The Comox Valley Land Trust invites you on a guided walk in the Lower Perseverance Creek. The walk is being co-hosted with the Cumberland Community Forest Society (CCFS) to celebrate the success of our two groups working together to protect this latest addition to the Cumberland Forest.
The walk will provide an opportunity to learn about the area’s many important ecological values including protecting the quality of the source of our drinking water in the Comox Lake watershed and providing fish and wildlife habitat. The area forms part of an ecological corridor that links Perseverance Creek to Comox Lake. The lower reaches of the creek have been identified as vital for habitat restoration. The area is home to bears, cougars, bats, and salmon.
The 17.5-hectare (43-acre) site is a low elevation, naturally regenerated older second-growth forest ecosystem. These ecosystems will become the Comox Valley’s future old growth forests. These forests are rapidly being harvested and replaced by tree farm plantations, which is why the Land Trust and the Cumberland Forest Society want to protect them.
The area is also a part of the mining history of Cumberland and contains old mining works and “coal hills.”
The forest is located on the north side of Comox Lake Road west of the Village of Cumberland on land currently owned by Comox Timber Limited, a subsidiary of Manulife Investment Management Timberland and Agriculture Inc. Notice was given in 2020 that the forest was going to be logged. Manulife deferred logging while Cumberland Forest Society raised the funds to purchase the site. CVLT secured a grant in February to assist CCFS, which has been leading fundraising efforts.
You will learn about the various complexities and persistent effort required to complete a land acquisition on private forest lands.
Guided Walk Dates: There are two walks being held on Saturday, July 2 from 9 to 11 am, and again from 11.30 am to 1.30 pm. The meeting location will be close to Comox Lake via Lake Road in Cumberland. Please register as these walks are limited in size. There are no washroom facilities on site. Please bring your own water and dress for the weather.