Comox Valley Nature

Comox Valley Nature invites its members and the public to CVN’s January general meeting. where you can hear the following keynote presentation by our guest speaker:

Title: Tsolum River Watershed – River Resilience in the 21st Century
Speaker: Laura O’Brien (Tsolum River Restoration Society)
Date: Sunday, January 25, 2026
Time: 3:00 p.m. PT
Location: Main hall of Comox United Church, 250 Beach Drive, Comox

Laura’s presentation will incude:

• A little history – minesite reclamation, society.
• Current issues:
  • Worsening summer drought conditions and winter flood events exacerbated by climate change, 
  • Riparian issues – large second growth falling into the river now; the need for replanting to assist with lowering temperature for trout and coho salmon in summer season.
  • Invasive species – American bullfrogs and pumpkinseed fish.
• Hope for the future:
  • Historic returns of pinks every odd year since 2011.
  • Engaging youth and community.
  • New RIBIT regional bullfrog initiative.
  • CV Conservation partnership.

About the speaker

Laura O’Brien was born and raised in Vancouver, BC, loves water, writing and the natural world. She has lived in the Comox Valley since 1994 and on the Tsolum River for almost 25 years. She is a legal assistant by trade and has been a volunteer director of the Tsolum River Restoration Society (TRRS) since 2001. She wrote a series of informative historical pieces about the Tsolum River and created a series about “Tsolum Sid” a fictional Western toad who lives in the watershed, both of which were published regularly in the now defunct Rural Shopper magazine. She wrote these pieces to raise public awareness about the River and the long-term pollution caused by acid mine drainage, and to encourage river stewardship.

Laura is a leader on the TRRS Outreach Committee which participates in many public events to celebrate the River and watershed, develop community connections, share information and raise awareness. The Committee is also actively involved in bringing watershed education to local schools. Sharing her love of the Tsolum with others and encouraging them to be active stewards of our unique watersheds and our beautiful Valley are among her favourite pursuits.

More about the meeting

This will be a hybrid meeting (in-person and videoconference). We encourage members and the public to attend the in-person meeting. Members (only) who cannot attend can participate via videoconference. The link to join the Zoom meeting will be sent to members by email before the meeting.

After the keynote presentation there will be a break with coffee/tea, goodies and socializing, followed by the business part of the meeting. This consists mainly of brief reports from our interest groups and projects, an opportunity for guests to learn more about what we do.