The Quadra Island Salmon Enhancement Society grew out of poor salmon runs in the 1970s and 80s and has been a non-profit organization (and registered charity) since 1981. In this morning’s interview Lauren Miller, a director, talks about the 2025 salmon run, climate change and some of the projects her organization has undertaken.
Continue reading Update from the Quadra Island Salmon Enhancement Society
The 32 properties in Tiber Bay are one step closer to being included in the South Cortes Island fire protection area. They are currently outside the boundary and, consequently, the Cortes Fire department cannot immediately respond to fires in that area. It needs direction from the BC Wildfire Service. Tiber Bay residents will soon be receiving a petition in which they can state their preferences.
Cortes Island Director Mark Vonesch read out the motion at the December 11 SRD Board Meeting, “That a petition be prepared and distributed to affected property owners to determine if they support the extension initiative, and then a further report be prepared for the Board’s consideration at the conclusion of the petition process.”
Continue reading Tiber Bay Residents Being Asked If They Want To Be Included In Cortes Fire Protection Area
The Cortes Community Forest Co-operative’s 2024 AGM will be from 7:30 to 9 PM on Mansons Hall on Wednesday October 9th.
Together with Klahoose Forestry, they make up the Cortes Forestry General Partnership. Mark Lombard, General Manager for the Partnership gave Cortes Currents an overview of their operations this year and plans for the future:
Mark Lombard: “We have pretty good support from the community. Our emphasis is building value for the community, training workers and providing firewood for seniors and logs for local mills. We’re the lightest touch logging operation in the province by a mile and a half.”
“Log prices are really low right now. There’s potential concerns about a recession in the US, or globally, for whatever reasons and because prices are low, we’re not planning to do any logging right now.”
Cortes Currents: So where were you working this year?
Continue reading September 2024 Update from the Cortes Community ForestAt their August 21 Board meeting, the Strathcona Regional District voted (7 to 6) to defer applying to Disaster Relief and Innovation Fund (DRIF) for $30,000 to pay for a feasibility study for the Caddisfly Wetlands Restoration Project. As the grant’s deadline was September 14, this was initially thought to have killed any possibility of receiving funding this year, until the We Wai Kai First Nation subsequently informed the SRD that it will apply for the grant directly, in partnership with Greenways Land Trust.
At their upcoming meeting, on September 25, the SRD Board will consider supporting the We Wai Kai application.
Continue reading Caddisfly Wetlands Restoration Funding Application ProceedingWetlands are key resources to address climate change and help maintain surface water flow during dry periods. But they are also largely disappearing. According to a recent study in Nature, since 1700 approximately 3.4 million square miles of wetlands have been lost in the United States, Europe and China. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources estimates that 70 % of the wetlands in southern Canada disappeared prior to 1990. In densely populated areas, that figure is close to 98%. Unfortunately wetlands are often found in the same areas where humans like to live and this problem has been amplified by the critical need for affordable housing.
Both of the most populated Discovery Islands are attempting to assess their water budgets while they look at further development. Quadra Island is mapping its wetlands, as well as carrying out rainfall, streamflow and aquifer studies. On Cortes Island, the Community Housing Society is seeking funding to carry out a study of Cortes Island’s water resources.
Meanwhile the opportunity to apply for a $30,000 grant for the proposed Caddisfly Creek restoration project may have been lost, or at least deferred, because of Campbell River’s concerns about the possible impact on their plans for development.
Continue reading SRD Defers Feasibility study for Caddisfly Wetlands Restoration Project
