From the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney
Hello, Happy Thanksgiving! As chanterelles flourish and apples abound, I’m grateful for the rain and our great community. This report invites you to engage on Active Transportation planning, and shares info on Area C’s Official Community Plan review.
Continue reading Area C Director’s Report: Active Transportation planning needs YOU (+ OCP review begins)
Around 30 people turned out to meet Green candidate Nic Dedeluk when she came to Mansons Hall on Monday, October 7. Cortes Currents recorded 145 minutes of the two hour meeting, which is far too much to fit into a half hour broadcast. So today’s program consists of a few highlights.
This event was put on by FOCI’s Climate Action Committee and there is a link to the unedited audio at the bottom of this page.
Continue reading Highlights from Green candidate Nic Dedeluk’s visit to Cortes IslandThe final report on the Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) Western Screech Owl Project will be unveiled at Mansons Hall on Friday. The two biologists who were hired to write it will be giving an hour long talk that starts at 7 PM.
“Western Screech Owls are a beautiful little owl. They used to be one of the most common owls in coastal BC, but they’ve declined hugely in the last 20 years,” explained Helen Hall, Executive Director of FOCI.
“They’re a species that need attention. In the last three years we’ve been running a project on Cortes, Read, Maurelle and Sonora Islands to look for Screech Owls and to do what we can to help conserve them. We started the project in 2021. In the spring of 2022, we conducted our first audio surveys, mainly on Cortes Island. Then in 2023, we expanded our surveys onto Read, Maurelle and Sonora Islands. We did pick up Screech Owls in the north of Cortes and one on Read Island. We also went out put up nest boxes around all the islands to try and provide nesting habitats for the owls.”
Continue reading Final Report on FOCI’s Western Screech Owl Project
The Cortes Island Academy’s third year starts on Tuesday September 3, 2024. Executive Director Manda Aufochs Gillespie explained that there are a number of innovative new programs this semester as well as popular facilitators from previous years. The Mother Tree Network, Hakai Intitute, Hollyhock and Power of Hope are all contributing partners. For the first time ever, there are also still some last minute spots available for new students.
Continue reading Beginning Of The Cortes Island Academy’s Third YearFrom the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney
Hello, It sure seemed a bustling August long weekend with parked cars lining roadsides in many popular locations. It’s nice sharing our island with visitors here to appreciate it; we are so fortunate to live in this beautiful community. The July 24 SRD Board meeting resulted in several decisions and items to report on: the Schellinck proposal, wharves, short-term rentals in the Outer Discovery Islands, and two upcoming public hearings.
Continue reading Director’s Report: Gowlland Harbour Views, wharves, short-term rentals + more
