Tag Archives: FOCI

Nature, Rivers & Oceans

FOCI: Upcoming AGM & Need to Raise $15,000 for Core Operating Expences

The Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) needs to raise $15,000 for core operations, and is also inviting the community to their Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, December 9, at 5 PM, at Manson’s Hall. 

FOCI’s Executive Director, Helen Hall, explained, “We all live on this beautiful island which has rich forests, a stunning coastline and a host of endangered species, and  I think that’s a big reason why people choose to live here -the natural beauty of the island. FOCI has a really important remit to protect and nurture that natural beauty for future generations.” 

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Rivers & Oceans

The Story of the Island’s Streamkeepers

Originally published, as part 8 of the Cortes Island Resonance series by the Cortes Community Radio Society.

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.

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Animals

The Call That Changed Everything: Western Screech Owls Return to Cortes Island

Originally published, as part 7 of the Cortes Island Resonance series by the Cortes Community Radio Society.

“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.

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Animals

Vanishing Voices: The Global At Risk Species Crisis and Cortes Island

Originally published, as part 6 of the Cortes Island Resonance series by the Cortes Community Radio Society.

Across 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. 

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Animals

Sabina Leader Mense & the Wolves of Cortes: A Story of Coexistence

Originally published, as part 5 of the Cortes Island Resonance series by the Cortes Community Radio Society.

On 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.

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