Until this month, riding Outfox or walking Round Out meant crossing private timber land. Since Thursday, October 1, 2026, those trails have been on community-owned forest. The Cumberland Community Forest Society completed its purchase of the 261-acre Middle Earth parcel from Manulife Resource Management that day. The society calls it its largest conservation project to date.
Community ownership brings different work with it. The society committed any money raised beyond its campaign target to restoration and wildfire resilience on the parcel. A short walk away at Lower Perseverance Creek, you can already see that next stage underway.
What changed on October 1
Middle Earth lies east of the existing Cumberland Community Forest, in the Trent River watershed, K'ómoks Territory. The Cumberland Community Forest Society (CCFS) describes it as wetlands, riparian corridors, rocky bluffs and multi-use trails. Before the sale, all of it was private timber land.
According to the society's Middle Earth campaign page, these non-motorized, multi-use trails run through the parcel:
- Round Out
- Outfox
- Sapsucker
- Rapture Genesis
- Resurrection
The parcel matters beyond its own boundaries. It connects to the community forest lands the society already protects. CCFS says it moves forward a longer plan to extend protected land down a wetland corridor toward the salmon-bearing Trent River and out to the Salish Sea. The society has been buying land in the Puntledge/Pentlatch watershed since 2000. Before Middle Earth it had completed five purchases, the most recent being the 44-acre Lower Perseverance Creek corridor in 2023. The new parcel is roughly six times that size.
On the afternoon of the sale, supporters met in #6 Mine Park under the turning leaves. Treats came from LUSH Valley Food Action Society, Stellar Raven Farm and Dark Side Chocolates, and flowers from Black Bear Herbs. Speakers included K'ómoks First Nation elder Ramona Johnson, incoming CCFS Chair Sean Carberry, Mayor Vickey Brown, Josie Osborne, CCFS Executive Director Meaghan Cursons and K'ómoks Chief Nicole Rempel.
How a $2.1 million forest was paid for
The price was $2.1 million. CCFS launched the project in spring 2025.
Much of that money came from one Cumberland home. The society's May 11 update explains that a longtime supporter of the society left her home to CCFS, to be sold in support of future land protection. CCFS says those funds were the financial foundation of the Middle Earth project.
The rest of the gap was closed bit by bit. The society's public updates show how quickly the remaining amount fell over the final months:
| Date of update | Amount still to raise, as reported |
|---|---|
| December 20, 2025 | Final $500,000 |
| February 25, 2026 | $150,000, split between an $80,000 community-donation target and $70,000 from events |
| April 2026 | $30,000 left to raise, after $40,000 in community donations had come in |
| May 11, 2026 | Final $5,000 |
CCFS reported raising $65,000 in community donations over roughly three months before that last update. Events tied to the campaign included The Cumby, Earth Week and Spring Trivia. In August, the society thanked the Courtenay & District Fish & Game Protective Association for a $15,000 contribution. The Comox Valley Record also covered the countdown in April.
The final dollars mattered beyond the purchase itself. CCFS committed any money raised above the target to restoration and wildfire resilience on Middle Earth. It said surplus funds would go to forest management and wildfire resilience planning and action within the following 12 months.
From buying land to repairing it: Lower Perseverance Creek
The best preview of what Middle Earth's next chapter might look like is the society's last purchase. If you've walked the Lower Perseverance Creek corridor or taken the Wellington Trail to Coal Beach lately, you've seen machines and fresh ground in the creek bed across from the gravel pit. That's the Lower Perseverance Creek Floodplain and Riparian Restoration project. It is funded by the Pacific Salmon Foundation and managed by Current Environmental.
The timing is deliberate. Early fall is when the creek runs dry, so crews can work with the least impact on resident fish. CCFS says the lowest stretch of Perseverance Creek supports juvenile coho salmon and resident cutthroat and rainbow trout. Because it connects to Comox Lake, it also provides critical refuge habitat.
Here's what passersby will notice, according to the society's October 13 update:
- Legacy concrete, left over as industrial debris, has been removed from the creek area.
- A few small wood structures made from stumps have been installed in the channel.
- Patches of reed canary grass have been pulled out.
- The disturbed ground has been seeded with fall rye to hold the soil.
- In the coming weeks, CCFS volunteers working with Current Environmental will plant dense native floodplain and riparian vegetation, with the goal of growing a forested creekside over time.
The aim is a section of creek that has been over-widened and backwatered, with more shade, more cover and a more stable channel.
The society has made one specific request of everyone using the area. Motorized vehicles riding in the dry creek corridor are stopping the erosion-control ground cover from establishing in places. CCFS points out that riding on the beach and in creek beds harms both habitat and drinking water. It has asked people to pass that message along.
What comes next for Middle Earth
CCFS has described what it wants to do with Middle Earth over time. Its plans include ecological restoration, wildfire mitigation, and forest conversion pilots that support biodiversity, cultural values and climate resilience. The society has also said it looks forward to collaborating with United Riders of Cumberland and the Village of Cumberland. Its stated approach is to work with the community and rights holders on long-term management plans.
Decisions about trailheads, access and restoration priorities fall under a separate process. The Village is leading the Cumberland Forest Land Strategy, which brings together CCFS, United Riders of Cumberland and the Comox Valley Land Trust. It covers Middle Earth and the lands around it. Its scope includes ecological health, trail planning and access, restoration, and K'ómoks First Nation cultural values. The strategy is meant to guide future planning, not announce decisions already made. If you have views on trailheads or access points, follow that page.
Dates for the next six weeks
Some of these are fundraisers, one is a walk at the restoration site, and one is Cumberland's big pre-holiday market.
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, November 14 | CCFS Fall Trivia | New quizmasters Shawn and Heather Gabel |
| Friday, November 20, 3 p.m. | Guided walk of the Lower Perseverance Corridor | Led by Meaghan Cursons. Sign up by emailing [email protected] |
| November 28 and 29, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | WinterFaire | Cumberland Museum, Cumberland Recreation Institute and both levels of the Cultural Centre |
The November 20 walk is your best chance to see the creek work up close and ask questions while the replanting is going on. For WinterFaire, the Cumberland Museum says it expects more than 75 vendors.
If you'd like to talk about life near the Cumberland forest, or what it's like to have Middle Earth's trails close to home, I'm happy to share what I know about this corner of the Valley. Reach out to Tina Vincent whenever it suits you. Let's Connect.
