The recently published Hornby Marine Atlas is an important model for community conservation.
Comox Valley Nature will be hosting long-time residents of Hornby Island Grant Scott and Mike Berman, directors of Conservancy Hornby Island (CHI), who will be speaking at the Sunday Oct. 15 meeting.
CHI has embarked on a long-term planning process to protect the marine values around Hornby and within the central Salish Sea.
“There is marine protection with marine parks and conservation areas to the north and south of us but very little for the central Salish Sea,” said Berman. “We need to build a coalition of communities in our area to work together to protect these amazing waters and the waters and sea life creatures who live here.”
Grant will be presenting a Power Point with maps, pictures and the description of the marine values around Hornby on the following topics; salmon and salmon spawning habitat, groundfish such as rockfish, halibut, etc., winter and summer seabirds, marine mammals including sea lions, elephant seals, whales, herring and other forage fish, shellfish and others. The presentation will also include the shellfish aquaculture tenures as well as the legal jurisdictions including First Nations who control activities over the marine environment. Many of the commercial marine species are at historically low population levels and this will be discussed. While maps and data are important to Hornbyites, others wanted a hard copy of the information. The idea of a Hornby Marine Atlas was born.
Berman, who is publisher of the Atlas will be discussing how the maps and data that were prepared for community presentation was turned into a marine atlas. He will be explaining how each of the topics or chapters in the Atlas include a map, pictures and text to describe the marine values or protection issues. He will be describing how our very talented team researcher, editors and graphic designer gathered photographs and local knowledge and worked together to produce the final Atlas. Mike will be discussing how the Atlas was funded and how it will be used to further the marine conservation goals of CHI.
The meeting takes place Sunday, Oct. 15, 7 p.m. in the Rotary Room of the Filberg Seniors Centre 411 Anderton, Courtenay.
Lecture is free, though a $4 contribution from non-members is appreciated. New memberships are always welcomed.
Anyone interested in this lecture or participating in CVNS activities can also contact us at the website comoxvalleynaturalist.bc.ca/