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This Saturday Dec. 6th our Botany outing will take us to Kitty Coleman Provincial Park. (from 12:30 to 3:30)Our focus will be on identifying lush mosses. We’ll also look at ways to identify trees without their leaves. There may be a few fungi still to be found. At this time of year we can see signs of winter dormancy and buds setting on some trees.
Please dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes.
Bring a hand lens if you have one, since mosses and many small plants look much better when enlarged.
The trail is gently sloping with a few slippery spots.
There is a campground washroom facility at the beginning of the trail.
This walk is free. Register at .
Donations are welcome as they allow us to continue our programming.
(Please do not come if you are ill. Thank you for your consideration.)
Directions:
From the intersection of Highway 19A and Vanier Drive in Courtenay, head north for 8.3 km until you reach Coleman Rd. Turn right onto Coleman Rd and drive for 1.6 km to Left Road. Turn left onto Left Road. Drive for 1.3 km to Whitaker Rd. Turn right onto Whitaker Road and follow it for 1.3 km to the end. This will take you to the parking lot for Kitty Coleman Park.
Hakai researchers, working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, are investigating which sunflower stars can resist Vibrio pectenicida, the bacterium behind sea star wasting disease, and whether warmer waters give the pathogen an advantage.The team collected sunflower stars from the densely populated waters around Calvert Island. These stars have been sent to the Pacific Biological Station for controlled experiments.
By identifying resilient individuals, this research could inform strategies to protect these vital marine predators and support healthier ocean ecosystems.
There is also a project on iNaturalist to document and track the occurrence, spread and recovery of starfish wasting along the west coast of North America. They are looking for observations of ANY starfish (with disease evidence or not) observed along the Pacific Coast, from Alaska to Baja California.
hakai.org/
marine.ucsc.edu/research/sea-star-wasting/
www.inaturalist.org/projects/pisaster-disaster-tracking-starfish-wasting-disease
On Tuesday November 18th SOFT (Save Our Forests Team) and other old growth defenders will be demanding an immediate halt to old-growth destruction and biodiversity loss. The BC government should keep the promises it has made to the public.BC communities are joining forces to call for transparency, ecological integrity, and a real shift toward sustainable forest stewardship. Events are being held in multiple towns and cities including Courtenay, Smithers, Revelstoke, Vernon, Nelson, Victoria, Parksville, Powell River and Vancouver, uniting citizens, scientists, and advocates in defense of BC’s last standing primary and old growth forests.
“Old growth forests across B.C. continue to fall despite years of promises to protect them. The failure to fully deliver on old growth commitments is a profound betrayal of trust in First Nations, the public, and future generations. As the climate crisis deepens, allowing these irreplaceable forests to be logged is reckless and short-sighted. We will not stand by while short-term profits are placed above the sacred duty to protect the living systems that sustain us all, and we want to see protections for old growth put in place,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.
In Courtenay please meet on the Courthouse lawn at 6th and England at 3:30 to hear speakers before the march begins at 4:30. Royann Petrell will be talking about monitoring birds in Fairy Creek, including the endangered Marbled Murrelet.
#oldgrowth #marbledmurrelet #climatechange #saveourtrees
Category Archives: Tree(s) of the Year
Trees of the Year events, 2025
What’s up with trees? Join Comox Valley Nature as we get to the root of the matter. Over the past seven years, Comox Valley Nature (CVN) has hosted very successful Trees of the Year events, asking residents of the Valley to nominate … Continue reading
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Tour the Trees of the Year 2024
Nominations for Trees of the Year 2024 ended March 31, and we’ve been busy planning tour routes to help you visit these 27 impressive trees efficiently. Maps of these routes are now available. You can access them using the links … Continue reading
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Trees of the Year 2024 results
The nomination period for CVN’s Trees of the Year 2024 event ended on March 31. Once again we’ve seen how passionate and observant you, our community members, are for the trees around us in both our urban and rural environments. … Continue reading
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Nominate a tree for 2024 Trees of the Year
The nomination period for Comox Valley Nature’s Trees of the Year event for 2024 opens on February 1. Some key features of the event: You can nominate a tree any time between February 1 and March 31. Visit our Trees … Continue reading
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Find trees to nominate for Trees of the Year 2024
The nomination period for CVN’s Trees of the Year 2024 runs from February 1 to March 31. If you do not already have a tree in mind, we have suggestions for where you can look for one (or more). This … Continue reading
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2023 CVN Tree of the Year announced!
While the CVN Tree of the Year event focuses on the benefits and the stories of all the trees nominated, the votes have been tallied and the winner determined by public vote for 2023. [Click a photo to enlarge it.] … Continue reading
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Tour the nominees for Tree of the Year 2023
The public voting period for Tree of the Year 2023 began April 1. Read the 27 trees’ stories and look at the photos on our nominees page, then plan to visit the trees themselves. We have prepared maps of suggested … Continue reading
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Read about TOTY 2023 nominees, then visit them and vote
Read about them The nomination period for Tree of the Year 2023 ended on March 15, and the voting period begins April 1. See photos and descriptions of the nominated trees here. (Photo is of Cathy Storey, originator of the … Continue reading
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Nominate a tree for 2023 Tree of the Year
Nominations for Comox Valley Nature’s Tree of the Year for 2023 are now open. Some key features of the contest: You can nominate a tree any time between January 15 and March 15. Visit our Tree of the Year page … Continue reading
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Tree of the Year 2023 is coming
Contributed by Karen Cummins, leader of the Tree of the Year team. Click a photo to enlarge it. Meet the tree-checking crew for Tree of the Year 2023 We had our first workshop for CVN members who will help check … Continue reading
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