Valley Naturalists Society meeting will feature Dr. William Marsh, who comes to British Columbia from the University of Michigan where from 1970 to 2000 he enjoyed a diverse career as an earth scientist, landscape planner, teacher, author … Continue reading
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Guest Speaker: Brian Walwork, ‘Natural History of Costa Rica’, Sun. Apr.17,2016
Comox Valley Nature is pleased to welcome Bryan Walwork, who will give a presentation of photographs from a recent Natural History Trip to Costa Rica. Walwork’s intense two-week trip was designed for the naturalist. The trip leader, Dr. Keith Wade … Continue reading
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Guest Speaker: Chanchal Cabrera, ‘Botanical Gardens’, Sun. Mar. 20, 2016
Comox Valley Nature is pleased to welcome Chanchal Cabrera, owner of Innisfree Farm, a 7-acre botanic garden specializing in food and medicine plants, and providing educational internships in organic gardening and herbal medicine. Cabrera’s presentation will focus on how botanic … Continue reading
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Guest Speaker: John Tayless “Plankton, Herring and Sea Lions; The Annual Herring Migration Explained” Sun, Feb 21st, 2016.
Comox Valley Nature is pleased to welcome Dr. John Tayless, who is well known in the valley as the founding president of North Island College. Dr. John Tayless is a marine biologist who specialized in coral reef ecosystems. His talk … Continue reading
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Guest Speaker: Jan Slomp, President of the National Farmers Union: “Farming for Biodiversity and Climate Needs” Sun, Jan 17th, 2016.
Comox Valley Nature Hosts Farming for Biodiversity and Climate Needs Comox Valley Nature would like to introduce Jan Slomp, President of the National Farmers Union and Comox Valley resident who will discuss his work on healthy challenges and opportunities in … Continue reading
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Guest Speaker: Kees Visser, BC Nature President: “Geology, Rocks and Times, an Education” Sun, Nov 15th, 2015.
Comox Valley Nature would like to introduce Kees Visser, who has a Ph.D in Geology through the Universaity of Amsterdam, and amongst much experience in the field, has worked for Petro- Canada as a Development and Exploration Geologist in Alberta, … Continue reading
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