EQUINE ENJOYMENT
People from all ages and walks of life are drawn to horses. I think it’s because horses seem to be able to touch ...
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ALL Plants & animals
LISTENING TO PLANTS
An invasive plant is defined by context. A plant considered a noxious weed by one person or group may be used for ...
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MARMOTS IN FOCUS
The Vancouver Island marmot has lived on Vancouver Island for hundreds of millennia. In all that time, it has only ...
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Migration of the Grizzlies
Vancouver Island has remote valleys, salmon streams, and mountainsides that, in summer, are ripe with plump ...
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FROM OCEAN TO EYE LEVEL
As a small collect-and-release aquarium facility, displaying a selection of animals in an ethical and sustainable ...
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THOUSANDS OF GULLS
The ocean is full of creatures. Humpback whales, orcas, barking sea lions, playful dolphins, and curious seals ...
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Generations of Sound
It’s just past midnight when I wake to a familiar sound; R Clan is back. Jumping out of bed, I scurry down the ...
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GOATS AND BOATS
The first thing I remember hearing about Maya was that she kept goats. As I got to know her better, and eventually ...
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TRUE FACTS ABOUT FAKE BIRDS
Deep in the heart of Utah Mormon country, in a place called Temple Square, sits an unusual statue known as the ...
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FRIENDS OF FELINES
Two “very pregnant” cats. That was the delivery at the door of the Kitty Cat P.A.L. (Prevent-A-Litter) Society at ...
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NEITHER SEEN NOR HEARD
Not long after I moved to Cumberland, when it was easier to get lost in the forest, I was riding my dirt bike down ...
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The Gardening Movement
THE GARDENING NARRATIVE
HEATHER KELLERHALS–STEWART
Behind every widely held belief there is a narrative—true ...
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THE DUBIOUS PLEASURES OF WINTER BIRDING
The first time Tom (not his real name) had someone call the cops on him was in the winter. He was several blocks ...
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GETTING HIGH ON VANCOUVER ISLAND
The secret’s out regarding Vancouver Island and its amazing mountains. While all alpine environments are ...
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SECOND CHANCES
“We so rarely get second chances,” says whale researcher Jackie Hildering, the co-founder of Port McNeill-based ...
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Colourful Splendour in the Emerald Sea
Coral reefs in Canada? That seems like a contradiction to most people, but under the surface of the Salish sea ...
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Raising Backyard Birds
Growing up we had chickens, the familiar pets that simultaneously bring life to the yard and yield breakfast to ...
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BEAVERS, WIDE OPEN!
I used to write science fiction (which means I know little about science, but I liked playing with ideas). In one ...
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VERACITY OF THE VESPIDS
Before the headlines were screaming “Murder Hornets!!!” (officially known as Vespa mandarinia, aka “Baskin bees” ...
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If Dogs Could Talk
Sleeping soundly, Cole nuzzled into the duvet and Archie was curled in his favourite blanket—you would think ...
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LEARNING TO FLY
As the sun breaks through in a brief respite on a day of steady rain, the 11 acres of the MARS Wildlife Rescue ...
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Seed Sowing 101
Each seed is a true miracle of life. One weighing a mere 0.8 micrograms that grows into a beautiful orchid ...
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THE ELK IN OUR BACKYARD
“What was that?” says Scott. His head swivels in the direction of the sound.
I raise my hand above my head and ...
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WAIT ’TIL THE SUN SHINES, NELLIE
While looking at a 1931 photo of a crew of men seated on a logging raft, long-time Cumberland resident Karl ...
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DARK SCIENCE
[On Judgement Day] …men will cast away their idols of silver and gold—the idols they made to worship—to the moles ...
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PROPHETS AND HARBINGERS
Owls are a fascinating subject rife with symbolism, mythology, and contentious conservationism. No Halloween would ...
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CURIOUS CREATURES
Once upon a time, my grade seven teacher took our class on a road trip from our interior town of Kamloops to the ...
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THE RETURN OF GIANTS
For the past 15 years, I’ve spent summers working as a kayak guide leading multi-day trips, mostly in the waters ...
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THE TROUBLE WITH WOLVES
A herd of Roosevelt Elk browses willows in a bog near the Mount Cain turnoff. Nearby, a pack of wolves lie hunched ...
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PARADISE MEADOWS
They say you should stop and smell the roses if you want to enjoy the journey. I’ve discovered my own ...
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MOUNTAINAIRE AVIAN RESCUE SOCIETY
Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS) is a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre where over 700 injured and ...
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FREE-DIVING, WITH A CATCH
I hold my breath, feeling a trickle of cold that distracts me for a second; there must be a hole in my suit from ...
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BLACK-TAILED DEER
Upon moving to the Comox Valley at age seven, I developed a newfound appreciation and sense of amazement at the ...
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WILD NEIGHBOURS
A great thing about living in coastal British Columbia is the awareness that we inhabit ecological communities as ...
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OSCAR’S STORY
Oscar was a beautiful, flamed point feline who lived out his days on sunny counter tops and in the laps of locals ...
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WHEN HERRING SPAWN
One of our most memorable experiences in the Comox Valley began on March 1, 2015, when we received an email from a ...
THE VERDANT VALLEY
There is a deep-rooted satisfaction in food production for both commercial and personal use. On the outside, the ...
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GHOST CATS
The cats were intensely focused, only glancing at me before returning their focus to my dog Taz, a large German ...
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CYCLE OF LIFE
I once met a witch in a cafe in Cairo who told me that I was a lot like the season autumn. She explained, that for ...
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BEE KEEPING 101
I can’t imagine our backyard without the sweet scent and gentle hum of the hives. At this time of year our girls ...
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THOUGHTS FROM AN OYSTER
Most of you don’t know much about us. You like to talk like you do, gazing at each other over the plate. There’s ...
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