Read the latest from our Environment section
Hollyhock Flats in the Courtenay Estuary — the essay
It was this essay, written in 1966 by Sid Belsom, a member of the original Comox Strathcona Natural History Society, that gave Hollyhock Flats it's name. We urge readers to follow the article to the end. The first three and the last seven paragraphs are particularly...
Exclusive images of Field’s Sawmill after it closed
After the timber company Interfor closed Field’s Sawmill in 2004, they authorized Merville photographer Tim Penney to document what remained of the iconic Courtenay business. Penney visited the site in November 2005 and captured images with Nikon D100 and D200 cameras...
Project Watershed, K’omoks First Nations to restore sawmill site
There was a time when diners at The Old House restaurant used to gaze across the Courtenay River toward Field’s Sawmill, and consider the nonstop activity of moving and milling large logs an additional delight. As they ate, more than 160 workers operated heavy...
11 Interesting facts about the history of Field’s Sawmill
#1 — The Field family — father Clarence and sons Ron and Roy — founded the original sawmill in 1947 on the site of Arden Elementary. The original property in the Arden area was owned by William Duncan. He built a barn and the building that became the original Fields...
Press Release from Project Watershed, K’omoks First Nation
MEDIA RELEASE September 12, 2017 The Comox Valley Project Watershed Society and K'ómoks First Nation announce deal to purchase the Field’s Sawmill Site (Kus-kus-sum) (Comox Valley, BC) The Comox Valley Project Watershed Society and the K'ómoks First Nation have...
Moving on to battle climate change, without Trump
The difference couldn’t be more striking. In his second inaugural address, former U.S. President Barack Obama said this: “We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations … We cannot...
Do we still need an Earth Day? Unfortunately, yes, we do
Millions of people participated in a first-ever annual grassroots demonstration 47 years ago to raise awareness about environmental concerns. They called it Earth Day. At the time, in 1970, the message focused on saving the whales and cleaning the trash out of our...
Readers: Comox fines too low for Garry Oak damages
From time to time, we get letters from our readers. Here are two we received questioning how the Town of Comox dealt with a homeowner who damaged a number of protected Garry Oak trees. Comox: The lowest tree vandalism fine on record in North America Not a week goes by...