Cortes Children's Forest Trust

The Children’s Forest youth theatre troupe performed The Lorax at the Cortes SeaFest festival at the Gorge Harbour on May 21st. Under the direction of FTCCIS board member Connie Brill, the youth presented a well-polished interpretation of Dr. Seuss’s classic ecological tale for an enthusiastic audience of festival goers.

Nola & Monadenia snail

FTCCIS sponsored the first ever Children’s Forest BioBlitz from noon April 16 to noon April 17, 2016. Cortes youth hosted the event, which was attended by just over 70 people; 35 youth & 20 accompanying parents camping overnight at Carrington Bay Park campsite, Saturday, April 16.

Participating naturalists included:
Frank Boas / retired UBC Bryologist
Conrad Dombrowski / Independent fungal studies
Purnima Govindarajulu / MOE Provincial Small Mammals Specialist & Herpetologist
Nancy & Ray Kendall and Peter Elliott/ CIMAS Bird International field staff
Liz Richardson/ Independent vascular plant studies
Max Thaysen/ Cortes Streamkeepers

The 2016 BioBlitz made significant contributions to faunal and floral lists for Cortes Island forestlands. Even more significant are the impressions left with the 35 Cortes youth who participated in the BioBlitz.

Walt Whitman wrote…

“There was a child went forth every day,
And the first object he look’d upon, that object he became,
And that object became part of him for the day or a certain part of the day,
Or for many years or stretching cycles of years.”

To respectfully paraphrase Whitman’s subsequent lines…

The forest snail became part of this child,
And moss and white and red mushroom caps, and rough-skinned newts,
and the song of the Pacific wren,
And the flying squirrels and the forest’s glorious green colours,
and the cutthroat trout and the alligator lizard…

Sincere thanks to everyone who participated in this fabulously successful celebration of Cortes forestlands!

For more images of the BioBlitz, see the 2016 BioBlitz gallery.

The 24 hour survey of the Children’s Forest; 1200 pm April 16 – 1200 pm April 17, 2016 is coming closer!!! Everyone is welcome to join in this celebration of our forest lands!!

Our team of talented Cortes naturalists are especially excited to be welcoming off-island guests: Frank Boas and Purnima Govindarajulu. Meet them at the BioBlitz Presenter’s Evening, Friday, April 15 at 7:30 pm at Gorge Hall.

Frank Boas resides, retired… on Quadra Island and is one of the best moss men in the province of BC. Some of you may have met Frank at our Whaletown Commons BioBlitz a few years back and you will be able to attest to the energy of… Moss Mania, the cloud of swirling green energy that Frank generates!!! Spend a walk with Frank this weekend and you will never look at a moss the same way again!!!

Purnima Govindarajulu, from Victoria is the provincial small mammals & herpetofauna specialist… yup, that’s a mouthful!!! Herps are amphibians and reptiles, and the small mammals Purnima is most passionate about are…bats!!! Purnima will be speaking, at our Presenters Evening, about the incredible challenges we face today in conserving populations of these animals in the face of rapidly expanding global diseases. This is a public talk and we welcome all members of the Cortes community to come out and meet Purnima, who is interested in having Cortes Island join the BC Bat Monitoring Program, which she co-ordinates for the Ministry of Environment.

So here it is… the naturalist schedule for this weekend’s BioBlitz….
Please be reminded that all guided walks (unless indicated otherwise) begin & end at our BioBlitz portal, which is an ~40’ walk in from the trailhead on Carrington Bay Road. The trailhead well signed with parking available.

Saturday, April 16, 2016

12:00 pm – Join Frank Boas for… Moss Mania; identification and natural history of local moss (and some liverwort) species; bring your magnifying lenses.
and…
Liz Richardson for… Plant Plethora; identification and natural history of our local vascular plant species; bring your Plants of Coastal BC reference book.

2:00 pm – Join Max Thaysen, for… Seriously Salmon; Cortes Streamkeepers work in James Creek; meet our resident cutthroat trout.
and…
Conrad Dombrowski for… Mushrooms in a Magic Meadow; identification of our local fungal species and the natural history of mycorrhizae; everywhere beneath your feet!

4:00 pm – Join Purnima Govindarajulu for… Amphibia Ambles; walk wetlands in search of amphibian egg masses for identification of species present and learn some of their natural history; gumboots a good idea!

Dinner Break – at which time the rest of the forest animals come out to watch the mammals gathered at the campsite… eat!

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Join Purnima Govindarajulu for…the Crepuscular Hours; the time when bats, owls and flying squirrels are in their element!!
Purnima will be working the air waves with an ultrasonic detector; bat species are identified by the frequency of their sounds… let’s discover who is flying!!
Northern flying squirrels are strictly nocturnal animals… so we will also be on the lookout for these “forest shadows” gliding through the canopy.
(*Note that this walk starts from Carrington Bay Park campsite at 7:00 pm.)

Sunday, April 17, 2016

12:00 am – Join Cortes youth on a midnight forest watch…“If you go out in the woods tonight…” (*Note that this walk starts from Carrington Bay Park campsite.)

4:00 am– 6:00 am – Join Cortes youth for… The Dawn Chorus
(*Note that this walk starts from Carrington Bay Park campsite at 0400)

8:00 am – Join Nancy & Ray Kendall for… Bird Brains & other crazy things to do this early on a Sunday Morning! Identification of local birds by sight and sound. The forest is simply alive with returning bird species this fabulous month of spring!!! Join in!

10:00 am – Join Sabina Leader Mense for… A is for Alligator Lizards; we’re off to the high bluffs above Carrington Lagoon to prowl beneath the manzanita bushes for alligator lizards and other resident reptiles!

12:00 pm – Cortes Youth Close the Circle in the Children’s Forest… as we come to the end of our 24 hour survey

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!!!

The Children’s Forest BioBlitz is hosted by Cortes youth and sponsored by the Forest Trust for the Children of Cortes Island Society. Questions? Sabina 250 935 6467

A weekend of exploration, discovery, fun and learning to celebrate the biodiversity of our forestlands! EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

Friday evening, April 15, we will start off the weekend with a Forest Feast at Gorge Hall, hosted by Cortes youth. Tickets are for sale at Gorge Harbour Marina and the Cortes Natural Food Coop. Doors open 5:30 pm with dinner served at 6:00 pm.

Next up will be our Presenter’s Evening, beginning at 7:30 pm on Friday, April 15 at Gorge Hall. Everyone is welcome to come out and meet the team of natural historians participating in the BioBlitz – our best Cortes Island naturalists and invited off island guests.

Saturday, April 16, starting at 1200 noon through to dusk, we will be hosting guided forest walks exploring a full spectrum of species and ecological communities present in the Children’s Forest. Our BioBlitz portal, where we will begin and end all guided walks, is just a 40’ walk or a 15’ bike ride in, from the trailhead on Carrington Bay Road; this will be well signed and parking is available.

Sunday, April 17, from the BioBlitz portal, we will start off our guided walks again at 0600 am – to delight in the dawn chorus! The walks will continue through 1200 noon, which will mark the end of our 24 hour BioBlitz.

As soon as we have all of our presenters confirmed, we will post the specific times that specific naturalists will be leading their guided walks, so you can tailor the weekend to your personal interests. Join in the adventure of discovering your “backyard”!
EVERYONE IS WELCOME!!!

The Children’s Forest BioBlitz is hosted by Cortes youth and sponsored by the Forest Trust for the Children of Cortes Island Society.
Questions? Sabina 250 935 6467

What do you get when you combine 15 dedicated youth, an inspired vision, and professional theatre expertise? ‘SHADES OF GREEN’ and a summer forest theatre troupe!

‘SHADES OF GREEN!’ Fifteen Cortes youth, under the guidance of our youth director, Ashe Biela, and the talented expertise of Connie Brill & Colin Funk of Rewild Theatre, will be making their theatre debut on July 21st at the Gorge Harbour Marina as part of the Fireside Patio evening entertainment. The 15 enthusiastic youth have crafted their forest stories with scripting guidance offered by Colin & Connie. A second presentations will be offered at the Fireside Patio, so if you miss us on opening night, you will have another opportunity to be uplifted.

FOREST WALKS – Our ongoing Nature Study Days continue on the first Sunday of each month (July 5, August 1). These forest explorations overflow with exuberance, curiosity, wonder, discovery and surprise! The walk starts at 10:00 am sharp, so please meet 9:45 am at the Coulter Bay trailhead with swimsuit, towel & lunch. Our return varies between 2:00 – 3:00 pm. Children seven years and under need to bring an adult in tow, and we ask that 4-legged friends are left at home.

FOREST INTERPRETATIVE WALKS – Forest interpretative walks are being offered weekly on Tuesday mornings, led by our guide-in-training, Tosh Harvey, whose plant knowledge and passion is extraordinary! Please meet at the Gorge Harbour Marina gazebo, 9:30 am, for a 1-2 hour guided walk through the Gorge Park or Whaletown Commons.

THANK YOU TO GORGE HARBOUR MARINA! – The Children’s Forest Trust is especially grateful to Richard & Michelle and Bill & Tammy for their wonderful support of the Children’s Forest this summer. Display space generously offered on the docks is making it possible to promote the Children’s Forest initiatives to boaters and visitors from afar. The Gorge Marina is also providing a venue for the forest theatre troupe and interpretive walks. This supports youth leadership in our Cortes children, and contributes to the well-being of our community. Well done!

PUBLIC MEMBERSHIPS – We are pleased to announce that the Forest Trust for the Children of Cortes Island Society will be expanding to include public membership! Memberships will be available at our educational display table during Cortes Days and certain Farmers Markets for an annual fee of $5 for adults and a free official membership for youth. Come and find us!

PROFESSIONAL FUND-RAISING DOSSIER – The Board of Directors are circulating a professional fund-raising dossier to individuals whom we believe are in a position to financially embrace the efforts to purchase and protect the Children’s Forest. Formal financial pledges are being solicited, and we welcome any contacts Cortes Islanders may have for us. Click here to contact us!

A resounding chorus of frog song and wolf calls to the many individuals who made the Children’s Forest first school tour a huge success – Ashe & Sabina for vision & fruition, Meinsje & Connie for puppetry expertise & theatre direction, Mary & Sarah for organization support, AND especially to the ten outstanding youth who diligently rehearsed and carried the story of the Children’s Forest to Saltspring Island!!!

The Children’s Forest tribe took their puppet extravaganza and forest rap to six schools on Saltspring, March 2-5, 2015 and performed for over 5oo students in total. The troupe visited Saltspring Centre School, Fulford Elementary, Saltspring Island Middle School, Fernwood Elementary, Phoenix School, and Saltspring Elementary School. Each school offered a unique setting, audience, and opportunity for theatrical learning, and was gifted a copy of the book, ‘Forest Alphabet’ for their school library. Following each performance, the Forest Alphabet youth chatted with school students, showing their puppetry skills, and cultivating a network of youth speaking out for the natural world.

The Cortes youth explored some of Saltspring’s lovely beaches and parks, and had the amazing opportunity to visit Robert Bateman in his home and studio. Robert Bateman has been a long-time supporter of the Children’s Forest – he contributed a written dedication to ‘Forest Alphabet’, took a group of artists into the Children’s Forest, and gifted a piece of art to the Artist’s Journey art auction.

Please read a full account of the tour in the Youth Initiatives section, written by Alma, budding writer and co-star in the Children’s Forest promotional video of 4 years ago.