Tag Archives: Species at Risk on Cortes

Forests

Proposed Conservation Area In The Manson Bay Forest

The Nature Trust of British Columbia wants to purchase 35.7 acres in the Manson Bay Forest for a land conservancy. They have already raised about half of the necessary funding and have until December 31 to raise the remaining $408,000. 

“One of the landowners has come forward, and they’re interested in selling the land for conservation. They’ve never developed the land, and they’d like to see it stay in the intact condition that it is right now. We are working with them to purchase the land so that we can prevent the conversion of habitat to residential use and maintain the habitat values for the species at risk that live on Cortes Island,” explained Dr Jasper Lament, CEO of the Nature Trust of British Columbia.

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Animals

Canada’s Unidentified And Unprotected Species at Risk

According to the United Nations, global diversity loss is one of the world’s most pressing emergencies. “Intense human activities, such as land-use change, overexploitation, climate change, pollution and the introduction of invasive species, is causing an extinction acceleration that is at least tens to hundreds of times faster than the natural process of extinctions.”  More than 400 vertebrate species have been lost over the past 100 years. The populations of close to half the species listed by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals ‘are showing population declines’ and 97% of the fish species are ‘threatened with extinction.’ 

Canada made an international commitment to protect species at risk, but a new report from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada found we are not providing the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) with anywhere near the the support it needs. 

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Animals, Justice

Fairy Creek: Federal Court Rules Canada Failed To Protect ‘At-Risk’ Birds In Old Growth Logging Areas

A Federal Court ruled that Canada’s Environment Minister, Steven Guilbeault, failed to protect habitats of at-risk migratory birds in old growth logging areas. Chief Justice Paul Crampton stated the Minister’s decision to limit protection to areas where nests were found ‘was neither reasonable or tenable.’ 

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Animals

Possible increase of Cortes Island Nighthawk and Barn Swallow populations, fewer Herons  

The Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) are reporting a possible resurgence of the island’s Common Nighthawk and Barn Swallow populations, but found fewer than normal Great Blue Heron nests. 

“FOCI has been interested in Species at Risk here on Cortes since we started. We have a section on our website about Species at Risk. You can go look them up. We love to engage the community. Each year, we put a spotlight on some Species at Risk to highlight them and bring awareness to the community. said Manuel Perdisa, Summer Intern with FOCI.

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Animals, Education, Rivers & Oceans

Wild Cortes (Part 2): Beyond the Main Exhibition Area

(This is the second part in a series about WIld Cortes, in Part 1 Sabina Leader Mense shows us through the main exhibition area.)

Cortes Island’s natural history centre just expanded. In addition to the main exhibition area, Wild Cortes now has displays in the Linnaea Education Centre’s lower atrium area. 

While the Ecolab has been operational for some time, it has not been widely publicized. In the conclusion of a two part series about the 2023 displays at Wild Cortes, local biologist Sabina Leader Mense (SLM) takes us outside of the main exhibition area.

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