Over the past decade, a quiet but deeply dedicated group of islanders has transformed the health and future of Cortes Island’s salmon-bearing streams. At the heart of this story are Christine and Cec Robinson, whose leadership helped launch the Cortes Streamkeepers into a community-wide conservation effort that today is rebuilding fish populations, improving habitat, and inspiring a new generation of salmon stewards.
Continue reading The Story of the Island’s Streamkeepers“The only word I can find to describe that feeling… is gobsmacked,” exclaimed field biologist Sabina Leader Mense.
She was referring to the moment she heard a Western Screech Owl respond during a call playback survey near Bullock Bluff on Cortes Island. It was nearly midnight, the final station of the night, and her team had conducted over a hundred surveys without a single response. This owl’s call — unmistakable and repeated 12 times — marked the first confirmed sighting since 2017.
Continue reading The Call That Changed Everything: Western Screech Owls Return to Cortes IslandAcross the globe, the accelerating loss of biodiversity is sounding alarms among scientists, conservationists, and communities that recognize nature as more than scenery—it is the living fabric of our survival. The United Nations warns we are in the midst of an extinction crisis “at least tens to hundreds of times faster than the natural process of extinctions.”
In Canada, where biodiversity is heralded as a national treasure, action is falling gravely short—and British Columbia is a prime example. Despite being the most biologically diverse province in the country, B.C. still lacks legislation specifically designed to protect species at risk.
Continue reading Vanishing Voices: The Global At Risk Species Crisis and Cortes IslandOn the wild, forested shores of Cortes Island, a unique relationship has taken root—one of deep respect and mindful coexistence between humans and wolves. At the heart of this ongoing effort is Sabina Leader Mense, a biologist, educator, and champion of wild creatures whose vision helped shape a community-wide approach to living alongside apex predators.
Continue reading Sabina Leader Mense & the Wolves of Cortes: A Story of CoexistenceAn unwelcome visitor has arrived on Cortes Island’s shores, triggering alarm among scientists and conservationists. The invasive European green crab (*Carcinus maenas*)—considered one of the world’s most damaging marine invaders—was confirmed in Mansons Lagoon in 2024, marking the first documented sighting in the Discovery Islands. The species’ appearance has set off a coordinated response from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the Klahoose First Nation, and Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI).
Continue reading European Green Crabs Reach Cortes Island
