Tag Archives: Logging on Cortes Island

A Brief History of Forest Activism on Cortes Island

[researched and written by Mike Moore, edited and produced for radio by De Clarke]

Cortes Islanders are very aware that we live on an island. The landbase has a very defined perimeter with the ocean; but the way the land wraps around and encloses the island’s many harbours and bays means that the land has a very intimate and close connection with the ocean. We know that the land, lakes, creeks and ocean are all interrelated.

Standing on a Cortes beach allows one to see what is happening on the lands around us in a bigger perspective. From Smelt Bay, we could witness the clearcuts sprawling across the mountainsides on Vancouver Island. From either side of Sutil Point, we could see the pulp mills in Campbell River and Powell River belching steam and smoke into the sky.

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Activity at Gorge Harbour Log Dump

Back in December 2021 a significant upgrade was taking place at the Gorge Harbour log dump (East end of the harbour). Heavy equipment had been brought in; grading and filling were in progress and some trees had been cut to widen the access road.

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Dillon Creek’s natural history, and ways to restore the damages

As the second year of the Dillon Creek Wetlands Restoration project on Cortes Island is coming to an end, project manager Miranda Cross gave an overview of the creek’s natural history and ways to restore it.

She explained how European settlement brought changes to the landscape.

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The 1960s & 70s – A Time Of Transition

This is the second in a series of broadcasts in which Andy Ellingsen describes the changes he has seen on Cortes Island. In this episode he talks about the 1960s & 70’s. 

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Andy Ellingsen Remembers Cortes Island Past – Part One: 1940’s & 50’s

His first memory of Cortes Island is of the Ellingsen family moving their log float home to Von Donop Inlet in 1945. His stories go back decades further. Michael Manson, whose name is preserved in Mansons Landing, was his maternal great grandfather. What was life like in the 1940s and 50s? In this morning’s program we start a series in which Andy Ellingsen remembers Cortes Island past.

Continue reading Andy Ellingsen Remembers Cortes Island Past – Part One: 1940’s & 50’s