A group of 10 Cortes Island residents set out from Gorge Harbour in a Zodiac.
“I loved it that we were all together on this boat, like tourists from Cortes out there hunting for a sighting of a whale. Everybody was in that together. Our only purpose today was to get out onto the water, look around and see what creatures we’d see. And it just seemed like community,” explained Jane Newman.
Continue reading A wild water adventure: seeking orca, seals and other marine lifeRecently the Harbour Authority of Cortes Island (HACI) decided to stop offering garbage disposal services on our docks. This news sparked a flurry of discussion on Cortes Island Facebook groups. Some people were upset at the HACI decision, while others supported it. Most people agreed that there is a “garbage problem” on our docks, but opinions varied about who is to blame and what should be done.
On Saturday, May 21st I visited the Gorge Harbour Government Dock to interview Billie Fleming, who has worked for HACI as a garbage collector. Billie is now offering her own garbage pickup service at the Gorge Harbour public dock from 10:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Wednesday through Saturday.
Continue reading Garbage is an Issue on Cortes Island Docks
According to Luke, the pilot, there are usually sightseers on board when CorilAir delivers the mail in the Discovery Islands.
A man from Campbell River and his sister-in-law from Ontario were on the plane when it picked me up at Cortes Bay, on Wednesday, March 23rd. Neither of them had made the trip before, and they were busy taking pictures throughout the trip. So was I. Everything looks much different when you are sitting hundreds of feet up in the air!
Continue reading Sightseeing on the Discovery Island Mail RunThe licenses for all 19 salmon farms in the Discovery Islands expire in June. There will only be 7 farms left in the Broughton Archipelago by 2023, at which point their tenure ends unless they can obtain First Nations approval and Department of Fisheries licences. That leaves an estimated 79 salmon farms throughout the province, and all of their licenses come up for renewal on June 30, 2022.
Continue reading Potential elimination of open-net salmon farm sector in sightThe final numbers for Cortes Island’s Christmas Bird Count, which took place on January 5th, 2022, are in.
One of the key organizers, George Sirk, described his personal high point as watching the birds at Christian Gronau and Aileen Douglas’ bird feeder.
Continue reading The 2021 Christmas Bird Count on Cortes Island
