Mosaic Forest Management is tentatively considering logging some of their Cortes Island holding after the wildfire season ends this year.
The forestry giant laid out their draft three-year plan during a ZOOM call on Thursday night. A company spokesperson emphasized the idea this is very much a draft plan and they want to hear back from Cortes residents.
Continue reading Mosaic hopes to start logging on Cortes this fall
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently released a survey that showed the total number of marine species at risk within the Salish Sea doubled between 2002 and 2015. While the Discovery Islands are within the study area, the EPA study did not list specific locations. So Cortes Currents asked Max Thaysen, President of the Friends of Cortes Island, about the species of risk in our area.
Continue reading The accelerating pace of Species becoming ‘at Risk’It has been more than a month since the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, presented a series of devastating reports about Canada’s inept performance in addressing the climate crisis to the House of Commons.
“There is a need for the federal government to achieve real outcomes on environmental protection and sustainable development—not just words on paper or unfulfilled promises. All too often, Canada’s environmental commitments are not met with the actions needed to protect air, land, water and wildlife, now and for future generations. And that is a trend we urgently need to reverse,” said Jerry DeMarco. “We’ve had nine plans over the last 31 years, from 1990 to now, and none of them have achieved their objectives.”
Continue reading Canada can still achieve net zero emissions by 2050, Commissioner saysA recent report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states “the total number of marine species at risk in the Salish Sea has doubled from 2002 to 2015.”
The accompanying map shows they are referring to an area that stretches from the Puget Sound to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and north beyond Cortes and Quadra Islands. Christianne Wilhelmsen executive director of the Georgia Strait Alliance, explained this is because the EPA thinks of the Salish Sea as whole entity, rather than dividing it between two nations. While a few of the entries are American, most of the species listed are accompanied by terms like ‘COSEWIC‘, ‘B.C.’ and ‘Canada,’ which shows they come from Canadian sources.
Continue reading Number of marine species at risk in Salish Sea more than doubled, report saysCKTZ News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Cortes Island’s second annual Heron Day was Sunday, September 5th.
“Heron day is where we get a whole bunch of volunteers to go out in different spots around Cortes Island, at the same time, to count Heron,” explained Max Thaysen, President of the Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI). “If we have multiple eyes counting at the same time, then we know we are not double counting heron that are cruising around the island.”
Continue reading Heron Day on Cortes Island
