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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
Guest Speaker: Indigenous Plants, Sun. May 18, 2014
As the archeological record continues to push back the dates for the arrival of First Nations, the many uses and value of our native flora which is increasingly threatened, is becoming increasingly important. In many instances, the threats to these … Continue reading
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Guest Speakers: Forum on ALR, Forest Act & Parks Act, Sun. Apr. 20, 2014
Recent legislative changes to the ALR, the Forest Act and the BC Parks Act constitute a radical change in the conservation framework of British Columbia. The boundaries of green spaces, and public access to them, are being opened to short-term … Continue reading
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Guest Speaker: Birdfinding in BC, Sun. Mar. 16, 2014
Russell Cannings has recently spent a year exploring every corner of the province to find almost every kind of bird which resides in British Columbia. In so doing he set a record of 373 species in a year. This experience … Continue reading
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Guest Speakers: Members Night & AGM, Sun. Feb. 16, 2014
Every February, Comox Valley Nature calls on members to make presentations on topics of local and international interest to celebrate the wide range of natural history talent representative of the society, before holding its official AGM. As the fastest growing … Continue reading
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Guest Speaker: VI Conservation Planning, Sun. Jan. 19, 2014
CV Nature hosts a monthly lecture on natural history and environmental topics. This month’s guest speaker will be Tim Ennis, Director of Land Stewardship at the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Tim Ennis will present an illustrated lecture on conservation plans … Continue reading
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Guest Speaker: Author Joan Harper, Sun. Nov. 17,2013
Comox Valley Nature is proud to host Joan Harper, author of the definitive biography of Frank Calder, He Moved a Mountain: The Life of Frank Calder and the Nisga’a Land Claim Accord, recently published by Ronsdale Press. The lecture will … Continue reading
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Guest Speaker: Bull Kelp Restoration, Sun. Oct. 20, 2013
In 2007 researchers for the Lenfest Ocean Program at the Pew Charitable Trusts released an important ground-breaking report on the state of kelp forests and their ecological importance. The state of kelp forests has been shown to control water temperature, … Continue reading
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May 19, 2013: The Bedwell Trail Story
Dr. Marlene Smith will deliver the last of the 2013 Comox Valley Nature Rachel Carson Memorial lectures. The topic of her illustrated lecture is The Bedwell trail Story. This lecture is particularly timely as the public awaits an important legal … Continue reading
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April 21, 2013: Mushroom Specialist Shannon Berch
The penultimate Rachel Carson Memorial Lecture hosted by Comox Valley Nature will be delivered by Dr. Shannon Berch. The title of the lecture is “Mycorrhizas – How fungi help plants grow”. The lecture is on Sunday April 21 at 7 … Continue reading
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March 17, 2013: Invasive Species Control
As part of a year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, Comox Valley Nature will host a public lecture on the urgent and difficult problem of invasive species control. This is a multi-million scourge which has … Continue reading
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