The Comox Valley Naturalists Society has produced a new Nature Viewing Guide to the Comox Valley.
The contemporary nature guide has two components: a brochure highlighting 16 key nature viewing sites in the Comox Valley area; and a more detailed online guide, with greatly expanded information, available on the CVNS website.
Community locations such as the Visitors Centre will distribute the free brochures.
The online Nature Viewing Guide can be visited on the CVNS website at www.comoxvalleynaturalist.bc.ca/nature-viewing-guide.
The website features over two dozen nature viewing sites to date, with detailed information including photo galleries, maps, bird and plant checklists, geological descriptions, and links to many other resources. More sites and additional information will continue to be added to the website over time.
The project to create the Nature Viewing Guide, entitled Sharing Our Natural History, involved about 80 members of the CVNS, mostly seniors. Members participated in field trips, information gathering, contributing photographs, drawings, writing, mapping, natural history knowledge, technical production expertise, and management of the project.
Further information, resources, and input were gathered from a wide variety of sources, including contributions from the Visitors Centre, Evergreen Seniors, Young Naturalists Club, Project Watershed, DFO, Comox District Mountaineering Club and many environmental groups, Comox Valley Regional District and other municipal and provincial authorities.
Overall about 70 additional members of the community including seniors and youth participated in some way. The project was developed with funding from the Government of Canada under the New Horizons for Seniors Initiative.
“Some great feedback has already been received on the nature guide,” said project co-ordinator Krista Kaptein. “Comments on the website include, ‘This is really great, amazing photos and super easy to use’; ‘Looks like you are setting the gold standard for a website’ and ‘Just the type of information that, as a person fairly new to the area, I was looking for.’ "
This project really highlighted the wealth of knowledge within the Naturalists Society and has made that available to the whole community. The CVNS encourages everyone to pick up a brochure, check out the website and explore nature viewing sites online and outdoors.
For more information, http://comoxvalleynaturalist.bc.ca and bookmark the Nature Guide for future reference.
— Comox Valley Naturalists Society