Comox Valley Nature

Over a dozen intrepid naturalists braved the wind & rain for an excursion along the Courtenay Riverway , 3.5 km one-way from Simms Park to the Millard Estuary on Sept. 28.

Knotweed Removal Area in Simms Park

At Simms Park, Frank Hovenden of CV Nature explained some of the history of the area,  at one time all part of the estuary. Simms Park is one of the areas along the Courtenay River where CV Nature is tackling invasive Japanese knotweed with varying degrees of success.

Fifth St Bridge over the Courtenay River

The Courtenay River is the short channelized stretch downstream from the confluence of the Puntledge & Tsolum Rivers to Comox Bay, but once the Puntledge & Tsolum were separated all the way to what is now called Hollyhock Flats in the Courtenay River Estuary. The Tsolum meandered through what is now the Comox Bay Farm area.

Airpark at Proposed Lagoon Opening

Dan Bowen & Bill Heidrick of Project Watershed joined the group at the Airpark, to describe plans for increasing fish habitat at the Courtenay River by opening up some of the channels.

Dowitchers in Lagoon

Several dowitchers were foraging in the Airpark Lagoon, along with several Hooded Mergansers. Once a sewage pond for the City of Courtenay, this area was opened back up to the estuary 20 years ago & re-naturalization began. A current proposal is to connect the lagoon to the river to allow tidal water to flow through once again.

Millard Conservation Area

Farther downstream, a flock of dozens of Common Mergansers braved the winds at the Millard Estuary. In the more sheltered woods of the Millard Conservation Area, Steve Williams of the Millard-Piercy Watershed Stewards pointed out the largest cottonwood in the area. At the fish counting weir, he explained the fish & water quality monitoring of the Stewards & their efforts to deal with increasing urban impacts in the watershed.

A Nature Walk along the Courtenay Riverway will be led by Frank Hovenden of Comox Valley Nature. The public is welcome to join Frank at the parking lot in Simms Park in downtown Courtenay at 9:30 am Saturday, September 28th. The walk will wind its way downstream ending at the Millard Creek estuary. It is expected to take two hours.

The Courtenay River and surrounding area has changed dramatically over the years since the first pioneers settled in the Comox Valley. We will look and discuss these changes and examine the challenges of ecosystem management within an urban centre.

Working at the Riverway

We will look at some of the work being done by various environmental groups in the Comox Valley.
Bill Heidrick and Dan Bowen of Project Watershed will discuss their project to open the lagoon at the Courtenay River Airpark and connect it to the Courtenay River.

Frank will show the work of fighting invasive plants and planting Garry Oaks in the Courtenay River Airpark carried out by Comox Valley Nature.

Still further downstream, Steve Williams of the Millard-Piercy Streamkeepers will talk about the work their group carries out in that watershed.

This walk will go rain or shine so dress accordingly. Please leave pets at home.

Just two CVN members had an excellent adventure exploring up the Puntledge River , from the Morrison Creek confluence to the Browns River confluence, on Sept. 23.

Puntledge Park Fisherman

We started where Morrison Creek enters the Puntledge River – at Puntledge Park on First St in Courtenay, using the information on our online Nature Viewing Guide as reference.

Pink Salmon

The aroma of dying salmon filled the air, and gulls & fishermen were busy in the river.

Turkey Vulture Drying Wings

We continued on to the Rotary Riverside Trail where a Turkey Vulture was drying its wings after feasting on the abundant salmon. Connecting through Masters Greenway, we noted a new diversion to the trail near Mellifera Place, which will be updated on the nature viewing guide map for this site.

River Flowing Uphill?

Further along upstream past the lower hatchery & Powerhouse at a sharp bend in the Puntledge River an interesting optical illusion makes the river appear to be flowing uphill. The Nature Student blog has additional photos.

Tree on the Edge

Fishermen’s trails lead further along upstream. We scrambled down a steep switchback to reach a riverside trail.

Clam Fossil

The eroding shale banks reveal a few of the fossils for which the Puntledge River is famous.

Autumn River

At this spot the river is peaceful among the rich autumn colours.

River Channel

One choice of trails leads to a rocky crossing of a stream channel. We continued on sometimes muddy trails all the way to the confluence of the Browns River – about 4.6 km from where we started.

Mushroom Among Maples

Several mushroom species were noted along the way, and the numerous scenic rapids & viewpoints make this a very worthwhile hike.

The next Nature Hike in the series is Monday Sept. 30 to the Nymph Falls & upper hatchery trails : meet at Harmston Ave. across from the Old Church Theatre in downtown Courtenay at 9 a.m. or at the trailhead about 15 min. after. Here is a link to a Google map with the trailheads marked.

The hike will be about 7 km with some hills & muddy sections and could take up to 4 hrs. These hikes are for CVN members only.

Please print out the online information for reference during the outing. Dress for the weather, wear proper footwear, bring lunch or snacks, & plenty of water.

Four CVN members explored the Courtenay River on Sept. 16, up to the confluence of the Puntledge & Tsolum Rivers in downtown Courtenay.

Three Sisters Cottonwood

Using the information on our online Nature Viewing Guide as reference, we started at Simms Park, observing the established eagle nest, and several large trees including black cottonwood, red alder & redcedar.

Giant Red Alder

We then crossed to Lewis Park to view the former confluence of the rivers. To reach the present confluence, we explored Condensory Park – the trail accessed from Anderton Ave across from First St.

Wading at the Confluence

A Common Merganser female and Pink Salmon in the river were the highlights here.

Female Common Merganser

Based on the knowledge of the members attending, several notes were able to be added to the flora & fauna information in the nature guide for this site: the location of several large trees; addition of mammals including River Otter, Beaver, Mink and occasional Sea Lions; and addition of American Pipit to the bird list.

The next Nature Hike in the series is Monday Sept. 23 to the Puntledge Greenway, Masters Greenway, lower hatchery trails : meet at Harmston Ave. across from the Old Church Theatre in downtown Courtenay at 9 a.m. or at the trailhead shortly after. Here is a link to a Google map with the trailheads marked.

The hike will be about 9 km with some steep & rough trails and could take up to 4 hrs. These hikes are for CVN members only.

Please print out the online information for reference during the outing. Dress for the weather, wear proper footwear, bring lunch or snacks, plenty of water, bug spray and sun protection.

CVN members are invited to join a series of Nature Hikes up the Puntledge River, following the river upstream along with the returning salmon.

Each location is one of the sites described in our online CV Nature Viewing Guide. The hike series was developed in order to encourage more members to ‘adopt’ the Nature Viewing Sites. After each outing participants who adopt the site will be able to lead future outings to the site, with the aid of the resources on this website: the CV Nature Viewing Calendar and the CV Nature Viewing Guide.

These are Nature Hikes (not Walks) so participants need to be reasonably fit & wear proper hiking footwear. Hikes will take 3-5 hrs. and the pace will allow for bird & plant identification as well as photography.

For each outing, meet at Harmston Ave. across from the Old Church Theatre in downtown Courtenay at 9 a.m. or at the trailheads shortly after.
Here is a link to a Google map with the trailheads marked.

Monday Sept. 16: Lewis Park, Simms Park & Puntledge/ Tsolum confluence (5 km, some rough spots)

Monday Sept. 23: Puntledge Greenway, Masters Greenway, lower hatchery trails ( 9 km, some steep & rough trails)

Monday Sept 30: Nymph Falls , upper hatchery trails (5 km, some hills )

Monday Oct 7: Puntledge River east BC Hydro Trails (7 km, some hills)

Monday Oct 14: Puntledge River west BC Hydro Trails (10 km, some hills)

Please print out the online information for reference during the outing. Dress for the weather, wear proper footwear, bring lunch or snacks, plenty of water, bug spray and sun protection.