The 40-minute Power Point presentation will highlight the current status of Vancouver Island’s forests and what citizens can do to protect old-growth forests, watersheds, and related ecosystems. The presentation includes Watt’s superb photos of some of the most magnificent forests in the country, including Clayoquot Sound, the Walbran Valley, Red Creek Fir, and Avatar Grove.

“Our diminishing old-growth forests are important for wildlife, tourism, the climate, water quality, and for many First Nations cultures,” stated Wu. “How many jurisdictions on Earth still have trees that grow trunks wider than a car’s length and as tall as downtown skyscrapers? We need a plan to protect our endangered old-growth forests and to sustainably log the second-growth stands that constitute most of the landbase on Vancouver Island now.”

According to satellite photos, 75% of the original productive old growth forests of Vancouver Island have been logged. This includes 90% of the original productive old growth forests in valley-bottoms, where the largest trees grow and most biodiversity resides.

Slideshow will take place Wednesday, December 8th at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Avenue from 7-9pm.

The post Protecting Vancouver Island’s Ancient Forests appeared first on Comox Valley Nature.

Chris Czajkowski: A Wilderness Dweller's Cookbook

The regular monthly meeting of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society will be held November 21, 2010, at 7:00 pm at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Avenue, Courtenay. The featured speaker will be noted author Chris Czajkowski, who will present on her life in remote areas of Northern British Columbia, as well as her newest book “A Wilderness Dweller’s Cookbook”.

In 1988, Chris Czajkowski walked into British Columbia’s Central Coast Mountains to build a homestead, a business, and a life. Raised in England, Chris was in her thirties when she moved to a remote location some 300 miles north of Vancouver. There, she single-handedly cleared the land and – despite a total lack of experience – built her own home. Later, she perfected her stone oven and her recipes – and word began to spread of Nuk Tessli and “The Best Bread in the World.”

This is not a ‘how-to-skin-a-moose-and-salt-it-down-and-make-the-offal-into-sausages’ kind of book. Rather it is a fascinating account of how a wilderness dweller – in a ‘none-growing climate’ 20 km from a road, 60 km from a store, and 250 km from the nearest town large enough for a supermarket – feeds herself and the visitors that come to her small ecotourism resort.

From tangy sourdough loaves of freshly-ground grain, Nuk Tessli Fruit Bread sweetened with molasses and aromatic spices, to Montreal Bagels with an alpine touch, here are hearty, adventurous recipes that bypass the bread machine. Also included are quick breads and desserts, like Trail Mix Cake – perfect for a hike – and Nuk Tessli’s enigmatic Spotted Dick, plus a few indispensable recipes for any wilderness dweller (or frugal urbanite), such as fresh yogurt and sprouts. Of particular interest to readers with their own wilderness dreams will be her descriptions of how she gets wholesome, fresh food to the table in this remote and spectacular location.

Please come and join us to become better informed, as to how you can help CVNS provide education and protection for B.C.’s natural environment.

Meetings of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society are held on the third Sunday of most months at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton, Courtenay. Meetings are open to the public, including youth. A donation of $3.00 is suggested for non-members, and new memberships are always welcomed. Meetings are not held in December, July, and August. The CVNS January 16 presentation is by Wendy Kotilla, with a ‘never before seen’ show of an early1990’s trip up the Clayoquot Valley. On February 20 we will have a presentation by Gordon Hutchings, with a wide range of Bee topics, stories and information.

The post November Presentation: Author Chris Czajkowski, “A Wilderness Dweller’s Cookbook” appeared first on Comox Valley Nature.

Comox Valley Conservation Strategy Poster

 The regular monthly meeting of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society will be held October 24 2010, at 7:00 pm at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Avenue, Courtenay. The speaker will be local teacher and environmentalist Kerry Dawson.

Kerry Dawson holds up the Comox Valley Conservation Strategy Poster.

Kerry is the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Comox Valley Conservation Strategy, a regional conservation plan for the protection and restoration of critical ecological areas in the Comox Valley. She is also a secondary math and science teacher.

Her talk will be about the growth of the Conservation Strategy from a project of the Comox Valley Land Trust to a broad Community Partnership of over 14 local environmental and community organizations now working together to implement the recommendations of the Nature Without Borders document. Using a dynamic visual presentation, she will explain what the Comox Valley Conservation Strategy is, and speak about working with local governments to make regional conservation planning a reality. Kerry will also outline current projects, including the postcard campaign aimed at local governments, the social media campaign, and the latest educational initiative: publication of the first-ever Comox Valley Conservation Calendar. The calendars feature photos of local sensitive ecosystems and give information on many of the CVCS’s member organizations and local conservation issues. Calendars and postcards will be available at the meeting. For more information about the CVCS visit their website.

Please come and join us to become better informed, as well as how you can help CVNS provide education and protection for B.C.’s natural environment.

Meetings of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society are held on the third Sunday of most months at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton, Courtenay. Meetings are open to the public, including youth. A donation of $3.00 is suggested for non-members, and new memberships are always welcomed. Meetings are not held in December, July, and August. The CVNS November 21 presentation is author Chris Czajkowski who will present some of the culinary aspects (etc.) of northern solitary life. On January 16 we will have Wendy Kotilla, with a ‘never before seen’ show of an early1990’s trip up the Clayoquot Valley.

The post October Presentation: Conservation Strategy – A Coalition for Biodiversity Protection appeared first on Comox Valley Nature.

Dave Lacelle enjoying a cup of tea (?) after a seven day hike.

The regular monthly meeting of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society will be held September 19 2010, at 7:00 pm at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Avenue, Courtenay. The featured speaker will be the local environmentalist Dave Lacelle.

Dave has been involved with environmental issues for most of his life, from childhood cedar lean to, BES Waterloo, 27 years with Environment Canada, and is currently President of CVNS, and also CVEC Secretary. When he wants to get away from the preceding, he goes on a (usually) solitary month long hike/camp/beach comb at a very remote area on the west coast of Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands).

18 glass fish floats found on the west coast of Haida Gwaii.

This area does not have trails, nor even marking tape (!), Dave does not usually see anyone else. In the last 30 years of these ‘retreats’, he has made many discoveries, and had a few adventures. The presentation will include scenic pictures, old Haida sites, odd findings, five message bottles, and some comments on ocean pollution, as well as local ecology and geology.

Shaman's burial pole, circa 1790-1840 on Haida Gwaii.

Please come and join us to become better informed, as well as how you can help CVNS provide education and protection for B.C.’s natural environment.

The post September Presentation: Hiking and Beachcombing Western Haida Gwaii appeared first on Comox Valley Nature.