As predicted, the summer has been full of fun and excitement for your Friends of Cortes Island!

This means we’ve got a bunch of stories to share — how our summer events went, what we found out in our crab monitoring program, what Manuel got up to as our summer student, and how you can help keep the Dillon Creek Wetland thriving.

Frighteningly, it has also been the hottest summer on record with the worst wildfires in the province. Find out what our climate action team is working on to help our community get through these crises.

We ran 5 events over the summer, including two sessions of our ever popular Gumbooting the Lagoon, and a refreshing tour of Blue Jay Farm. Big thanks to our wonderful presenters for sharing their local knowledge, and to everyone who came out.

We're always keen to hear what folks thought of our events. Drop us a note if you want to let us know what you liked or if you have any ideas for other events we could run!

Invasive Species Monitoring: Green Crabs

Did you know that Green Crabs are one of the world’s most invasive species? They can cause significant harm to coastal ecosystems, like our precious eel grass beds. Over the summer months, we took part in a green crab trapping program with DFO in Mansons Lagoon. Luckily, we found none – phew!

Next up, we're doing a pilot program with the DFO to take water samples in Cortes Bay. These will be analyzed for Green Crab DNA, and the results will give us another clue as to whether they're hanging out around Cortes.

Want to know more about our Green Crab investigation? Listen to our latest interview for Cortes Currents here: https://cortescurrents.ca/no-european-green-crabs-in-the-discovery-islands-yet/

Thank you Manuel!

We were thrilled with what Manuel Perdisa got up to this summer while working with us. He helped with our lake and marine monitoring programs, removed invasive species at the Dillon Creek Wetland, ran our summer market booth, and completed a research project on protecting eel grass. We loved his dedication and boundless enthusiasm, and wish him well in his ongoing studies at UVic.

You can hear more about Manuel's experience working with FOCI in his interview for CKTZ.

Western Screech Owl Nest Boxes

We had a wonderful turn out for our Western Screech Owl nest box workshop on Read Island in August. Community members made 9 boxes, which will be put up on Read, Maurelle and Sonora Islands.

We are holding another workshop, this time on Cortes, this upcoming Sunday, September 24th, from 1-3 pm – we hope to see you there! Look on Facebook and Tideline for more event details.

Finished boxes will be put up in special locations around the island. We'll check them in the spring to see if any owls have taken up residence.

You can find out more about our Western Screech Owl project, here: https://www.friendsofcortes.org/western-screech-owl/

Help us care for the Dillon Creek Wetland!

The Dillon Creek Wetland was rebuilt by community members in 2021, at Linnaea Farm. Our hope was that the wetland would capture harmful nutrients and sediment flowing into Hague and Gunflint lakes from the watershed upstream. Not only does it do this important work, but it has also made a new home for wetland wildlife, like frogs, otters, dragonflies and ducks.

Watch this short documentary to learn more about the story of the Dillon Creek Wetland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSlRTgryV-0

In order for the wetland to stay healthy and keep functioning in the years to come, it needs ongoing care from trained community members. To guide this work, we've created a 3-year management plan.

Our 3-year Wetland Management Plan will cost $45,000 ($15,000/year). We're gathering donations to help us raise this amount.

You can support the Dillon Creek Wetland by sending us donations, either online or with a cheque, payable to Friends of Cortes Island Society.
1. Donate online on our Canada Helps page
2. Send a cheque to:
Friends of Cortes Island
PO Box 278
Mansons Landing, BC V0P 1K0, Canada

Climate disruption, emergencies, and action

This summer on Cortes, we've been feeling the effects of poor air quality from neighbouring wildfires, stress from the ongoing drought, and many other impacts from climate related emergencies. Our team is working on a Climate Action Survey with a group of students from Simon Fraser University. This tool is being designed to help our community decide what we can be doing to better prepare and respond to these growing crises.

We'll have more details on how you can contribute to the Climate Action Survey in a future email. For now, we're inviting concerned neighbours to start writing down or talking about your ideas with each other. The more we share, the more supported we will feel as we navigate the challenges ahead.

Sources and recommended reading:
Globe and Mail Canada Wildfires
National Wildland Fire Situation Report
Angus Reid Institute Study / Canadian Perspectives on Wildfires and Climate Change
After a summer of near-record drought across B.C., flood risk will follow (Times Columnist)
Maps and Charts of 2023 Wildfires in Canada (BBC)

Donate today to help us tackle the climate crisis and keep Cortes wild and beautiful!

Donations of any size are very appreciated.
Donate Now!

Become a Friend of Cortes Island!

Not already a member?

Sign up today: https://www.friendsofcortes.org/membership/

We work to keep the island wild & beautiful!

When you join, you'll also get member discounts at our events, and a complimentary subscription to Western Canada’s award-winning environmental news magazine — Watershed Sentinel!