The Friends of Cortes (FOCI) have just released their summer program of daily offerings for 2022.
“It’s about educating people about the natural environment, but also really having people getting out there, having fun and enjoying themselves. So whether it’s locals or visitors, we’re really pleased to welcome anyone who wants to come along,” explained Helen Hall, Executive Director of FOCI.
Their program starts at 1:30 PM on Friday, July 8, with a four hour exploration of the rich intertidal life in Mansons Lagoon and neighbouring islets. This is the first of two activities that FOCI is offering in partnership with Cortes Kayaks.
On Tuesday July 12, marine biologist Deb Cowper and history guide Jane Newman will be leading another ‘gumbooting the lagoon’ There were extensive die-offs, especially amongst sand dollars, during last year’s heat dome.
“It will be interesting to find out if people can still see the effects of the heat dome,” said Hall.
On Saturday July 16, the Hakai Institute’s Kelly Fretwell will be teaching people how to use the iNaturalist program in Mansons Lagoon.
“This is an app you can get on your smartphone, which allows you to photograph plants and animals and upload them to a website and a data set that you can share with other people,” said Hall. “We’re hoping people might use it through the summer because we’d love to get more data collected from the island.”
FOCI’s monitoring technician, Autumn Barret Morgan, will be leading another ‘Wonderful Wetland tour’ of the Dillon Creek Wetland Restoration on July 18.
She will be “showing people around the wetland, explaining how it was constructed and seeing how much wetland wildlife people can spot.”
On August 1, Cortes naturalist George Sirk will be leading people on a hike through Kw’as Park. He’ll be teaching people how to identify birds and discussing the natural history of the park.
There is a tour of the gardens and the farm at Linnaea Farm on August 8.
“It gives people a chance to get out and see where all the veggies from the Friday markets come from,” explained Hall.
At 8 Pm on August 13, FOCI and Cortes Kayaks once again team-up for a ‘Bioluminescence Tour’ of Mansons Lagoon and the surrounding islets.
There will be another ‘Gumbooting the Lagoon,’ with Deb Cowper and Jane Newman on August 27.
Quite a lot of the activities are very popular and often get fully booked. It’s a great way for people visiting the island to learn about the natural history and get out to do some fun stuff, said Hall.
Top image credit: One of the participants in a summer gumboot walk through Mansons Lagoon – courtesy FOCI
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