CVN members and others who have or know university students in a nature-related degree program should be aware of two scholarships awarded by BC Nature:

• Bert Brink Scholarship
  
  $2,500 to a graduate student “in a discipline which contributes to an awareness, appreciation, improved management of flora and fauna, conservation, restoration, and understanding of our natural environment.”
  
  
• Rene Savenye Scholarship
  
  $2000 to a post-secondary student “enrolled in an undergraduate degree program that contributes to awareness, appreciation, and understanding of our natural environment.”

Both scholarships include the following evaluation criterion (among others): “length of time volunteering in nature for BC Nature or a member club or another non-profit with focus on conservation.”

For more information, including access to the application forms, visit this BC Nature web page.

Applications for both scholarships must be submitted by June 15.

The post BC Nature scholarships available appeared first on Comox Valley Nature.

Our first recipient is Sophie Johnston who receives a $5,000 grant to support her field research on coastal areas of north Vancouver Island. Sophie is currently a PhD Student at the University of British Columbia under the supervision of Dr. Chris Harley. She has a BSc (Honours) in Biology and Mathematics from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. Sophie currently has a publication in the journal Marine Ecology Progress and has other manuscripts in preparation on the effects of a warming ocean and ocean acidification on marine invertebrate species and coastal ecosystems.

Sophie’s research is documenting the effects of ocean acidification on intertidal marine communities in the Johnstone Strait. The goal of her research is to investigate how a dominant ecosystem engineer, a limpet in this case, shapes marine community structure along a gradient of ocean acidification.

Watch for a more detailed description of Sophie’s research in our June newsletter.

The post Brandt Research Grant 2026 awarded appeared first on Comox Valley Nature.

Comox Valley Nature marked a major milestone this spring—our 60th anniversary. Founded in 1966, CVN is one of the North Island’s oldest and most active nature organizations, dedicated to fostering environmental education, stewardship, and appreciation for the natural world.

To commemorate six decades of community engagement and ecological leadership, the society hosted a 60th Anniversary Celebration on April 26.  The event brought together members, volunteers, and guests to reflect on CVN’s long legacy of protecting and learning from the region’s forests, wetlands, and shorelines.

Over the years, Comox Valley Nature has championed numerous restoration and education initiatives. These include programs such as Garry oak and wetland restoration, Courtenay Airpark Walk restoration, birding, botany and shoreline groups, an annual bursary for high school graduates, and ongoing community partnerships to maintain sustainable access to local trails and habitats.

In 2026, we are also incorporating our anniversary theme throughout our public walks. To check the various upcoming nature walks, visit our Events web page.

As we look ahead to our next chapter, we remain rooted in our founding mission—to know nature and keep it worth knowing. Through guided walks, lectures, interest groups and conservation projects, Comox Valley Nature continues to inspire stewardship and connection with the rich ecosystems of Vancouver Island’s Comox Valley.

Here’s a selection of photos from the event [click a photo to enlarge it].

CVN’s long history was represented in a graphic timeline display. You can read the entries in the images below the full timeline by zooming in on each one.

The post CVN celebrates 60 years of stewardship and community appeared first on Comox Valley Nature.

The Botany Group visited Bear Creek Nature Park on March 3. The focus was on the plants and plant communities of a beautiful second growth bigleaf maple and conifers forest. The walk included a short floodplain section and a very dry little plateau. As in other recent outings, many of the observations were of mosses, liverworts and lichens, but the group also looked for early signs of spring among the vascular plants..

You can download co-leader Véronique’s photographic guide to many of the species seen on this trip here (PDF, 12.6 MB).

Here’s a selection of photos from the guide [click a photo to see the whole image]:

The post Botany at Bear Creek Park, March 2026 appeared first on Comox Valley Nature.

The post appeared first on Comox Valley Nature.

Title: Island vignettes from a nature photographer’s life
Speaker: Bruce Moffat (moffatphotography.zenfolio.com)
Date: Sunday, May 24, 2026
Time: 3:00 p.m. PT
Location: Main hall of Comox United Church, 250 Beach Drive, Comox

CVN’s own Bruce Moffat will present several short videos based on his experiences over the past seven years on Vancouver Island. Bruce will comment on each of these engaging videos to describe his experiences and the challenges of capturing his images of each of the diverse subjects. He will take questions after each video and again at the end.

The videos will include some of those first shown as entries in the Comox Valley Photographic Society’s annual ImageFest show at the Sid Williams Theatre.

About the speaker

Bruce Moffat is a retired professional photographer, currently the coordinator of CVN’s Nature Photography Group, and a member of the Comox Valley Photographic Society. He has been an avid photographer since his teen years and has focused on nature photography for the past twenty years. He has been published regularly in the local CV Land Trust calendars and in four 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.

Bruce is well known to CVN members, particularly to the birders. He generously shares his excellent photographs with this website and with CVN’s Newsletter. In the last couple of years Bruce has had fun with drone photography, and he organized CVN’s group members and volunteers from CVPS to create the spherical panoramas that you can see in our online Nature Viewing Guide.

More about the meeting

This will be an in-person only meeting.

As always, there will be an intermission after the presentation with a chance to meet new people and socialize with old friends. Tea, coffee and treats will be available.

A brief business meeting follows. Reports from some of our interest groups and projects are an opportunity for guests to learn more about what we do.

The post Hear about a nature photographer’s experiences at our May general meeting appeared first on Comox Valley Nature.

Members of the Botany Group enjoyed a field trip to the Nymph Falls trails along the Puntledge River on February 3. The trip was repeated on February 7 with an invitation for public participation.

In the mild winter conditions (no snow), the group studied various plant communities in the area which consists mainly of second-growth Douglas-fir and western redcedar forest. The focus was mainly on the many mosses and lichens to be seen on living trees, the forest floor, and on stumps and logs. A few forbs, fungi and slime molds were also observed.

You can download co-leader Véronique’s photographic guide to many of the species seen on this trip here (PDF, 10.2 MB).

Here’s a selection of photos from the guide [click a photo to see the whole image]:

The post Botany at Nymph Falls, February 2026 appeared first on Comox Valley Nature.