The ECOreport examines humanity’s interactions with nature on Cortes and the surrounding Discovery Islands. While some episodes focus on specific species of animals, others deal with environmental impacts and/or solutions. Each episode seeks to put the story in a larger context. For example, what does Cortes Island’s first wetland restoration project mean to the flow of nutrients into Gunflint Lake, the surrounding wildlife species, the local water table and as a model of carbon sequestration? Why have Western Screech Owls disappeared from most of Cortes Island, where have they survived, and what steps can we take to ensure this species do not go extinct? I seek to find and interview the people best equipped to answer these questions. 

I started writing in 1982, as a stringer for daily newspapers, and have probably written more than 2,500 stories since then. My specialities are interviewing people and researching. I was living on Cortes Island when I launched an environmental news website called the ECOreport in December 2013. That summer the ECOreport branched out to also become a weekly radio program on Cortes Radio, CKTZ 89.5 FM. This was rebranded as a local news website, Cortes Currents, in March 2019.  Most of my programs consist of interviews and there are still more than 1,300 podcasts accessible through my SoundCloud page. Since July 2022, I have been getting an average of +1,600 plays a month. We seek to develop a special environmental channel called the ECOreport on Cortes Radio.    Roy Hales.