Comox Valley Nature

Saturday June 3^rd; Cumberland Woods

Loys will lead a walk into the Cumberland Forest around Coal Creek Historic Park. This is the site of two of the Dunsmuir Coal Mines. It is an easy walk, with wide trails passing wetlands and remains of the old mine workings. Meet at Harmston Rd to car pool, or at Jumbo’s cabin on Comox Lake Road (watch for the large interpretative sign on the left.

A brochure is here: https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/CoalCreek.Park_.Layout.-FINAL.pdf

A brief history of the area is here:  https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Chinatown.Layout.FINAL_.pdf

Today’s walk explores the south side of the Puntledge river downstream for about 2 km. This side of the river is much less visited then the north side, which BC Hydro has developed for hikers, bikers and picnic users. The walk is an easy downhill stroll on the way out following the turns in the river on well-maintained paths and trails.

A wide range of birds visit the forest, and many shade loving plants line the trails.

http://comoxvalleynaturalist.bc.ca/nature-viewing-guide/6-comox-lakepuntledge-river-area/upper-puntledge-river/

Hollyhock Flats is as close to natural as you are likely to find in the K’omoks estuary. Known as Kus Kus Sum by the K’omoks First Nation, this area is south-east of the Field sawmill site, and south of Comox Road, between the sawmill site and the Rotary viewing platform. This site has been of interest to conservationists since the 1970, and CVNS has been involved in invasive removal since the mid-1990s. The tidal channels and wetlands  are home to a wide range of salt tolerant plants, including large Sitka spruces, Lyngby’s sedge, and its namesake marsh hollyhock (Sidalcea hendersonii), and hosts many different species of birds and wildlife. It is also susceptible to Purple loosestrife invasion.

This rarely visited site is seen by hundreds of motorists daily, yet is one of the least explored areas around the bay. Project Watershed has an ambitious long term plan to restore the Field site to a more natural setting. A video vision of their plans are here;

https://youtu.be/gvyfPiMpXjc

There is little on the web about the area, but one resource is listed here. You may need to use the “Find on this page” app to search for Hollyhock flats.

http://www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/cremp/Vol3/vol3_e.pdf

This easy walk starts at the Union Bay Boat ramp and explores the remains of Dunsmuir’s Coal terminal, located on both sides of Hart (Washer) Creek. In 1887 Robert Dunsmuir had a deep water coal terminal 600 feet long built to load wind and steam freighters which carried the high quality coal from Cumberland around the world. Little of the infrastructure, which included coke ovens, a coal washer, and workers barracks remain. What does remain are mounds of low quality coal and coal dust, removed before shipping to ensure that only the best coal went aboard. Coal dust is explosive and water from Hart Creek was used to remove much of it here.  Use of the site only stopped in 1960, and various uses of the area have been suggested over the years since then. This site is a fascinating, if toxic site, and a reminder of how poorly we treated the environment not that long ago.  More information is available at these three web sites:

http://comoxvalleynaturalist.bc.ca/nature-viewing-guide/8-baynes-sound-area/union-bay/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Bay,_British_Columbia

http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/news/union-bay-coal-hills-on-priority-contaminated-site-list-in-b-c/

Jan Gemmell and Jim Palmer will be leading today’s walk through the Morrison Creek Headwaters, off Lake Trail Road. You will have the opportunity to see the wetlands created by the geology at the east end of Comox Lake, and by the symbol of Canada; the beaver. The paths wind their way around numerous ponds, marshes and wetlands, and you will be glad that Jan and Jim know their way around the area. This land is owned by Hancock Logging, and CVN thanks them for allowing us access.. This area is home to the Western Brook Lamprey, an at risk species. See the piece from Fish and Oceans Canada in the Conservation section below.

Parking at the trail head is very limited, so you are requested to carpool to reduce the number of cars going. Meet at Old Church on Harmston to car pool; No facilities, and dress for the weather with good boots. For more information check out the Morrison Creek Streamkeepers here:   http://morrisoncreek.org/

Sunday 30^th April, Airport Camas & Garry Oaks, Knight and Kye bay Road, 

The Garry Oak (Quercus garryana var. garryana), the only native oak species in BC,   depends upon fire for its survival. These trees are early-succession species, and without disturbance, oak groves get overtaken by Douglas fir. Although natural wildfires help with maintaining a population of oaks, our oaks had good friends in the indigenous peoples of the Comox Valley. First Nations histories, backed up by soil samples and early records of settlers, show that Garry oak grasslands were often purposefully set fire to create and maintain an environment that supported a natural cultivation of camas,   chocolate lilies and other food sources.

Mature Garry oaks are resistant to low levels of fire, and much of the area from the estuary to Grantham was once a Garry oak and camas prairie. A possible side benefit was that the elimination of much of the undergrowth of shrubs and young firs permitted easier hunting of deer and other animals. With a reduction in the burning patterns, oak groves have been taken over by firs or cleared off agricultural lands, so the small groves we have must be maintained as the oak woodlands are critical habitats for a number of species that are rare or extirpated otherwise.

Meet at end of the Comox Airport runway corner of Knight Road and Kye Bay Road. For more details check out this link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_garryana