Comox Valley Naturalists Society

Sunday, November 18, 2007
The Tsolum River: Its Decline, Its Renewal

The regular Monthly Meeting of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society will be held November 18, 2007 at 7:00 pm at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Avenue, Courtenay. The featured speaker will be Father Charles Brandt.

In 1982, the Puntledge Hatchery released 2.5 million pink salmon fry into the Tsolum River. In 1983 not a single pink salmon returned to the Tsolum. Father Charles Brandt, along with the local chapter of the B.C. Steelhead Society started a letter writing campaign in 1985 to restore this river and to reclaim the old Mt. Washington mine site. Salmon runs of 200,000 were reported in the 1940’s. Father Brandt will present a slide show “The Tsolum River, Its decline, Its renewal” at the November monthly meeting of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society.

Father Brandt  has devoted a life to meditation and solitude, and has given much consideration to the relationship between man, spiritual beliefs, and nature, or “sacramental commons” in his own words. He is hermit Catholic priest and was one of the original members of the Hermitage on the Tsolum River in 1964. Father Brandt is author of Meditations from the Wilderness and Self and the Environment and holds a B.S. from Cornell University and a B.D. from Nashotah House. At Cornell he held the A.R. Brand Fellowship in Bird sound Recording. At his hermitage on the Oyster River he supports himself through bookbinding and fine art on paper restoration.  He continues to present the noble cause of harmony of nature, man, and divine purpose. Please come and join us at this worthy persons’ peaceful show.

Click on a link below to view descriptions of previous guest speakers.