Comox Valley Nature

Comox Valley Nature would like to introduce Charly Caproff. Unique is one way to describe her. Captivated by the mysterious subterranean realm beneath our feet, Charly became an advocate for karst, a scarcely heard of but ecologically important ecosystem in coastal and northern BC. Her campaign to protect karst led to a contract with Sierra Club BC as a Karst Consultant and Event Planner.

Once the ‘face’ of Simon Fraser University’s newest credential, the Bachelor of Environment, Charly is now the Water Literacy Coordinator for Fraser Riverkeeper (FRK), an organization founded by the late Doug Chapman, veteran environmental lawyer for the Sierra Legal Defense Fund (now known as Ecojustice). FRK is a registered Canadian charity that uses law, research, citizen engagement and digital media to protect a swimmable, drinkable, fishable future Charly’s resolve to protect water developed in the passageways she once explored, carved by the raw power of water over millennia.

Watching surface water seemingly disappear into the face of a mountainside made her realize that all natural systems are inherently connected and should be managed using an ecosystem-based approach. Her goal is to create water literate hubs throughout BC of people who share a sense of pride and obligation to protect their waterbodies.

For Charly’s presentation, she poses 3 questions: Where does water go when I flush the toilet? Where does my drinking water come from? Is my favourite beach safe for swimming? These questions and more will be addressed during her interactive presentations crafted to the specific interests and concerns of community members. Charly provides communities with the localized knowledge and digital tools in order to help answer our important water questions, while creating the next generation of water leaders.

This lecture, entitled: “Explore Your Watershed with Fraser Riverkeeper” will take place at the Florence Filberg Seniors Centre at 7 pm (sharp) March 19, 2017.

The Annual General Meeting of Comox Valley Nature will be held on February 19 at 7:00 pm sharp in the Florence Filberg Centre. The AGM will feature a panel discussion consisting of four well-known environmentalists from the Comox Valley. The title of the discussion is “Conservation and Sustainability to 2030,” and the Panelists will address the question “Where do we expect environmental concerns to be 13 years from now in the Comox Valley.

The panelists are all residents of the Valley, and have many years of conservation experience behind them. They are Tim Ennis, a Conservation Biologist with Comox Valley Land Trust; Jarrett Krentzel, Program Director of Hand-in-Hand Early Years Nature Education; John Tayless, retired Coral Reef Biologist and Past President of North Island College, and Loys Maingon, retired Biologist and the BC Director and Webinar Host of the Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists.

The year 2030 was chosen as it is the target date of the United Nations’ initiative on Sustainable Development Goals, and was meant to provide a time frame to the Panelists. Topics will likely include the expected effects of climate change, our need for reliable drinking water, a vision of sustainable development in the Valley, and protection of our native species and habitats. The Panelists will, however, be free to discuss items they consider important to our Valley in the near Future. If time permits, questions and comments from the audience will be taken. If you care about the Comox Valley, and are concerned about its continued viability and vitality, be sure to attend this meeting.

Meetings and lectures of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society are held on the third Sunday of most months at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Avenue, Courtenay. Meetings and guided walks are open to the public, including children and youth. The panel discussion is free, though a $4 contribution from non-members is appreciated. New memberships are always welcomed.