We hope that these long dark winter days offer time for reflection and connection with community, friends, family, and the stillness of nature. 2025 has been a remarkable year, filled with rich collaborations and exciting new projects. Together with hundreds of volunteers and community partners we continue to champion watershed resilience, land protection, stewardship, and environmental education in our community and beyond.
To Middle Earth and Beyond!
In the spring of 2025, the CCFS launched a new purchase project to the east of the existing Cumberland Community Forest called Middle Earth, a 261 acre forest in the Trent River Watershed. Wetlands, riparian corridors, rocky bluffs and multi-use trails wind through this forested landscape. This area is home to trails including Round Out, Outfox, Sapsucker, Rapture Genesis, and Resurrection. These forests are all privately owned timberlands. This project aligns with our vision of a resilient ecological corridor that spans both the Trent and Puntledge Watersheds, protects sensitive ecosystems, watersheds, and species at risk; restores ecological function; engages stewardship community; and provides access to nature for all ages and abilities. We’re working to raise the final $500,000 to complete this epic purchase – please help us close the gap by March 21st 2026
Wildfire, Watersheds and Changing Forest Landscapes Symposium
In January 2025 the CCFS presented highly successful symposium for local government, emergency management and watershed protection partners focused on wildfire, watersheds and changing forest landscapes. This day-long symposium explored changing ecosystems and emerging wildfire risk, land ownership and management contexts, relationship building, knowledge holding and knowledge sharing, and collaborations and projects that help to improve ecosystem health and build wildfire resilience in the Wildland Urban Interface of the Comox Lake Watershed. We welcomed presenters from across Vancouver island. We’re excited to build on the new relationships forged and ecosystem restoration pilot projects under development for 2026 to help build wildfire resilience in Cumberland and across eastern Vancouver Island.
CCFS Science Pub Series!
In 2025 we had the opportunity to deliver 4 Science Pub events to eager local audiences. In January we kicked off the series with “Understories” exploring forest ecology, soils, restoration ecology and environmental grief as part of our Wildfire and Watershed Symposium. In May, we served up “Beaver Stories, Science and Stewardship” with our favourite furry watershed engineer – the Beaver! Local and visiting subject matter experts, storytellers and passionate beaver aficionados shared how watershed protection, community wildfire resilience and peaceful coexistence with beavers go hand in hand. October was our annual “Fabulous Fungi” Science Pub as part of Fungus Fest and also in October we continued our “Elements” Series is partnership with local Emergency Management and shared an evening all about “EARTH”. Guest presenters, subject matter experts, storytellers and knowledge holders explored seismology, geomorphology, the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt, historic earthquakes and landslides on Vancouver Island and how we build community and household resilience in the face of the BIG ONE. Stay tuned for another year of science, learning and fun!
Cumberland Bat Project
Cumberland Forest coordinates the local chapter of the Got Bats? BC Community Bat Project and works in collaboration with communities across BC to identify local bat roosts, monitor population health, coordinate the annual BC Community Bat Count, respond to questions from the public, build public understanding about amazing species and deliver community education across the Comox Valley all about bats in BC! In 2025 alone we delivered classroom presentations to over 400 kids at Cumberland Community School and made public presentations to over 300 community members including bat talks at NIC Elder College, Comox Lake Park and the Courtenay Museum. We’re currently supporting SD #71 and the Vancouver Island Regional Library in developing education kits and are very excited about the year ahead!
School Connections
In 2025 we continued to work with students at Cumberland Community School on a restoration project along Big Log trail. Students of all ages learned about about cumulative human impacts and how we can all care for the forest together, as well as participating in restoration planting, delineating trails, decommissioning braids and trampled areas and installing restoration fencing. We also worked with Cumberland Community Schools Society to deliver afterschool programs ranging from Winter Birds to Trail Running and from Fungus to Hiking Club!
Perseverance Streamkeepers
Cumberland Fungus Fest
Forest in the Village
Forest in the Village is an annual CCFS led initiative dedicated to supporting biodiversity, wildfire resilience, and the goals of Cumberland’s Urban Forest Management Plan. Did you know the Urban Forest of Cumberland is in decline? Many of the large trees planted during Cumberland’s early settler years are reaching the end of their life cycle, urban densification (while great for housing needs) ultimately results in tree and soil removal, and new developments have replaced forested areas. Urban forests offer environmental, habitat, hydrological, social, and cultural values and support community climate resilience! So each year, in partnership with residents we add 100 + carefully selected trees to urban forest canopy. Thanks to Comox Valley FireSmart and Wildfire Resilience Committee, Mumby Arboriculture and the Village of Cumberland for their support for this annual campaign
25th Anniversary Exhibition
Collaborative Lands Planning