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Halliday to present trail network vision

The Friends of Comox-Lazo Forest Reserve (FOCLFR), will hold the annual general meeting at 7 p.m. on May 15 at the Comox Recreation Centre.

The Friends of Comox-Lazo Forest Reserve (FOCLFR), will hold the annual general meeting at 7 p.m. on May 15 at the Comox Recreation Centre.

Guest speaker Bill Halliday will present the Friends' vision for a trail network and future proposed trail work.

The trails in the Northeast Woods can certainly seem like a well-planned maze that has tricked many visitors into hiking in circles. The Friends of Comox-Lazo Forest Reserve are working to help trail users from getting lost. Once a trail network is agreed upon, the Friends will produce a new, updated map and brochure.

Halliday’s presentation will feature maps of the Wildlife Reserve and suggestions for future trail networks including which trails to upgrade and what to do about those trails in the more sensitive areas. The objective is to provide recreational users the opportunity to explore and experience this amazing area while protecting the special and rare ecosystems of the forest, meadows, sand dunes and wetlands.

"Everyone is welcome at the AGM,” said Barbara Price, president of the Comox-Lazo Forest Reserve. “If you enjoy walking through the Forest Reserve and Lazo Marsh and want to be part of shaping the future, join us!"

Two Comox roads, Torrence north and Guthrie east, end at the borders of the 76-hectare Comox-Lazo Forest Reserve.

This tract of land, bordered to the north by farmland, to the east by the Lazo Marsh, and to the south and west by subdivided land, was set aside as a Crown Forest Reserve by the Honourable Moe Sihota, the then Minister of Environment, Lands and Parks, in October 1994.

Most visually dominant on this land are trees. Higher to midslope sections support Douglas fir, western hemlock, western red cedar and white pine, generally ranging in age from 40 to 121 years. From mid-slope to the marsh areas are spruce, maple, alder, black hawthorne, Pacific crabapple and cascara.

Shrubs include salal, Oregon grape, huckleberry and sword fern. Several species of wild flowers, among them star flowers and trilliums, can be found in the open areas, while mosses and ferns cover the timbered ground.

During a brief two hour period in late May, 1993, ornithologist Elizabeth Brooks, and wildlife biologist Allan Brooks, identified 23 species of birds within the Reserve. These included three types of warblers, pileated woodpeckers and red-breasted sapsuckers. Most of these birds were found in the lower region bordering Lazo Marsh.

Common animals found within this terrain are deer, raccoons, squirrels, deer mice, shrews, voles and two species of bats. In recent history it also provided a habitat for elk.

The Friends of Comox-Lazo Forest Reserve Society was incorporated in 1996 to ensure good stewardship, preservation and protection of the forest and marsh habitats within the Reserve. In 2000 the Provincial Government, Regional District of Comox Strathcona and the Town of Comox agreed to support a Management Plan for the Reserve, prepared by Bio-Ayre Consultants. A Co-Management Agreement, outlining management responsibilities was formulated with all levels of government as signatories, including the Friends of Comox-Lazo Forest Reserve, and the Comox Town Residents Association. This forms the basis for the Co-Management Committee which oversees the area. Together, this group serves as stewards of the conservation area co-operatively managing the lands.

An extra level of protection was conferred upon the Reserve in May 2001, when it was designated by the Provincial Government as a Wildlife Management Area under the management and protection of the Nature Trust of B.C.

Anyone interested in learning more, is invited to contact Barbara Price at bprice30@shaw.ca or 250-339-4037.

— Friends of Comox-Lazo Forest Reserve