The Magazine of BC Nature...wild. Caribou have existed in North America for more than a million years. They thrived through the ice ages, alongside the ground sloths and woolly mammoths

www.bcnature.ca • Summer 2019 • Vol. 57 No. 2 • ISSN 0228–8824

The Magazine of BC Nature

“Know nature and keep it worth knowing”

BCnature Summer 2019

BCnatureVolume 57 No. 2

In This Issue:Objectives of BC Nature

(Federation of BC Naturalists)

• To provide naturalists and natural history clubs of BC with a unified voice on conservation and environmental issues.• To foster an awareness, appreciation, and understanding of our natural environment, that it may be wisely used and maintained for future generations.• To encourage the formation and cooperation of natural history clubs throughout BC.• To provide a means of communication between naturalists in BC.

BCnature is printed on 100 percent recycled stockColour Version of BCnature is available online www.bcnature.ca

Regular Columns Guest Editorial.....................................................................3 President's Perch..................................................................4 Conservation Report............................................................6 Focus on IBAs....................................................................14 BC Naturalists Foundation Update.....................................20 NatureKids BC Update.......................................................24 Book Reviews.....................................................................26 North in the Spring: Prince George to the Alaska Highway Part 2...................................................................................31 Spotlight on Distinguished Naturalist Mentors..................32

Feature Resolution 2019-01 - Wells Grey Mountain Caribou..........9 Remembering Madelon Schouten.......................................10 BC Nature Awards..............................................................11 How Smart is Your Estuary.................................................15 The Guide to Vancouver Island Butterflies.........................16 Finding the Next Generation of Naturalists........................17The Forager's Connection...................................................18 BC Nature Volunteers Needed............................................21 In the Right Place - At the Right Time...............................22 Levels of the Forest............................................................23 BC Community Bat Program - BC Annual Bat Count Summary 2018.................................................................. 25 Project Western Purple Martin Nest Box...........................27 BC Nature Volunteers........................................................28

Notices Dates of Note......................................................................10 FGM 2019 – Schedule of Events........................................29 FGM 2019 - Registration...................................................30

BCnature is published quarterly, circulation 6,300

Editorial Team: Betty Davison Rick Gee Claudia Copley Guest Editorial: Tim Burkhart - [email protected] Website: www.bcnature.caWe welcome your articles, photos, and letters. Please email your articles and photos to [email protected] Photograph: Norm Dougon - Sharp-tailed Grouse - Pre-Dawn Flight.We reserve the right to edit submissions for length, style, and clarity. Advertising and article submission deadline for the Fall edition is August 1, 2019.

BC Nature 1620 Mount Seymour Rd., North Vancouver, BC V7G 2R9, Tel: 604–985–3057

BC Nature Executive President Kees VisserVice President Harry CrosbyPast President Alan BurgerTreasurer Mark KongSecretary Claudia CopleySecretary Alternate Susan ThorneConservation Chair Peter BallinCommunications Chair VacantKootenay Coordinator Joan Snyder Lower Mainland Coordinator Sheila PulsNorthern BC Coordinator Fred McMechan Vancouver Island Coordinator John Neville Thompson/Okan.Shuswap Coordinator Gary HuntEducation Chair Marg Cuthbert Director-at-Large Bev RameyDirector-at-Large Rick GeeContact information may be found on www.bcnature.ca under

“Contact Us” or telephone 604–985–3057

Articles and advertising in BCnature magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of all BC Nature members.

Correction from Spring 2019 BCnature magazine;Name correction - Langley Field Naturalists Complete Community Project Article, page 31. "By Lilianne Fuller."

Elders Council for Parks BC

The Elders Council for Parks BC is now actively recruiting new members to assist in various projects. If you are a former Parks Canada, BC Parks or Regional Park employee (either retired or still employed), the Elders Council would like to hear from you. Your expertise in parks is very much needed.Please visit: https://www.elderscouncilforparks.org/contact-us/become-a-member/ to download the membership form and see what projects you might be interested in volunteering for.


New Caribou Habitat Protections in Northeast BC are a Win for People and Wildlife

3

When I first encountered a caribou in the wild, it felt close to magic. It was

2015, and I was doing college fieldwork in northeast British Columbia. Hunched against the rain, I was setting up a wildlife camera when a bull caribou wandered out of the woods. His eyes trained in on mine. He sniffed in curiosity and suspicion at this human in the middle of his patch of ground. I stayed still. He circled around me. He came within a few inquisitive feet of me.

Then, just like that, he disappeared back into the deep forest like an old grey ghost. That first time was also the last time I saw a caribou in the wild.

Caribou have existed in North America for more than a million years. They thrived through the ice ages, alongside the ground sloths and woolly mammoths that would end up disappearing. They thrived among the northern Indigenous people who depended on them for their survival. They survived the European settlement of western Canada, and the major changes to the land that came with it. First Nations elders today still remember a time when “a sea of caribou” were as numerous as “bugs on the land.”

That is no longer the case. Caribou populations are now at risk of extinction across Canada. And where once BC was home to hundreds of thousands of caribou, populations across the province have plummeted in the last few decades and now there are only an estimated 219 caribou left in the Peace region — just 25 per cent of 1997 counts. This is an emer-gency. The threats caribou face are human-made.

These snow-loving mammals are living on a planet that is warming. Roads crisscross and encroach on their habitat, making it that much easier for their natural predators to track and hunt them. Development, from logging to oil and gas exploration, alters and fractures the habitat caribou need to survive and thrive.

The solution to these problems are also human-made. Thankfully, the first ground-breaking step towards protecting BC’s caribou has been taken. On March 21, a major deal negotiated by West Moberly First Nations and Saulteau First Nations with the governments of BC and Canada was announced. The Peace region of northeast BC — where I saw that bull caribou — will now be home to the Klinse-za Protected Area expansion, located just northwest of Prince George. This is good news, and not just for wildlife.

It is also an important step towards reconciliation. With the conditions now set for the long-term recovery of local caribou populations, some Treaty 8 First Nations will again be able to harvest caribou in the future.

This is their right under Treaty 8, one that communities have not been able to exercise since the 1970s, when elders decided the herds were becoming too small and too weak, so they passed a traditional law ban-ning any harvesting until the cari-bou could recover.

This new agreement is also vital because it helps connect two big islands of protected habitat — the Muskwa-Kechika area to the north and the big parks of the central Rocky Mountains to the south. Caribou and 36 other threatened and endangered species including Dall Sheep, Wolverines, Grizzlies and more will now be able to move across this bridge of intact habitat through a sea of human settlement and development. The science is consistent and clear: we cannot recover caribou in the long-term without protecting habitat.

It is time to build on the momen-tum of this first deal towards cari-bou recovery across BC, together. Federal, provincial, and territorial governments. Industries. Communi-ties. All need to be part of the con-versation and part of the solution.

The Indigenous Partnership Agree-ment is a huge breakthrough, and I will be voicing my support and gratitude to provincial and federal governments for the First Nations leadership that has brought about meaningful action for caribou. We owe it to our caribou, and to future generations, to act fast and take our responsibilities towards these endangered species seriously. ❧Tim Burkhart is the BC program manager of strategic engagement and the Peace region for Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative.

Submitted by Tim Burkhart


By Alan BurgerPresident’s Perch

The Duncan AGM was the end of my three-year term as president of BC Nature. I did

one extra year as president and Kees Visser, our current past-president, has very kindly agreed to resume the presidency for the com-ing year. As past-president, I will remain on the Board and I intend to remain active in BC Nature for the coming years.

Organizational renewal - The major event of the past year has been the extensive, and sometimes disruptive, review of our organization and action to improve our operations and efficiency. The basis for these changes was the report by consultant Valerie Mayes and the Board retreat in September 2018. These moves are not yet completed but BC Nature has made major changes and improvements to our operations (covered in my previous magazine reports).

Since September, we established three new committees to help run BC Nature and they have already made marked improvements to BC Nature.

• The Finance committee (chaired by Bev Ramey) is working with Office Manager Betty Davison to streamline our bookkeeping system and bring our accounts into accordance of what our accountants require.

• The Personnel Committee (chaired by Helen Aqua and now Harry Crosby) has revised job descriptions for the Office Manager and for our new Office Assistant.

• The Governance Committee (chaired by Kees Visser) completely revised our Bylaws (approved at the Duncan AGM) and drafted committee terms of reference. Updating our Policy and Procedures Manual and drafting our next five-year

Strategic Plan is the next objective - Much needs to be done. One of the major recommendations from Valerie Mayes was to develop a fund-raising strategy and to hire a part-time fund-raiser. At the Duncan AGM there was a workshop on fundraising, organized by Vice-president Harry Crosby and fundraising professional Heather Wardle. In the coming year, contracting a Fund Developer will be a priority for BC Nature.

Changes in governance and personnel - With the revised Bylaws, the Executive is now known as the Board of Directors and the Club Directors as Club Representatives. These terms remove some ambiguity over the term "director" and who actually runs BC Nature.

At the AGM the Board bid farewell to two long-term members: Jude Grass (co-regional coordinator for the Lower Mainland) and Janet Pattin-son (coordinator for the Thompson-Okanagan-Shuswap region). BC Nature is extremely grateful to these two stalwarts for their lengthy contributions and dedication. Many thanks too to the new people on the Board and to those continuing – it is always gratifying to see committed and talented people volunteering to help run our federation. I also thank Elise Kreller,

who volunteered many hours over the past six months to help bring our financial books into better shape, and Katy Poon, who has been vol-unteering to upgrade the BC Nature website.

In April, BC Nature hired a part-time Office Assistant; Natalia Pisarek will be working one day a week to take some of the load off Betty. And this is an opportunity to extend huge thanks to Betty for all she does for BC Nature. Her com-mitment to our organization goes well beyond what is expected and she continues to provide the knowl-edge and experience on which we all depend. Thank you Betty!

BC Nature in action - Through all these organizational changes, BC Nature has continued to do its core functions very well. Our primary role is to provide support to our clubs. In this regard, Betty has been working hard to implement a new online membership system. Most clubs are now using this system and it will save many hours of Betty’s time and help clubs manage their memberships.

Our major committees continue to do excellent work – the Conserva-tion, Education, Camps, Communi-cations and Resolutions committees all depend entirely on volunteer input and provide a huge service to our clubs and to our province. Their reports in the BC Nature Annual Report (link - https://bit.ly/2JoUDbS) give you some idea of the impressive work they have done. Our special representatives have also contributed thousands of volunteer hours on important con-servation and management issues – notably Roger Emsley (Roberts

Continued page 5

BCnature Summer 2019 5

Bank Terminal 2 developments), Greg Ferguson (wild-life management consultations), Joan Snyder (caribou conservation), Hilary Miller (Outdoor Recreation Coun-cil), and Virginia Rasch and now Gerry Warner (Colum-bia River Basin Environmental Collaborative).

Several of our clubs have been involved in a major project to improve habitat protection in the Fraser Delta – a project funded by the Sitka Foundation and jointly involving Nature Canada, BC Nature and Bird Studies Canada. BC Nature has also been collaborating with lawyers Prof. Chris Tollefson and Anthony Ho from the Pacific Centre for Environmental Law and Litigation (CELL) to make submissions to the National Energy Board review of marine impacts from the proposed Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion. At the Duncan AGM, the Board voted continue collaborating with CELL to stop this ill-conceived and climate-threatening project.

My thanks to the Cowichan Valley Naturalists for a very successful AGM 2019. Their program and field trips were excellent and resulted in a very memorable conference.

The way forward - As I step down as president I am pleased to know that BC Nature is functioning well and has excellent motivated people running the organization. However, there is a lot left to do. Our organizational revision is not yet completed. We still need to work towards having additional paid staff to assume some of the leadership roles that are currently overloading our volunteers.

Quest for the

April 4 – 14, 2020 | Led by Justin Peter

Visit QuestNatureTours.comor call 1-800-387-1483

SNOW LEOPARDNEW Ladakh, India

On this special 50th Anniversary expedition created especially for wildlife and wilderness lovers, we visit the trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh in northern India where we’ll track this elusivecreature among dramatic mountain landscapes. From our cozylodge, we’ll make daily sorties to watch for the cats, along with other mammals and a suite of mountain birds.

BC Nature readers receive a complimentarypre-tour hotel night! Expires July 15, 2019.

Presidents Perch continued from page 4

One major concern I have is that our organiza-tional revision prevented us from putting the needed time and energy into expanding our federation. The number of member clubs (50) and our overall mem-bership (6,000 plus) have not grown much in the past couple of years. I was very pleased to have a small part in reviving our Nanaimo club (now with well over 100 members) but there are still many towns in BC where we should have strong clubs – Prince Rupert, Campbell River, Creston, Pemberton – to name a few.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Federation of BC Naturalists (now BC Nature). We will be issuing a special commemorative magazine in the fall and have more celebrations at the Fall General Meeting hosted by the Burke Mountain Naturalists. I look forward to celebrating this important milestone with you all in the coming year.

Finally, I want to thank all the many people who have helped me throughout my term as BC Nature president – especially our Office Manager Betty Davison and our wise past-presidents Bev Ramey, John Neville, and Kees Visser. BC Nature is a very special and admired organization and I am grateful for the privilege of being your president for the past three years. I look forward to many years of continued involvement with our clubs and with the admirable people who make up BC Nature. ❧


Continued page 7

Conservation Report

Summer 2019 - Ever wonder about scale, as in, what’s a little and what’s a lot? Efforts to save

little populations, such as the Southern Resident Killer Whales, Mountain Caribou, and many plants and ani-mals in the South Okanagan may mean a lot because these populations represent unique gene pools. The right 17% of lands and fresh water and the 10% of marine areas that Canada targets for protection might be a lot, but the wrong choices for what is protected might be a little. Another version of scaling applies to species protection; government calls it scalable protection. They use this concept, for example, to apply to the Southern Resident Killer Whales. Low protection level means little intervention, whereas high protection means exclusion of human activity. The compromises to find an appropriate protection level on the scale is what all the webinars, inputs, and discussions are about. Sometimes there is no scalable protection obvious, as with Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2). Our current BC government is proceeding with very open, consultative processes on several en-vironmental fronts, which will lead to actions selected from a scale of options. I wonder if this democratic process will serve the future of humans, other organ-isms, and habitats.

Find postings of conservation correspondence and replies on the BC Nature website under “conserva-tion”. Since the last issue of BCnature Magazine, BC Nature made submissions to government and/or attended meetings, about

• Mining in the Upper Skagit• Rodenticides• Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2)• Southern Resident Killer Whales• The BC Caribou Recovery Strategy

Mining in the Upper Skagit Bev Ramey and BC Nature responded to the Minis-

try of Energy and Mines regarding Imperial Metal’s application for mineral exploration in the Skagit-Man-ning “donut hole” on April 8. BC Nature expressed our objection to mining exploration or development in this highly sensitive area. In the event of the explo-ration proceeding, we wish to make certain that this exploration conforms to very stringent environmental controls so as to minimize impact on the watershed. We have previously expressed our opposition to the logging occurring in this area; our goal is to ensure protection of the entire Skagit Watershed.

Rodenticides Committee member Anita den Dikken followed up with Delta City Council. Delta has instructed its pest control contractor to discontinue using anti-coagulant based rodenticides at facilities bordering field habitat, and will update its website on rodent control methodology. We also received responses to BC Nature submissions from Catherine McKenna and George Heyman (see the BC Nature website at https://bit.ly/303tIrY

Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2) The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority maintains that even enhancing existing port facilities will not manage future demand, underscoring the need for RBT2. They state that the total number of container ships will not change; only that the size of the ships will increase. The Delta Optimist (March 15) quoted BC Nature’s objections to the project (see our report in the Spring edition of BCnature). To quote past-president Alan Burger: “BC Nature's special representative on Roberts Bank, Roger Emsley, has worked tirelessly for many years to inform politicians, bureaucrats, and the public on the value of this sensitive area. Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is pushing hard to get their port expansion approved, even though the economics are dubious and the environmental impacts horrendous. Scientists from Environment Canada have released reports showing that shorebird populations will be greatly impacted. Now there is evidence that opinions of government scientists are being muzzled in Ottawa - a serious situation.” The independent federal review panel gathering information and feedback on the RBT2 application to build the three-berth container terminal on an artificial island at Roberts Bank will begin on May 14. Several submissions from BC Nature and its members will be received. You can view submissions at https://bit.ly/2UPH9wN Southern Resident Killer WhalesOn March 8, Minister of Fisheries Jonathan Wilkinson announced that the University of British Columbia, among others, will receive $2.9 million in funding for scientific research that includes the Southern Resident Killer Whale. Peter attended a Fisheries and Oceans webinar that consisted of reading initial draft proposals that everyone already had. While still under consultation and with some disparity of opinions, there appears to be much consensus on routes to protective measures.

By Peter Ballin and the Conservation Committee


Conservation Report continued from page 6

Technical Working Groups reported upon progress on assessing prey availability, sanctuaries, commercial ves-sel noise, general vessel noise, and contaminants, includ-ing potential measures to achieve their goals. If you wish details, email [email protected] and I will send you the two PDF’s that I received.

The BC Caribou Recovery Strategy As always, Joan Snyder makes sure that BC Nature voices

our opinion on issues caribou. She attended a community engagement session in Nelson, sharing information on the draft recovery agreements, answering questions, and provid-ing comments, especially about the Central Selkirk Caribou herd. Joan also completed a questionnaire to the govern-ment. For information on the draft recovery agreement, BC Nature voted on a resolution on Wells Gray Mountain Cari-bou, submitted by Nancy Flood and Gary Hunt of the Kam-loops Naturalist Club (see page 9 for the complete approved resolution), to apply the precautionary principle and take all necessary steps to halt timber harvesting in the range of both the Wells Gray Park South and the Wells Gray Park North herds. While wolf depredation appears to be the main proxi-mal cause of Mountain Caribou decline, habitat disruption due to logging and road building, which leads to easy access to caribou habitat for wolves and recreationists, appears to be the fundamental cause for the problems that caribou face.

Liquefied Natural Gas The Director of Corporate Affairs for LNG Canada deliv-

ered a detailed eight-page response to our recent submis-sion to Premier Horgan. She addressed the issues of global warming, fracking, effects of shipping, and destruction of wetlands. She defended our government’s plans, including citing stringent regulations and the carbon emissions savings compared to other LNG sources, and the replacement of coal-fired plants in China. You may be interested in read-ing her letter at https://bit.ly/303tIrY . Apparently, the LNG project planned for Barkley Sound near Bamfield has been put on hold.

Herring Ian McAllister, son of committee member Peter McAllis-

ter, said, among other things, “We really should be leaving this fish in the water. This is basis for the food supply of the entire Salish Sea, the basis of our coastal economy, and yet we’re turning this wild herring into fish-farm pellets and cat food. This fishery should not ever have been allowed.” The Tyee: https://bit.ly/2LqZR9V. And he said it directly (and bravely) to the fishermen. The herring roe fishery went ahead this year, the only one of its kind on the west coast due to conservation concerns. We do not know if they achieved their quota of 20,000 tonnes and what the conse-quences of this catch will be.

Continued page 8

Improving Wildlife Management and Habitat Conservation in BC

The BC government published summaries of the 2018 engagement activities with stakehold-ers, citizens, and Indigenous nations. You can find them here, https://engage.gov.bc.ca/bcspe-ciesatrisk/what-we-heard/ including BC Nature’s submission, under Stakeholder Submissions: This spring they anticipate release of a discussion paper containing draft proposals on key themes.

Glyphosate Spraying in Forests In spite of long-time questioning about the

wisdom of applying this herbicides, found in Roundup, its government-mandated use contin-ues. The application of this herbicide gives the marketable conifers a competitive advantage. Glyphosate retards the growth of broad-leaved trees, among other plants, that provide critical breeding habitat for neotropical migrant birds. The Conservation Committee will produce a position letter in the near future.

Salmon and Steelhead With leadership from Frank Dwyer of the Kam-

loops Naturalists’ Club, the committee is refin-ing BC Nature’s position and recommendations regarding endangerment of salmonid stocks. Some people just eat salmon, but we have six species in the genus Oncorynchus, including the steelhead, which is an ocean-going rainbow trout. Unlike the other five species, steelhead return to the sea after spawning. It is for this reason they used to be considered in the same genus as Atlan-tic Salmon.

Some more conservation news picks.

Wolf Kill Ian McAllister voiced his concern about the

expansion of the government wolf cull to aug-ment deer populations on Vancouver Island. He maintains that no evidence suggests that the unique coastal wolves kill large numbers of deer.

In Ottawa In early April, Nature Canada sponsored incom-

ing BC Nature President Kees Visser on a brief trip to Ottawa to meet with government officials and other Nature Canada participants. He spoke with Nature Canada executive members about BC Nature’s concerns before meeting with other regional clubs and Indigenous representatives. On Nature Day, April 9, he met with MP's Peter


Julian, Murray Rankin, and Hedy Fry. Peter Julian, the House leader of the NDP and MP for New Westminster/Burnaby, echoed opinions similar to ours on environ-mental issues, including opposition to the Transmoun-tain pipeline; he believes that the Government will delay their decision on the pipeline until after the election. He supports urban parks, such as Little Campbell River, and does not support the Roberts Bank expansion. Hedy Fry, a Liberal MP for Vancouver Centre, supports Trans-mountain, supports more protection of marine areas and urban parks, and got filled in about Roberts Bank by Kees.

Ministerial conversations began with the preamble that Canada as a country signed on to the Protected Places declaration (Aichi), wherein all signatories committed to 17% protection of land and inland waters and to 10% of sea and coastal areas, by 2020. Canada as a whole has only 10% and 2% respectively, although BC is doing better with 15% and 5%, respectively. Nature Canada and its co-signatories wish to ensure that Canada will follow through on this commitment.

Kees spent his one-minute addressing Minister Cath-erine McKenna about Mountain Caribou, the South-ern Resident Killer Whales, and the RBT2 expansion, and also met Fisheries and Oceans Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, who mentioned in a speech that he was com-mitted to protect 10% of the marine areas in 2019.

In Kamloops Kamloops Naturalists Club member Jesse Ritcey

obtained generous three-year funding from the Lawson Foundation’s Next Generation Naturalists program to develop leadership skills in youth to effect positive environmental changes. The program includes raising public awareness through guest speaker events, direct personal engagement, and social media. A ‘Master Naturalist’ program will train people in citizen science and the natural history of the region, including its First Peoples. Using the skills they develop, youth will work with the community to create and implement an ambi-tious environmental restoration project.

Parks The BC government announced 105 hectares of expan-

sion to six Class “A” provincial parks: Bridge Lake Provincial Park in the Cariboo; Harmony Islands Mar-ine Provincial Park along the Sunshine Coast; Kikomun Creek Provincial Park in the Kootenays; Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park in the Okanagan; Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park in the Kootenays; and Syringa Provincial Park near Castlegar.❧

AVOCET TOURS

About Us ~ Avocet Tours was started by Chris Charlesworth in 2000. We are birders designing trips for birders. Through meticulous planning and ex-pert leadership, our tours are next to none. A proud Canadian company, Av-ocet Tours has taken groups all over the world, from South Africa to Peru, and from Panama to Haida Gwaii, we are truly ‘leaders in the field’. When you join a tour with us, you can rest assured we’ll take good care of you, finding you the birds and making sure your standards of comfort are met. Come along and let us show you the birds. See our website for our full tour schedule.

NORTHERN PERU ~ Endemics in the Andes. November 2, to 17, 2019. Price: $7899. Leader: Avery Bartels and local guide. Join us in Peru, where we visit the north of the country, chock full of mouth watering endemic spe-cies such as Marvelous Spatuletail, Koepke’s Screech-Owl, Long-whiskered Owlet, Mishana Tyrannulet and Johnson’s Tody-Flycatcher, to name just a few. In addition spectacular birds, we’ll also take in the scenery, some of the local culture and the cuisine of this unique area.

COSTA RICA ~ The quest for the Resplendent Quetzal. November 22 to December 1, 2020. Price: $5599. Guides: Diego Quesada & Chris Charles-worth. Join Avocet Tours as we explore one of the most naturally diverse countries on the planet. Expect a long list of mouth watering birds including what many think is the most beautiful bird in the world, the Resplendent Quetzal. Also, expect an array of dazzling hummingbirds, colorful tanagers and other tropical species, all the while staying in top notch, highly acclaimed lodges.

SASKATCHEWAN IN FALL ~ Cranes & Geese. September 30 to October 5, 2019. Leader: Chris Charlesworth. You won’t want to miss this tour to the Canadian Prairies during Fall migration when the spectacle of thousands of geese and cranes heading south, provides an unforgettable experience. Thousands upon thousands of Snow Geese cover the fields and the sky, and mixed in with them are Ross’s Geese, Greater White-fronted Geese, Canada Geese and Cackling Geese. Thousands of Sandhill Cranes move through at this time of year as well, but our main target are the endangered Whooping Cranes. On last years’ trip we saw close to 130 in one flock!

THAILAND ~ Birding old Siam. December 8 to 20, 2019. Price: $4899. Leaders: Nick Upton & Chris Charlesworth. Explore salt pans near Bangkok, home to Spoonbill Sandpiper and Nordmann’s Greenshank, amongst other shorebirds, and explore the jungles of northern Thailand, rife with exciting tropical species like Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird, Pygmy Wren-babbler and much more. In addition to the birds, we’ll soak in some culture and local cuisine.

**ALL PRICES IN CANADIAN DOLLARS**

• Northern Peru • Costa Rica • Saskatchewan • Thailand

Featured 2019 and 2020 tours

Resplendent Quetzal. Photo: © Diego Quesada

WWW.AVOCETTOURS.CA

Conservation Report continued from page 7


WHEREAS Southern Mountain Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) (SMC) have been listed as Threatened under the Species at Risk Act since 2003 and a federal recovery strategy was posted in 2014;1,4

WHEREAS SMC numbers have declined drastically over the last 20 years, from about 2,500 in 18 herds in 1994 to about 156 animals existing in 13 herds in 2014;2 3 4,T.Goward pers comm and all of these herds continue to decline in size:WHEREAS the Wells Gray Caribou herd, specifically, has declined from an estimated 336 animals in 199516, to 242 in 2006, to about 111 currently and is projected to continue declining;5,6,16

WHEREAS the evidence is clear that although predation is currently a major cause of population declines in SMC, this problem has originated with, and continues to be exacerbated by, human disturbance, particularly as it results in habitat loss;3,7,8,9,10,11,15

WHEREAS culling predators, use of maternity pens, and translocations may assist in the short term preservation of some SMC populations, research shows that these measures are expensive, must include about 60% of females to be effective, and will need to be continued in perpetuity for at least five or six decades post logging for populations that are not self-sustaining; and that maintenance of sufficient habitat for the population is critical for the maintenance and hoped-for growth of caribou populations;3,5,11,12,25

WHEREAS low population density by itself exacerbates the effect of all these other issues for SMC (i.e., they experience Allee effects), such that capita growth rates decrease with declining population density;13,14

WHEREAS in April 2017, BC Nature, along with other groups made legal application to the federal government under Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA) for an Emergency Protection Order to ban Canfor’s proposed logging in caribou habitat in Wells Gray Park; they argued that this logging was occurring in habitat designated as critical habitat for SMC;16 WHEREAS in June 2018, the Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada declared that there was “imminent threat” to 10 SMC populations (Local Population Units, or LPUs)—those under 100 animals in size, which would not be considered “self-sustaining.” Even though the report acknowledged that “No estimate of minimum viable population (MVP) size exists for SMC,” research on the Boreal Caribou (which have a different migratory pattern) was used to define “Self-sustaining” for SMC: as: (1) “the LPU on average demonstrates stable or positive population growth over the short term (≤20 years), and is large enough to withstand random events and persist over the long term (≥50 years), without the need for ongoing active management intervention; and (2) there is an increase to at least 100 caribou within LPUs that currently consist of fewer than 100 caribou, and there is no reduction in the number of caribou within LPUs that currently consist of over 100 caribou;”17 (italics ours).WHEREAS despite this declaration of imminent threat, no Emergency Protection Order (which would have stopped further logging etc.) was issued, 3 of the 10 populations described above are now extirpated 3,18 and, according to many sources, 83 + 314 = 397 logging permits have been issued within the ranges of the endangered herds since June 2018;19,20,21,26,27 Although scientific evidence surrounding the reasons for the decline of SMC is abundant, campaigns of denial have clouded the issue in the public’s eyes and delayed an appropriate response;24 WHEREAS the best hope for the recovery of SMC may lie with herds such as the two herds that overlap with Wells Gray Park: they face less risk of the deleterious effects of genetic drift, inbreeding and stochastic events than smaller herds22,23; and their possibility for long-term viability is greatly increased compared to that of any other remaining herds by the fact that much of their range is currently protected;BE IT RESOLVED that BC Nature call on the governments of British Columbia and Canada to:Apply the precautionary principle and take all necessary steps to halt timber harvesting in the range of both the Wells Gray Park South and the Wells Gray Park North herds of SMC; this includes harvesting in the matrix areas as outlined by the 2014 Environment Canada Recovery Strategy for SMC. ❧

Resolution 2019-01: Wells Gray Mountain CaribouSubmitted by Nancy Flood & Gary Hunt, Kamloops Naturalist Club

Resolution 2019 -01 was approved by the membership at the Annual General Meeting held in Duncan on May 4, 2019. All of the references noted can be found on BC Nature Website http://www.bcnature.ca/conservation/resolutions/.


Remembering Madelon Schouten

By Mary Masiel

Madelon Schouten, was a very special person and whose move to Princeton was fortuitous for our naturalists and for our community.

Prior to moving to Princeton, Madeline was already well known on the South Coast for her work in ornithology. She amassed copious records of the differ-ent species and numbers of birds found in many parts of the Vancouver Area.

Madelon's naturalists journey started when she took became a member of Vancouver Natural History Society (Nature Vancouver). Madelon then set up the White Rock and Surrey Naturalists in1971. She was instrumental in start-ing the White Rock Surrey Bird Count. Madelon also taught bird identification courses to the public, and introduced many people to birding.

When she moved to Princeton, she continued her work. She was the force for setting up the Vermilion Forks Field Naturalists Society (VFFN) in 1991.

VFFN is an organization set up to bring together naturalists to act as stewards for the preservation of the natural world, to assist others with similar goals, and to provide education. She continued to give workshops on bird identification and other aspects of nature. She was the perpetual teacher, always taking any opportunity to enrich and enhance people’s knowledge of the natural world. Her depth of knowledge in this field was amazing.

Maintaining her whirlwind of activity she helped set up the Swan Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, since renamed to Swan Lake Nature Reserve in 1998. This 57 hectare parcel of land is protected from development and consists of a kettle lake surrounded by a riparian zone and grass-lands. A place that can be enjoyed by all who treasure the natural world. It has been referred to as VFFN’s “jewel in the crown” for bird watching and nature viewing.

In 2007 she received the Steve Canning Award, formerly known the BC Field Ornithologist Award, for her outstand-ing work in the field of bird studies. ❧

August 31, 1929 - April 13, 2019

WILDERNESSC O M M I T T E E

The Wilderness Committee Needs YouBecome a supporter and join thousands in

creating a wild Canada. Check us out at: WildernessCommittee.org/support

People-powered wilderness preservation for a wild future

BE A GUARDIAN OFCANADIAN WILDLIFE

Include us in your will.To learn more: [email protected]

July 14 - 19- Bulkley Valley Botany camp.

July 21 - 26 Tumbler Ridge Geo Camp

September 9 - 12 & September 16 -19 Telegraph Cove Whale and Grizzly Bear Camp

October 3 - 5 Fall General Meeting - your host Burke

Mountain Naturalists.

Dates to Remember – 2019

10


Cornelius (Kees) Visser - Elton Anderson Award

Kees Visser deserves to be recognized for his service pro-moting the causes of BC Nature all around the province.

With great energy and dedication, Kees ‘has emulated, to a profound degree, the dedication, devotion and energy exhibited by former President Elton Anderson.’

Previously, Kees was a dynamic President of the Salt Spring Trail and Nature Club, 2010 - 2013, and led club on trips to Quadra, Lund, Savory Island, Cathedral Provincial Park, Tofino, Flores, Saturna, and Prevost Islands.

In 2013, Kees was elected Vice President of BC Nature and in 2014 was elected President. During his two-year term, he visited many clubs around the province to promote the activities of BC Nature.

For the last three years, Kees has been a very active Past-President, serving as Chair of the Governance Committee and leading a BC Nature Field trip to Cathedral Lakes, amongst other things.

Kees is also noted for his assistance and support to others in BC Nature when needed. In addition to all that, Kees has allowed his name to stand again in 2019 for the position of President of BC Nature for a one-year term. It is our privilege as members of the BC Nature Board to nominate Kees Visser for the prestigious Elton Anderson Award for 2019.❧

By John Neville and Fred McMechan

Annabelle Rempel - BC Nature Service Award By Janne Perrin and Helen Turner

Annabelle Rempel joined the Chilliwack Field Natu-ralists (CFN) in 1985 and from 1988 she chaired

the CFN conservation committee, with expertise gained by volunteering for many local environmental groups.

Environmental issues were prioritized, reports hand- written and, in 2014, these were scanned and posted to the CFN website’s conservation page. Her work is an outstanding contribution to the Chilliwack Club.

Annabelle loves birds and coordinated the Chilliwack Christmas Bird Count from 1994 until 2003 and par-ticipated in two count routes in Greendale until 2016. In winter, she did Trumpeter Swan surveys for the Canadian Wildlife Service. In summer, she and her husband, Walter monitored a blue bird box trail in the Cache Creek-Ashcroft area for years

In addition to these CFN positions, Annabelle, before the days of email, phoned members reminding them of meetings, outings, and other activities. For a few years, she also managed CFN's treasury.

Annabelle has contributed to many other organizations. She helped the Watershed Alliance map the Elk and Ryder Creek watersheds, including public education on the health of the creeks. She works tirelessly to preserve farmland, monitoring notices on ALR removal. Annabelle is a stalwart community member with a keen inter-est and awareness in environmental and political issues. She is most deserving of a BC Nature Club Service Award. ❧


Alison Moran - Club Service AwardBy Ann Nightingale, Victoria Natural History Society

Alison Moran has been a member with the Victoria Natural History Society since 2009 and a Director of Rocky Point Bird Observatory’s

(RPBO) Hummingbird Project since 2009. Prior to it being an RPBO proj-ect, Alison had already volunteered for several years, learning the skills required to safely capture, band, and document these tiny birds.

As a microbiologist, Alison has brought her knowledge and experience to improve the safe handling of hummingbirds and has shared this with her crew of volunteers.

Since taking over the project, Alison has expanded its reach throughout BC and added monitoring sites in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Her volunteer crew of approximately 150 people puts in more than 3000 hours each year to gather data on migratory and resident hummingbirds. Alison provides training through in-person visits to each banding site and several joint workshops, providing updated information and techniques and the opportunity for sharing and networking among her banders and helpers. Her project is one of the largest, if not the largest, col-laborations of its kind, requiring a personal commitment of hundreds of hours each year.

In addition to standardized monitoring, Alison has partnered with the Canadian Wildlife Service to analyze the effects of pesticides on hummingbirds and recently published a ground-breaking study on the diets of Rufous Hummingbird nestlings by analyzing the DNA in their droppings!

Alison is the “go-to” person for hummingbird expertise on Vancouver Island and beyond, speaking frequently with the media and giving public presentations for community groups and others. She has offered several courses on hummingbirds through Continuing Studies at Royal Roads University, and mentors many young volunteers and students in science and research.

She co-wrote the species accounts for hummingbirds for the BC Breeding Bird Atlas and is a most willing sharer of information that she has learned about these birds over her years with the project. Without Alison’s efforts, the Hummingbird Project of BC would not be the huge success that it has become. Alison Moran is a fantastic representative of the values that the BC Nature Club Service Award embodies.❧

Elke Wind - Daphne Solecki Award By Daphne Solecki, NatureKids BC

Elke has participated with NatureKids from the very be-ginning when, as student at UBC, she led an outing to

find frogs in Bridgeport for ‘Step into Nature’, the precur-sor of the Young Naturalists’ Club of BC (now NatureKids BC).

After Elke moved to Nanaimo, she led many monthly walks with the Nanaimo YNC and her exploration of ponds, seeing what were found in the overnight nets, were particularly popular. When the older children became keen on more extensive research, Elke started the 10+ club from families already members.

They did some exciting projects over the next few years until the members became teenagers and outgrew the NatureKids Nanaimo club. To this date, NatureKids BC


10+ Club remains the only successful 10+ club.

During that period when summer camps were held on Newcastle Island each year for YNC families, Elke organized a three-day event for the members to understand rivers from source to the estuary, which fascinated the children and made them aware of how a river is formed and survives. In addition, Elke has worked with local schools introducing students to all aspects of nature.

More recently, for NatureKids, Elke was engaged to develop a Citizen Science project about monitoring the migration of frogs from local wetlands. She had kits made up and instructions to the clubs so they could lead their

Harvey Abraham - BC Nature Club Service AwardBy Rick Gee, Central Okanagan Naturalists’ Club

Harvey and his wife Elaine have been members of the Central Okanagan Naturalists’ Club (CONC) since February 2013 and have served as co-

director in charge of membership.

Harvey developed fillable membership forms that members are able to download from the CONC website and set up a membership database, which

allows CONC to contact its members using Gmail. The membership system allows each mem-ber to indicate their interests; the appro-priate directors may filter the mailing list to limit messages to only those with a special interest. This system contains much of the functionality of BC Nature’s new database but was developed at no charge.

After club activities, CONC circulates photos taken during the activity. Harvey collects these photos, dis-tributes to participants, and helps the president retrieve the higher-resolution images for an annual presenta-tion. Harvey leads one or more hikes each year. Harvey Abraham works in the background so many club mem-bers are not aware of his contributions, but the executive members use his contributions at least weekly. For these reasons the Executive of the Central Okanagan Natural-ists’ Club are proud to nominate Harvey Abraham for the BC Nature Club Service Award.❧

The Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program is a partnership between BC Hydro, the Province of B.C., Fisheries and Oceans Canada,

First Nations, and Public Stakeholders.

Our projects are getting resultsThe Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program funds projects that conserve and enhance fish and wildlife in watersheds impacted by existing BC Hydro dams.

In 2019 – 2020, our Regional Boards approved $9.2 million (approx.) for 97 projects in our Coastal, Columbia and Peace Regions.

Our projects restore priority habitats, secure land for conservation and support ungulates, fish, birds, amphibians and other species.

Learn more about us at fwcp.ca

own monitoring. NatureKids clubs throughout the BC Mainland and Vancouver Island participated. The children were enthralled doing the monitoring at dusk, wearing headlights and finding road kill!

She also led the Safer Cats, Safer Birds Citizen Science project for NatureKids. Elke’s energy and participation in these events was as infectious to the NatureKids Club leaders and members. Adults and children alike felt enriched by her knowledge of nature related activities and her creativity in sharing her knowledge with us. ❧

Elke Wind continued from page 12


IBA - Trumpeter Swan Count in Stuart, Tachie, Middle RiversBy Joanne Vinnedge, IBA caretaker and Krista Kaptein, IBA Caretaker Network Coordinator

During the coldest February on record in the Fort St. James region, intrepid volunteers conducted a

Trumpeter Swan survey in Stuart, Tachie, and Middle Rivers Important Bird & Biodiversity Area (IBA). The BC Field Ornithologists provided support funding to the IBA Program of BC Nature to coordinate and con-duct this survey, held on February 24, 2019.

The Stuart, Tachie and Middle Rivers IBA comprises a series of connected rivers in north-central British Columbia. Trembleur Lake and Stuart Lake separate the rivers. The town of Fort St. James is located at the northern end of the Stuart River portion. Since the rivers all discharge from large lakes they do not typi-cally completely freeze in winter. This IBA supports globally significant numbers of wintering Trumpeter Swans, the northernmost wintering population of this species.

The majority of this IBA is inaccessible by road. A few kilometres of the Stuart River is ground-accessible during the winter, and both the Tachie and Middle Riv-ers may be accessed by a small First Nations village and one bridge crossing. Because of this inaccessibil-ity, volunteer IBA caretaker Joanne Vinnedge gathered aerial swan surveys or anecdotal swan counts during the course of other government work. This information has been used in the review of resource development proposals, such as the Enbridge Northern Gateway oil pipeline (which was proposed to cross the Stuart River), or the proposed TransCanada LNG pipeline (proposed to cross the Middle River).

Local pilot Dave van Dolah began to volunteer to fly the IBA in his personal plane to count swans in late

January, taking GPS locations and photographs when possible. Until this count, funded by BCFO, the pilot absorbed all costs himself.

On the morning of February 24, the temperature was -30 Celsius, with early morning fog on the river that cleared by approximately 11 am. The pilot and one observer noted each location with swans by num-ber and UTM coordinates. Photographs were taken where possible, and later re-counted to verify swan numbers. Ground observers included IBA Caretaker Joanne Vinnedge and Grant Vinnedge, who were only able to access the Stuart River portion of the IBA. A total of 292 swans were seen, significantly fewer than that observed in previous years. The pilot noted that all three rivers were mostly all frozen. In contrast, the 2015 aerial count of all three rivers tallied 573 birds, and pilot Dave Van Dolah noted that all the rivers were mostly open.

“The winter of 2018-19 has experienced record low water levels in the Stuart River. These low water lev-els, coupled with colder winter temperatures, may have contributed to increased ice cover on the rivers and associated loss of effective foraging habitat,” noted Joanne Vinnedge. “In addition, two residents along the Stuart River have reported predation attempts. One noted seeing coyotes on the ice hunting swans, and another reported watching a bald eagle drag away an immature swan by a wing. A loss of effective habitat and potentially increased predation risks may have also contributed to lower swan numbers.”

Sincere thanks to the BC Field Ornithologists for supporting this 2019 IBA survey, as well as the ongo-ing volunteers, pilot and assistants, who are dedicated to gathering the data for this IBA. ❧

By Joanne Vinnedge

By Dave van DolahPlane and bird counters take a break with a rest on the ice.

Trumpeter Swans


How Smart is Your Estuary?By Larry Murray

Citizen scientists add much to the en-vironmental data storehouse. New

Artificial Intelligance applications that link photos and websites are a valuable next step in ensuring what is seen is collected and stored and hopefully analyzed at some point. Yet, each photo or record depends on a citizen scientist to be there and make the decision to ‘click’ the photo and then send. What would it look like if we had the latest Fifth Generation (5G) wireless capability on all the time?

With the arrival of 5G technology and the value of ‘big data’, there is the opportunity to smarten up our information gathering on all things natural and environmental. The construc-tion industry and transportation industries are moving rapidly into using 5G technology to push the boundar-ies of economic and urban life. Driverless cars and super smart buildings and homes are all part of the 5G possibility. In 2020, Release-16 version of 5G will be issued and the artificial intelligence use will grow exponentially.

So why the question about smart estuaries? The question could be about smart forests or rivers or wetlands or clear-cut areas – the list of natural areas is endless. Estuaries are the lungs of a river system and are under pressure from various sources, such as cli-mate change or other human activities. Like any living entity, the more we know about its health, the better prepared we are to provide care.

As part of the local environment scene, I value a better understanding of how the local area fares. Daily visits to favourite spots always bring new insights as nature unfolds. As a member of the local bird watcher group, I see how these creatures defy the odds to continue to come and go every year. Yet, even with a couple of dozen local bird watchers, we miss so much. We have some of the latest apps and viewing equip-ment for identifying birds, but even those sources do not consider the full story. Recently, local bird watch-ers collaborated with Quest University to analyze bird watching data from 1991. The results so far are interesting but so much of the bird story is untold or unknown.

An example that lies three blocks from my home is the Squamish Estuary. Located at the top of Howe

Sound and it drains 3,589 square kilometres of coastal rainforest. Several rivers drain into the Squamish River – Mamquam, Cheakamus and the Ashlu all con-tribute to the network of wetlands and channels in the estuary. It is a major bird flyway and a host to salmon and other fish species as well as deer, elk, bear, cougar, coyote, bobcat, and home to many other creatures. A limited series of trails allow access to some parts of the estuary. An Estuary Management Plan between the Province, Squamish Nation, and BC Rail governs the Squamish Estuary. A Wildlife Management Plan also oversees parts of the estuary. Nature Trust has a sec-tion as well.

Citizen scientists and the variety of environmental, watershed, and trails societies offer many ways to gain first-hand information about the estuary but not on a 24-7 basis. If the Squamish Estuary were made ‘smart’, then it could offer a wealth of data consis-tently. Birdcalls could be registered; animal sight-ings would be noted; water quality, temperature, and salinity would be measured; climate and weather data would be accurate; invasive species could be identi-fied; and pollution and hazards would be noted. Cam-eras would record the seasons; dog bylaws would be respected; soil quality could be measured; spawning salmon and other fish types could be counted; water flows could be measured; fire prevention would be noted, as would unauthorized camping or garbage dumping. Like a Fitbit for the Estuary, everything considered could be measured and the data collected in real time. The deeper research opportunities would be immense. The 1991 bird data being researched at this time will, in the end, offer only a snippet of infor-mation about the vast world of birds in the local area.

By Chris Dale

Squamish Estuary

Continued page 16


A 5G smart estuary could enable instant data across a wide domain to help decision makers respond to the needs of this increasingly stressed wetland. Links to the internet would make the data available to everyone and the crowd-sourcing research would be greatly enhanced.Next Step?

If there is interest in this idea, then further conversations can happen. The Squamish Estuary is a crown jewel and deserves renewed methods to conserve this priceless site. The chief obstacle may be in our own imagination .How to fund a 5G estuary?• The local government and other levels of government could include the costing for a ‘Smart Estuary’ into

the amenity contribution portion for land development. • A series of partnerships with businesses seeking to be ‘green’ could offer funding for this purpose. (Telus

Water Quality Survey; Save-on-Foods Soil Analysis Project, etc.)• Local universities could generate grant funding for 5G research projects in the estuary. • 5G companies such as Samsung and Microsoft could contribute the hardware as part of their own research

on how to use this new capability. ❧

By Bill MerileesGuide to Vancouver Island Butterflies

This handy pocket-sized reference, Butterflies of Vancouver Island is now available. Produced by Val George of Victoria, it includes 60 colour photos of the 44 more

common species found on Vancouver Island. The photos are ‘sharp’, showing wing shape and colour (when the wings are both open and closed!) for most species. The 10.5 x 14 cm (4 x 5.5 in.)slips easily into a naturalist’s vest or hip pocket.

Citizen science has come a long way and this guide is an excellent example! Today’s binoculars, having wonderful close-range focus, makes butterfly and other insect watch-ing simple and fascinating! So - get outdoors! Spring is here and the June period is a great butterfly watching time! ❧

Copies of this guide are available from the author. E-mail [email protected] ❧

A year in the making, the 160-page diary showcases 66 original artworks by 36 local artists. This book combines beautiful pictures with long term natural history data

collected by club members to provide a chronicle of nature in the Valley as it unfolds throughout the year.

The diary features: A two-page spread per week.A short informative caption on the topical subject of the week; Based on historical data, a "This Week" page listing natural history events. A two-page introductory essay for each of the four seasons and short essays on subjects such as unique local ecosystems

Extensive appendices, which include a checklist of common local birds, historical bird arrival dates, bird song mnemonics, nest box and roost box designs, Latin names of plants mentioned in the diary, a Bulkley Valley mammal list and easy to use star charts. The perpetual diary format which allows for the recording of nature observations over several seasons. ❧

BC Nature office has 20 copies available through [email protected] or 604-985-3057 for $20.00 (Includes postage).

A Bulkley Valley Year, a Perpetual Nature Diary.

How Smart is Your Estuary continued from Page 15

By Bulkley Valley Naturalists


Finding the Next Generation of Naturalists

BC Nature is starting to go grey. That has been the observation locally and what we have been hear-

ing from other clubs. Yet it is not as if young people are disinterested in the environment. Witness the climate protests Greta Thunberg has inspired and the high vol-ume of social media activity around issues like plastic in the ocean and the disappearance of pollinators. There is a disconnect between all that energy and participa-tion in our organization.

To ensure the long-term sustainability of clubs across BC we will need to become more effective at engaging young people. With the help of the Kamloops Natural-ist Club and the Faculty of Science at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) I have developed a new three-year program that may provide us fresh insight into how to do that. The “Next Generation Naturalists” program kicked off this spring and had been made possible by a $227,500 grant from The Lawson Foundation.

The program involves thirty-five young people between the ages of fifteen and twenty three. There was no cost to join; the only requirement was a keen inter-est in the environment and a willingness to stick around for three years. This made participation challenging for students planning to attend university in other cities or wanting to travel after graduation. As this is a pilot project it is necessary for research purposes to maintain a single cohort. The results of these observations will be shared nationally and with BC Nature.

One thing we have already found is that some of the participants had aged out of NatureKids BC but did not feel drawn to regular club activities, suggesting a need for a dedicated offering like this. Clubs may be inter-ested in rolling out similar programs but will be able to build in more flexibility and scale the activities to whatever level of resources they have available.

The group meets twice monthly, either on campus at TRU for a three-hour classroom meeting or to get on a bus for a longer field day. Over the next three years, they will receive leadership training and lectures on nature topics from the faculty. They will go on exciting trips and work together on projects in the community.

A key theme of the program is that everything is youth led. The intent is to maintain strong interest and empower the participants. They are choosing the learn-ing topics, they are picking field trip locations, and they are brainstorming projects. My role as program man-

By Jesse Ritcey, ‘Next Generation Naturalists’ Program Manager

Continued page 18

Cottonwood tree wrapping by the Next Generation Naturalists

ager is to facilitate discussion, to bring supplies, book speakers and buses, remind participants of upcoming meetings, and most importantly, to make sure we do not run out of snacks.

Some of our early activities include wilderness safety training, learning water-colour landscape painting, getting an introduction to botany, protecting a pond habitat by wrapping cottonwoods in wire, and looking for snakes. Having access to university resources like field guides and a class set of binocu-lars has been indispensable. If clubs do not already have strong partnerships in place with local learning institutions, they should prioritize establishing them. Whenever possible participants are also encouraged to check out regular club activities. The intergenera-tional transfer of knowledge is another key theme of the program; those greying hairs have a lot of wisdom to pass along!

A team of evaluators will be tracking the partici-pants over the three years to see what they are get-ting out of this experience. The program is designed to foster a greater connection to nature and inspire a willingness to take action to help it. This aligns closely with BC Nature’s mandate ‘to know nature and keep it worth knowing’. We are creating an evaluation rubric (a type of score card) to understand what success looks like and conducting before and after testing using two psychological measures; The Nature Relatedness Scale 1 and The Environmental Action Scale.2

Understanding how we can best share our love of nature with all kinds of people, each starting from their own unique place, is fascinating work.


The Forager's ConnectionBy Jon Blais

On an overcast day, the morning air is cool with the humidity of spring. The sound of

a creek rushing with the previous night’s rain-fall rumbles in the distance. With the threat of a continuation of last night’s showers, I duck under a Redcedar bow blocking my path while I keep vigilant attention on finding my prize. In a musty clearing shaded by a canopy of Redcedars, with tall leaning cottonwoods lining the perimeter, I find the log I have been looking for. It is well into the stages of inevitable decay. I made a mental note of this log in the fall for I knew it would be worth visiting again. I kneel down to get a closer inspection and there they are. Round, grey, gilled bodies, stacked over each other in shelf-like clus-ters, each reaching out as if they are asking me to take them from their fallen home. Oyster mushrooms. I forage them victoriously knowing that nature has provided me with its sustenance.

Why forage though? It does seem like a lot of work considering I can easily buy oyster mushrooms at the local grocery store. These aren’t some exotic fruit, coveted for their rare flavour and impossible to farm. The answer lies beyond simply foraging for food. Those of us who respectfully forage from nature, are involved in an art that goes back to our primal roots. As humans we all came from ancestors who for-aged. The knowledge of how to do this is ultimately the knowledge of nature itself. Successful and responsible foraging means an understand-ing of ecological systems and their patterns: relationships between spe-cies, weather events, time and place. I have learned that these particular mushrooms grow on that particular tree, at that particular time. Those trees have certain growing conditions found in this particular area. As a forager, I am no longer an observer of nature from the outside but have become a part of it.

Increasingly humans are becoming detached from our primal roots. We are becoming increasingly urbanized, domesticated, and the knowl-edge of nature is no longer being passed down. Instead, we fumble around grocery stores, artificially foraging for prepackaged food with

I’m a third-generation naturalist; my grandfather, Ralph Ritcey, started my family on a journey with nature that continues to this day. Helping to start others on this path is deeply rewarding. Through stories on our webpage and Facebook, sending participants to BC Nature AGMs, and future magazine articles it is my hope to share this experience and the learning that comes from it with BC Nature members. ❧Literature Cited:1 Nisbet, E.K., J.M. Zelenski, S.A. Murphy. 2009. The nature relatedness scale: linking individuals' connection with nature to environmental concern and behavior. Environment and Behavior Vol. 41( 5): 715-740. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916508318748

2 Alisat S. and M.Riemer. 2015. The environmental action scale: Development and psychometric evaluation. Journal of Environmental Psychology Vol. 43: 13-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.05.006

no thoughts about where it comes from or its relationship to the land. It is wonderful that our modern society has made it so that many of us no longer need to worry about pure survival and have the time to make art, to innovate, and create. This comes at a cost, however. Our detachment from nature results in a detachment from the damage we do. It yields apathy to the pollution we create and systems we damage. This is why I spend my time learn-ing what I can eat, what medicines I can make, and revel in the abun-dance nature can provide. Through this, I believe we can reconnect to our ancient roots and understanding of nature’s fragility. Provided we give back more than we take, this understanding of the past could lead to the preservation of the future. ❧

Continued From Page 17, Finding the Next Generation of Naturalists

By Jon Blais

Oyster Mushrooms


20BCnature Summer 2019

F O U N DAT I O N

A Strong Foundation is Good for Nature and Supports Club Projects

BC Naturalists’Foundation

For information on donations and bequests: Call 604-985-3057

BC Naturalists’ Foundation UpdateBy Bob Handfield

The BC Naturalists’ Foundation annually supports projects of BC Nature Clubs through the Club

Support Grant program. In February 2019 the Founda-tion provided $14,700 for Club support grants. Less than this amount was requested by Club applications so a total of approximately $13,600 was awarded to the following nine club projects:

Cowichan’s Valley Naturalists’ - Bring Back the Bluebird Project: an on-going multi-year project to re-establish bluebirds in their historic range in the Cowichan Valley. This is the third year this project has been supported.Delta Naturalists - Barn Owl Nest Replacement Project: replacement of old and now decrepit nest boxes (first placed in the 1990s), and to situate some new boxes. This is the second year for this expanding project.Nature Nanaimo - Purple Martin Nest Box Project. Of the 1700 nest boxes for purple martins that have been erected on eastern Vancouver Island over the past 25 years, approximately 500 are in need of replacement due to deterioration. This project is a start on replacing the boxes.Nicola Naturalist Society - Nicola Valley Wildlife Brochures Project. Two brochures are to be produced – one featuring birds and the other wildflowers on one side and other wildlife on the other side.Pender Harbour Wildlife Society - Stewardship of Swallows and Bats on the Sunshine Coast. This project involves building and installing nest boxes and working with private landowners to protect nesting sites from disturbance.Rocky Point Bird Observatory - Owl Migration Monitoring Project: A project started in 2002 seeking to understand the migration patterns and biology of the Northern Saw-whet Owl. This is the second year this project has been supported.Shuswap Naturalists (1) - Cavity Nester Boxes Project. This projects aims to install nestboxes for cavity nesters along the foreshore of Shuswap Lake in Salmon Arm.Shuswap Naturalists (2) - Woody Night Shade Eradication Project. This project aims to reduce and eradicate (where possible), woody night shade, on the foreshore of Salmon Arm Bay.Vermilion Forks Field Naturalists - Hummingbird Banding Project: this is an ongoing project, started in 2017, studying the migration patterns of southern

interior BC hummingbirds. This is the third year of support for this project.

A tenth project was funded with returned funds from last year’s Comox Valley Naturalistp Pollinator Gar-den grant, which unfortunately had to be cancelled. The returned funds were forwarded to South Okana-gan Naturalists for year two of their Nature in Focus project (approved last year but only partially funded), plus $500 was contributed to the BC Nature scholar-ships. This was in addition to the $2000 provided late last year towards the scholarships.

All of these projects involve considerable volunteer time on the part of club members. In most cases the club support grants provide only a portion of the total project budgets, but the clubs are often able to use the Foundation’s support to leverage funds from addi-tional sources. The successful clubs have all agreed to recognize the Foundation and BC Nature in publicity about their projects. The annual grant from the Foun-dation to BC Nature for club support is made possible through the investment earnings from the capital of the BC Naturalists’ Foundation.

Continued page 21


continuingstudies.uvic.ca/ECO

Turn your ideals into action and re-energize your work through innovative programs that balance leading theory and dynamic practice. Register today for the next courses in these programs.

NEW: Introduction to Biology and Natural History Online self-study course

Gain foundational, scientifically sound knowledge in biology and natural history at your own pace in this new online self-study course.

May 6 to Aug. 30, 2019 (online)

RESTORATION OF NATURAL SYSTEMS diploma/certificateForest Restoration and Sustainable Forestry June 20 to 24, 2019 (on campus)

Applications to programs are accepted year-round. Courses may also be taken individually.

Offered in partnership with the School of Environmental Studies

Contact us! [email protected] 250-721-8458

Over the 25 years since its formation, the Foundation has distributed more than $214,000 in grants to BC Nature and its member clubs for conservation and education projects. As the Foundation’s invested capital grows, its earnings are able to provide increasing amounts of grants to support naturalists’ projects.

The Club Support Grants Committee (comprised of members from BC Nature and the Foundation) would like to remind member clubs that we regard the Club support grants as incubation funds rather than a source of long term funding. Therefore those Clubs which have received club sup-port grants for on-going projects for three or more years are less likely to be successful for additional funding for the same on-going project.

The Foundation’s AGM and Directors meeting was hed in May dur-ing BC Nature’s AGM and Conference in Duncan. At the BC Natural-ists Foundation AGM we reviewed the annual financial statements for year end 2018. The Foundation operates almost expense-free. With our major expense being for the annual review engagement required by Rev-enue Canada regulations. Donations and bequests received in 2018 were approximately $78,000. The year-end assets of the Foundation were $498,700 (compared to 2017 - $460,000) held by the Foundation, plus the additional capital held by the Vancouver Foundation of $225,000. Com-bined, the funds now held in the name of our Foundation total more than $720,000. The BC Naturalists’ Foundation funds managed by the Vancou-ver Foundation provide an annual disbursement of investment earnings to the BC Naturalists’ Foundation. The assets that the Foundation directly holds are described in its year end 2018 Financial Statements, which are available for the AGM. These assets are grouped into two categories: the Endowment Fund, which is the total capital of donations and bequests received over the years, and the General Fund which is the investment earnings. The General Fund, represents the amount available for grants and expenses, although most of that fund is reinvested for additional future returns. For a complete breakdown of our annual financial statements, please visit the BC Naturalists Foundation page at www.bcnature.ca.

We are always looking for interested BC Nature members that would be interested in volunteering with the Foundation, please contact Bob Handfield, [email protected]. The Foundation greatly appreciates the contributions and support from naturalists throughout BC. ❧

BC Naturalist's Foundation continued from Page 20

Elke Wind - Daphne Solecki Award winner (page 12) - Elke's 10+ members warning the public that they are hard at work monitoring Salamanders.


In the Right Place— At the Right Time. Adventures in PatagoniaBy Steve Ogle

The entire group is buzzing with anticipation as we approach in our van the entrance to Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile. Though it’s known to be the premiere destination on the planet for find-

ing a Cougar (known as Puma here), most of us including myself, remain only cautiously optimistic. We’re with Roberto, a specialist puma tracker who will hopefully tip the odds in our favour. Most of us are accus-tomed to the forests back home that hinder sightings of these elusive cats. Indeed, though they are common, you’re extremely lucky if you ever get to see one.

For this reason, it’s difficult for us to wrap our heads around what happens next, out here in the Patagonian pampas. Roberto gets a call from his partner indicating a puma is heading our way. Sure enough, a female is visible on the other side of a long, narrow lake. She’s easily visible in the desert scrub. The majestic cat lopes leisurely along while we do the same, now on foot, snapping pictures. She pauses to sniff the air and make a raucous scream. She’s looking for a mate.

We continue on our way after the cat eventually disappears over a hill. Not long after, while high-fiving in the van, our driver stops abruptly to point out two more pumas that have just crossed the road. We get out, snap a few more pics and a few of the guests look like they’re pinching themselves. If this isn’t enough, at this very moment yet another puma crests a small rise and proceeds to sniff around within fifty metres of our group for no less than twenty minutes. That’s four pumas in less than three hours—not a bad day of wildlife viewing! ❧

Join us today for your unforgettable adventure - Eagle Eye Tours.

Eagle-Eye ToursTravel with Vision

Call us at 1-800-373-5678 | www.eagle-eye.com

BC

Lic

ence

#34

413

Patagonia Wildlife Safari:November 2019 with Steve Ogle

Rated Excellent


Levels of the ForestBy Terry Taylor

In a mature forest there are usu-ally three layers of trees, as well as

shrub, herb, and moss layers.

In a mature stand, there is the domi-nant level containing the majority of older trees forming a canopy of roughly the same height. The mem-bers of this level are mostly the oldest trees in the forest. They often started growing at the same time, after a disturbance such as fire or a hurricane destroyed the previous forest. There may, however, be a few very large trees whose crowns stand above the other trees. Very often these are sur-vivors of the previous forest and were already several centuries old when the new forest began. Their descendants may be members of the forest surrounding them.

Below the dominant trees is the understory of smaller trees. These may be the offspring of the bigger trees or they may be different species, which will replace the existing forest. In rainy coastal areas, if the big trees are Douglas-fir, the understory will not be Douglas-fir. In this ecosystem, its seedlings cannot grow under a closed canopy. The smaller trees will be Western Hem-lock and Western Redcedar.

Lower down is the shrub layer. If you are walking along a trail, you may not be aware of this layer, but once you leave the trail, you will be very aware of it. Dense growth of Salmonberry or Salal can present a significant barrier to travel. This layer is significant, also, because it produces berries upon which many of our songbirds depend. Besides height, there is another major difference between shrubs and trees. Shrubs usually have many stems; trees have one.

Below the shrubs is the herb layer. Most of those in a forest habitat are perennial and insect-pollinated. In shady forests, many have small flowers that depend on flies and beetles for pollination.

The final level is the moss layer. The mosses in a shady forest are quite different from those in dry sunny sites. They are larger and feathery or creep over the ground. The trees protect them from drying out and supply dissolved nutrients in the rainwater that drips from their branches. The mosses, in turn, help the sur-rounding larger plants and trees. They help to prevent erosion by carpeting the soil. They help to retain water in dry periods. This can be significant for the survival of seedlings. They also supply nutrients to the trees. When the lower parts of the moss layer die, their nutri-ents and water is often taken up by mycorrhizal fungi. These are the fungi that keep trees alive. This water with its dissolved minerals is then transported to the tree roots to which the fungi are attached.

Not all these layers are present in every forest and there are lower layers we do not see. The mosses are at our limit of visibility, and for most of us, they are beyond our level of awareness. This is unfortunate since this is where the action really starts. Below the moss level is the cellular level. We get a glimpse of this level when we see a coating of algae or mold but cannot see any detail. This is the decision-making level, where DNA and biochemistry control all the levels above it. ❧

Updates from the office - BC Nature Website Members Only Area

The members only area access on our website is currently under construction and we are in the midst of updating our password system for this area. The new member access will be your name as written on the label of this magazine and your password will be your email address. We will have the complete system changed over by June 15, 2019. Thank you for your patience.

By Rosemary TaylorA closer look at a forest with many layers.


NatureKids BC Update

24

By Cynthia Berg, President NatureKids BC

Years before the "Child in Nature" movement was officially launched with the publication of Richard Louv's now famous book, Last Child

in the Woods (2005), NatureKids BC was actively working to get children outdoors, enjoying and observing nature and at the same time, learning about stewardship and how to protect nature. We have long understood that with urban sprawl rapidly swallowing up green spaces - promoting the interaction of children with nature has become ever more necessary. Now, eighteen years on, we are more committed than ever to our mission of getting BC children and their families outdoors to explore, play, learn about and take action for nature.

2018 was an exciting and busy year for our board and staff teams as we worked collaboratively to accomplish year two of our strategic frame-work. Although club and member numbers are relatively stable, we are keenly aware of how Canadian society is evolving, with its dramatically shifting demographics, changing values, and less willingness to give, both in terms of donations and of volunteer time. Given that each of these factors impacts how we do what we do, we have spent much of 2018 addressing this shifting reality by firming up our operational practices, reviewing our programs and policies, and initiating an early start on our next strategic planning process.

Highlights for 2018 include: creating and approving a new Constitu-tion and Bylaws in accordance with the BC Societies Act; cultivating a culture of listening to our members and leaders through surveys designed to gather feedback around their changing needs; celebrating the highest levels to date of participation in stewardship projects like the Christmas Bird Count for Kids and our Citizen Science project on pollinators (which demonstrated a growing appetite for projects where kids can really make a difference for nature); working on one of our core values of diversity and inclusion by finding ways to attract those families and children our programs are not currently reaching; connecting with new Canadians and refugees through partnering with MOSAIC; expanding our three-person staff team to include a development specialist; and opening a conversation with Nature Canada around our methods of engagement with a particular focus on our membership model.

Our critical and essential work in communities across our beautiful province is supported by BC Nature and its affiliates in many ways which include nature mentors volunteering to lead Explorer Days, sharing office space in the Heritage Building alongside BC Nature, participation in adult natural history programs, donations, sponsorships, contributions, and the list goes on. We cannot thank you enough for your faithful support that makes it possible for us to continue to carry out our mission to nurture the next generation of naturalists.

Accomplishments in 2018 - 2019Exploring and Learning About Nature: 2,060 children and adults from 24 family nature clubs had more than 3,255 outdoor adventures• 49 Nature Passports (249 nature outings) were completed and

submitted for great prizes• 9,300 printed and digital copies of quarterly magazine NatureWILD

were distributed

• Launched free digital access to NatureWILD to teachers and schools in the province to support place-based learning

Community Involvement:• 170 enthusiastic volunteers

contributed 8,900 hours to connect children and families with nature. With an in-kind value of $133,500, this is equivalent to five additional part-time staff!

• 49 nature club leaders organized 217 monthly Explorer Days adventures in 34 Communities across BC

• 100 local nature mentors shared their passion, knowledge, and expertise with NatureKids

• Our staff, board, and volunteers attended the NatureKids display at many community events

Stepping Up for Nature:Citizen Science and Hands-on Environmental Stewardship• Over half of all NatureKIds

clubs participated in the Christmas Bird Count for Kids (CBC 4Kids) as well as the Great Backyard Bird Watch

• The Pollinator Citizen Science project saw 14 clubs actively engaged

• Amphibian road surveys were conducted in several locations through the province

• 1,600 square metres of land were improved through stewardship activities, 1467 native plants, trees and shrubs were planted, and 40 bird, bee, and bat boxes installed or renovated

It is a pleasure and privilege to work alongside the BC Nature community to create positive change in our communities across BC, collectively carrying forward our vision to build a healthy and sustainable future for our world by engaging every child and their fam-ily in the diversity, complexity, and wonder of nature. ❧


BC Community Bat Program - BC Annual Bat Count Summary 2018By Mandy Kellner, Provincial Coordinator

Why counting bats is importantThe BC Annual Bat Count is a summer emer-

gence count of bats at day roosts in human-made structures (e.g. houses, barns, bat houses). Begun in 2012, we now have data on seven bat species from 2,107 counts done at 389 sites around the province. Annual Bat Count data is a key part of our provincial bat monitoring program. It is important to moni-tor bats because bats face a wide variety of threats, including habitat loss, increasing severity of fires, and wide-scale mortality from White-nose Syn-drome. Human activities have great potential to cause declines or to support bat populations. Monitoring will inform our policies and actions to protect and con-serve our bats. No private landowner information is passed along when the count results are shared.Number of volunteers: The BC Annual Bat Count continues to grow! In 2018, volunteers donated 613 volunteer-nights, participating in 540 bat counts. In fact, volunteers did the majority of the counts across the province.Number of sites: In 2018, there were a total of 755 counts done at 214 roost sites. Species of bats: Seven species have been identified at sites counted in the Annual Bat Count. Most common are the Little Brown Myotis and Yuma Myotis. Mixed colonies, with more than one species present, are also common. More information about these species can be found on our website at www.bcbats.ca/index.php/bat-basics/bc-bat-species or in the Bat-friendly Communities Guide at www.bcbats.ca/images/BC-Bat-friendly-Communities-Guide-2018.pdf. There are

201 sites where we know the species of bat living there. If you have a roost and do not know what species of bat lives there, you can submit a guano sample following the directions on our Bat Count page, found at https://bit.ly/2sIgq5q, or contact the BC Community Bat Program Coordinator at [email protected] used by bats: Most roost sites are located in occupied houses (189 sites; 49%) and bat boxes or bat condos (123 sites; 32%). Bat colonies are also monitored in outbuildings/barns, unoccupied houses, and other structures (churches and bridges). Trends at count sites: While not statistically analyzed yet, the Annual Bat Count data set can illustrate trends in populations. Stay tuned for information on how bat colonies in your region are doing.

Thank-you for counting and we look forwards to all of your 2019 results! Visit the Annual Bat Count at www.bcbats.ca/index.php/get-involved/participate-in-the-bc-bat-count. ❧

Shop Online for Canada’s Largest Selection ofBinoculars - Spotting Scopes - Birding Gear

Best Prices in Canada Guaranteed! Call or Email for Consultation and Quote

Visit us at www.PeleeWings.ca

Expert Advice on :

636 Point Pelee DriveLeamington ON N8H 3V4

[email protected] Free 1-877-326-5193

All at Discount Prices!

Swarovski * Kowa * VortexLeica * Nikon * Pentax * Celestron Vanguard * Bushnell * ManfrottoZeiss - New Victory SF, HT, Conquest HD & Terra ED all in stock!

New KOWA 50mm Ultralight & 55mm Pure Fluorite Scopes are in stock!

Townsend's Big-eared Bats


The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in NatureAuthor: David George Haskell,2012, New York, Penguin Group. 268 pages. Reviewed by: Terry Taylor

Many natural history books are taxonomic. They are the familiar field guides for identifying

birds, plants, or other organisms. Most of those that deal with ecological or other processes tend to be either textbooks or very technical. However, there is the occasional work that transcends those limita-tions, and allows us to grasp some of the reasons we

are attracted to nature or feel such pleasure when hiking in wild places. This is one of those rare works.

The author is a professional biologist in Tennessee, and his observa-tions are from a site in the eastern deciduous forest. However, despite the fact that the organisms there are different from those with which we are familiar, this book is still very relevant to our forests. This is because it book deals more with processes than species. The birds, flowers, or mosses may be different from those of the west coast, but their anatomy and adaptations are very similar.

For example, one description covers dissemination of Hepatica seeds by ants. We do not have Hepaticas, but we do have Bleeding Heart seeds that are planted by ants. Although there are no Sugar Maples here, there is the Big Leaf Maple.

Book Reviews

You probably imagine that modern ‘environmen-talism’ began in 19th century America with such

The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New WorldAuthor: Andrea Wulf2016, Alfred A. Knopf N.Y., 473pages Reviewed by M.Church

It is a rare gift that combines spirituality, wonder, and science with the ability to put them into writing. Haskell has that ability. He selects a one-metre square area in the forest, and compares it with the mystical qualities of the mandala. On forty-three visits throughout the year he captures the different seasons. Each chapter has a differ-ent theme, and each emphasizes features and processes we can-not see, presenting them in non-technical language. He always has his trusty hand lens with him. With a hand lens you will always find something unexpected: never leave home without one!

The coastal forests do not have any book comparable to this. Is it not time somebody revealed such wonders for us? The natural features of British Columbia are no less amazing than those of the eastern forests.❧

characters as Henry David Thoreau and John Muir. Think again.

Largely forgotten now (but a mindful map reader might wonder why there are so many towns and

geographical features in the world named ‘Humboldt’) is Alexander von Humboldt, widely regarded in his time as the leading European scientist, scholar and general intellectual of the early 19th century. Scion of an aristocratic Prussian family and trained as a geologist (not so-called in the day) and naturalist, he was an inveterate traveler and adventurer.

His scientific training taught him to collect, catalogue and/or measure every natural phenomenon he could. But, equally, his youthful associa-tion with the Jena intellectual circle of Goethe, Schiller, and Herder – scholars who were dragging the end-of-(18th) century world toward Romanticism – taught him to see Nature as whole cloth, to see the inter-connections of every phenomenon. Many scholars regard Humboldt as the founder of ecology.

His reputation was made by an epic five-year journey of exploration in Central and northern South America. His books describing his findings,

published over a long lifetime back in Europe, cemented his reputation with both scholars and the reading public. This year (2019) marks the 250th anniversary of his birth.

There is a magisterially written account of Humboldt’s life. The centerpiece is the South American journey and Humboldt’s reporting of it that initiated modern scientific researches on the natural environ-ment and, at the same time, estab-lished an environmental aesthetic.

But one also learns of the forma-tive experiences that led to Hum-boldt’s great achievements, and how his legacy has influenced the unfolding of modern environmen-tal science and environmentalism. Not least among his legacies was the major influence of Humboldt’s writings on Charles Darwin. If you read one book this year, make it this one.❧


Nature Nanaimo - Project Western Purple Martin Nest Boxes By Staffan Lindgren

Purple Martins, Progne subis, are the largest swallows in North America. The Western Purple Martin subspecies, Progne subis arboricola, is distinct from its eastern cousin in several respects. They originally nested in available cavities made by Northern Flicker and other primary cav-ity nesters in snags. Due to on-going clear-cut forestry practices, agricultural and urban development, such snags became increasingly rare, leading to near extinction of the species in BC. By the early 1980’s, fewer than 10 nesting pairs were documented along the eastern coast of Vancouver Island.

When a few Purple Martins were observed nesting suc-cessfully in cavities of old untreated offshore pilings in Esquimalt Harbour and at Cowichan Bay in 1985, volun-teers put individual nest boxes onto the pilings to see if Purple Martins would use the boxes. The following year several of the boxes were used by Purple Martins. Vol-unteers maintained and added to these boxes for several years, at many different sites.

Over the years, the population has slowly increased and additional nest boxes were added to each site, under the direction of the Georgia Basin Ecological Assessment and Restoration Society (GBEARS), in Nanaimo. The cur-rent population is now estimated at 1,200 pairs. However, the Western Purple Martin is still considered vulnerable as they are sensitive to inclement summer weather, starv-ing after only three-to-four days if unable to catch large aerial prey (e.g., dragonflies and moths) that they feed on and feed to their growing young.

Nest boxes originally set up many years ago are now seriously deteriorating, and require replacement. Of the 1,700 boxes currently distributed among 100 sites, 500 require replacement within the next few years 1 There-fore, Nature Nanaimo is engaging club members to build some replacement nest boxes.

In the fall of 2018, Nature Nanaimo successfully applied for funding to BC Nature and BC Naturalists Founda-tion to build Purple Martin nest boxes. The club wished supported the conservation efforts led by the Georgia Basin Ecological Assessment and Restoration Society (GBEARS). A proposal was written by Staffan Lindgren, aided by Nature Nanaimo members Bruce Cousens and Charlene Lee, who are spearheading the conservation efforts by GBEARS. At subsequent meetings a sign-up list was provided to recruit Nature Nanaimo volunteers, and we had a very good response, with a total of 24 members signing up. Josef-Mathias Baur offered the use

Female Western Purple Martin at her nest box on Newcastle Island.

of his well-equipped workshop for the work, and he quickly took charge of acquiring lumber and miscellaneous equipment needed.

The work started on March 19 with five volun-teers. Over the following weeks, boards were cut, and about 60 boxes were assembled by 11 of the volunteers. The final boxes were assembled on April 9. When informed of the completion of the nest box building, Bruce Cousens requested that we make predator guards, which consist of 2"x 2" stucco metal mesh, which is mounted on top of the boxes. Helena Kreowska offered her carport for this part and three of us completed 60 guards in April. In total, volunteers contributed more than 100 hours of labour to this project. Nest boxes are being handed to GBEARS for mounting in batches of 10. The nest boxes will replace old deteriorated boxes that are as much as 36 years old.

Nest and clutch size monitoring, which required licensed operators, is done by GBEARS personnel and their hired summer student assistants. Future Nature Nanaimo volunteer contributions may include monitoring of Purple Martin arrival dates and cleaning of boxes in the fall.In summary, this was a very successful project. A big thank you is due to all Nature Nanaimo mem-bers who volunteered. The Purple Martins also thank you. ❧

References1 B. Cousens, pers. com.

By Staffan Lindgren.


Staffan Lindgren, Helena Kreowska, and Josef-Mathias Baur with completed Purple Martin nest boxes, one of which has Josef’s custom-designed roof.

By Jim Smith

Communications Chair: BC Nature needs a volunteer to chair the communications committee. This postion is a BC Nature Board postions.

Communications for BC Nature includes this magazine,website, social media, and enews. A background in marketing or communications would be an asset, but not neccesary. Time commitment is an average of three hours per month for participation in board meetings and dealing with board email correspondence. (Board meetings are eight times per year) and your responsibility would also include chairing the Communications Committee meetings (as needed). Help us to shape our communications needs for our membership.

For a full job description for this volunteer position please email: [email protected] or contact Past-President Alan Burger. [email protected] ❧

BC Nature Communications Chair Needed

Communications Committee Members

We are in need of volunteers to assist with working with the office in updating our social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Nature's Voice, Enews, and Instagram. Approximately half-hour per week). We are also looking for members with proof-reading skills to assist with the magazine. (approximately four-to-six hours per quarter).

For further information on how you can help advance BC Nature's media presence with the public, please contact [email protected] ❧

Benefit from a one-on-one relationship with adedicated professional Investment Advisor.Receive sound financial advice while stayinginvolved in the key decisions about your portfolio.

TD Wealth

Now accepting new clients. Start a conversation today.

My goal is to help you reach yours

TD Wealth Private Investment Advice is a division of TD Waterhouse Canada Inc., a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. – Member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. ® The TD logo and other trade-marksare the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.

B. Kevin Neill, BA, CIM®

Investment Advisor250-953-60161-888-356-6177 (toll-free)[email protected]

Birder, Naturalist, Environmentalist Socially responsible investing available

0216

Ready for your digital version of our wonderful magazine BCnature?Simple, just email [email protected], note in the subject line that you would like to start receiving the e-version of the magazine and we will make it so! The whole magazine is in colour and you can read it whereever you are. Can be read on any electronic device, tablets, laptops, and desktops.❧

BC Nature is 50 years old

The Fall edition of BCnature will be dedicated to BC Nature's 50th anniversary. Do you have any naturalists themed articles or photographs from 50 years ago to share with the membership? We would like to share any historical articles and photographs in our next magazine. Please submit by August 1, 2019 to [email protected]


NOTE: Saturday Morning Presentations Conference attendees not participating in a field trip will have the option to attend

one or more presentations at the conference location.

(Topics to be determined.)

BC Nature Fall General Meeting and Conference October 3-5, 2019 “Celebrating the Joys of Nature”

Hosted by Burke Mountain Naturalists’ Society (BMN), Coquitlam (All meetings and presentations will be at the Pitt Meadows Golf Club. Friday and Saturday field trips meet at the golf club.)

Thursday, October 3 1:30 – 3:30 pm - BC Nature Directors’ Meeting 4:00 – 6:00 pm - Club Representatives’ Meeting – light dinner provided 3:00 – 9:00 pm – Registration check-in Dinner on your own 6:00 – 7:00 pm – Reception 7:00 – 7:30 pm – Pinecone Burke Provincial Park Slideshow, Ian McArthur 7:30 – 8:15 pm – What Do We Know About BC’s Bats?, John Saremba Friday, October 4 6:00 – 8:00 am - Early Morning Birding (pre-registration required) Maple Ridge and Jerry Sulina Parks 7:30 – 9:00 am - Registration check-in Continental breakfast 8:45 – 9:30 am - Welcome by local officials and Katzie First Nation Councillor 9:30 – 10:15 am - The Story of Sandhill Cranes in the Pitt Polder, Myles Lamont 10:15 – 10:30 am - Coffee, tea, and refreshments 10:30 – 11:15 am – Wet it, and They Will Come – Frogs!, Aleesha Switzer 11:15 – 11:30 am – Break 11:30 – 12:15 pm – iNaturalist – Drag n’Drop Species Inventories, John Reynolds Lunch on your own 1:30 – 4:30 pm - Afternoon Field Trips (pre-registration required) – Cycle the Dykes Along the Alouette River, Minnekhada Regional Park Hike, Port Coquitlam Heritage Trees Walk, Pitt Polder Ecological Reserve Walk, BMN Bat Stewardship Projects Tour at Colony Farm Regional Park, Blakeburn Lagoons Walk, Species Identification at Golden Ears Provincial Park 4:45 – 6:00 pm – Meetings: BC Nature Education and Conservation Committees 6:00 - 7:30 pm – Barbecue and Anniversary Party (pre-registration required) 7:30 – 8:15 pm - How People Can Make a Park: BMN and Pinecone-Burke Provincial Park, Mark Haddock 8:15 – 8:30 pm – BC Nature – 50 Years, Bev Ramey Saturday, October 5 6:00 – 8:00 am - Early Morning Birding (pre-registration required) Pitt River Regional Greenway 7:30 - 8:30 am – Registration check-in Continental Breakfast 9:00 – 12:00 pm - Morning Field Trips (pre-registration required) – Paddle the Katzie Slough, Birds – Up Close and Personal at Colony Farm Regional Park, Birding at Grant Narrows Regional Park, Minnekhada Regional Park Hike, Habitats and History of Colony Farm Regional Park, Blakeburn Lagoons Park Walk 10:00 – 12:00 pm - Meeting: NatureKids BC 12:00 - 1:30 pm - Buffet Lunch (pre-registration required) 1:30 – 4:30 pm - BC Nature Fall General Meeting 4:30 – 6:00 pm - Social Hour (cash bar) 6:00 – 8:30 pm - Banquet (pre-registration required) – Keynote Speaker: TBD 8:30 – 9:00 pm - Closing remarks and Silent Auction winners Sunday, Oct 6 - Farewell Field Trips (pre-registration required). NOTE: Start times provided are for meeting at the trip site. Pinecone Burke Provincial Park Hike (8:00am), Birding at DeBoville Slough (9:00am), Hike and Hatchery Tour at Kanaka Creek Regional Park (9:30am), Cycle the Dykes Along the Pitt River (9:30am), Mossom Creek Hatchery & Education Centre Tour (11:00am), Riverview Heritage Trees Walk (1:00pm)

Please check BMN’s website for further details and updates www.burkemountainnaturalists.ca/2019-fall-conference

All speakers and field trips may be subject to change


BC Nature Fall General Meeting and Conference October 3-5, 2019 Hosted by the Burke Mountain Naturalists

“Celebrating the Joys of Nature” Each person must have their own registration form. First Name: ________________________________ Last Name: _______________________________ BC Nature Club or Organization Name: _______________________________________________ *Non-members must join BC Nature ($25 per year) or one of the member clubs to attend these events.

Address: _________________________________City: __________________ Postal Code: __________

Phone: ________________________E-mail: ________________________________________________

Are you a BC Nature Director? Club Representative? Will you attend the Club Representatives’ meeting- Thurs Oct 3? Yes No

FIELD TRIP SELECTIONS Total:

1. Early morning birding: Do you plan to attend the early morning birding trips? Friday Saturday 2. RANK your field trip choices 1st, 2nd, and 3rd for each day in the table below:

Friday pm Saturday am Sunday am Cycle the Dykes Along the Alouette River

Paddle the Katzie Slough FEE $25 Cycle the Dykes Along the Pitt River

Species Identification Using iNaturalist at Golden Ears Provincial Park

Birds – Up Close and Personal FEE $30 DeBoville Slough Birding Walk

Port Coquitlam Heritage Trees Walk Birding at Grant Narrows Regional Park Hike and Hatchery Tour at Kanaka Creek Regional Park

Pitt Polder Ecological Reserve Walk Habitats and History of Colony Farm Regional Park

Mossom Creek Hatchery & Education Centre Tour

Blakeburn Lagoons Park Walk Blakeburn Lagoons Park Walk Riverview Heritage Trees Walk

Minnekhada Regional Park Hike Minnekhada Regional Park Hike Pinecone Burke Provincial Park Hike BMN Bat Stewardship Projects Tour at Colony Farm Regional Park

Trips will be assigned by order of registration and preference. Spots cannot be guaranteed once trips are fully booked.

HOW TO REGISTER 1. Registration and a signed waiver form are required for all field trips for each person. Print a waiver form from the website, read it

carefully, sign, and include with registration. Waivers will also be available for signing at the conference. 2. Make cheques payable to: Burke Mountain Naturalists’ Society. Mail to BMN, P.O. Box 52540, R.P.O. Coquitlam Centre, Coquitlam, BC

V3B 7J4 3. No refunds after August 31, 2019. We will send most registration confirmations by email. For more information, email

[email protected] or phone Brian Wormald at 604.537.3717. 4. Accommodations: Book early for the discounted conference rates at the Best Western Plus (Pitt Meadows) and the PoCo Inn and Suites

(Port Coquitlam). Mention “BC Nature” for your discount. For detailed conference information and schedule updates visit https://www.burkemountainnaturalists.ca/2019-fgm-conference/

REGISTER ONLINE – it’s easy! You can pay by credit card, PayPal account, or e-transfer. Click the registration link at https://www.burkemountainnaturalists.ca/bc-nature-2019-fall-conference-registration/

REGISTRATION OPTIONS By July 31 After July 31 Amount

Full Registration – includes all speakers, field trips, and birding. DOES NOT include Friday barbecue, Saturday banquet, or field trips with fees.

$125 $150

or Thursday Evening Reception only – includes speaker and refreshments. $20 $20 or Friday only – includes early morning birding, speakers, field trips, and BMN’s 30th and BC Nature’s 50th year anniversary celebration. DOES NOT include barbecue. or Friday evening only – includes BMN’s 30th and BC Nature’s 50th year anniversary celebration and evening speakers. DOES NOT include barbecue

$20 $20

or Saturday only – includes early morning birding, field trips, buffet lunch, and BC Nature meeting, and keynote speaker. DOES NOT include banquet.

$80 $90

Optional Conference Activities Friday barbecue -includes BMN’s 30th and BC Nature’s 50th year anniversary celebration and evening speakers

$30 $35

Saturday morning field trip – Paddle the Katzie Slough in Pitt Meadows $25 $25 Saturday morning field trip - Birds- Up Close and Personal at Colony Farm Reg. Park $30 $30 Saturday banquet – includes keynote speaker, awards and silent auction $50 $55 Sunday farewell field trips Free Free

$60 $70

https://bit.ly/2W7ybHi

https://www.burkemountainnaturalists.ca/2019-fgm-conference/

https://www.burkemountainnaturalists.ca/bc-nature-2019-fall-conference-registration/


North in the Spring: Prince George to the Alaska Highway Part 2By John Neville

31

Ascending Pine Pass on Hwy 97 in the springtime is theperfect way to see this part of the Rockies. The snow

was melting above and sheets of water were cascading down the cliff face and crashing into the ditch alongside the ve-hicle. Pine Pass is only 933 metres above sea level. The road passes Azouzetta Lake and follows the Pine River Valley to Chetwynd. At Chetwynd. We reached the crossroad with Hwy 29. A right turn takes you to the Tumbler Ridge Geopark.The geological history of the area is fascinating (see Tum-bler Ridge article 2017 BCnature Spring issue.) We turned left and stopped for the night at the Moberly Lake Provincial Park. The lake is long, narrow and quite muddy. A little Black Bear was grazing on the lush grass on the way in. He was fully occupied and did not bother to look up. We were pleased to occupy one of the attractive campsites by the water. Our campsite was all the more enjoyable because a pair of Merlin were nesting in an adjacent Black Spruce.

Our next stop was the museum at Hudson Hope. It is the third oldest European settlement in BC, after Fort St. John and Prince George. There were some well-displayed fossils from the Peace River Valley. These included nine dinosaur species and several marine lizards called Ichthyosaurs. A small, rare one has been named after the community, Hudson-elpidia. The only other two examples were found in China.

Next, we drove into the W.A.C. Bennett Dam Visitors’ Centre for its 10 am opening. A driver’s licence was needed to pass security, and then we were quickly fitted out with BC Hydro vests and hard hats. A bus took us down to water level and into the heart of the dam. The dam is 183 metres high, a full two km long and one km thick at the base. It is earth filled and designed to withstand an 8.7 earthquake on the Richter Scale. We were shown the penstocks with their loud humming turbines and the tailrace leading the rushing water out again into Dinosaur Reservoir. The water in the reservoir flows down to the Peace Canyon Dam, thus using the water twice. Many fossil bones and dinosaur tracks are now at the bottom of Dinosaur Reservoir. This huge complex provides about 30% of BC’s electrical needs.

Back in the 1950's the population of BC was growing, mills and mines were being built and the general population was acquiring washing machines, refrigerators, and televisions. BC Hydro and the Bennett government devised plans to meet the province’s growing need for electricity. They utilized the Peace River system and in combination with the Washington State Columbia River system.

The planning was sound from an electrical point of view, but the cost to the First Nations and the natural world were devastating. In 1899, Treaty 8 was signed covering most of the First Nations in this region. It calls on us all to protect the

First Nations traditional way of life and to work together on land-use planning. A copy of the Treaty is displayed at the entrance to the visitors’ centre and you can view a short film explaining the trauma to First Nations in 1968. When the Williston Lake filled, 350,000 acres of forest land were flooded.

The Peace River system was a highway between First Nations, with highly organized social structures, laws, and means of hunting and fishing. The traditional migration routes of caribou were obliterated and their numbers have severely declined. Many animals were drowned, including more than 200 moose. The new lake created a climate of its own, was dangerous to travel on, and disrupted many aspects of First Nations life. The people were treated poorly. Promises made, such as free electricity, were never kept. BC Hydro is being very open about the benefits and shortcomings of this huge project.

We camped next to Williston Lake for two nights and experienced its turbulent weather. The first night we had a severe windstorm that rocked the vehicle. The next evening the wind blew over the dam, creating a sand-storm forcing grit through the closed doors and covering all interior surfaces. The next morning, in peaceful conditions, I walked along an adjacent road and recorded several boreal bird species. I particularly enjoyed the melodic song of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak perched at the top of an Aspen tree. ❧

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

By Paul Vanderwerf

Publications Mail No. 41804027

BCnature is published four times a year. 1620 Mount Seymour Road, North Vancouver, BC V7G 2R9

Spotlight On Distinguished Naturalist Mentors

Mandy Ross comes to British Columbia from the big city of Cam-bridge, Ontario. She headed out west to volunteer, work, and

explore in the beautiful province we call home. Mandy got her start in nature education as a WildSafeBC coordinator, where she presented to communities and students across the Thompson-Nicola Regional Dis-trict about wildlife ID, behaviour and living safely near wildlife.

In 2016 she received her Masters of Science degree from Thompson Rivers University where she looked at the ecotone between aspen copses and grasslands. Her work was related to the hypothesis that species biodi-versity is higher in these interface areas. She found that aspen copses and ecotones were similar in diversity and both higher than in the grassland alone. After spending so many summers closely studying the forests and grasslands in various parts of BC, she wanted to help others experience the wonder of our natural environment.

In 2016 she became a co-leader of the Kamloops chapter of Nature Kids BC (previously the Kamloops Young Naturalists Club). She leads hikes, organizes outings led by a diversity of other naturalists, and has increased the membership of Nature Kids by getting the word out about the fun and interesting outings kids and their lucky parents get to attend. On any given day, Mandy can be found hiking, camping, rock climbing, ice climbing, and biking around the Southern Interior, all with her adventurous two-year-old son in tow. We here in Kamloops are lucky to have a knowledgeable and dedicated leader for our future Naturalist Club members. ❧

Gwynneth Wilson - Nature Mentor Central Okanagan Naturalists’ ClubBy Fran Fisher

Gwynneth is the glue that keeps the Central Okanagan Naturalists' Club birderstogether. Her many weekly reports include times and places to meet as well as any

unusual sightings. Her aim is to make the group as welcoming and inclusive as possible. She has been a member of CONC since 1962 and even met her husband, Robert Wilson, president in 1965, at one of our meetings.

Many coordinating roles have been filled by Gwynneth over the years. She led the birding group outings for several years and still takes her turn in the roster of leaders. She leads a team and has helped organize the Christmas Bird Counts, Swan and Eagle count, Okanagan Mountain Park Critter count, Johns Property Bird Count, and the Nightjar Survey. For a few years she helped organise a monthly Birders' Night. A special favourite is her team The Wilson's Warblers who have taken part in the Big Day Fundraiser for Bird Studies Canada and raised thousands of dollars for bird conservation over the years.

Mentoring Story: In 1990, during the school holidays, our birding group was at Chichester Marsh in Kelowna. They came across a 12-year-old boy who was carrying a large bird book. He asked the group if they would like to see a Blue-winged Teal nest. This was an unusual sighting. They followed him and sure enough, there it was! After this the birders began Saturday outings so youth could attend. Gwynneth took the young man under her wing and along with the other birders began mentoring him. He was so keen that they even paid for him to accompany them on trips down south to bird. The young man was Chris Charlesworth, (Avocet Tours), and he has made his career in birding destinations. Now that's mentoring. As you can see, she is an extremely valuable member for us. Thank you Gwynneth for all you do. ❧

Mandy Ross - Nature Mentor Kamloops Nature Kids BCBy Gary Hunt

Mandy Ross (Right)

Documents

The Magazine of BC Nature...wild. Caribou have existed in North America for more than a million years. They thrived through the ice ages, alongside the ground sloths and woolly mammoths