ISSN 0228-8842

B.C. NaturalistMAY/JUNE 1991 VOL. 29 NO. 3

The Federation of British Columbia Naturalists, 321-1367 W. Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6H 4A9

The Federation of B.C. NaturalistsOffice: 321-1367 West Broadway,

Vancouver, B.C. V6H 4A9phone: 737 3057

FAX:738 7175

AFFILIATED CLUBSAND DIRECTORS

LOWER MAINLANDRegional Coordinator:TBA

Alouette Field Naturalists:12554 Grace Street,Maple Ridge, V2X 5N2D: Duanne van den Berg (463 8743)

Bowen Nature Club:Box 20, Site G, RR#1,Bowen Island, VON 1GOD: Michael Dunn (666 6544)

Burke Mountain Naturalists:c/o 1723 Hammond Avenue,Coquitlam. V3K 2P8D: April Mol (463 2507)

Chilliwack Field Naturalists:P.O. Box 372, Vedder Crossing.VOX 1ZOD: Gladys Brown (858 4032J

Delta Naturalists:1265 - 52nd Street, Delta, V4M 2Z1D: Linda White (943 3695)

Langley Field Naturalists:Box 3243, Langley, V3A 4R6D: Alastair Grogan (534 9682)

Fender Harbour & District WildlifeSociety:Box 220, Maderia Park, VON 2HOD: Iris Griffith (883 2434)

Royal City Field Naturalists:c/o 125 Bonson St., New Westminster,V3L2J9D: Norma Boutillier (430 8O33)

Sechelt Marsh Protective Society:Box 543, Sechelt, VON 3AOD: Peggy Wagner (885 5413)

Squamish Estuary Conservation Society:Box 1274, Squamish, VON 3GOD: Jim Wisnia (898 200O)

Vancouver Natural History Society:Box 3021, Vancouver, V6B 3X5D: Lawrence Brown (228 8861)

Syd Cannings (721 0338 - Victoria)Jude Grass (52O 3706)Stephen Partington (985 4296)Daphne Soleckl (736 9471)Rosemary Taylor (228 9966)

White Rock and Surrey Naturalists:Box 75044, White Rock, V4A 9M4D: Ann Schell (531 5816)

PAGE 2 B.C. NATURALIST MAY,1991

VANCOUVER ISLANDRegional Coordinator:Connie Hawley1310 Franklin Terrace, Victoria,V8S 1C7 (385 2535)

Arrowsmith Naturalists:Box 1542, Parksvllle, VOR 2SOD: Pauline Tranfield (2486607)

Comox-Strathcona Natural HistorySociety:Box 3222, Courtenay, V9N 5N4D: Allan C. Brooks (337 8180)

Cowichan Valley Naturalists:Box 361, Duncan, V9L 3X5D: Sue Griffin (746 8518)

Mitlenatch Field Naturalists:Box 413, Harlot Bay, VOP 1HOD: R & H Kellerhals (285 3570)

Nanaimo Field Naturalists:Box 125, Nanaimo, V9R5K4D: Jill Sims (722 3648)Alt.: Karen Mullen (245 7496)

Salt Spring Trail and Nature Club:Box 998, Ganges, VOS 1EOD: Ailsa Pearse {537 9261)

Victoria Natural History Society:Box 5220, Victoria, VSR 6N4D: Lyndis Davis (477 9952)

Connie Hawley (385 2535)

THOMPSON-OKANAGANRegional Coordinator:Peter LeggBox 751, Vemon, V1T 6M7(5429031)

Central Okanagan Naturalists Club:Box 396, Kelowna, V1Y 7N8D: Mike Chappell (763 1437)

Kamloops Naturalists:Box 625, Kamloops, V2C 5L7D: Alan Vyse (372 86O7)

North Okanagan Naturalists Club:Box 473, Vemon, V1T 6M4D: Peter Legg (542 9031)

Frank Paul (542 7629)

North Shuswap Naturalists:General Delivery, Celista, VOE 1LOD: Helen Akrigg (955 2963)

Oliver-Osoyoos Naturalists:Box 1181. Osoyoos, VOH 1VOD: Harold King (495 69O7)

Shuswap Naturalists:Box 1076, Salmon Arm, VOE 2TOD: Lillian Smiley (832 1012)

South Okanagan Naturalists Club:Box 375, Penticton, V2A 6K6D: Eva Durance (492 3158)

CARIBOO

Bella Coola Trail and Nature Club:Box 280, Bella Coola, V7O ICOD: Scott Whittlemore

Quesnel Naturalists:RR#3, Box 12, Milburn Lake Rd.,Quesnel, V2J 3H7D: June Wood (249 5532)

Williams Lake Field Naturalists:Box 4575, Williams Lake, V2G 2V6D: Anna Roberts (392 5OOO)

NORTH CENTRAL

Bulkley Valley Naturalists:Box 3089, Smithers, VOJ 2NOD: Rosamund Pojar (847 9784)

Prince George Naturalists:Box 1092. Stn. A,Prince George, V2L 4V2D: Jack Bowling (963 7837)

PEACE

Timberline Trail and Nature Club:Box 779, Dawson Creek, V1G 4H8D: Ellen Schoen (782 4485)

KOOTENAYRegional Coordinator:Hazel StreetBox 65, South Slocan, VOG 2GO(359 7426)

Arrow Lakes Naturalists Club:Box 294, Nakusp, VOG 1ROD: Gary Davidson (265 4456)

Boundary Naturalists Association:Box 2194, Grand Forks, VOH 1HOD: Jim Glanville (442 3865)

Rocky Mountain Naturalists:404 Aspen Road, Kimberly, VIA 3B5D: Ruth Goodwin (427 5404)

West Kootenay Naturalists Association:Box 3121, Castlegar, V1N 3H4D: Hazel Street (359 7426)

DIRECTOR REPRESENTINGINDIVIDUAL MEMBERS

D: Peter Hatfield3809 Osier St., Vancouver, V6H 2W7(738 8345)

INDEX -./;:

Naturalist Profile - Jean Waite 5B.C. Wildlife Report 6Nest Record Scheme -1990 10RavenTalk 13Canada Goose Survey - Van. Isl. 22Close up on Nature 25Camp Information 29Birds and Birdies 31

B.C. Naturalist is publishedsix times a year by

The Federation of British ColumbiaNaturalists, 321-1367 West Broadway,

Vancouver, B.C. V6H 4A9

Second Class MailRegistration No. 6247

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORY

HONORARY PRESIDENT:Dr. Ian McTaggart-Cowan

OFFICE MANAGER:Frieda Davidson9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday(737 3057)

EXECUTIVE

PRESIDENT:Jude Grass103-7O65 Stride Avenue,Bumaby, B.C. V3N ITS (520 3706)

VICE-PRESIDENTS:Rosamund PojarBox 3089, Smithers, VOJ 2NO(847 9784)

Laurence Brown3948 West 24th Avenue,Vancouver, V6S 1M2 (228 8861)

TREASURERJack Rusted1102-2077 Nelson St., Vancouver,V6G 2Y2 (685 8668)

RECORDING SECRETARY:TBA

PAST PRESIDENT:Syd Cannings265O Arbutus, Victoria, V8N 1W5(721 0338)

COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS

CONSERVATION:Dick Stace-Smith4274 West 13th Ave., Vancouver,V6R 2T8 (224 7027)

EDUCATION AND RECREATION:V.C. (Bert) Brink4135 West 16th Ave., Vancouver,V6R3E4 (2247078)

DEADLINEJULY EDITION

B.C. NATURALISTMay 3O. 1991

THE B. C. NATURALISTEDITORIAL COMMITTEE

EDITOR:Jude Grass103 - 7O65 Stride Ave., Bumaby,V3N 1T3 (520 3706)

ADVERTISING MANAGER;TBA

ADVISORY BOARD:Bert Brink, Norm Purssell, Syd Cannings

Circulation: 6,500

Printed by College Printers, Vancouver

B.C. JVaturalistDEADLINES

The deadlines for submitting materialare:

EDITIONJanuaryMarchMayJulySeptemberNovember

DEADLINE15 October1 5 January1 5 March15 May15 July15 September

The distribution date for each editionis the first of the edition month.

FRONT COVERAMERICAN KESTREL

(Falco sparverius]

Photographed in the East Gate area ofE. C. Manning Provincial Park by AlGrass.

American Kestrels are attracted toMcDiromid Meadows in late summerby the abundance of grasshoppers,which at this season forms its princi-pal food. Small mammals, birds andreptiles are also consumed. Informertimes this species was called the"Sparrow Hawk".

CONSULTANTS TO THEFEDERATION OF B.C.

NATURALISTS

Maitland and CompanyBarristers and Solicitors

Ross McCutcheon - partner100*625 Howe St.,Vancouver, B.C.

Mahmoud ViraniChartered Accountant1247 Harwood Street

Vancouver, B.C. VGE 1S5

HELP WANTED

Advertising Manager:

The B.C. Naturalist is looking forvolunteer(s) to help with a very impor-tant aspect of our newsletter produc-tion. The Advertising Managers du-ties include contacting regular andnew advertisers to arrange for ads bycopy deadlines, then to coordinatingthe billing (which is done by the officestaff). Out of pocket expenses will becovered. This would be an ideal jobfor a small team. For details pleasecontact Arno Seidelmann at 596 3383or the FBCN office.

Secretarial Help:

Our Office Manager Frieda, is lookingfor volunteers to assist with generaloffice work including membership listupdating and typing. Computer skillson MAC would be helpful BUT NOTNECESSARY. Can you give 4 or morehours a week? Please phone Frieda at737 3057 for full details.

DO IJQU sketch or cfraiv, writepoems, nature notes, orphotgraph nature? UewmtCctLike to showcase your work-.PCease submit contributionsto the Editor.

PLANNING A MALL ORLIBRARY DISPLAY?

The FBCN would be pleased to supplyyour club with FBCN brochures andcopies of the B.C. Naturalist to as-sist you with displays, educationalworkshops etc. The office also hasposters and other publication for sale.The FBCN display is also availableand but should be booked early.

Please write or phone the office well inadvance of your event to allow time formailing.

oooooooooooooooooctoooooooShort your &£.$fyturaGst wild, a friend,or... Better yet • givt Uumagift members tip!

oooooooootitoooooooeooooftoooB.C. NATURAUST MAY 1991 PAGES

THE BRITISH COLUMBIA CONSERVATION DATA CENTRE

At a time when biological diversity has suddenly becomea new buzzword amongst biologists, foresters, bureau-crats, and politicians alike, the realization of just how littlewe know about our natural heritage has become startlinglyobvious to many who are trying their utmost to ensure itspreservation. Just how can we study and record informa-tion about all of our remarkably diverse flora and fauna?This would be a daunting task at the best of times, but isessentially impossible in the time frame available to us.How do we set priorities for acquiring lands for preserva-tion or for special management, without knowing what weare preserving or where it is?

The B.C. Conservation Data Centre (CDC) has recentlybeen initiated to help address these problems. The Centreis a joint program of the Wildlife Branch of B.C Environ-ment, The Nature Trust of British Columbia, the NatureConservancy of Canada, and The Nature Conservancy(United States). The plan is that after an initial two orthree year trial period, it will be taken over by the B.C.Environment as an on-going, fully funded governmentprogram.

The goal of the CDC, simply stated, is to compile andorganize data related to conserving the elements of bio-logical diversity. At present, this sort of data is scatteredthroughout museums, scientific journals, these, govern-ment and industy reports, and people's heads. The firstchallenge of the Centre is to bring all these diverse sourcestogether into one data bank.

The system used has been developed and refined over thepast 15 years by The Nature Conservancy (U.S.), whichhas established similar programs in all 50 states, 11 LatinAmerican countries, and Quebec and southern Ontario.We are very fortunate to be able to start with a system thathas had so much time and effort already spent in perfect-ing it. And because it shares a common language andmethodology, the B.C. system can use information gath-ered by all the other programs, including data on theglobal status of species and natural communities, andcan share B.C. information with the network.

How does the CDC plan to keep tract of the naturaldiversity of British Columbia? The approach has twomain thrusts - - a coarse filter and a fine filter. The coarsefilter involves the classification and mapping of all thenatural communities of the province, with the idea beingthat by ensuring all communities are represented in aprotected areas system, much of our biological diversitywill be protected in some form. But rare species andcommunities are either widely scattered or very localizedin the province, so may be easily missed in a protectedareas plan based solely on representative habitats. Thefine filter of the CDC is designed to catch these elementsthat may be missed by the coarse filter. It works byPAGE 4 B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991

collecting data on and mapping occurrences of rare orthreatened species and communities across the province.

By focusing our attention on the rare, threatened, orendangered species, we can be selective in our datagathering and storing efforts. It is still going to be a big job,but it will be one that will result in a good, useful databankwithin a year or two.

Another feature that differentiates the CDC from otherbiological inventories is that it is not a one-time survey ofthe province - - it is a continuously updated, on-goingtracking system for species and communities of conserva-tion interest. If we want to conserve biological diversity,we need to know where it is now, not where it was 40 yearsago.

Some naturalists are justifiably concerned with the secu-rity of the information that goes into a data base such asthis. For example, no one wants to widely publicize theprecise location of a rare orchid or a Peregrine Falcon nest.The CDC personnel are well aware of potential dangers,and in fact this has been a concern that has been tackledagain and again by each program across North America.As a result, there are a number of methods by which therelease of sensitive information can be controlled. En-quiries to the CDC are always handled through a datamanager; the public will not have hands-on access to thedata. Each occurrences can have a data sensitivity 'flag'attached to it, which limits the release of its location toonly certain people in certain situations, or limits therelease to only a generalized location. The success of theCDC, however, will be in its ability to provide as muchinformation as possible so hat land use decisions are notmade in ignorance of threats to species or habitats.

The critical element in this program is cooperation. Thejob is simply too big for five people and two computers todo alone. Other people and organizations must be willingto share information and expertise in order that the bestpossible information be included. The CDC must gain areputation of shared support and professional and caringuse of information. As naturalist, your knowledge ofspecific occurrences of rare species will be invaluable.

The personnel of the Centre are George Douglas, Botanist;Carmen Cadrin, Community Ecologist, Syd Cannings,Zoologist; Holly Clermont, Data Manager; and AndrewHarcombe, Program Coordinator. If you have any ques-tions or concerns about the program, please write to useat the Conservation Data Centre, c/o Wildlife Branch,Ministry of Environment, 780 Blanchard Street, Victoria,B.C. V8V 1X5.

Syd Cannings

<KRfIIS9t COLUMBIA

Most of us know the Cariboo as one of the most productivewetlands for wildlife in'the province. To Jean Waite, it isa land filled with excitement and learning which lured herthere 45 years ago.

Jean was born in eastern Canada and, as a child, movedto Port Albemi on Vancouver Island. She lived there fortwo years before moving toVancouver where she com-pleted her education. In 1947,she moved to the Cariboo,where she lives today, in arustic home set above a large,natural garden that grows tothe shore of Williams Lake. Aslong as she can remember shehas enjoyed the outdoors, butit was the love of gardeningthat led to her full interest innatural history.

She obtained a Bachelor ofArts degree in English andHistory from the University ofBritish Columbia, but shewasn't satisfied. Somethingwas missing in her life. Real-izing that she had a strongdesire to explore and leam sheturned to natural history andsettled on the Cariboo as theplace to investigate. Althoughshe was a keen birdwatcher -an early gift from her husbandwas P.A. Tavener's Birds ofCanada - plants were her pas-sion. For years she travelled JUKthe backroads of the Cariboocollecting plants. Jean couldspot new plants as quickly asothers could see unusualbirds. She taught herself botany using as references J.K.Henry's Flora of Southern British Columbia and laterC.L. Hitchcock's et al. five-volume set Vascular Plants ofthe Pacific Northwest. During a decade of identifyingplants, many by microscope, Jean became an expert onCariboo flora, especially grasses and sedges. The B.C.Forest Service and other professionals regularly called onher to help them with identifications. She was the firstperson to lead field trips for people to study the nativegrasses in the Cariboo. In the late 1960s she shared herexpertise with Anna Roberts who today continues theworkwhich will resultin the bookPlants of the Grasslandsof the Southern Interior of British Columbia.

Although I knew Jean through her contributions to theB.C. Nest Records Scheme and other naturalist activities,I met her for the first time last summer. At that time AnnaRoberts and I visited her home only to interrupt a lively"jam" session. Jean, and fellow musicians, were near theend of an afternoon recorded session. The group waspracticing for their annual performance at the Medieval

Fair in Williams Lake.

We talked about the Cariboo,local naturalists, birds, theScout Island Nature Centre,toads, and spider webs. Sud-denly, a Mountain Chickadeeflitted by the window. I has-tened to tell her but she calmlysaid "The should be three."Several minutes later there were!Her relationship with the plantsand animal life around her isintimate. She watches, listens,and enjoys. For example, for 30years she has watched the an-nual spring contests betweenpairs of American Kestrels,European Starlings, and North-ern Flickers for a prime nest-cavity in a tall Douglas-fir out-side her front door. She is quickto point out that the occupantsmay change from year to year asdoes the behaviour of individu-als and species.

Jean is one. of the foundingmembers and remains a faith-ful supporter of the successfulScoutlslandNatureCentre. Shestill volunteers time on Sundaysto help with visitors, a time shefinds rewarding because it is

the one day that children can bring their parents. She iswell aware of the fact that moms and dads need exposureand education as much as their offspring.

During the past decade Jean has served as the contactperson for songbirds in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region. Tentimes a year she compiles the observations and publishesthem in the Williams Lake Field Naturalists' newsletter"Muskrat Express." To date she has written over 100reports which amounts to almost a full year of her life! Shesays that one of the motivations to continue is because"bird people are extremely generous with their informa-tion."

cont. on page 8 - Naturalist Profile

B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991 PAGES

SPRING REPORT 1991

In early November the first two volumes of THE BIRDS OFBRITISH COLUMBIA were formally released at a booklaunching ceremony in Victoria. By December, mostnaturalists throughout the Province had finally receivedtheir copies. Since many people were not sure what theywere getting, they did not anticipate a set of books thatweighed 10 pounds! As one naturalist said "It is the onlygovernment publication that should have come with aback-pack!"

Early feedback indicates that books are going to be usedregularly by a wide variety of people. One birdwatcherwent through the entire set of books and added circles tothe distribution maps for his reords. He wrote to say thathe was disappointed that information was lacking for 49grids but he also promised to let us have his records for thepasserine volumes. Another birder had a night standcustom made so the books could be at her bedside for lateevening reading! I wrote back asking if the books werebetter sedatives than her night-time medicine!

The general response was that the books "were worth thewait". However, several sets were returned because theywere "too technical" or "lacked colour pictures." Andanother individual was disappointed because the bookslacked information on the foods, behaviour, identification,ecology, diseases, causes of mortality, conservation, andoil pollution for each species.

I apologize for missing the last two wildlife reports. Myfather passed away in the autumn and much of my timewas spent with family matters. So the observations coverthe period from late summer 1990 through March 1991.

NOTEWORTHY RECORDS

Loons to DucksA YELLOW-BILLED LOON was reported from two newinterior locations. An unaged bird was identified by SydRoberts and Rick Howie on 4 August at the mouth of theriver near Tranquille and a "spectacular adult" was pho-tographed by Gary Davidson and Terry Burnett between1 and 3 September at the north end ofSlocan Lake. FrankKime used the "eye in the white" and "single call note" toidentify a CLARK'S GREBE along the Salmon Arm fore-shore on 24 July. The fourth Vancouver area record of thisspecies was found by Bill Lamond at the Sea-Iona cause-way on 8 October.PAGE 6 B.C. NATURAUST MAY 1991

An influx of GREAT EGRETS occurred across southernB.C. from late spring through early autumn. The first birdwas seen on 18 May at Williams Lake. It stayed in thevicinity of the Scout Island Nature Centre until late Junewhen high water forced it from its preferred feeding area(Figure 1). Perhaps the same bird was present at QuesnelLake on 14 July when fisherman Jim Fraser saw a "largewhite crane with a yellow bill and black legs" on the shore.This is the most northern sighting. The final interiorobservation was reported by an eastern birder, MichaelWilson, from a marsh near Cache Creek on 26 July. Onthe southwest coast 1 or 2 birds were present at the ReifelBird Sanctuary between 2 September and 6 October(John Ireland) and the Tsawwassen and Beach Grove areabetween 2 and 16 Sepember (Roger Foxall and AllenPoynter).

Peter Trescher counted a large flock of CATTLE EGRETSsitting on fence posts and the backs of cows at Brisco on31 October. The first Cariboo record of a GREEN-BACKED HERON, and most northern for the interior, wasfound at San Jose Creek at the east end of Williams Lakeon 4 September. Win and Fred Bennie and Anna Robertswatched the bird from canoes as it flew, and then perchedin willows. It was seen again the following week. BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS are becoming regular visitorsto the Tranquille area. Rick Howie says that every year inlate July 1 or 2 birds show up and stay for up to a month.In 1990 Ralph Ritcey found 2 birds in the area on 3August.

A large flock of'CACKLING' CANADA GEESE was countedby Glen Ryder in flooded fields near the corner of 24thAvenue and 208th Street in Langley on 6 November. Ahandsome male TUFTED DUCK was seen on EsquimauLagoon on 25 February by Eric and Lois McAlary. DavidLewis and Ann Neugebauer carefully identified a femaleKING EIDER at lona Island on 19 January.

Vultures to CranesA BALD EAGLE was found frozen in the ice in a ditch nearthe Poppy Golf Course at 248th Street and Fraser High-way in Langley on 4 January. It was safely rescued. GinaRoberts watched an adult PRAIRIE FALCON preening ina tree at Scout Island on 11 January. This is the firstwinter record for the Cariboo.

Plovers to PuffinsLONG-BILLED CURLEWS may occur regularly north toMcBride. J. G. Dowker reports small numbers eachspring and early summer but is concerned that thisspecies has become less common in recent years. AHUDSONIAN GODW1T seen at Mission Point by ArnoldSkei on 10 September brought the Sunshine Coast birdlist to 244 species. A juvenile RED KNOT, seen at EagletLake by Jack Bowling on 16 and 18 August, was the firstrecord for the Prince George area, and the most northernreported for the interior of the province. An immatureSTILT SANDPIPER was present at Roberts Lake, Kelownabetween 25 October and 2 November. Local birders RobinYellowlees, Brian Holmes, Nancy Gray, and DeniseBrownlie all witnessed this first record for the area. Thefirst record of a BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER in over 20

years from the west coast of Vancouver Island was foundat Chesterman Beach on 15 September by Aurora Patersonand Arlene Richardson.

On 11 and 12 October Gin Roberts watched at POMAR1NEJAEGER at Scout Island flying over a marsh where deadfish had washed ashore. This is the second occurrence forthe Cariboo and the first since November 1911! TwoFRANKLIN'S GULLS, both birds of the year, were seen at70 Mile House by Mike and Cynthia Shepard on 26August. An adult SABINE'S GULL was seen off BlackieSpit (Surrey) on 31 July by Jo Ann and Hue McKenzie, andin the interior Syd Roberts and Rick Howie watched animmature at Tranquille on 6 October.

Doves to WoodpeckersDennis Manke and Dave Tansley were very thorough indocumenting the exact location of a SPOTTED OWL onMount Rexford near the Chilliwack Valley on 29 September.The bird was in old-growth forest adjacent to a large clearcut. Linda Durrell picked up her first LONG-EARED OWLalong the Chilcotin River on 15 November. An adultBOREAL OWL was heard calling from the north side ofKlaytahnkut Lake on 19 November by Dave Dunbar. Thehabitat was white spruce with a minor component ofaspen.

Dave Low witnessed a large concentration of COMMONNIGHTHAWKS over the Lac du Bois grasslands in theearly evenings of 12 and 13 August. He mentioned that "aminimum of 75, and probably over 100, were estimatedafter numerous attempt to count these twisting, turning,confusing aerialists". A dead POORWILL was found onthe road between Alkali Lake and Dog Creek on 18 Augustby Andy Stewart. This is only the third record for theCariboo region.

Flycatcher to VireosA TROPICAL KINGBIRD was present from 24 October to1 November at Tofino. Adrian Dorst, Aurora Paterson,and Arlene Richardson watched the bird hawk insectsfrom vines and trees within a four square block area.BLUE JAYS were reported from widely scattered areas, asfollows: Columbia Lake to Edgewater (Windermere: 17September-1, KarstenOslie, 15October- 1, DixAnderson,25 October - 1, Ruth Daniel; Invermere: 16 October - 1;Edgewater: 19 and 20 November - I , Meryl Cooke);Creston: September through November, up to 3 at theAskevold property; Cranbrook: 21 October - 1, BethWoods; Savona: 11 November - 1, George Nixon;Abbotsford: 3 December - 1, Bill Stevens.

A lone CLARK'S NUTCRACKER was well described byAurora Paterson at Tofino on 14 October. Three BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES were present near 860 Park Avenue inNanaimo on 26 July. According to Graham Turnbull andTed Barsby no one in the area was known to raise or keepthis species in captivity. There are not many places in theprovince where all four species of chickadees can be seentogether in one locality. Rod and Sheila Bambauer saw allof them at Marvin Astleford's feeder at Anahim Lake on 2February. They counted 3+ BLACK-CAPPEDCHICKADEES, 10+ MOUNTAIN, 1 BOREAL, and 3+

CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES. The second occur-rence of BUSHTITS on the Sunshine Coast was reportedby Tony Greenfield at Halfmoon Bay where he counted 15birds on 14 September.

An unusually large number of VARIED THRUSHES (75)was counted over 2 acres of lawn at the Carmanah PointLightstation on 25 December. Jerry Etzhorn said thebirds were "poking their bill into the grass - feeding". AGRAY CATBIRD showed up at the home of Steve Myers inFort St. John on 31 May - a far northern record for theProvince. Gail Pelletier reported that a NORTHERNMOCKINGBIRD was present at the weather station atDease Lake from 1 to 5 June.

Warblers to FinchesJo Ann and Hue McKenzie carefully documented theoccurrence of a TENNESSEE WARBLER at Langley on 8September. A DICKCISSEL, which showed up at DougBrown's feeder in Osoyoos on 22 November, created a lotof excitement for birders. Many birders from the LowerMainland drove (some flew!) the distance to add the birdto their B.C. list! An AMERICAN TREE SPARROW wasidentified on 27 December by retired wildlife biologist GlenSmith at a feeder on Saltspring Island. Two noteworthysightings of CLAY-COLOURED SPARROWS were recorded.One was present at the feeder of Linda Dupuis andCameron Eckert in East Vancouver from 20 to 24 Octoberand another at the feeder of Nancy Harrison in Kamloopsfrom 1 to 15 December. The latter bird was photographed.At least one RUSTIC BUNTING was identified in Tofino byMerek Marven on 9 December. A BRAMBLING waspresent at the feeder of Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Pelter onHamsterly Road inSaanich in January and February. Thebird showed up on 23 January and was identified by Vicand Peggy Goodwill on the 26th.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Butler, Robert and Richard J. Cannings. 1989. DISTRI-BUTION OF BIRDS IN THE INTERTIDAL PORTION OFTHE FRASER RIVER DELTA, BRITISH COLUMBIA. Ca-nadian Wildlife Service Technical Report Series No. 93,Delta, British Columbia. 60 pages.

Forty-one members of the Vancouver Natural History Societyspent over 800 hours of volunteer effort in this study. Over1.5 million birds, representing 150 species, were countedbetween March 1988 and February 1989. Seasonalnumbers (ca. 250,000) were highest in the October, No-vember, and December and lowest (11,000 birds) in June.Nearly 40% of all birds recorded were shorebirds of whichthe Dunlin was niost often seen. Most birds were seen inBoundary Bay.

Grass, Al. 1989. THE BIRDS OF GOLDEN EARS PRO-VINCIAL PARK. B.C. Parks, Vancouver District, P.O. Box7000, Maple Ridge. 76 pages.

Golden Ears Park is a large area of 54,000 hectares. Thisreport summarizes records for the period 1963-1989. Achecklist, annotated list, notes on habitat, and special

Cont. on Page 8B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991 PAGE 7

Contfrom Page 8 ... B.C. Wildlife

reports (e.g. Red-breasted Sapsuckerstudy) are the strengths of this usefuldocument. Parks Branch should beencouraged to produce additional re-ports for other parks.

Olsen, K.M. 1989. FIELD IDENTIFI-CATION OF THE SMALLER SKUAS.British Birds 82:143-176.

This paper discusses in detail theproblems qfjteld identification of theLong-tailed. Pomarine, and ParasiticJaegers, mostly in adult and juvenalplumages. Colour plates and excellentblack-and-white photographs enhancethe text.

Young, Bruce E. 1989. FIRSTSPECIMEN RECORD OFTHE INDIGOBUNTING, (Passerina cyahesa), INBRITISH COLUMBIA. Canadian Field-Naturalist 103 (3) : 415.

A specimen of a Lazuli Bunting in theYale Peabody Museum, Connecticut,collected at Port Hardy on 1 November1953, was reidentyled as an immatureIndigo Bunting. This is the earliestknown record for the province and thelatest autumn date for North America.

R. Wayne Campbell

Announcing

A New Provincial SocietyDevoted to The Study and Enjoyment

of Birds in British Columbia*We offer members the following:

/ a journal (2 issues per year), including articles,seasonal summaries of noteworthy birdsightings, and book reviews.

/ a newsletter (4 issues a year), including birdingsite guides, news items, and listing data.

/ an annual meeting with field trips and invitedspeakers (first meeting planned for August 23-251991 In Delta).

Annual dues: $20 for 1991

Please send cheque or money order,payable to B.C. Field Ornithologists, to:

Treasurer, B.C. Field OrnithologistsP.O. Box 1018, Surrey, B.C. V3S 4P5

Cont. from Page 5 - Naturalist Profile

Naturalists visiting the Cariboo havebenefited from Jean's experience overthe years as have many professionalbiologists. Dr. Barbara DeWolfe, anauthority on song dialects in White-crowned Sparrows from the Universityof California at Santa Barbara, regu-larly seeks Jean's advise. In turn, Jeanhad Barbara subscribe to the "MuskratExpress".

Over the years Jean has maintained alow profile but has remained very ac-tive behind the scenes. Her unselfishand thoughtful manner has stimulatedan interest in many aspiring natural-ists. We will all reap the benefit of herinfluence in the decades to come.

photo and textR. Wayne Campbell

PAGE 8 B.C. NATURAUST MAY ,1991

BINOCULARSSPOTTINGSCOPES

forBIRDING AND

NATURE STUDYby

PENTAXBUSHNELL

BAUSCH & LOMBCELESJRON

ADLERSCOPESTEINER

SWAROVSKItEUPOLD, KOWA, NIKON

Amex, Visa, M/Card

VANCOUVER TELESCOPE CENTRE102 • 2220 WEST-BROADWAY, VANCOUVERCORNER OF YEW 738-5717

TATSHENSfflNIA TRULY WILD WILDERNESS

Most of us have fond memories of special places we havebeen, places that we treasure more than others. For somea quiet cove on a hidden lake, a snug mountain chalet, ora beach rich in marine life maybe that special place. Forme wilderness areas are the places closest to my heart.Over the years I have searched out some of the wildestplaces in British Columbia. From the rugged coasts of theQueen Charlotte Islands, central mainland and westernVancouver Island through the interior to the Rocky Moun-tains and north from the swampy Fort Nelson lowlandsthrough the Muskwa, Cassiar, and St. Elias ranges, I haveexperienced some of the 'wildest' wilderness this provincehas to offer.

By definition wilderness is an area that is untouched andunaltered by man. Untouched wilderness no longer existsbut unaltered wilderness remains. We have a consider-able but increasingly fragmented amount of such wilder-ness in British Columbia known by birders as the HainesTriangle and by river runner as the Tatshenshini. Thisremote corner of the province lies between Yukon's KluaneNational Park to the north and Alaska's Glacier BayNational Park to the south. The Tatshenshini River, orTats has its headwaters in the alpine swamps on the northside of Chilkat Pass along the Haines Road. The smallheadwater stream flows north into the Yukon along theHaines Road before turning south to bisect the majesticSt. Elias Range through the heart of British Columbia'smost spectacular torrent of glacier melt as it hurtlessouthward before broadening out into a widervalley belowthe O'Conner River. The Tat swells to major river sizebefore it joins the Alsek River just east of the Alaskaborder.

I was first introduced to this area by my father. As avidbirders we dreamed of travelling to the remotest cornersof the province in search of the rarest birds. The HainesRoad has been a legendary place for unusual birds sinceMunro and Cowan's 1947 The Bird Fauna of BritishColumbia listed it as the only breeding locality in BritishColumbia for the Wandering Tattler. So off the family wentin 1971 to find Mile 85 on the Haines Road. When wearrived we found a birding paradise. Some of the high-lights were Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers,Short-billed Dowitchers, American Tree Sparrows, Smith'sLongspurs, Arctic Terns, and, everywhere. Willow Ptarmi-gan. The mountains visible from the Haines Road werewild and rugged. The combination of wildlife, wilderness,and solitude left an indelible impression. A return trip tothe Haines Road was made in 1978 with similar results.

In 1983 I spent 5 weeks in the heart of the Tatshenshini.As part of a team of biologists with the Royal B.C.Museum. I flew into the Tatshenshini to collect data onthe abundance and diversity of wildlife. We had threecamps, one on the banks of the lower Tatshenshini, onein alpine meadows near the headwater of Shini Lake, andone at mid elevation along a tributary of the Tat. These

were true wilderness areas. Accessible only by foot,helicopter, horseback, or river raft, we saw no one for 5weeks. The lower Tat was bordered by rugged mountainsand was literally crawling with grizzly bears. We sighted15 different grizzlies in a month. Fresh bear tracks anddiggings were everywhere. Several times we flushed agrizzly ahead on the trail, not an unusual event sincethese were bear trails after all. The area had moose in theswamps, and herds of mountain goat and Dall sheep onthe peaks. Wolves howled near camp. Twenty-two speciesof mammals and 114 species of birds were recorded.Unusually high densities of nesting Hermit and Swainson'sThrush, White-crowned, American Tree, and SavannahSparrows, Dark-eyed Junco, and Willow Ptarmigan werefound in the meadows. In the alpine we found RosyFinches, redpolls, nesting American Pipits, Brewer'sSparrows, and White-tailed Ptarmigan. In the swamps wefound shorebirds. Mew Gulls, and Arctic Terns nesting.Surrounded by teeming wildlife, wild brawling rivers,majestic mountains, and quiet solitude I recognized thisplace as the ultimate wilderness in British Columbia.

Others are now beginning to recognize the wildernessqualities of the Tatshenshini. River rafters discovered theTat in the late 1970's. At present, several rafting compa-nies take hundreds of wilderness seekers each year downthe Tat in what all participants call a "trip of a lifetime".The professional rafters have recognized the Tat as one ofthe 10 ultimate Whitewater rivers in the world! In largepart this is because of the absolute remoteness of theriver. The trip is unsullied by bridges, roads, electricwires, or logging and mining scars.

It is not surprising that few outside of the rafting andbirding community had heard of the Tatshenshini, untiltwo or three years ago. At that time Geddes Resources Ltd.announced plans to open a major cooper/cobalt/gold/silver mine on top of Windy Craggy Mountain, in the heartof the Tatshenshini wilderness. Plans for a huge open pitmine near the confluence of the Alsek and TatshenshiniRivers, an all season road from the Haines Road down theTatshenshini to the minesite, a huge tailing pond complexperched high above the salmon rich Tatshenshini andAlsek Rivers, and convoys of heavy ore laden trucksthundering up and down the valley and onward to Haines,Alaska has galvanized and International effort to set thisspecial place aside as a park.

Clearly, development of the proposed mine would destroythe Tatshenshini's wilderness values. Roads, bridges,traffic, open pits, and a mine townsite would ruin theessence of the land. Effects on wildlife, from increasedaccess and disturbance via the road, would be severe,particularly for the larger mammals. The Tatshenshini,for example, has the densest concentration of denninggrizzly bears in Canada. The entire salmon fishery of theTatshenshini and Alsek Rivers would be at risk in the

cont. on page 12 - Tat

B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991 PAGE 9

BRITISH COLUMBIA NEST RECORDS SCHEMETHIRTY-FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT - 1990

For this report 129 contributors submitted 1,763 breed-ing records representing 197 species. Again over 80% ofall cards were submitted by 14 active participants. Theseincluded Mary Pastrick, Al Preston, Margaret Harris,Chris Siddle, Gary Davidson, Violet and Les Gibbard,Doug and Marion Innes, Linda Durrell, Winnifred Bennie,William Huxley, and Steve and Jean Cannings. In addi-tion members of the Southern Interior Bluebird Trail putin the extra effort to complete cards from their summer'swork. The average number of cards per contributor fellslightly to 14.

Included in this summary are cards from 1953, 1972,1973, 1975, 1976, 1984, 1986, 1987, and late arrivingcards for 1989 which were not included in last yearsreport. We apologize for er-rors or discrepancies thatappeared in the 1989 report.Jim Perry (not Parry), sentus 112 cards (not 10), SueBrand sent in 49 cards (not31), and William Huxleysubmitted 64 (not 47) cards.

Seven species accounted forabout one-third of all cards.These included TREESWALLOW, CANADAGOOSE, MALLARD, HOUSEWREN, OSPREY, CALIFOR-NIA QUAIL, and BALD EA-GLE.

We again appreciate the as-sistance of John Elliott andLillian Weston who compiledfinal totals for this report.

HIGHLIGHTS

The first breeding record of PIED-BILLED GREBE for theQueen Charlotte Islands was discovered by MargoHearne.On 22 May she watched two adults with four downychicks swimming together in Delkatla Inlet near Masset.Damian Power saw a female HOODED MERGANSER withsix small chicks near Calvert Island on 8 July. Thisconstitutes the first breeding record for the central main-land coast of the Province. Hank Vander Pol discoveredan egg of a TURKEY VULTURE on a ledge in the entranceto a cave at Killarny Lake (Vancouver Island) on 26 April1989. By 16 June a pure white fluffy chick was visible. Alarge brood of five WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN was foundon a ridge of Mt Albert Edward in Strathcona ProvincialPark on 5 August by S. M. Ruer and P. Dance. This is an

important record since the distribution and present sta-tus of this unique race (found only on Vancouver Island)is poorly known.

Two new range extensions for BARN OWLS were reported.Doug Innes found a nest with a single egg In the ComoxValley on 2 April. By 12 April the adults were on a fullclutch of 5 eggs. In the interior Mark Nyhoff photographedan adult on a nest in a barn near #22 Road in the Oliver/Osoyoos area on 20 June. This is the first breeding awayfrom the coast.

Allan Barber, a logger on Vancouver Island, found anAMERICAN DIPPER nest in an eight foot steel culvert onPoole Creek about 12 miles south of Port Alberni. The

creek is slow moving andabout three feet deep atflood level. Gladys Lowhad the excitement ofwatching the completenesting of a pair of LAZULIBUNTINGS in her yard inKamloops. Herrecordsarethe best we have for thisspecies and the only ac-tual fledging date (24 July)in BCNRS files.

A BREWER'S SPARROWnest was discovered at1240 metres on Mt Kobauin the southern interior byBill Harper on 4 June. Thenest was in a sagebrushshrub which was situatedon a grassland steppe.Later Bill heard this nondescript brown sparrow at1800 metres!

SPECIES LIST- 171

Red-throated Loon (1), Common Loon (25), Pied-billedGrebe (4), Horned Grebe (4), Red-necked Grebe (28),Eared Grebe (3), Western Grebe (1), American Bittern (1),Great Blue Heron (4), Green-backed Heron (3), CanadaGoose (108), Wood Duck (9), Green-winged Teal (2),Mallard (89). Northern Pintail (1), Blue-winged Teal (3),Cinnamon Teal (1), Northern Shoveler (2), Gadwall (5),American Wigeon (3), Canvasback (1), Redhead (4), Ring-necked Duck (4), Lesser Scaup (7), Common Goldeneye(4), Barrow's Goldeneye (27), Bufllehead (6), Hooded Mer-ganser (3). Common Merganser (27), Ruddy Duck (6),Turkey Vulture (2), Osprey (53), Bald Eagle (44), NorthernHarrier (7), Sharp-shinned Hawk (1), Cooper's Hawk (2),Red-tailed Hawk (26), American Kestrel (9), Merlin (7),

PAGE 10 B.C. NATURAUST MAY 1991

Peregrine Falcon (3), Chukar (1), Ring-necked Pheasant(2), Spruce Grouse (3), Blue Grouse (7), White-tailedPtarmigan (7), Ruffed Grouse (7), California Quail (48),Sora (1), American Coot (34), Black Oystercatcher (1),Killdeer (16), Spotted Sandpiper (6), Long-billed Curlew(2), Glaucous-winged Gull (!}, BlackTern (1), RockDove (4), Band-tailedPigeon (1), Mourning Dove (6), BarnOwl (8), Flammulated Owl (1),Western Screech-Owl (1), GreatHorned Owl (13), Great Gray Owl(1), Long-eared Owl (1), Short-earedOwl (2), Northern Saw-whet Owl(4), Common Nighthawk (6), Com-mon Poorwill (3), Vaux's Swift (1),White-throated Swift (2), RufousHummingbird (3), Belted Kingfisher(3), Lewis' Woodpecker (31), Yel-low-bellied Sapsucker (1), Red-naped Sapsucker (14), Red-breasted Sapsucker (10),Williamson'sSapsucker(l), DownyWoodpecker (2), Hairy Woodpecker(8), Three-toed Wood pecker (1), Black-backed Woodpecker(1), Northern Flicker (23), Plicated Woodpecker (2), Olive-sided Flycatcher (1), Western Wood-Pewee (4), WillowFlycatcher (2), Hammond's Flycatcher (2), Dusky Fly-catcher (3), Gray Flycatcher (5), Pacific-slope Flycatcher(3), Eastern Phoebe (2), Say's Phoebe (3), Western Kingbird(24), Eastern Kingbird (9), Horned Lark (2), Tree Swallow(183), Violet-green Swallow (20), Northern Rough-wingedSwallow (7), Bank Swallow (13), Cliff Swallow (28), BarnSwallow (26), Steller's Jay (1), Clark's Nutcracker (4),Black-billed Magpie (11). American Crow (11), Northwest-ern Crow (11), Common Raven (5), Black-capped Chickadee(11), Mountain Chickadee (28), Chestnut-backedChickadee (11), Bushtit (9), Red-breasted Nuthatch (4),Pygmy Nuthatch (13), White-breasted Nuthatch (11),Brown Creeper (1), Bewick's Wren (3), Rock Wren (1),Canyon Wren (4), House Wren (52), Winter Wren (3),Marsh Wren (5), American Dipper (6), Western Bluebird(26), Mountain Bluebird (37), Townsend's Solitaire (6),Swainson's Thrush (2), Hermit Thrush (1), AmericanRobin (10), Varied Thrush (2), Water Pipit (1), CedarWaxwing (16), European Starling (42), Solitary Vireo (1),Warbling Vireo (4), Red-eyed Vireo (1), Orange-crownedWarbler (1), Nashville Warbler (1), Yellow Warbler (5),Yellow-rumped Warbler (5), Townsend's Warbler (2),American Redstart (2), MacGillivray's Warbler (1), Com-mon Yellowthroat (3), WesternTanager (3), Black-beadedGrosbeak (1), Lazuli Bunting (5), Lazuli x Indigo Buntingcross (1), Rufous-sided Towhee (6), Chipping Sparrow(11), Brewer's Sparrow (6), Vesper Sparrow (8), LarkSparrow (4), Savannah Sparrow (2), Song Sparrow (11),Golden-crowned Sparrow (2), White-crowned Sparrow (2),Dark-eyed Junco (11), Bobolink (1), Red-winged Black-bird (34), Western Meadowlark (6), Yellow-headed Black-bird (19), Brewer's Blackbird (22), Brown-headed Cowbird(12), Common Grackle (1), Northern Oriole (18), Cassin'sFinch (1), House Finch (14), Pine Siskin (1), AmericanGoldfinch (2), Evening Grosbeak (3), and House Sparrow(10).

CONTRIBUTORS LIST - 127

Addie Amundsen (6), Cathy Antoniazzi (16), Anna Ashley(2), Alice Seals (37), Barbara Begg (1), Bruce Bennet (3),

Winnifred Bennie (64), EdnaBowen (2), Jack Bowling (8), JanF. Bradshaw (12), Mark Brigham(2), Roger Britton (1), S. Brocke(1), Betty J. Brooks (1), Len Brown(41), Melda Buchanan (1), LoisBullock (1), Darci Bysouth (3),Wayne Campbell (2), RichardCannings (21), Robert Cannings(1), Steve and Jean Cannings (50),Syd Cannings (1), Vi Chunganes(1), Stephen Clements (1). BunnyAdele Cooper (4), John Cooper (2),Mel and Eva Coulson (12), JeanDargie (2), Gary Davidson andChris Siddle (137), Linda Durrell(70), G. Ranier Ebel (40), RosEldridge (17), John Elliott (1),

Marietta Kricfcson 12), M. Jorganson (1), Wayne Ericksonand Joyce Lee (10), Hazel Eskesen (1), Dorothy Ewert (1).Kathleen Fry (3), D.V. George (4), Violet and Les Gibbard(91), Elaine Graham (1), Willie Haras (3), Elizabeth Harris(2), Rita Harris (4), RL. Harris (1), Grant Hazelwood (1), L.Huff (17), J.B. Hurley (1), William Huxley (56), Doug andMarion Innes (75), Pat Janzen (12), Ruth Jones (2), GrantKeddie (1), June Kiehlbauch (1), Nancy Krueger (16), Jimand Betty Lunam (11), Gerry Lunn (1). David Low (5),Dennis Maynes (2), Allan S. McGill (3), Karen McLaren(18), Ed and Patrick McMackin (23), A, Mallett (1), DianaMaloff(39),HerbMatheas(5),BruceandPearlMorgaustern(15). Alexander Muir (8), Mark Nyhoff (2), .Mary Pastrick(361), James Patterson (5), Connie Philip (47), MariannaPickard (1), Betty Pozar (2), George and Bea Prehara (25),Al Preston and Marge Harris (337), Shirley Prince (1), MaryRannie (1), Diane Richardson (7), Ralph and Clara Ritcey(25), Anna Roberts (5), Gina Roberts (2), Laurie Rockwell(36), S.M. Ruer (1), F.E. Schwab (3), Donna Seaford (7),Barbara Sedgwick (3), Dirk Septer (5), T.J. Sharp (11),Chris Siddle (2O4), Jim Sims (1), John H. Smith (9),Southern Interior Bluebird Trail (63), Mr. and Mrs. Spence(1), Rev. J. Stainer (47), Dr. J.E.R Stainer (1), AdrianStone (1), Jim and Hazel Street (8), Robert L. Thompson(14), Art Timmey (3), Rick Toochln (2), Hank Vander Pol(1), Megan Walsh (1), Margaret Wininger (16). NormWilliams (1), Ed Whitelock(3), Karen Willies (25), DouglasWilson (30), Eleanor Wood (15), and Robin YeUowlees (1).

R Wayne CampbellMargaret Harris

Photo (page 10)Barn Owl Chicks - DeltaR. Wayne Campbell

Photo: (page 11)Chipping Sparrow nest and eggsKamloops, 22 June 1990Dave Low

B.C. NATURAUST MAY 1991 PAGE 11

CONTINUING EDUCATIONKing Edward Campus VANCOUVER

COMMUNITYCOLLEGE

Natural History Travel ToursFor information and booking call: Great Expeditions 263-1476

Southern FloridaThe tip of the Florida Peninsula is strikingly different from the rest of the southern UnitedStates, supporting plants and animals of a distinctly subtropical nature. This tour travelsthrough a range of diverse localities from Lake Okeechobee south to the Florida Keys -Everglades National Park, the magnificent' 'River of Grass" with its alligators and specialbirds; the beaches and lagoons of the Gulf Coast; Corkscrew Swamp with its towering baldcypress forest; the mangrove swamps of the Florida Keys and the coral reefs studding theseas at John Pennekamp State Park.Dates: November 16 - December 1,1991Cost: Approximately $2500Leaders: Rob Cannings, naturalist, entomologist, ornithologist, and Chief of Biology,Royal B.C. Museum. Hannah Nadel, entomologist, ornithologist, and botanist withseveral years experience in southern Florida

Hawaii - Natural History from Sea to SkyThis tour will concentrate on the natural history of the islands of Kuaui and Maui. InKuaui, a boat trip is planned along the south-east coast to study coral reef fish, and toexplore its seacaves and important anthropological sites. Hikes into the spectacularlybeautiful Waimea Canyon will allow studies of its tropical rainforest with its incrediblediversity of plants ana animals. In Maui, humpback whale watching is planned andexplorations of the Haleakala crater, at 10,000 feet above sea level, many of its exoticlandbirds and plants are found nowhere else in the world.Dates: February 1992Cost: TBALeader: Dr. Rob Butler, naturalist, experienced tour-leader, and scientist with theCanadian Wildlife Service.

England and Scotland -- A natural history tourThis tour includes some of the best natural history sites, bird reserves, and too— some wellknown historical spots, in England and Scotland. In southeast England visits are plannedto the Cotswolds, Dorset coast, Stonehenge, Slimbridge Wildfowl reserve, the famousBempton Cliffs, and the New Forest planted by King John. In the Lake District, theinspiration of Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter, you'll travel to Leighton Moss one ofBritain's best nature reserves and walk Hadrian s Wall. The Abemathy forest, Cairn-gorms and Loch-Garten will be explored in Scotland as well as the Edinburgh castle andKing Arthur's Seat.Dates: June 1992Cost: TBALeader: Dr. Rob Butler, naturalist, experienced tour-leader, and scientist with theCanadian Wildlife Service.

VANCOUVERCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE

CONTINUING EDUCATION1155 East BroadwayFor information and booking call: 875-8200

Natural History CoursesSpring/Summer 1991Courses co-ordinated by Marja de Jong Wesunan

WEEKEND EXCURSIONSWhales, Eagles, and Totems (502809)The waters and lands of John stone Slrail provide a stimulating introduction loB.C.'s marine life and native Kwaguitlculture. The area is best known for ihc Robson B ight ecological reserve and as the summer home for B .C. 's northernkiller whale pods, however, its seashores loo teem with life, sea lions and sea birds are found in abundance and thereare hauntingly beautiful native villages and endangered virgin rainforests to explore. $580 * subject to change(includes $200 tax-deductible tuition). Cosl covers bus and ferry transportation, boat charter, accommodation andfood in Telegraph Cove and museum entrance fees.Lecture: Th. July 4; 19:30-21:30Trip: July 18,19, 20 & 21

CONTINUING EDUCATION

cont. from page 9 - Tat

in the event of spill from the minetailings pond. The proposed 'pond'will be 4.5 square kilometers insize and will be contained by a 100metre high earthen dam! Intenseseismic activity in the St. EllasMountains provide a strong possi-bility of a major spill of toxic wasteinto the Tat.

One of the best arguments in favourof preserving this remote corner ofBritish Columbia as a park is thatwe would create the world's largestinternational wilderness parkcomplex that would stretch fromthe Yukon, through British Co-lumbia, into Alaska. By doing sowe will provide a protected landbase large enough to supporthealthy populations of grizzlies,Dall sheep, and mountain goats,ensure that B.C.'s foremost worldclass Whitewater river remains inits pristine state. And, most im-portantly, preserve a true wilder-ness for future generation.

Tatshenshini WUd, a Vancouverbased organization, was estab-lished in 1989 by river guides andwilderness preservationists toprotect the Tatshenshini River andits wilderness. The protectioncampaign has attracted the supportof several dozen conservation or-ganizations that represent nearly 2million members. In 1990, GeddesResources Ltd. submitted a Stage1 development proposal to theprovincial Mine DevelopmentSteering Committee. A revisedproposal was submitted this win-ter. If found favourable by theSteering Committee, a Stage 2 re-port that focuses on details of en-vironmental and socio-economicissues will be required of Geddes.The mining industry is pushingvery hard to see that this mine isdeveloped. This year will likely seea resolution of the issue, eitherway. If you wish to join the effort tostop the mine development and tocreate a new wilderness park pleasewrite Tatshenshini Wild, 843-810Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V5Z4C9.

John M. CooperVictoria

PAGE 12 B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991

RAVENTALKYour Federation in Action: information, committee reports, projects and concerns

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

Another May is here and that means that not only are thebirds going north but that the naturalists are as well! Thisspring we're off to Prince George, where the local club hasorganized a great program for our Annual General Meet-ing. As usual, it will be a busy time, with not onlyFederation business to attend to, but friends to meet, anew country to explore, and lots of natural things to see.I has mistakenly scheduled a tour to Spain this May (18month in advance!) but fortunately it was cancelled - - sonow I can go to Prince George and revel in spring warblersandwildflowers instead! May is certainly a wonderful timeto travel in British Columbia, especially if you are anaturalist.

I moved to a new job in Victoria earlier this spring, so IVebeen able to enjoy exploring some new territory of my own.(It's certainly nice to see Anna's Hummingbirds andBewick's Wrens while walking to the bus stop on the wayto work! The move does mean that I haven't been able toget to the Federation office very often to see how thing aregoing there, but because of the miracles of moderntelecommunication technology I can assure you the FriedaDavidson has been busy - - with memberships coming in,bookkeeping to go over with the auditor, resolutions anddiscussion papers to prepare and get out to the clubs, andall the typing and copying in advance of the AGM. Wecertainly keep her going full timet!! Another hive of activitythis spring has been around Nora Layard. Through herefforts, we received two major grants. Firstly, aSection25grant (Unemployment Insurance top-up money) gave usfive 6-month positions to help us with our Land for Wildlifeproject, upcoming conferences on Endangered Speciesand Habitat Enhancement and the Dunsmuir II Land Useconference. Nora has interviewed candidates and hiredsome promising people to work for us over the next while.Perhaps the biggest news, though, is a major grant givento us by the Vancouver Foundation - - $25,000 to fundNora's position as coordinator of the Land for Wildlifeproject! She is also approaching other funding sources tosupport our efforts to contribute to a protected areassystem in British Columbia.

We recently held another successful workshop in thisseries; a day-long session designed to identify and discusscritical shoreline areas and issues along southeasternVancouver Island. (I enjoyed this one especially, since it

was the first FBCN meeting I could walk, to and fromhome!) With the hard work of Nora, Connie Hawley, TonyEmbleton, and the other member of the Victoria NaturalHistory Society who volunteered their time, the meetingwent very smoothly and a great deal was learned on allsides. In addition to the 'usual' government agencies,representatives from the Coast Guard (shipping needs, oilspills, etc.) and the Federal Department of Defence (majorlandholders in the region) were there to discuss the areasof conservation priority identified by the naturalists. TheMinistry of Environment provided at $2000 to fund theworkshop and to publish the proceedings and recom-mendations. Nora's next project is a similar regionalworkshop in Kamloops - - we'll hear about that one soon!

The fact that it is May already not only means that theAnnual General Meeting is upon us, it means that this ismyninthandfinalreporttoyou, the members. Ithasbeena brief two years, and IVe enjoyed the challenge of leadingthe Federation during that time. I have certainly learneda lot!

A lot has happened inside and outside the Federation inthe last two years - -1 think that we Ve become more activeon several fronts. But more activity means increases in acouple of other areas. For one, weVe have to increase ourfees to keep up with rising costs. But to keep up themomentum weVe gained, though, we really must involvemore of our members. There is a lot of work to do, but thework can be rewarding and enjoyable if there are lots ofworkers to share it. Please, if you want to contribute (andyou can), put your hand up and make yourself known!Talk to your club delegate to find out howyou can help us.Perhaps the nicest part of being FBCN President has beenmeeting so many of my fellow naturalists throughout theprovince. And my work has been made easier and muchmore pleasant because of the help of so many of you. Iwant to thank all of you collectively here, but I would alsolike to single our six very deserving people. Firstly, the lateAdeline Nicol, for passing on to a neophyte president hertremendous knowledge of the Federation and its ways;Jude Grass, who I have phoned and faxed for help onalmost a daily basis for the past two years; Bert Brink,whose knowledge of British Columbia is unsurpassed,from its far northern mountains to innermost Victoriabureaucracies, and who is without a doubt our mostinfluential and hardest working board member; DickStace-Smith, who is always willing to attend extra day-

B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991 PAGE 13

President's Message cont...

time meetings when called upon; Frieda Davidson, whohas been a cheerful, conscientious office manager rightfrom the start, who is full of bright ideas and continues tomake herself more and more invaluable to the executiveand the members alike; and Nora Lay ard, who came to theFederation as Project Coordinator but whose hard workhas helped in many diverse ways to make us more effectivein our efforts.

Thank you, all of you!

Syd Cannings

JUNE

UP AND COMING

Fraser River Festival at Deas Island Regional Park,Delta, 10 am to 4 pm.Over 70 government, industry and environmentgroups will bring together activities, hands-on dis-plays and demonstrations, all focussing on the FraserRiver. Cosponsored by the GVRD Parks Dept.,FraserRiver Estuary Managment Program, and Council ofForest Industries. For more information call GVRDParks at 432 6350.

3 FBCN Executive Meeting, 6:15 pm, 1367 WestBroadway, Vancouver

7-9 Kootenay Regional Meeting, Grand Forks

14 British Columbia Ecomuseum Symposium at Doug-las College, New Westminister. Hosted by the FraserRiver Discovery Centre, Heritage Canada nad Doug-las College. At press time full details were notavailable but contact P.O. Box 2078. 646 ColumbiaStreet, New Westminster, B.C. V3L 5A3 or 524 4996for details.

15 Manning and Wells Gray Bird Blitz (see page 26)

JULY

4-7 Canadian Nature Federation - Annual GeneralMeeting, Red Deer Alberta.

8 FBCN Executive Meeting, 6:15 pm, 1367 WestBroadway, Vancouver

FBCN JOURNALLOOKING FOR WRITERS

We are looking for articles that are aimed at the interestednaturalist.

Articles could be:

-popular accounts of natural history research In thenorthwest, both original and synthesized from the lessaccessible scientific literature

-'how-to' articles and field identification keys that willeducate and encourage readers to do their own studies

-articles that record small, but interesting discoveriesin distribution, ecology, behaviour, etc.

Preferably, articles should not just document naturalhistory, but educate and excite the reader as well.

Send all items for publication to the editor: Rick Howie,Site 15. Comp. 48, RR#3, Kamloops, B.C. V2C 5K1.Preferably, submissions should be on disk (either Mac orDOS), in Microsoft Word or Word Perfect, and accompa-nied by a clear printout. If this is not possible, articlesshould be typed, double-spaced, with one inch margins allround.

The length of articles may vary considerably, but 400-2000 words may be used as a guideline.

Be sure that a copy of the article is kept with the author,and that the author's postal address and phone numberis included with the submission.

Photographs should be submitted with the article, wherepossible. They can be colour slides or prints, but blackand white, glossy 5x7 inch prints would be preferable.Please include suggested captions and credits for photo-graphs or illustrations.

The editors reserve the right to edit for clarity, content,and length. If major changes are made, the revisedmanuscript will be returned to the author for approvalprior to publication. Deadlines for each issue are tenweeks prior to date of publication.

A style guide is available by contacting the editor.

JOURNAL UPDATE:

We have a name:Cordillera:

A Journal of British Columbia Natural History

The first Edition is planned from this Fall. Stay tuned fordetails. Contributions are still needed.

PAGE 14 B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991

CLUB CHAT

Since forming In January 1989, the Burke MountainNaturalists (BMN) have maintained an archives. Depos-ited in the archives are copies of all club correspondence,reports received, and other relevant information. Mem-bers of the Education and Conservation Committee con-tinue to work for the establishment of a regional park onBurke Mountain. There is currently a proposal for the topof the mountain which contains a golf course, large hotel,and ski facilities. As is the case with many clubs, they aredeluged with "issues" that need a response, and they fearthat this work occurs at the expense of their educationalmandate. Through the efforts of a few members, birdsightings have been recorded at two local areas over thelast year, and have resulted in bird checklists for ColonyFarm and DeBouville Slough. They have also produced anew club information and membership brochure. As partof Coquitlam's "Environment Month" during April, theBurke Mountain Naturalists placed a large display in alocal library, and during the latter part of the monthstaffed this display at two local malls. Money raised fromthe BMN Special Projects Christmas Raffle was donated tothe Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (OWL) and tothe local branch of the SPCA.

The Nanaimo Field Naturalists managed as part ofChristmas Bird Count, to report two species (WesternScreech-Owl and Northern Saw-whet Owl) courtesy of adog who wanted to go out at midnight. On Mother's Day,May 12th, the club has planned a wildflower trip to MountTsouhalem.

The South Okanagan Naturalists Club have theirmonthly trips planned through September. These tripsinclude looking for Barred Owls in April, nesting grebes inJune, Columbia lilies, alpine birds, flowers and rhodo-dendrons in July, and mushrooms in September. Thereare trips almost every weekend, so if you are in the areayou might want to join them. Club members are activelypursing the protection of yet another wetland from sub-division development near the Husula Highlands. Althougha small area, every bit counts and contributes to theoverall conservation of the biological diversity of ourbeautiful province. The club sponsors a bursary atOkanagan College, and to raise funds for this they hold asilent auction, including crafts, paintings, and baking.

During the 1990 Christmas Bird Count, the ChilliwackField Naturalists reported a Blue Jay at a local feeder, aswell as an escaped Alexandria parrakeet who is enjoyingit's second year of freedom from the local feed store.Congratulations to members Valerie May and Reg Wetteron their recent marriagel

A wonderful quote was printed on the cover of the Februarynewsletter of the Kamloops Naturalists. In part, 'One finalparagraph of advice: Do not bum yourselves out. Be as

I am - - a reluctant enthusiast. . . part-time crusader, ahalf-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves andyour lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough tofight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it.Whileyoucan. While it's still here." (accredited to EdwardAbbey) Jack Gregson saw his first American Robin of1991 at the beginning of February, and the ducks arestarting to return. The President notes that the clubhopes to create public awareness and some degree ofprotection for all of the Endangered Spaces in Kamloops.

An excellent program is planned for the May A.G.M. inPrince George by the Prince George Naturalists. Forumson forest management and local rivers, pulp mill tours,and a choice of five exciting field trips destinations awaitmeeting participants. See you there. Come and enjoysome northern hospitality!

The North Okanagan Naturalists Club, in concert withthe Oliver-Osoyoos Naturalists, the South OkanaganNaturalists Club and the Central Okanagan NaturalistsClub, and with the cooperation of the Ministry of Envi-ronment, and the Nature Trust of British Columbia, areembarking on an ambitious plan to inventory, and ulti-mately survey, all areas of natural significance worthy ofpreservation within the North Okanagan. This project willcomplement similar efforts completed for the SouthOkanagan. They have applied to Environment Canada fora grant to cover the initial research and mapping costs.The Ministry of environment organized a workshop InJanuary, and held another in mid-March ensuring theapplication of a unified approach throughout the studyarea.

The NATS Newsletter of the West Kootenay NaturalistsAssociation reported that seventy members attended theannual banquet in January. The guest speaker was BillMerilees, who was involved in forming the club in 1972.There was a good number of the original members present.A number of people have reported seeing raccoons, and asthe raccoon Is quite a recent arrival in the Kootenays, Billhas asked people to document this apparent range ex-tension by writing to him in Nanaimo. Their AnnualGeneral Meeting was held in April at Selkirk College inCastlegar.

The Annual General Meeting of the Williams Lake FieldNaturalists was held on March 21. They made writtensubmissions to Parks Plan 90 and Wilderness for the 90's.

The Delta Naturalists reported Red-breasted Sapsuckersall over the area during the cold weather. Several clubmembers participated in the Ladner Christmas BirdCount. A Red-throated Pipit was sighted on count day.This bird normally breeds in Northern Eurasia andScandinavia. This may be the first time this species has

B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991 PAGE 15

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Club Chat cont...

been recorded in the 91 years of North American Christ-mas counts.

Christmas Bird Count results for the Victoria area wereagain high, with five first time records. The VictoriaNatural History Society is planning to organize a springbird count for Saturday May 11 th which would be similarto the Christmas count. This survey will provide someinteresting year-by-year comparisons of spring bird spe-cies. Maybe other clubs should consider undertakingsuch a survey in their local count areas. The Victoria clubis also embarking on a wildlife survey of the MartindaleValley, and is looking for volunteers. Since they are onlyrecording the presence of common birds, anyone who cantell a Mallard from a swan is encouraged to get involved.

A steering committee has be initiated by the VancouverNatural History Society to look into the possibility ofcreating a nature centre in Stanley Park. They have thesupport of the Vancouver Parks Board. The club, incooperation with the Canadian Nature Federation, theGreater Vancouver Regional District, and local teachersand park naturalists, is examining the development of thetypes of programs that would be offered, initially toelementary school children and new Canadians. Pro-grams would be offered from a temporary location in thepark until a permanent centre can be created. The firststep, which is already underway, is to present a rationale,and an estimated budget to the Parks Board. We wishthem lots of luck in this very important project.

Congratulations to the Friends of Boundary Bay on theirlatest history. A recent ruling in the Supreme Courtquashed the bylaws permitting the controversial Bound-ary Shores Golf Course on 72nd Street. This success Isdue in a very large part to the determination of this groupto save the Boundary Bay area for the birds.

Like many other FBCN clubs, the Bulkley Valley Natu-ralists have been busy making presentations to ParksPlan 90. They are also participating in the study teamwhich is developing management plans for the BabineMountain Recreation Area.

Many other clubs participated in Christmas Bird Counts.Specific count results will be summarized in a latteredition of the B. C. Naturalist.

Feature ClubCentral Okanagan Naturalists Club (Kelowna)

The Central Okanagan Naturalists Club has 216 mem-bers. Monthly meetings (except July and August) featurea guest speaker after the business portion of the meeting.Their weekly activities area:

Tuesdays - a medium hike (4-8 miles)Thursdays - a birding tripFridays - a botany walk (in spring and summer only)Weekends - a long hike (8-12 miles)

The club has taken part in the Ministry of Environment'sGoose Count to find out how many geese winter inKelowna. Each year, many two to four day field trips areorganized, including cross-country skiing, hiking, camp-ing, and birding. Botany outings are usually day trips.

Projects undertaken by the Central Okanagan Natural-ists Club include habitat restoration work at Sibeil Maude-Roxby Marsh located along the shore of Okanagan Lake,and rebuilding the Crawford Trail. The club was instru-mental in getting regional district crews, and a locallogging company to rebuild portions of the trail which haddisappeared, and to improve existing sections. They havealso lobbied the City of Kelowna, the regional district, andthe province to protect the walkways and trees along thebanks of the Mission Creek dykes.

The club organized botany walks for school classes, andalways participates in local Pitch-in campaigns. In 1990,this club hosted our AGM with about 90 registered partici-pants.

The Central Okanagan Naturalists Club, or CONG, re-ports that the "purple plague" has invaded areas of theOkanagan, and is threatening the Maude Roxby birdsanctuary. The "plague" is caused by the beautiful, butdeadly, purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicarta). It spreadsrapidly throughout wetlands, choking out the nativevegetation. Canadians will be watching closely as Ameri-can biologists let loose armies or root mining weevels andleaf eating beetles (imported from Lythrum *s own backyardin northern Italy and Switzerland) on loosestrife infesta-tions. The Marsh/April edition of the Harrowsmithmagazine devotes it Gazette to this issue, noting thatMinnesota Department of Natural Resources plans torelease the bugs on selected patches of purple loosestrifein Minnesota in May of the year.

Rosamund Pojar andShelagh Rea

Bulkley Valley Naturalists

PAGE 16 B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991

CONSERVATION ISSUES AND INFORMATION

SHORELINE HABITAT WORKSHOPVANCOUVER ISLAND

The Vancouver Island Clubs of the Federation of B.C.Naturalists participated in an all-day Shoreline HabitatWorkshop at the University of Victoria on Saturday,March 23, 1991. The Victoria Natural History Societygraciously hosted the event with the able assistance ofConnie Hawley, FBCN Regional Coordinator.

The objective was to identify which parts of VancouverIsland's coastline require protection from the pressures ofincreasing human development. Six Vancouver Islandnaturalist clubs participated as well as nine federal andprovincial agencies with interests in the Island's shore-lines and the NatureTrust of B.C., DucksUnlimited Canada andthe British ColumbiaWildlife Watch Program.The B.C. Ministry ofEnvironment providedfunding for the work-shop and its proceed-ings.

The following is ex-cerpted from an articleby Patricia Freeman forthe Victoria Natural-ists Vol. 47,6 (1991)

"The conference estab-lished that 38 shorelineand adjacent wetlandlocations need protection between Campbell River and theSan Juan River. Most estuaries already have some formof protection due to their ecologically sensitive nature andnational significance. Unfortunately, estuaries cover only3% of B.C.'s coastline, which leaves an enormous amountof shoreline exposed to numerous perils.

Immediate threats to the coastal environment are manyand varied. Not surprisingly, the greatest one appears tobe from planned urban and/or industrial development.Such areas as the unique plant and animal communityaround Englishman River Estuary (one of the last un-protected estuaries on the east side of Vancouver Islandare facing major urban development. This includes theconstruction of new marinas, which could cause irrepa-rable damage to the precious beach/estuary ecosystem.

Development is also affecting the Campbell River area.The waterfront around the spit and to the south of the cityis currently scheduled for industrial development, andRace Point, the site of some Indian artifacts, is owned by

a developer. Also facing potential housing and industrialdevelopment are: Black Creek located near Miracle BeachProvincial Park; Somenos Marsh, a unique wildlife com-munity with heritage values; the Sooke Basin, with its richwaterbird and fish habitat (a key area for potential oilspills); and the San Juan River Estuary.

In Victoria, human encroachment is already threateningthe lagoon ecosystem at Esquimalt, where many migrat-ing birds stop and rest. Finlayson Arm and Tod Inlet,which is a pre-spawning gathering area for Chum Salmon,are facing a housing/hotel/golf course project. The

formerly abundantwildlife from the GorgeWaterway to the InnerHarbour is also imper-illed by nearby housesand new commercialand residential devel-opments.

Logging is anotherproblem for the shore-line, since deforesta-tion shrinks the natu-ral habitat, certainprocesses may pollutethe water, and activitybrings with it morehumans, whose merepresence in largenumbers can be detri-

mental. To the bird lover. It is distressing to learn thatsentinel trees for Bald Eagles around Gabriola IslandCliffs and Campbell River are disappearing due to defor-estation. And at Goose Spit in Courtenay, home to 10%of the world population of Trumpeter Swans, logging andmining are causing disturbances.

The tourist industry has a different kind of effect on theshoreline. The B.C. coastline is the number one touristdestination in Canada today. On the one hand, we wantthe province's economy to be bolstered by visitor's dollars.On the other hand, are we prepared - indeed, are we able- to ensure that delicately balanced habitats are notdeleteriously affected? The B.C. Ministry of Tourism iscurrently evaluating Robson Bight as a tourism "hotspot"!

The threat of a more long-term nature, however, is that ofglobal warming. As Dr. Richard Hebda, the Head ofBotany at Victoria's Royal B.C. Museum, pointed out,wanning will cause an abnormally accelerated change in

B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991 PAGE 17

RAVENTALK

cont. from Page 17 - Shoreline LANDS FOR NATUREVancouver Foundation provides major grant to FBCNfor Lands for Nature Project

sea levels. After a three degree Celsius rise in tempera-ture, melting glacier ice and rapidly warming (and rising)water may cause an enormous oceanic increase of 21 cmby the year 2100. By that time, Hebda said, it is possiblethat estuaries would be completely drowned, and thosespecies inhabiting lower, gently-sloping areas would havenowhere to go."

Proceedings are now being prepared listing the workshoprecommendations and information about the areas ofconcern. Recommendations include:

1. Local governments (municipal governments andregional districts) must be involved with protectionof habitat and sensitive areas.

2. A land use strategy is needed in B.C. which isbased upon ecological systems, and which protecthabitat and sensitive areas

3. Educational programs are needed to informboth government officials and the generalpublic about the importance of shorelinehabitat and about environmentally sensitiveareas (e.g. the Brant Festival).

4. Standardized criteria are needed to describesensitive areas, and a common methodologyis required for assessing areas for protection.

5. Baseline ecological information must con-tinue to be collected for sensitive areas, sothat solid arguments can be made for theirprotection. Naturalists can contribute greatlyto this work.

6. Private landowners need information andincentives.

7. The development of local environmentalcouncils should be encouraged for purposesof joint action, communication, and informa-tion sharing.

Caption:Lyn Paterson of the Mitlenatch Field NaturalistsPhoto: (page 17) by Robert Allington

Agrant of $25,000 has been awarded to the FBCN's Landsfor Nature Project, an initiative to identify importanthabitat n a regional basis so that local naturalists andothers can help to protect it This information is particularlyimportant for current land use processes such as ParksPlan 90 and the B.C. Round Table.

The commitment of naturalist clubs to gather informationabout local sensitive areas and to assist regional staff ofwildlife and parks agencies, will lead to the preparation ofmaps showing areas currently protected and those areasthat are In need of protection. A follow-up workshop willexplore possibilities for action.

To assist the local clubs, the Federation has requestedfunding from several sources. The grant from the Van-couver Foundation will enable the Project Coordinator towork closely with Federation clubs over the next year. Asecond grant from the Canadian Job Strategies (federalgovernment) has enabled the hiring of two people for sixmonths each to create maps and help with site docu-mentation. Bruce Smiley and David Meers are at workcreating baseline map information for the Kamloops areasand the Lower Mainland.

The Kamloops club and some Lower Mainland clubs havebegun to identify sensitive habitat areas. At their Marchmeeting, Kamloops members brought out maps andnotes, and each briefly presented slides and informationabout their areas of concern.

The Lower Mainland clubs will be asked to be involvedwith Greater Vancouver Regional District Major ParksPlanning process. This process will include the areas eastto Hope and north to Squamish and possibly Whistler. Itwill be important to present conservation concerns to theGVRD, and the Lands for Nature Project can help in thisregard.For more information contact Nora Layard (669-4802)

NEW PUBLICATIONS

Rare Vascular Plants in CanadaG.W. Argus and K.M. PryerCanadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Ontario, (1990)$16.95

Poisonous Plants of CanadaG.A. Mulligan and D.B. MunroPubl. 842E (1990) Canadian Government PublishingCentreSupply and Services Canada K1A OS9 $8.95

PAGE 18 B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991

RAVENTALK

SYMPOSIUM ON THE STATUS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA'STHREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES AND THEIR HABITAT

DATE: September 27 -28, 1991PLACE: Vancouver (Registration form in the July Edition of B.C. Naturalist)

The last Endangered Species conference was held in B.C. was in 1980. Organized in part with support of the provincialgovernment, the conference was co-sponsored by the Federation of British Columbia Naturalists and the Institute ofEnvironmental Studies, Douglas College. The conference focused on habitat concerns, specific endangered speciesin B.C. and the Yukon, and the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). The attendancefar exceeded the organizers expectations of 200 people, and the conference was viewed as a great success and assistedin the establishment of designating some species (Sea Otter, Vancouver Island Marmot, Burrowing Owl and WhitePelican) as endangered.

Today, in the province of B.C., there are a number of initiatives taking place which peripherally talk about endangeredspecies. These initiatives include the Endangered Spaces Campaign, Environment 2OOO, the Round Table on theEnvironment and the Economy, the Valhalla Map. the Forest Resources Commission, the Old Growth Strategy andParks Plan 90 (to name a few). While biological diversity is the new catchword of conservation, there is no public forumthat focuses on endangered or threatened species and their future in B.C. Issues such as loss or degradation of habitat,illegal trade in animal parts, the need for public education, and Endangered Species Act, and species recoveryprograms need to be brought up again.

In addition the B.C. Ministry of Environment is presently undertaking a full legislative review which includes areassessment of the Wildlife Act and the possible creation of an Endangered Species Act. A discussion paper regardingthe government's intentions should be released before October 1991 for comment. The Ministry is open to a publicdiscussion of the proposed Act at the Symposium.

Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society and the Federation of B.C. Naturalists have undertaken the task of organizinga conference to first, provide a public forum for reviewing the status of some of our endangered and threatened species;second, to encourage public awareness and education; and third, to create discussion around proposed legislation.Northwest Wildlife has taken a leading role in organizing the conference by working out the logistics, fundraising, andbooking speakers. The Federation has provided one person (on a grant) for the sixmonths leading up to the conference.A volunteer conference organizing committee meets once a month to review activities and offer suggestions on speakersand logistics. A conference advisory committee provides input into the structure of the conference and golds andobjective.

We are approaching members of the Federation of B.C. Naturalists and Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society to helpsupport the conference by donating funds to cover the costs of bringing in provincial experts to speak on endangeredspecies. Please consider giving - all funds will be applied directly to the conference. For more information contact TomHarder at Northwest Wildlife 736-8750.

Yes! I want to contribute to help preserve threatened and endangeredspecies.

$10.0O $25.0O $5O.OO $1OO.OO $1,OO.OOO Other -

Please send your donation to: Federation of British Columbia Naturalists321-1367 West Broadway. Vancouver, B.C. V6H 4A9

Please send and Income Tax Receipt for my donation.

NameAddressCity Postal Code

B.C. NATURAUST MAY 1991 PAGE 19

VANCOUVER ISLANDCANADA GOOSE SURVEY

1990

In the second annual Vancouver Island Canada GooseSurvey, 104 participants surveyed from the west coast ofVancouver Island from the Black Creek area south toVictoria. A total of 4,181 Canada Geese were Counted(Table 1), up from 3,421 birds counted over the same arealastyear(seeDawe,N.K.andK. Morrison. 1990. VancouverIsland Goose Survey 1989. Unpublished CWS and MOEreport).

A total of 310 geese were counted in the Courtenay-Comoxareas this year; no birds were found there last year. Thelargest numbers were seen in the Condensory - DoveCreek area; however, those same birds subsequently flewto the Courtenay Flats and were counted again. Fortu-nately, the observers recorded the time of observation ofthe flocks and the direction of flight so that birds were notincluded twice on the survey results. Betty Brooks sawone "Cackling" Canada Goose in her area and 2 collaredbirds were observed by Doug and Marian Innes: red collar,yellow code - Y7R and R8C.

In the Parksville-Qualicum area a total of 631 geese werecounted. That is up over 100 birds from the 1989 survey.Most birds were reported from the turf farms in theStanford Avenue area. Last year, most the birds wereobserved in the Nanoose area but none were seen therethis year. Also, Lasqueti Island was not surveyed thisyean 26 birds were counted there in 1989. EdNygrenandRoy Ostling saw one "Cackling" Canada Goose in theirarea.

Four hundred twenty-seven geese were counted in theNanaimo-Extension area down over 150 birds from lastyear. Bird use of the local schoolyards was down dra-matically, as well, compared to the 1989 survey results.Largest numbers of birds in the Nanaimo area this yearwere found on Gabriola Island.

In the Ladysmith-Duncan area, numbers of geese (755)were about the same as those of last year, with most of thebirds reported from the Quamichan-Somenos area.

In the Victoria area, 2,058 Canada Geese were counted,up nearly 500 from the 1989 survey. Most birds wereagain reported from East Central Saanich. Hank Vanderpoland Bob Houston observed one collared bird: white collar,blackletters-41CX. They also reported 11 Dusky CanadaGeese from their area. Bruce Bennet, Al Gendron, andAnne Scarfe saw two red collared birds but could not readthe codes.

Once again we would like to thank all the participants fortheir time and efforts to make the second annual VancouverIsland Canada Goose Survey a success. Without the helpof dedicated naturalists and birders such as you, a survey

such as this on Vancouver Island, would not be possible.We especially thank the coordinators for the count areas:Hec Alexander (Victoria), Edward L. Nygren (Parksville-Qualicum), Doug Innis (Courtenay-Comox).

Table 1 .Vancouver Island Canada Goose Survey Results- 21 November 1990

AREA

Courtenay-ComoxParksville-QualicumNanaimoDuncanVictoria

Total

NUMBER OFSURVEYORS

2331136

31

104

NUMBER OFGEESE

310631427755

2058

4181

Neil K. DaweEnvironment Canada

Canadian Wildlife ServiceQualicum Beach, B.C.

Karen MorrisonMinistry of Environment

Wildlife BranchNaniamo, B.C.

EDITOR'S NOTE: We regret that we could not run the fiveother charts submitted that showed the totals for eacharea, the number of geese seen at specific locations andthe participants.

Cont. from page 21 - Narrow-leafed Cat-tail

Scoggan, H.J. 1978. THE FLORA OF CANADA, PART 2.National Museums of Canada, National Museum of Natu-ral Sciences Publications in Botany, No. 7(2), Ottawa.

Hitchcock, C. Leo, and Arthur Conquist. 1972. FLORA OFTHE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. University of WashingtonPress, Seattle.

Taylor, Roy L. and Bruce MacBryde. 1977. VASCULARPLANTS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA: A DESCRIPTIVE RE-SOURCE INVENTORY. University of British ColumbiaPress, Vancouver.

Terry TaylorVancouver

PAGE 20 B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991

RARE NATIVE PLANTSA PLEA FOR PRESERVATION

Several rare plant populations in the central VancouverIsland area have already been or are about to be wiped outby foreshore development and logging. Undaunted, localnaturalist continue their efforts to protect these sensitiveareas from destruction.

The deltoid balsamroot (Balsamorhizedeltoidea) picturedhere is a rare plant both in B.C. and Canada, being foundonly on Vancouver Island in Victoria (Thetis Lake) and atCampbell River (Tyee Spit) where it reaches the northernlimit of it's distribution. It extends further south along thecoast to California.

The Campbell River plants are in danger of being de-stroyed by a marina development undertaken by the localNative Band. A housing development by the Cape MudgeBand on Quadra Island has recently wiped out a colonyof these plants at Cape Mudge. In the Okanagan, NativePeoples once ate the tenderyoung shoots and roasted theroots and seeds of arrow-leaved balsamroot (Balsamorhizesaquittata). Coastal Peoples could have used the deltoidbalsamroot in a similar manner, but I could find nowritten or verbal information to confirm this. Localnaturalists have been aware of the Campbell River colonyfor many years are making an effort to preserve the area.Seed has been collected and sewn at various locationsbetween Comox and Campbell river but so far none haspropagated.

Mid-May is the best time for a visit to Tyee Spit to see thefield of these golden sunflowers which remind one of vanGogh's painting. Seaside lupine, death camas, fringecup, Indian consumption plant and the rare maritimeAlaska rein orchid can also be found there.

The giant chain fern (Woodwardia Jlmbriata] is anotherrare B.C. and Canadian species ranging from TexadaIsland south toCalifornia. TheonlyotherB.C. recordsarefrom the Saanich area and Lasqueti Island (where theyare protected in an ecological reserve). It is interesting tonote that the netted chain fern (Woodwardia areolata) isalso a Canadian rarity found only in Nova Scotia.

Last October I was fortunate enough to find a new colonyof chain ferns on Texada Island. The ferns recorded fromCook Bay had previously been destroyed by loggingactivity. After receiving a tip from a friend and help froma local guide, I was able to locate several plants under thepower lines near Davis Bay. They were growing com-pletely in the open accompanied by a dense growth ofevergreen huckleberries which provided partial shade.Sufficient moisture was obtained from hill drainage. Thefronds were four feet high and the chain pattern formedfrom the shape of the spore bundles (sori) proved that thefern was indeed well named. In May the Botany Group ofthe Comox-Strathcona Natural History Society will bemeeting with the B.C. Hydro environment officer todiscuss plans for site preservation.

Searching for rare plants has it's exciting moments but thereal satisfaction comes when one is able to save them frombulldozer and chainsaw. Unless clubs and individuals getinvolved in mapping and protecting native plants in theirown areas, we may lose much of our botanical heritage,particularly the rare species. Regional District planners,city councils and even logging companies can be receptiveonce sensitive areas are pointed out. With the presentpressure of development upon us, it is worth the effort tosave as many important plant areas as we can.

Betty BrooksBlack Creek

NARROW-LEAVED CAT-TAILIN BRITISH COLUMBIA

Two species of cat-tail are recorded from Canada. Themost frequent, common cat-tail (Typha latifolia), growsthroughout the country. It is the familiar species of ourwetlands. The other, narrow-leaved Cat-tail (T.angustifolia), occurs in eastern North America. Scogganstates that it is found as far west as Manitoba, with anunconfirmed report from British Columbia. Hitchcock, etal. refer to reports from Yellowstone National Park, andcentral California, but not the Pacific Northwest.

I was surprised, therefore, to locate a fairly large popula-tion of this plant in early July, 1990, at Wreck Beach inPacific Spirit Regional Park (Vancouver). It grows alongthe shoreline with common cat-tail and other estuarinespecies. The narrow-leaved cat-tail is smaller than thecommon cat-tail, and the leaves are more slender, as thespecific epithet implies. The most striking difference,however, results from the position of the flowers. The maleflowers are separated from the female. The familiar cat-tail head is thereby divided into two parts separated by ashiny section of stem, these divided heads are readUyapparent, even at a distance. Scoggan refers to a Typhalatifoliaforma canbigua from a few sites in Manitoba. Thisalso possesses the separated flowers, but like the species,itself, the pollen grains occur in clusters of 4. Typhaangustifolia produces single grains, not clusters. Micro-scopic observation of pollen from one of the Wreck Beachplants showed single grains.

Where did the Wreck Beach population originate? Con-sidering the absence of the species in the Pacific Northwestif would seem most likely that seeds or plant parts weresomehow transported from the Atlantic coast. Whatevertheir origin they form a large, and thriving colony, andhave probably been in this site for a long time.

References

Hitchcock, C. Leo, et al. 1969. VASCULAR PLANTS OFTHE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. VOLUME 1. University ofWashington Press, Seattle.

Cont. on page 20 - Narrow-leafed Cat-tail

B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991 PAGE 21

ummingl• Banff National Park

July9-14, Septa-8• Vancouver Island

July 20 - 26• Washington State

July 28-August 4• California Redwoods

August 15-22• Oregon Coast

August 24-29• Gulf Islands

September 7-13• Grand Canyon

September 14-20• Grand Teton (Yellowstone)

September 21 - 27• New Mexico

Sept 28 - Oct 4• Port Townsend

October 12-15• Monterey & Big Sur

Oct 26 - Nov 1• Southern Arizona

November 4-10

NATURAL HISTORY• Eastern Fall Colours

October 1 -10• Indian Country

(Am.S.West}Oct16-25• Texas - New Mexico

October 26 - Nov 2

Manning ParkJuly 6 -8 , A u g 6 - 8RockiesJuly 20 - 27Mount BakerAug 9-11, Sept 14-16Southwest ExplorerOct 5 -12

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PAGE 22 B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991

DONATED LAND ENLARGESHALEY LAKE

ECOLOGICAL RESERVE

More land will be put aside to protect the habitat of theendangered Vancouver Island marmot. Fletcher Chal-lenge has donated a 27 hectare site for addition to HaleyLake Ecological Reserve on Vancouver Island.

A joint announcement was made April 8. 1991 by ParksMinister John Savage and Doug Whitehead, Senior VicePresident and Chief Operating Officer of Canadian Opera-tions of Fletcher Challenge Canada Ltd.

"Haley Lake Ecological Reserve was established to protectthe habitat of the Vancouver Island Mannot. a rarespecies which in only found on the island." said Savage."There are only about 250 of these marmots in the world,and this generous donation of land will help preserve thisunique species."

The property, primarily steep, sub-alpine meadows, ex-pands the western boundary of the 93 hectare Haley LakeEcological Reserve, 32 kilometres southwest of Nanaimoon Vancouver Island.

Ecological reserves are permanent sanctuaries estab-lished as part of the mosaic of areas which preservebiodiversity. They protect representative and uniqueecosystems, unique or rare natural phenomena, andendangered plants, animal habitat or gene pools. Theseareas serve as permanent outdoor research laboratoriesfor scientific and education use.

The land tranfser was negotiated by the Real EstateServices Branch of the Ministry of Crown Lands. All costsassociated with the transfer will be paid by B.C. Parks.

BACKGROUNDER

Relatively little is known about the Vancouver Islandmarmot and its habitat. The species was first identified in1910. Since that time, the Vancouver Island marmot hasrarely been seen. Today, the population is roughlyestimated at 250 - 300.

This marmot is only found in the mountains of VancouverIsland, mostly in the Nanaimo area. Experts say itprobably evolved from a type of hoary marmot whichcrossed over to the Island more than 10,000 years ago.

The Island marmot ranges from approximately two and ahalf kilograms to six kilograms. It's larger than mainlandmarmots and has different colouring, while mainlandmarmots range in colour from light brown to almostsilvery, the Vancouver Island marmot has a glossy, choco-late brown coat with white patches around the muzzle andforehead, and Irregular white streaks on its chest andbelly.

The Vancouver Island marmot is generally found in steep,rock-strewn sub alpine meadows with little forest cover.Like other marmots, they inhabit burrows, usually dugunder protective boulders, and hibernate for up to sevenmonths of the year/ They live in small colonies, usuallyconsisting of six to 12 members. They breed every otheryear and produce an average litter of three. They eatplants such as the tiger lily, chocolate lily, blue lupin,Indian paintbrush and avalanche lily.

The marmot uses a very loud shrill whistle to alert othermembers of the colony in situations of danger. Naturalpredators include cougar, bear, perhaps wolf, and mostsignificantly, the Golden Eagle.

V I C T O R I A

Centre for Continuing Education

TravelPrograms

• Wiidnowers of Hornby & Denman Is. with Dr. WilfNicholls: June 10-13

• Dempster Highway Adventure with Rob Cannings:June 4-13 or Joy Snyder: June 13-22

• Cathedral Lakes with Syd & Dick Cannings: July 18-21• Tofino-Gateway to Clayoquot Sound with Dr. William

Austin: Sept 6-8• Geology of Anacortes/Deceptlon Pass with Dr. Ted

Danner: Sept 8• Hawaiian Islands: Volcanoes Through Time with Dr.

Catherine Hickson: Feb 5-15,1992• Birds of Costa Rka with Dick Cannings: Feb 7-24,1992

For further information on these natural history programs orothers with a cultural focus, call (604)222-5207 or 222-5219or write to:

Field Studies and Educational Travel ProgramsL'BC Centre for Continuing Education5997 lona Drive, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1

B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991 PAGE 23

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The Mexico field studies specialistsoffer, annually, several "Explore Mexico" programmes...

HISTORY & NATURAL HISTORY OF MEXICO 19 days, Jan.Monarch butterflies in their winter sanctuaryParicutin and Colima volcanoesNational parks, Biosphere reserves, Handicrafts, Indian villages

YUCATAN 15days,Apr• Mayan archaeological sites and cities• Markets, beaches, caves and sun• Tropical rainforest plants, birds and animals

COPPER CANYON & SIERRA MADRE 15 days, Oct.• Spectacular scenery and traditional Tarahumar Indians• A bewildering range of wild flowers• "One of the world's great train journeys"

MEXICAN BIRDS 12days,Dec.Environments from mangroves to cloud forestOver 180 species inc. tanagers, motmots, parrots, hummingbirds, trogonsResident professional English ornithologist

Our Odisea tour designed lor active naturalists was unbeatable... Planning was very thoroughjnd leadership excellent.11 N. Purssell, Past President V.N.H.S. and F.B.C.N.'A real learning tour for anyone interested in ecology." N. Anderson, Biologist...educational, fun and relaxing." May Louden, Chairperson, Nature Park

Roy Edgell Tony Burton4102 Rose Crescent Odisea Mexico, Apdo. 79West Vancouver, B.C. V7V 2N8 Jocotepec, Jalisco, MexicoTel. (604) 922-2664 Tel. (376) 30164 • Fax (376) 52559

PAGE 24 B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991

Close up on Nature with Al Grass

Running water is one of the major forces shaping ourplanet. A mountain stream as it roars and hisses its wayto the ocean helps to sculpt the landscape by cuttingthrough the very rocks over which it glides. This it doesin a number of ways including breaking off pieces of rock- something called hydraulic plucking or by carrying aslurry of water and sediment so that it acts like liquidsandpaper. As the water flows along, rocks roll on its bedsmashing and banging into one another reducing theirsizes by fragmentation. Eventually the broken rocks arelaid down as the river bed or perhaps a gravel bar. Finermaterials are carried further downstream. Depending onthe stream, these smaller material may be carried to theocean.

I cannot help but think about where the water comesfrom. In this case, much of it is from snow fields back inthe mountains. But what about the water locked up as

snow? Perhaps it originated somewhere down near thetropics and got swept along until it crashed into a moun-tain barrier, where it rose, cooled and fell as snow.

Picking up a glass of water and looking at it cause manythoughts to flow through my head. Maybe their aremolecules in here from the blood of dinosaurs. No doubtthere must be some from the sea creatures. All those thatget washed into the oceans - from the tiniest creature togigantic sharks and whales!

Water - without it none of us would be here. The waterfrom this stream is so cold that it makes by teeth ache.And sweet! None of that foul bleach taste.

As is courses through the landscape like blood in the veinsof a giant creature, water has so much to tell me. Itsmurmuring and liquid tlnklings say take care of me - youneed me.

FLOWING through ALBERTA20th Annual Conference of the

Canadian Nature FederationJuly 4-7, 1991 Red Deer, Alberta

contact: Jennifer O'Brien, 20 Riverview ParkRed Deer, Alberta T4N 1E3 ph.(403) 346 6814

(Tuesdays+Sundays 5 - 8 pm MT)

B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991 PAGE 25

BIRDERS BLITZ BIRDSWells Gray Provincial Park

Bird DayJune 15 1991

Manning Provincial Park9th Annual Bird Blitz

June 14-16, 1991

It's two years down the road from the 1989 Wells Gray BirdDay that kicked off the Park's 50th Birthday celebration.Here's hoping that many of the eighty naturalists thatparticipated in that event are asking for another Bird Blitzin Wells Gray.

The date is Saturday, June 15th 1991. As in 1989participants will divide into field teams, some heading offto paddle Clearwater Lake, other hiking into the HempCreek Canyonlands, or climbing the high peaks of theTrophy and Battle Mountains. At day's end the tally, abarbecue supper and who knows, perhaps another owlprowl. In June an added bonus is the possibility of aSunday trip to see Helmcken Falls at its most dramatic.

If you are interested in a great day in the wild outdoors ofWells Gray Park, then mark June 15 on your calendarnow. For more information contact Rick Howie (B.C.Parks) at 828 4501 (office) or 578 7542 (res). To help usmake final plans, please confirm your attendance by June1st.

Helen KnightFriends of Wells Gray Park

Mount Robson Bird BlitzJune 1 - 2, 1991

Come and celebrate Environment Week by joining us fora weekend of birding and exploration in the spectacularRocky Mountains!

The fourth Annual Mount Robson Bird Blitz will providean opportunity for young and old to walk, drive, or paddleto birding hotspots in the park.

Come and explore the many environments of MountRobson Provincial Park, home to over 170 bird speciesincluding the elusive Sora and the majestic Bald Eagle.Marshes, boreal forests, lakes, and beautiful alpine mead-ows set the stage for this two-day event.

Registration and camping information will be posted bythe main door of the Mount Robson Visitor Centre. Forthose not wanting to camp, a variety of accommodationsare available nearby.

For more information, please contact Cheryl Livingstoneat 565-6340 or Gail Ross at 565-6270 in Prince George

Hope to see you there!

PAGE 26 B.C. NATURALIST MAY 19&1

The Manning Park Bird Blitz is an annual event inManning Provincial Park, occurring the third weekend ofJune (June 14-16, 1991). This year will coincide with theofficial 50th anniversary celebrations, as Manning wasdesignated a park on June 17. 1941.

Birders are invited to Manning Park on Friday afternoonor evening with free camping provided at the Lone Duckgroup campground.

During the evenings of Friday and Saturday, there will beslideshows. Friday's show introduces guests to the variousareas of the park, with a special emphasis on birding.Saturday, we have a guest speaker to talk about birdingin Manning Park followed by an owling trip to StrawberryFlats or Spruce Bay.

For more information phone 858 7161.

rNaturalHistoryTours

SYD CANNINGS ROB CANNINGSCHARLIE RUSSELL MIKE SHEPARDand Chris & Jenny Harris of PATHWAYS CANADA TOURS

1. MOUNT ROBSON PflRKA hell-alpine meadows holidaywith Syd Cannings and MikeShepard. Wildflowers,photography, day hiking, andnatural history interpretation.

2. DEMPSIEH HIGHWHYExplore Canada's north toTuktoyaktuk with RobCannings. Birding, naturalhistory, and photography.

Join renowned bear biologistCharlie Russell to observegrizzlies on the B.C. Coast.Wildlife viewing andphotography.

A wide selection of otherdestinations and activities tochoose from. Something foreveryone...

FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION, CALL:

GREHT EXPEDITIONSB.C. Toll Free 1-800-663-3364

Outside B.C. and within Vancouver, (604) 263-1476

JePPg'5 RangerS

Greetings to all History Hounds from Jerry the Moose!Wait a minute, what's a History Hound?

Well, to answer that question we should ask ourselvesanother question. What is history? My dictionary sayshistory is simply, "past events". What happened 1000years ago, yesterday, or even an hour ago is history. Whenwe have things that remind us of the past we call them"relics" or artifacts. Perhaps an old plank road or spring-board notched stump will help us to recall the hey days ofcoastal logging. The relic can be something as simple asan old boot, or as large as a building. Or it may be trail,a special tree or even a special place. History helps us toappreciate what our forefathers did to help to create theprovince and Parks that we enjoy today.

The best way to learn about history is to actually do someof the things that people did in the "olden days", maybe itsbaking bannock, (a type of flat bread) or panning for gold.Many parks offer these kinds of programs in the sum-mertime, in winter you can travel on snowshoes, like theearly explorers, in places such as Mount Seymour andCypress Provincial Parks.

Whatever the story; history should be an "on hands"experience in order to give it special meaning.

Many B.C. Park names commemorate or honour special

things, events or people in our history. A few examplesare:

Mount Seymour - from Governor Sir Frederick Seymour

Rolley Lake - James and Fanny Rolley. pioneer family inMission area

Garibaldi - honours Giuseppe Garibaldi. Italian patriot

Plumper Cove - HMS Plumper, Royal Navy survey ship

Kilby Store - Thomas Kilby, who in 1904 built a store nearHarrison Mills in the Fraser Valley

There are many other examples. Jerry says to call a B.C.Park office and ask for park brochures, most of which givea brief history of the park. Now that's a good HistoryHound!

Al Grassfor Jerry the Moose

NATURALISTS WANTEDAT MANNING PARK

As Manning Provincial Park celebrates its 50th Anniversary thisyear, a great variety of events will be taking place in the parkthrough July and August. We need your help to make it asuccess.

Thousands of people drive through the park every summer,marvelling at the view from their car windows. But few of themstop to appreciate the true beauty that lies beyond. Other settlecomfortably into their campsites and enjoy the relaxing atmos-phere without knowing what intriguing secrets Nature is waitingto whisper to them. But maybe if there was someone to give thema nudge, to take them along on an enjoyable walk and point outa few things, maybe they would discover the real magic ofManning. That someone might be YOU!

Cascade Interpretation will continue to provide Visitor Programs,and excellent programs they are. However, B.C. Parks would alsolike to organize a few special walks with guest naturalists, likeyourself, for those who would prefer a more casual arrangement.If you are interested in sharing you love of nature and leading aday-hike or a short walk, here are some dates to consider.

June 8 or 9 Rhododendron Flats - one hour walks along thispleasant trail displaying spring's early splendour

June 3O or July 1 Canada Dayl Some of our most interestingheritage can be followed on the historic trails at the west end ofManning Park and into the Cascade Recreation Area. Take a dayhike up to Punchbowl Lake on the Dewdney Trail.

July 21 Be a part of Canada's Parks Day and introduceothers to your favorite walk in the park. No doubt there would besome keen campers at Lightning Lake who would like a glimpseof the Skyline Trail

August 3-5 If you are planning to be at this main eventweekend, there will be lots of people looking for some footsteps tofollow, three Brothers alpine meadows are spectacular at thistime of year, and you might be able to help someone learn aboutthe variety of species blooming here.

You don't have to be an expert. We are looking for friendly,responsible leaders who will simple give those would-be natural-ists the confidence to give it a try. If you are interested, please callVicklHaberlat(604)8587161. We will do our best tomakeyourvisit to Manning Park an enjoyable one. You will also receive acopy of Robert Bateman's 50th Anniversary Poster and a specialpin. And no doubt you will be just feel good about doing itl

B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991 PAGE 27

AN ELDER HOSTEL TO CELEBRATEMANNING PROVINCIAL PARK'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Elder Hostel is an international organization offering educational programsand enjoyable activity to seniors 60 years and over. Elder Hostel Canada andB.C. Parks invite you to explore Manning Provincial Park this summer, July21 to 28.

Crowning the Cascade Mountains of southwestern British Columbia, 225 kmeast of Vancouver, Manning Park is a mountain wilderness with deep valleys,sub-alpine meadows and sun-dappled lakes. Carpeted with millions ofwildflowers, the alpine meadows are most spectacular in late July. Knowl-edgeable guides and instructors will introduce you to this fantastic floraldisplay, helping you to sort out lupines from phloxes, paintbrush andanemones. You will learn about the web of life that varies so drastically fromthe wet coastal forests to the high, dry alpine.

The "Last Resort" provides co2y, rustic accommodation in the hear of the park,Some rooms are shared and many involve many stairs. If you would like moreinformation about this program, or other special events for Manning's 50thAnniversary, please contact B.C. Parks Fraser Valley District, Box 10, CultusLake, B.C. VOX 1HO (604 - 858 7161)

MANNING PROVINCIAL PARKSummer 1991

Calendar of Events

June 8, 9 RHODODENDRON RHAPSODY - specialguided walks to view this rare display of early spring splendour.

June 15,16 BIRD BLITZ - guest speakers, owling trips,sub-alpine and valley walks to count the many interesting birdspecies in the park.

July 1 CANADA DAY - celebrate Canada's heritageexploring the nearby trails, built in the day of the Hudson Bay furtrade, and the interior Gold Rush.

July 21 CANADA'S PARKS DAY - the second annualcelebration of Canada's world class parks system. ManningProvincial Park, one of the finest parks of all, will have someexciting events.

July 21-27 ELDER HOSTEL - for those 60 years of ageand over, this program combines low cost, hostel-style accom-modation with fascinating opportunities to explore the park.

August 3-5 ATASTE OFTHE FORTIES - an old fashionedpicnic with hayrides for the children, horse-packing demonstra-tions, and MUSIC 91's fiddlers and square dancers.

August 24, 25 AFAMILYFROLIC-ManningParkResortwillhost this weekend of family fun, including children's games andraces, a mini-triathalon, and a pancake breakfast.

For further information about these events, please contact the Fraser ValleyDistrict office at (604) 858 7161.

PAGE 28 B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991

ICBPREPORTSON BIRDS

The International Council for BirdPreservation (ICBP) - Canadahas beencontracted by the Canadian WildlifeService to prepare a preliminary list ofbird species of management concernto Canada. Administered by the CNF,ICBP-Canada is a committee ofprominent Canadian ornithologistsand naturalists. It members addressregional, national, and internationalbird conservation issues, often insupport of a stand of one of CNFsprovincial affiliates of other conser-vation organizations.

In preparing this long-overdue report,ICBP-Canada will consider specieswith documented or apparent popu-lation declines, small or restrictedpopulations, dependence on restrictedor vulnerable habitats, or which havealready been designated by COSEW1C(Committee on the Status of Endan-gered Wildlife in Canada).

When completed, the list will supplyvaluable information on the percent-age of populations that breed andwinter in Canada, population num-bers, level of concern for each species,main limiting factors, and the principalsources of information used in com-piling data. ICBP-Canada also hopesto establish a network of experts whocan provide advice on an ongoingbasis.

Almanac Vol. 5, No 2April 1991

Cont. from page 29 - Round

There are many questions asked inthese documents, and naturalists areencouraged to make submissions tothe Round Table process. In par-ticular. Naturalists can stress the needfor protected areas for habitat in theland use strategy, and the fundamen-tal concern for the maintenance ofbiological diversity and the ecologicalsystems that support life.

For information contact the RoundTable, 229-560 Johnson Street, Vic-toria, B.C. V8W3C6. Telephone: 387-5422.

CAMPS CAMPSFBCN

EXPEDITIONARYCAMP

Redfern Lake

A small camp of the do it yourselfvariety is being considered at RedfernLake in the Northern Rockies. Thislake is about 75 km west from SikanniChief on the Alaska Highway. It islisted as important in the B.C. ParksPlan 9O Special Features, this is aremote area but has spectacular beautyand wildlife. Access to the lake will befloat plane. Anyone interested shouldcontact Camp Committee Chairman,Norman Purssell, and they will be in-formed of any future developments.August is the most likely time for thecamp. Phone 922 7992 or write: 2338OttawaAvenue, West Vancouver, B.C.V7V2S9.

Round Tableon Environment and

Economy

Round Table members are travellingacross B.C. in May and June to hearconcerns and comments from peopleabout its Sustainable DevelopmentStrategy for B.C.

There are documents available fromthe Round Table on:

Sustainable CommunitiesSustainable Land and Water UseSustainable EnergyDecision Processes for land allo-cationAnalytical methods for land allo-cationWater allocation and managementPopulation changesAir quality issuesMunicipal water issuesWaste Management issuesThe B.C. economyEconomic incentivesResource accountingEnergy development processesTransboundary issues

Cont. on page 28 - Round

FBCNBAMFIELD CAMP

Still a few spaces

Fill out the form below and send it,together with a cheque for $450.00made payable to the Federation ofB.C. Naturalists and please includea stamped, self-addressed envelope.Mail to:

Helen AkriggGeneral Delivery

Celista, B.C. VOE 1LO

phone: 955 2963best between 7 - 8 a.m. or

after 5 p.m.

FBCNFALL GENERALMEETING

October 4, 5, 6, 1991Courtenay, B.C.

Full details and registration form inJuly 1991 B.C. Naturalist. Plan toattend now! Education workshopson Friday, Meeting and Banquet onSaturday and Field Trips Sunday.

Cont. from page 31 - Birds

tation to back you up. Scientific datashould be our main arguing point.. notmindless invective. A walk aroundyour neighbourhood golf course inMay or June would be a pleasantexperience I assure you, with song-birds singing, the local horned owlsnuggled up to its favourite trunk andvoles scurrying in the rough - - justwatch for those errant tee shots!

Jack BowlingPrince George

BAMFIELD MARINE STATIONREGISTRATION FORM

FBCN CAMPSEPTEMBER 1-8, 1991

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY PC

PHONE

Local Naturalist Club Affiliation

Do you wish to room with a friend: _With whom? (Name, address, phone)

L J

B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991 PAGE 29

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Our 5 day expeditions feature daily boat travel to lushand nigged unspoiled lands

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WESTERN ARCTIC NATURE TOURS

• April polar bears- spring wildlife viewingand community jamborics

• June bird ing- Dempster Highway,Mackenzie Delta & Arctic coast

• July wildflowers and birds- HerschelIsland Territorial Park

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Box 1530 (N)Inuvik, NWT, XOE OTO(403) 979-3400(403) 979-3440 fax

PAGE 30 B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991

BIRDS AND BIRDIESCONFESSIONS OF A LAPSED NATURALIST

A lot of words have been exchangedregarding the topic of rampant golfcourse development during the pastcouple of years and the associatedenvironmental damage. Naturalistshave come out swinging against thetrend trumpeting inevitable ecologi-cal deprivation. I think its time weheard from both a naturalist and anavid golfer who. incredible as thismay seem to come people, happen tobe the same person.

To many people, golf is and alwayswill be an incredibly silly undertak-ing. The primped-up gentry clois-tered in their grassy domain, clubslashing at a small white ball with thelong intent of eventually ramming itinto a slightly larger hole. The intentof the sport has not changed over thecenturies but the demographics ofthe golfer certainly have.

No longer is the sport dominated bythe country club mentality where200-year lineages and the geneticfluke of being born a male are nec-essary membership requirement - -the good old boys knocking the dottlefrom their pipes around the club-house fireplace. These bastions ofidiocy still remain but only as hide-outs against a long overdue trend.Golf as a recreational sport has shownexponential growth with common foldworldwide taking up the high chal-lenge of mastering the sport, whichcan never be done and thus is thelarge part of its inherent mystique.This growth in devotees has resultedin a dearth of suitable golf courses onwhich to play. Thus, the currentdevelopment crisis.

One of the main arguments espousedby naturalists opposed to golf courseconstruction is the loss of biologicaldiversity. My question is: has thereever been a published "before andafter" survey of a golf course acreagefrom which this conclusion may bedrawn? If so, please let me know. Myexperience on many golf courses overthe past eight years is that there is awealth ofbiological diversity inherentin the design of a course. Some Within the current context, I feel a

courses do a much better job ofworking the design into the naturallay of the land resulting in minimaldamage. The worst designed coursesare those which wipe everything cleanwith the bulldozers and start fromscratch.

Of course, changes in the types andrelative frequencies of ecologicalniches will occur with the buildingand maturation of a golf course, butthat does not necessarily mean a lossof biological diversity. Some specieswill thrive while others will thrivewhile others will struggle. The factthat this inexorable and fundamen-tal law of nature has been acceleratedby man is enough to render it hei-nous to the many who abide thenaturalist's credo.

A second motivation for the currentantipathy likely involves the "fat cat"image of professional ̂ golfers. A ri-diculous notion when you ihinkaboutit. Would you stop your kid frombatting a few balls around the localball diamond because you disagreewith the astronomical salaries ofprofessional baseball players? Thespate of'resort course' developmentscatering to the obviously rich areanother sticking point, possibly moreso to jealous golfers. Luckily theflora and fauna of a golf course areoblivious to the social machinationsof humans. A robin couldn't careless if the worms it gets are from thelocal municipal golf course or thefancy-dancer resort course, let alongthe ball diamond across the road.

The third main sticking point in thisdebate has to do with the lack ofknowledge which many naturalistsexhibit about golf courses. This istotally the fault of the golf coursemanagements which discouragepublic access to all but golfers. If golfcourses were to be run as publicpreserves as is done in much ofBritain, a lot of the ill feelings woulddiminish as preconceived notionsevaporate.

rational approach would be to create amulti-agency review panel involvingnaturalists and other expert bodies.Upon receipt of a golf course develop-ment plan, a census of flora and faunawould be done, and the habitat'suniqueness gauged. If such construc-tion would jeopardize the existence ofany rare or endangered species orsubsume a special habitat, then wenaturalists can and should recommendagainst proceeding with construction.The Boundary Shores developmentdebacle was an example of what can beaccomplished, although this was morea result of political fortune than coop-eration.

In those cases where a developmentwent ahead against the naturalists'wishes, we should not just pick up andmove on. Rather we should strive toameliorate any ecological damagewhich may occur. Putting up bird-houses. Ensuring the beavers are nottrapped out. Perhaps trapping out thecowbirds (a separate but increasinglyimportant argument given the sorryplight of many of our insectivorous

-v songbirds). Recommending againstclearing of natural rough. Nothingwould jnlease me more than to see alinks-type goll'ejpurse, where a poorlyplaced shot wouloTpiK you waist-highin local scrub. Golf course developersand owners should not all be lumpedtogether as nefarious baddies moreinterested in a quick buck than theenvironment. Most are responding toa demonstrated desire and the bestdesigners "use, not abuse" the land.

In those naturalists who are, and neverwill be, convinced of the usefulness ofgolf as a recreational venue, this in-creased appetite for acreage is as wel-come as the plague. Former haunts ofrare flora and fauna are being plowedand seeded only to be replaced by lazylouts wasting away the day on yetanother cursed golf course. I wouldonly caution that to golf course devel-opers and to municipalities eager tobroaden their tax base, it seems ashort step from ideology to sanctimonywithout necessary scientific documen-

Cont. on page 29 - Birds

B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991 PAGE 31

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PAGE 32 B.C. NATURALIST MAY 1991