by Kim Paulley | Nov 30, 2023 | CKTZ News
The 33rd annual general meeting (AGM) for the Friends of Cortes Island fell on Giving Tuesday which prompted the organization’s plan to launch a fundraiser for $10,000. The non-profit is hoping that the $10,000 can support core FOCI programs and the environmental work they do on the island. At the AGM on Nov. 28, a video featured five FOCI Projects in action, out in the field, with a project overview by project leaders to contextualize the project. CKTZ spoke with Helen Hall, executive director of FOCI, at the AGM and she described how in the past project leaders spoke about their project at the business meeting, but this year they wanted to do things differently, keep the meeting to an hour and serve up a meal along with a video showing the projects rather than just telling about them. “Often we are out in the wilds and people aren’t seeing what we’re doing. We thought doing something visual would be a really good thing to do,” stated Hall. This was part of several new ideas at this year’s AGM, including a first ever annual report. “I wanted to put things in numbers and step back a bit and look at what we do,” Hall said. For example, every month of the year we are maintaining 19 kms of trails. We also have 150 people involved in our volunteer projects, from beach clean-ups to counting fish. And we have a 147 different monitoring activities!” After Hall delivered the Financial Report, discussion ensued regarding Climate Action being under FOCI’s umbrella. Christine Robinson, one of the Streamkeeping project leaders, described climate action as being...
by Kim Paulley | Nov 20, 2023 | CKTZ News
The latest salmon returns are in for 2023 and two streamkeepers from the region have made observations about the different populations. A great year for Pink Salmon was the good news. Poor returns for Chum were noted by both streamkeepers. Janet Gemmell, a streamkeeper, president of Courtenays Morrison Creek Streamkeepers, and a former resident of Carrington Bay on Cortes island, spoke with CKTZ about the Comox Valley. Gemmell highlighted why Morrison Creek is a very important salmon habitat and also spoke about her recent visit to Carrington Bay this past summer where she spotted Coho fry. CKTZ also caught up with Christine Robinson, Streamkeeper for Friends of Cortes Island. Robinson provided data for this year’s Cortes Chum Run and reflected on Gemmell’s Coho-spotting in Carrington Bay. For more information on the state of salmon, go to the Pacific Salmon Foundation’s website for further information. Listen to the story below:...
by Kim Paulley | Nov 3, 2023 | CKTZ News
This fall, Mansons Hall opened its doors to Sew Much More, a place to sew and learn, according to organizers. The idea for Sew Much More had its beginnings at the Cortes Island Free Store, where Marnie Andrews offered up her sewing skills this past summer. The fair weather allowed her to set up in the area just outside the front doors. It was there that she repaired items for the store that were just too good to throw away. She also taught interested patrons DIY sewing skills. The success of those activities set the stage for the Southern Cortes Community Association (SCCA) board to approve the use of the sewing room at the Mansons Community Hall. Sew Much More is run by a team of volunteers, including Andrews and SCCA Board Chair Cora Moret. Volunteers are on hand to guide sewers as much or as little as needed. It is an all ages offering with the proviso that children nine and under will generally need an adult to attend with them. Participants are encouraged to bring their sewing projects, mending and repairs. Unwanted, revamped items are donated to the Mansons Hall thrift store. “Why throw it away, if you don’t have to! The jump in skill needed to get that repair done is not huge,” Moret says. Sew Much More runs on Tuesday afternoons from 2-5 pm at Mansons Hall. There is no cost to participants. To hear more about Sew Much More, listen to the CKTZ News Update below:...
