NC-Speaker- Arctic/Antarctic Flora & Fauna
2026-04-06 09:30 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Fish Health Building, 1080 Wharncliffe Road, Duncan, British Columbia, V9L2K7, Canada
Local, retired ship captain, Don Feil will share an audio-visual presentation of the Flora and Fauna of the Canadian Arctic and Antarctic Regions which he observed during voyages through the Northwest Passage, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica. This will be in-person only – no zoom – so we can appreciate the photos full-size on the big screen…… and yes we know it’s Easter Monday! Bring a toonie for coffee.

Transfer Beach - Native Plant Bed Care
2026-04-06 10:00 - 12:00 | Transfer Beach, 200 Transfer Beach Road, Ladysmith, BC, V9G 1W2, Canada
Yes – Easter Monday!! We meet up at the Kinsman Hut on the 1st Monday of the month until November to care for the Butterfly Meadow and Bird Shrubbery we planted in 2024. Come and help weed, plant, collect seeds, learn about native plants and the communities they support. Bring your own coffee and favourite gardening tools if you can and we will bring extras. Lead – Monica

Water Quality Monitoring
2026-04-07 10:30 - 12:30 | Somenos Creek Dog Park, Somenos Creek Dog Park, Duncan, BC, V9L3G1, Canada
Join us for a morning of hands-on water quality monitoring across the S-amunu/Somenos Watershed! We’ll visit Somenos, Bings, Averill, and Richards Creeks, carpooling between sites to collect samples and record data. It’s a great opportunity to learn about key water quality parameters and how our creeks are affected by development and climate change.
If you are interested in joining us, please email us at phaedra@somenosmarsh.com for more details.

Reconcilliation – Journey of Our Generation Workshop
2026-04-10 09:00 - 15:30 | Cobble Hill Hall 3550 Watson Avenue Cobble Hill, BC V8H 4A8, 3550 Watson Avenue, Cobble Hill, BC, V8H 4A8, Canada
Full Day seminar awakening participants to the Indigenous Peoples journey. Nobody will be turned away for insufficient funds.

Holland Creek Invasive Removal
2026-04-11 10:00 - 12:00 | Holland Creek, 374 Dogwood Dr,, Ladysmith, BC, V9G 0B9, Canada
Meet up is at the hut on Methuen and 6th. We will walk upstream cutting broom and removing other invasives. Dress for the weather and bring refreshments. We can supply some gloves and tools but if you have loppers and weeding tools, please bring them. Lead – Jillian

Coastal Bird Count-Citizen Science
2026-04-12 08:30 - 09:30 | Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre, 1845 Cowichan Bay Road, Cowichan Bay, British Columbia, V0R1N0, Canada
Young and old, novice and pro birders are all welcome to join in the Coastal Bird Counts at high tide on the second Sunday of each month. The route is along a nice flat track. Sea lions tend to be an added attraction for the first few months. Later on, the Great Blue Herons at the Rookery are fun to watch as well. Surveys began in 1999 and provide valuable data to Birds Canada totrack the health of our coastal habitats.Check their Coastal Bird Survey Newsletter at https://www.birdscanada.org/bccws_newsletters. If you want to borrow some binoculars and give it a try please email me at
kathrynmariec@gmail.com. Hope to see you there!

Maple Bay Garry Oak Preserve - Volunteer Maintenance
2026-04-15 09:00 - 12:00, 2026-04-29 09:00 - 12:00 | Cowichan Garry Oak Preserve, AitkenRoad, Duncan, BC, V9L 5S1, Canada
Spring is the time to see the Garry Oak ecosystem return to life! Come out and do a bit of gentle maintenance while appreciating some of the flowers and birds under the leafing Oaks. Please rsvp by email if you can: info@cowichanlandtrust.ca

Movie: Cedar is Life @ Bagel&Bannock
2026-04-17 17:30 - 20:00 | Bagel & Bannock, 48 Station Street, Duncan, BC, V9L 1M4, Canada
The Movie “A Cedar Is Life” explores how one critical species, the cedar tree, is central to the cultural life of West Coast First Nations. The film follows the journey of Archeological Consultant and Cultural Worker Harold C. Joe as he discovers more about the cedar. The documentary weaves together interviews with elders, mask carvers, medicinal harvesters, canoe makers, totem carvers, cedar bark weavers, those working with traditional food and cooking, and other hands-on practitioners all along the West Coast (from Cowichan to Haida Gwaii) who speak to their craft, and how all parts of the tree were – and still are – important to make use of. For tickets go to:
A Cedar is Life – Film Screening Tickets
5:30 pm Doors open for connection and light snacks.
6:00 – 6:30 pm Conversation with Director Harold Joe.
6:30 – 8:00 pm Film Screening. 8:00 to 8:15 Q&A with Harold.

Bald Mountain (Youbou) Broom Bash
2026-04-18 10:00 - 13:00 | Bald Mountain Park, 9489 Marble Rd, Youbou, BC, Canada
Bald Mountain Park is a popular hiking destination near the community of Youbou. Its spectacular views and 7.6 kilometers of trails make it a hot-spot for the local hiking community as well as visitors to the area. The park also features sensitive ecological areas which are being encroached on by the invasive plant, Scotch broom. Please join CVRD Parks and the Youbou Community Association in helping to remove Scotch broom from some of the lower elevation areas of the park! This event takes place on Saturday, April 18, 2026 from 10:00am to 1:00pm.

Holland Creek Broom Busting
2026-04-20 10:30 - 13:00 | Holland Creek, 374 Dogwood Dr,, Ladysmith, BC, V9G 0B9, Canada
Meet up is at the Mackie Rd Trail Head. The Ladysmith School will assist in a Community Broom Cut around Colonia Bridge area. Instruction, gloves, and loppers will be provided. Leads – Patrice and Monica

CWB Speakers Night - Busy beavers: Engineers of ecosystems and watersheds?
2026-04-20 19:00 - 20:30 | VIU Cowichan Campus, 2011 University Way, North Cowichan, British Columbia, V9L 0C7, Canada
Busy beavers: Engineers of ecosystems and watersheds?
Join Aquatic Habitat Biologist Lars Reese-Hansen as he explores the wide-ranging effects of beavers on landscapes throughout North America and beyond.
Beavers are a familiar and charismatic animal found throughout most of Canada, including here in the Quw’utsun (Cowichan) watershed. Their dam and lodge building activities are well-known and have significant impacts on the ways that water moves through and is stored throughout our watersheds. Consequently, beavers are sometimes referred to as “ecosystem engineers”; however, the broad-ranging influences that beavers have on the watersheds they call home are not always well understood, leading to significant discourse around whether beavers positively or negatively shape watersheds and the communities within them.

When: Monday, April 20th, 2026, from 7-8:30pm.
Where: Vancouver Island University, Cowichan Campus, Lecture Hall 140 (2011 University Way, Duncan).
Cost: Free!

Cowichan Stewardship Roundtable - meeting
2026-04-21 09:00 - 12:00 | Fish Health Building, 1080 Wharncliffe Road, Duncan, British Columbia, V9L2K7, Canada
CSRT meetings on the third Tuesday of the month are both in-person and on zoom. Everyone welcome! 9:00-10:45 round-the-table update from each person about topics related to the Cowichan River by their organizations. But you can just listen, or speak as an individual too if you like. 11:00-12:00 speaker presentation. Please feel free to come and go at anytime. The Roundtable works together in a collaborative, kind and respectful manner at all times. The agenda timing is only approximate. Speaker for this month is: Francis Guyver – update from Mosaic

Webinar: Balancing Nature w/ Fire Protection in homes and forests
2026-04-21 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
In celebration of Earth Week and in honour of our urban and established forests, Creatively United presents a free zoom webinar/conversation and Q&A with some of BC’s leading experts on tree preservation in light of a changing climate and the threat of fire. While many celebrate a succession of sunny days, the topic turns serious when fish-bearing streams run dry and forests, trees and gardens wither under the extremes of drought. Water restrictions have limited what farmers and industry formerly took for granted and in many parts of BC the situation has already proven deadly. Learn how to discern truth from half-truth (or fiction), protect and preserve trees, your community, homes and loved ones from the growing threat of fire in an era of climate uncertainty.
Herb Hammond, forest ecologist, professional forester, author; Rachel Holt, independent ecologist, professional biologist; and Dave Daust, forester, landscape analyst will dispel some of the myths perpetuated by government agencies and social media to reveal how the public can better protect trees and nature in their community and elsewhere. We will also be joined by a conservation biologist and local FireSmart representative, to interpret the FireSmart recommendations for natural landscapes around homes.
Moderated by Grace Golightly and Creatively United founder Frances Litman.
Registration link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_X9mdKbeGQhSvgMRuElYTOA

NC-Speaker-Blockade
2026-04-21 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom
Christine Lowther will speak on her book “Blockade – a history of forest activism”, about the attempts to save the last of the old growth – especially on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. This will be on zoom only. Non-members please email cvns@naturecowichan.net for the link.

Two Earth Day Estuary Walks (9am & 5pm)
2026-04-22 09:00 - 17:00 | Blackley Farm Dike, 1322 Tzouhalem Road, North Cowichan, BC, Canada
Join us for two Earth Day family walks along the North Fork Dike Trail (Blackley’s Farm Dike Trail) on April 22 (see Valley Voice page 62). In March, CERCA with Nature Cowichan planted 100 endemic shrub species along this trail, making use of the openings created by earlier broom removal over the years. To celebrate Earth Day and showcase this joint effort, you are warmly invited to join us for a guided walk led by Luke Downs and Bruce Coates.
For those who prefer a morning outing (birds perhaps?), please meet Luke at 9:00 AM at the gate by the Komiaken Bridge spanning the Cowichan River North Fork.
If an evening walk (after work?) suits you better, Bruce will lead a second walk at 5:00 PM from the same location. Perhaps a picnic lunch on the viewing platform at sunset?
Parking is extremely rough and limited at that site. Please park across the road or further along by the old barn.

Earth Day Riparian Restoration
2026-04-22 10:00 - 11:30 | Somenos Creek Dog Park, Somenos Creek Dog Park, Duncan, BC, V9L3G1, Canada
Join us on earth day to help restore the riparian area of Somenos Creek and learn about our beautiful watershed. We will be planting native trees along the banks of Somenos Creek, so bring weather appropriate clothing and good shoes.
If you are interested in joining us for this event please let us know by emailing us at phaedra@somenosmarsh.com.

Trillium Park Ivy Pull (CVRD Area H)
2026-04-22 10:00 - 13:00 | Trillium Park, Chandler Rd, Ladysmith, BC, N/A, Canada
Earth Day Event!
Please join the CVRD Parks & Trails Volunteer Program, Friends of Holland Creek, Broombusters and students from Ladysmith Secondary School to help care for beautiful Trillium Park in Area H by removing invasive species. This little gem of a park is located just North of Ladysmith off of Highway 1. The park has moderately sloping trails and NO washroom available. Gloves, tools and refreshments will be available.
Please fill in an application or log in to your CVRD Volunteer Account to sign up now!
Reach out to parks.volunteers@cvrd.bc.ca or 250.746.2649 with many questions you may have.

Holland Creek Bioblitz
2026-04-25 10:00 - 13:00 | Holland Creek, 374 Dogwood Dr,, Ladysmith, BC, V9G 0B9, Canada
Meet up at Dogwood Drive Trail Head. This is a great opportunity to contribute to community science and long-term ecological monitoring in our creek. We will be using iNaturalist to record all the plants, animals, and fungi we observe. There will be biologists and ecologists to guide us, help identify what we find. You can join the plant people, the birders, or the fishy ones to check out the fish traps in the river. There will be options for all ages and potential for a bat walk that evening. Lead – Jen

Ladysmith Harbour - Evening Low Tide Walk
2026-04-25 17:00 - 19:00 | Cedar to Ladysmith, Ladysmith, BC, Canada
Ladysmith Harbour, meet at 5066 Brenton Page Rd for an intertidal walk and talk with fish biologist, Rick Harbo. Gumboots recommended. Bring appies and a drink if you would like to stay for a sunset social on the beach with Yellow Point Ecological Society. Lead – Pamela

Hemer Park - Camas Meadow Tour
2026-04-26 10:00 - 12:00 | Hemer Park, 2411
Hemer Park – Camas Meadow tour. We can support the VIU students who are doing a vegetation survey by using iNaturalist to Bioblitz the same area. Learn how it can be used to monitor restoration sites. Meet at Morland Road entrance and come into the meadow. Lead – Nikki

Cable Bay Trail Walk
2026-04-26 14:00 - 16:00 | Cable Bay Trailhead, 2705 Nicola Road, Nan, BC, V9X1N4, Canada
Cable Bay Trail walk led by Champagne Hill Botanicals. Meet at Cable Bay trailhead on Nicola Rd. Walk to Dodd Narrows and back – a 4km round trip walk. Some uphill sections. Dress for the weather. Lead – Jain

Mill Bay Nature Park Ivy Pull
2026-05-03 10:00 - 13:00 | Mill Bay Nature Park, 695 Hollings Rd, Mill Bay, BC, N/A, Canada
Please join the CVRD Parks & Trails Volunteer Program to care for the ecosystem of Mill Bay Nature Park.
Activities will include hand pulling and clipping invasive English ivy in natural areas of the park and transporting it to a roll-off bin in the parking lot. Tools, gloves, instruction and light refreshments will be provided 🙂
Please dress for the weather!
Log in to your CVRD Volunteer Account to sign up now.
Please reach out if you have any questions: parks.volunteers@cvrd.bc.ca, 250.746.2649

X'pey (Cedar) Family Planting Day
2026-05-03 11:00 - 14:00
All ages welcome. Soup, shovels and gloves provided. Out near Skutz on old Cowichan Lake Road. Let us know if you need a ride! 250-893-9916

Lower Holland Creek - Community Broom Cut
2026-05-03 14:00 - 16:00 | Holland Creek, 374 Dogwood Dr,, Ladysmith, BC, V9G 0B9, Canada
Meet at the corner of King Rd and Roland Lane near the Estuary Trail head. We will start from Hwy 1A and work northwards. If needed, we will revisit the estuary area. Lead – Nikki

Transfer Beach - Community Broom Cut
2026-05-04 10:00 - 12:00 | Transfer Beach, 200 Transfer Beach Road, Ladysmith, BC, V9G 1W2, Canada
Meet in the Kinsman Hut to have coffee with Friends of Holland Creek. We will be tending the native plant beds and doing broom busting and invasive work along the park edges and towards the pedestrian tunnel. Leads – Nikki and Steffen

Reconcilliation – Journey of Our Generation Workshop
2026-05-08 09:00 - 16:00 | Cowichan Lake Education Ceneter, Lakeview Park Rd, Lake Cowichan, BC, V0R 2G0, Canada
Full Day seminar awakening participants to the Indigenous People’s journey. Nobody will be turned away for insufficient funds. This event will be held at the Cowichan Lake Education Center.

Mini Bee School
2026-05-09 09:00 - 2026-05-10 16:30 | VIU Cowichan Campus, 2011 University Way, North Cowichan, British Columbia, V9L 0C7, Canada
VIU and the Native Bee Society of BC are Proud to partner this spring to bring you another Mini Bee School at the Cowichan Campus in Duncan. Have you always wanted to know how to ID the amazing diversity of bees buzzing around your flowers? Where do they nest, what do they eat, and how can you support them? Join our Bee Biology and Identification workshop! This two-day session will start in the classroom to provide you with identification strategies for common native bees, as well as in-depth information on their nesting, overwintering, and flower preferences! The following day we will go on a “Bee Quest”, exploring local natural areas and observing bees and their habitat in the field. This workshop is suitable for beginner to intermediate students and will focus on recognizing common bumble bee species and common solitary bee genera. We will be examining bee specimens using low magnification digital microscopes, focusing on features that can be observed in the field and in photographs. In the field we will discuss the use of iNaturalist and the NBSBC’s BC Bee Atlas as tools for supporting native bees. We will also look for examples of important native bee habitat features and discuss practical habitat conservation measures that community members can take. Guest Instructor: Jade Lee
Day one of this workshop will be held at the Cowichan campus in room 130 May 9, 2026 | 9 am to 4:30 pm
Day two will be at Providence Farm May 10, 2026 | 10 am to 3 pm
Bursaries available for low income individuals, please email nbsbc@bcnativebees.org to request a bursary. Registration is being handled through VIU. Click the RSVP button to register or follow this link and you will be redirected to VIU’s Agricultural Workshops page. Please scroll down until you find Bee Biology and Identification to complete your registration.

Holland Creek Estates - Broom Cut
2026-05-09 10:00 - 12:30 | Holland Creek, 374 Dogwood Dr,, Ladysmith, BC, V9G 0B9, Canada
Meet in Holland Creek Estates on Rollie Rose Road and Colonia Drive. The priority is to work along south edge of Holland Creek. There is also dense broom on the uphill side of the estate under the hydro lines and on the gated, undeveloped, cleared areas. We will also check the area by the entrance which was cleared last year. Lead – Jillian

Coastal Bird Count-Citizen Science
2026-05-10 09:00 - 10:00 | Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre, 1845 Cowichan Bay Road, Cowichan Bay, British Columbia, V0R1N0, Canada
Young and old, novice and pro birders are all welcome to join in the Coastal Bird Counts at high tide on the second Sunday of each month. The route is along a nice flat track. Sea lions tend to be an added attraction for the first few months. Later on, the Great Blue Herons at the Rookery are fun to watch as well. Surveys began in 1999 and provide valuable data to Birds Canada to track the health of our coastal habitats. Check their Coastal Bird Survey Newsletter at https://www.birdscanada.org/bccws_newsletters. If you want to
borrow some binoculars and give it a try please email me at
kathrynmariec@gmail.com. Hope to see you there!
