Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre

06/25/2026

🌎 Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre booth at the Community Climate Event this past weekend!

It was inspiring to see so many people come together to learn, share ideas, and support a healthier, more sustainable future for our community. We were especially excited to be joined by a couple of our friends from Nature Cowichan, who stopped by sporting their Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre hats, designed by our talented volunteer, Barry.

Visitors to our booth had the chance to learn about the Nature Centre, our summer camps, volunteer opportunities, and the important role the estuary plays in our local ecosystem. We also showcased an interactive watershed-to-estuary diorama that demonstrated how what happens high in the watershed can travel downstream through rivers and communities before reaching the estuary. It's a simple but powerful reminder that everything is connected.

Thank you to everyone who visited our booth, entered our prize draw, asked questions, and supported the many organizations working hard to make a positive difference in our community. Stay tuned, as we'll be announcing our prize draw winner shortly!

And as a bonus, even nature stopped by to visit! 🐝 One of our tiny pollinator friends seemed quite happy checking out our lavender bundles during the event.

We look forward to seeing you at the Nature Centre soon!

06/18/2026

🐟 Salmon Release Day🐟

On June 12, Nature Seeker families, past and present, gathered at the Quw'utsun Sta'lo' (Cowichan River) to release 75 healthy Coho salmon.

Since January, we've watched these salmon grow from tiny eggs into young fry, learning about their life cycle every step of the way. Now they're ready to continue their journey in the river, where they'll spend the next year or more growing before eventually heading out to the ocean.

We wish them safe travels and look forward to the day they return to these waters to begin the cycle again.

06/11/2026

🐚 Barnacle Buddies is taking a break for the summer! 🐚

We look forward to welcoming families back in the fall for more stories, songs, play, and discovery at the Nature Centre.

Thank you to everyone who joined us this year. We've loved spending Tuesday mornings with you and your little ones.

🌿 Have a wonderful summer, and we'll see you in the fall! 🌿

06/11/2026

☀️ Our Summer Nature Camps are filling up fast! ☀️

Your children will enjoy 5 fun-filled days of seaside exploration at the Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre.

Spots are limited, so register today through Eventbrite!

📅 July–August 2026
👧 Ages 5–7 and 7–9
🌿 Explore local ecosystems
🦀 Discover wildlife and marine life
🌊 Learn through play and adventure

A place to learn about, connect with, and appreciate nature.

06/05/2026

🌊🦀 Thank You for Making Low Tide Day a Success! 🦀🌊

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for Low Tide Day! From beach experiments and our seine net demonstration to the silent auction and touch tank discoveries, it was a fantastic day of learning, exploration, and community.

🫧We're especially excited to share that we welcomed some new additions to our touch tank!

A special thank you to:
💙 True Grain Bakery
💙 Radway Boutique
💙Duncan Rotary Club
💙 Nature Cowichan
💙 EJ Salish Sea Gallery
💙 Barry Hetchko Photography
💙 Tiffany Farkas
💙 Paula McPhee
💙Sean Hacker Teper
💙 And all our wonderful volunteers

Thank you for celebrating the estuary with us. We hope to see you again next year! 🌿🐚

Stop by the Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre to meet our newest residents!

📍 Saturdays & Sundays
⏰ 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZLzmEZvqQJ/?igsh=MW1jaTNrcGozejV0OA==

06/01/2026

Shxwiil’nuts (Hul’q’umi’num), sea asparagus, pickleweed, Salicornia pacifica, glasswort — whatever name you know it by, this halophytic (salt-tolerant) succulent can be found along the Pacific coast at this time of year 🥬💦🧂

05/30/2026

Our Nature Seekers seeking nature in Cow Bay!

Our spring cohort of home-learner families have been a joy to have on a weekly basis at CENC and outdoors in the paradise we call home 🌊💛

For more information about Nature Seekers and our other programs please feel free to contact us at:
[email protected]

05/29/2026

Q: What is this?

a.) An underwater flower
or
b.) A sea star having a snack

A: By molding itself around its prey and using hundreds of suction cup-like tube feet to pry open the clam’s shell, this sea star is, in fact, having a snack!

A place to learn about, connect with, and appreciate nature.

05/28/2026

🎣 Good fishing at the estuary this morning!

✨ We’re looking forward to seeing you at Low Tide Day this Sunday!

📍 Location: Hecate Park
🕚 Time: 11 AM – 2 PM
🎡 Activities: Games, BBQ, Silent Auction, Beach Seine Demonstration, and more!

❓Did you know?

🌊Great Blue Herons hunt by standing perfectly still in shallow estuary waters before striking quickly with their long, spear-like beaks to catch fish, crabs, and other small creatures. Healthy estuaries provide important feeding grounds for these iconic coastal birds.

05/28/2026

❗Reminder: There will be no Barnacle Buddies this Tuesday, June 2nd.

🔵Barnacle Buddies will return on Tuesday, June 9th at 10:30 AM for our final session before summer break.

✨ Thank you to everyone who attended this season! It has been such a pleasure to play, learn, and explore together!