Comox Valley Nature

In the last of the season’s public interpretive walks, Comox Valley Nature is offering a free public guided walk at the west side of Seal Bay Park from the Fitzell Road entrance on Saturday Dec. 1 at 9:30am. This is an occasion to close the season with a celebration of Melda Buchanan’s conservation work and inaugurate the Audubon Bird Count season.

As December begins, Comox Valley Nature will close its very successful nature walk series and inaugurate the coming intensive Audubon Christmas Bird Count period, with a guided nature walk shift through Seal Bay Park. Participants will be able to review the last remaining winter mushroom cycle, and the shift of bird populations to their winter habitats at lower elevations.

This should provide interested parties with a good introduction to the winter bird counts – to which all interested members of the public are welcome to join us. The walk will be led by local naturalist and professional biologist, Loys Maingon. Interested parties can either carpool in front of the Old Church Theatre on Harmston Street at 9am, or meet at Fitzell Road off Langlois Road at 9:30 on Saturday December 1.

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, Courtenay. Meetings and guided walks are open to the public, including children and youth. Lecture is free, though a $3 contribution from non-members is appreciated. New memberships are always welcomed.

Anyone interested in participating in CVNS activities can also contact Loys Maingon (CVN President) at 250-331-0143.

After an extremely popular and successful edible mushroom walk at Williams Beach Forest which drew close to 80 people, Comox Valley Nature is offering another free public walk at Nymph Falls. This is traditionally one of our annual wild mushroom identification walks, however due to the collapse of mushrooms in the wake of this summer’s extreme drought, this walk will focus on mushrooms and general ecology. (Please note that this is not an edible mushroom walk. Picking is prohibited in regional parks.)

The walk will be led by 3 well-known members of CVN’s Botany Group, who bring a wealth of interest in mushrooms, Dulcie Hamilton, Alison Maingon and Charlotte Ostrowski. Because of its topography, deep accumulation of second-growth litter, and cool humid environment along the Puntledge Nymph Falls is one of the better areas regionally which favours a rich mycological diversity. This walk promises to be educational and fun for participants of all ages, as the trails at Nymph Falls are relatively level and well defined.

This walk will be on Saturday November 3. Participants should either meet in front of the Old Church Theatre on Harmston Ave. at 9:00 am, or at the Nymph Falls trailhead at 9:30am.

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, Courtenay. Meetings and guided walks are open to the public, including children and youth. Lecture is free, though a $3 contribution from non-members is appreciated. New memberships are always welcomed.

Although the unusual drought has made this a dismal year for the wild mushroom industry on Vancouver Island, the return of the cool fall rain should herald the blossom of some of the year’s late mushrooms. Mushroom identification and picking has played an important role in all cultures, but is only recently beginning to find a growing interest in North America. Given the economic, cultural and ecological importance of fungi, public education on this topic is lacking. In keeping with its educational mandate Comox Valley Nature is pleased to offer a free public walk in search of edible mushrooms.

Although this year’s usual weather makes it impossible to guarantee a crop of edible mushroom, this walk will be lead by an expert mushroom picker, wildcrafter and naturalist, Charlotte Ostrowski. Charlotte brings nearly two decades of experience as a professional mushroom picker, and is sure to delight both experienced naturalists and beginners alike.

This walk will take place on Saturday Oct. 20. Participants should meet at 9 a.m. in front of the Old Church Theatre on Harmston Avenue, or 9:30 at William’s Beach Forest.  Participants wishing to go directly to the site should drive north on the old Highway, past the Merville Store and turn right onto William’s Beach Road.  (Across the highway from the military surplus store.)  Drive PAST Larkin Road on your left at approximately 2 km from the highway.   The road goes past farm fields on both sides, then takes a dog leg to the left and goes through a forested area.  At approximately the 3 km mark the road takes a dog leg to the right.  Park at the corner on the left-hand side of the road.  If you drive past the water tower, you have gone too far.

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, Courtenay. Meetings and guided walks are open to the public, including children and youth. Lecture is free, though a $3 contribution from non-members is appreciated. New memberships are always welcomed.

Anyone interested in this lecture or participating in CVNS activities can also contact  Loys Maingon (CVN President) at 250-331-0143.