Nanoose Bay, British Columbia- Mushrooms, the chirp of tree frogs and colours of autumn will be the backdrop of the Wilderness Committee’s guided tours of Nanoose Bay’s DL 33 forest and wetlands as the weekly tours will start up again this Thanksgiving Saturday, Oct. 9, meeting at the Nanoose Petrocan station at 11:00 am.“The wildlife photo display of the Nanoose Bay Forest, referred to as DL 33, sparked quite a bit of interest at our September BC Rivers Day event," said Annette Tanner, Wilderness Committee, Mid Island co-ordinator. "People were amazed at the photos of the local wildlife and requested tours to the forest, so we decided we would resume our weekly guided tours.” The Nanoose Bay forest represents one of the most biologically diverse and most threatened forests and wetlands in the country.

“With the fall season upon us, the wildlife, plants, mushrooms, wetlands, and birds will present a different focus for our tours, as seasonal precipitation will re-establish the streams and increase the size of the wetlands,” continues Tanner.
“The ferns and mosses start to take over ‘the show’ as their colours become brilliantly green with the autumn dew and mist.”

The public is invited to meet for guided tours of the Nanoose forest and wetlands, at 11:00 am every Saturday, in Nanoose Bay, (north of Nanaimo ) at the Petrocan station (2345 Island Hwy E ) on the corner of the Inland Island Highway and Northwest Bay Road. The tour is an easy 1-2 hour walk. 250 752-6585 for information.

For further information contact Annette Tanner 250 752-6585 or cell 240-7470.

Backgrounder:
 

• The Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) made a unanimous resolution to have Nanoose’s DL33 included in the Provincial Government’s recent Land Use Order to protect the Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem on East Vancouver (CDFmm ) from extinction.
• In February the Regional District of Nanaimo, which includes the city of Nanaimo, Parksville and Town of Qualicum Beach passed a unanimous resolution to:

1.  expand the provincial government Land Use Order initiative to include all of the Coastal Douglas-fir parcels of Crown Land within the Coastal Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zone and to:
2. extend the initiative to include all remaining parcels of Crown Land within the E & N Land Area