the magazine of bc nature · 2019-08-30 · bcnature fall 2019 author: kees visser k” you all...

www.bcnature.ca • Fall 2019 • Vol. 57 No. 3 • ISSN 0228–8824

The Magazine of BC Nature

“Know nature and keep it worth knowing”

BCnature Fall 2019

BCnatureVolume 57 No. 3

In This Issue:Objectives of BC Nature

(Federation of BC Naturalists)

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

BCnature is printed on 100 percent recycled stock

Colour Version of BCnature is available online www.bcnature.ca

Regular Columns President's Report........................................................................3 Conservation Report.................................................................17 BC Naturalists Foundation Update..........................................20 NatureKids BC Update.............................................................24 Book Reviews.............................................................................29 North in the Spring: Prince George to the Alaska Highway Part 2..............................................................36 Focus on IBAs...........................................................................41 Spotlight on Distinguished Naturalist Mentors.......................43

Feature Formation of the Federation of British Columbia Naturalists...................................................................................4 Fifty Years of Conservation with BC Nature..............................6 Outdoors with BC Nature Field Trips and Field Camps.........10 BC Nature Communications: Newsletters, Magazines, Board, Website, Enews, and the office.....................................12 A History of the Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA Program)............................................................................15 Young Naturalists' Club of BC - Now NatureKids BC; 2000 - 2019................................................................................16 Science Fair Update...................................................................19 Field Camp Update for 2020....................................................19 BC Naturalists' Foundation Historical Perspective and Report.................................................................................20 Annual Appeal Letter................................................................22 Leaving a Legacy in more ways than one - A tribute to Ursula Easterbrook...............................................................24 BC Nature 2019 AGM:"Nature in Quw'utsun - The Warmland..................................................................................25 The 2019 Bert Brink Scholarship recipient..............................27 The 2019 Rene Savenye Scholarship........................................28 Report on the Roberts Bank Container Terminal 2 Project....31 No Ordinary Pigeon...Our Band-tailed Pigeon........................33British Columbia's First Natural History Society.....................37 Protecting Western Bats from White-Nose Syndrome.............39 Roots.........................................................................................40

Notices Dates to Remember....................................................................3 FGM 2019 – Schedule of Events..............................................34 FGM 2019 - Registration..........................................................35 AGM 2020 - Vermilion Forks...................................................38

BCnature is published quarterly, circulation 6,300

Editorial Team: Betty Davison Rick Gee Claudia Copley Clive Keen Website: www.bcnature.caWe welcome your articles, photos, and letters. Please email your submissions to [email protected] reserve the right to edit submissions for length, style, and clarity. Advertising and article submission deadline for the Winter edition is November 1, 2019.

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

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

“Contact Us” or telephone 604–985–3057

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

Corrections from Summer 2019 BCnature Edition:Presidents Report: - Correction on the spelling of Kees Visser's name: official first name is Cornelis (and not Cornelius)- Field camps mentioned in the Presidents report - " to Lund, Cathedral Provincial Park, Tofino, Flores Island, Saturna Island, and Prevost Island were organized and led by Nieke Visser, Kees Visser was the trip leader.

BCnature Fall 2019

Author: Kees VisserPresident’s Report “On the Rock”

You all thought that I was gone, but after three years in the role of Past President, the

Board, the Nominations Committee, and the Club Representatives have asked me if I could assume the role of President again for another term. BC Nature is important for British Co-lumbia so I have agreed that I would do at least one year until May 2020, with some conditions. The conditions are that my presidency will be dependent on the health of my spouse, and

that Alan Burger will continue in his role as Past President when I step down.

At this point I like to thank Alan for his contribution as President over the last three years. BC Nature has accomplished quite a lot over that time.

Over the past three years the composition of the Board has changed sig-nificantly; there are many new faces, and I am very pleased that at least half of the Board is not from the Lower Mainland or the Victoria area.

BC Nature is in a state of flux as we reorganize to improve our effective-ness. We have established a Finance Committee (chaired by Bev Ramey), a Human Resources Committee (chaired by our Vice-President, Harry Crosby) and a Governance Committee (now chaired by Alan Burger).These committees report to the Board, and will help run BC Nature effectively and with better transparency. I would like to stress that this will not lead to more officialdom and our re-organization is designed to help the Board, the President, and Betty, the Office Manager run BC Nature with a lighter workload. The existing Committees; Conservation, Education, Camps, and Communications, continue to do excellent work, while completely relying on volunteers. I am very pleased to welcome Clive Keen, from the Prince George Naturalists, as our new Chair of the Communications Com-mittee. His experience with communications and his interest in nature, especially the north, as well as his vast knowledge of birds, will be greatly valued.

We have hired an Office Assistant, Natalia Pisarek, for one day per week. In the near future we will be looking at the possibility of hiring a fundrais-ing person as there are so many worthwhile projects we could be doing but we simply do not have the funds to do them. As of this magazine writing, we have also been awarded a fully funded “Winter Student” through a grant from the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Academy to Community Award. We are interviewing to hire a communications student that will further assist us in our outreach.

The first challenge for me in this term was the judicial review of the National Energy Board (NEB) report to the Federal Government, done on our behalf by the Pacific Centre for Environmental Law and Litigation (CELL) (Chris Tollefson and Anthony Ho). The filing happened on July 8, 2019 and a media which were completely ignored by NEB in their submis-sion to the Federal Government.

At the AGM in Duncan in early May, Nature Canada made a commit-ment to have a stronger focus on BC. We are cooperating with them on a number of current projects. At the AGM I was presented with the pres-tigous Elton Anderson award, for which I am very honoured. Looking around the room I saw six previous winners of this award. I am in good company indeed!

I am looking forward to the Fall General Meeting and Conference (FGM) in Coquitlam, organized by the Burke Mountain Naturalist Soci-ety: October 3-5, 2019. They have set up excellent presentations and field trips, and I hope to see many of you there.

The Federation of BC Naturalists (BC Nature since 2006), will cel-ebrate its 50-year anniversary dur-ing the FGM on Friday October 4, with a presentation by Bev Ramey, a BBQ, and cake. This also coincides with the 25-year celebration of the Burke Mountain Naturalist Society.

Looking ahead we will have our 2020 AGM in Princeton, but we still need host clubs for the 2020 FGM and 2021 AGM and FGM.

During my previous three years as Past President I forgot how over-whelming the job of President can be, but I am sure that with the orga-nizational review, and the additional staff, I will be on the right track. •

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Dates to Remember

September 28, 2019 - World Rivers Day

October 3-5, 2019 - BC Nature FGM -host Burke Mountain Naturalists

January 31, 2020 - Club Support grant submissions

February 28, 2020 - Resolutions submissions for the AGM 2020

May 28-31, 2020 - BC Nature AGM - host Vermilion Forks Field Naturalists

BCnature Fall 20194

To set the stage for the forma-tion of the Federation of British

Columbia Naturalists (FBCN) a half century ago, we need to travel back farther, to the end of the nine-teenth century, when naturalists, mountaineers, and other outdoor enthusiasts first began exploring and documenting the flora and fauna of British Columbia. Many of them had academic interests in fields such as geology, mycology, botany, orni-thology, or entomology and their encounters with the natural world in British Columbia were driven by a constant quest for learning. For these pioneer naturalists, field work and expeditions into the wilderness were a means of reinforcing and expanding their knowledge.

In 1890, a group of forty gentle-men decided to form the Natural History Society of British Columbia. Primarily professionals, these ambi-tious individuals wanted to encour-age “a more organized approach to the study of the natural features of the province and [to provide] ... an independent auxiliary to the Provincial Museum, Department of Agriculture, Department of Mines and the Library of the Legislative Assembly” (Dr. V.C. Bert Brink, 1987). This first “federated” body

of naturalists functioned for some 20 years, until its dissolution at the time of the First World War. Local natural history societies were also forming around the province: the Vancou-ver Natural History Society (VanNHS) in 1918; the Vic-toria Natural History Society (VicNHS) in 1944; and the North Okanagan Naturalist Club in 1951.

The idea of forming a province-wide federation or council did not resurface again until 1957, when a meeting was held by Dr. Clifford Carl at the Provincial Museum in Victoria and the Vic-NHS established a Standing Com-mittee of Federation. The value of “citizen scientists” in assisting with species observation and collec-tion throughout the province was readily recognized by the Provincial Museum and academics.

Three additional meetings were held in Vancouver (1958) and Victoria (1958, 1960). In June 1962, an Ontario Federation of Natural-ists spokesperson visited BC and encouraged members of the Vic-NHS, the VanNHS, and the three naturalists’ clubs in the Okanagan

to form a Council of Naturalists. This idea was further promoted by David Stirling and Yorke Edwards of the VicNHS. Meetings followed in Vancouver (1962) and the Victoria Provincial Museum (1963), with the decision to hold the inaugural meet-ing of the federation in Kelowna in May 1963. The founding member clubs of the BC Nature Council were the three Okanagan natural-ists’ clubs (Central, North, and South), Cowichan Valley Natural-ists, Thetis Park Nature Sanctuary Association, the VanNHS, and the VicNHS.

The time was ripe for the forma-tion of a provincial natural history society.

Formation of the Federation of British Columbia Naturalists

Celebra ing

50 Years

This issue of BCnature is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of BC Nature. The following four articles were authored by Bev Ramey, with editorial assistance from Susan Fisher, Peter Ballin, Jude Grass, and Rick Gee. Throughout the articles, the Federation of BC Naturalists is shortened to FBCN and we use the current operating name, BC Nature. All FBCN correspondence related to our 50th year celebration can be viewed on the BC Nature website https://bit.ly/2TN1pLW, Original documentation that these articles were researched from are stored with the University of Victoria’s archives.

1969 Bert Brink and Dick Stace-Smith at 1969 Bert Brink and Dick Stace-Smith at 1969 Bert Brink and Dick Stace-Smith at 1969 Bert Brink and Dick Stace-Smith at 1969 Bert Brink and Dick Stace-Smith at the Shulaps Campthe Shulaps Campthe Shulaps Campthe Shulaps Campthe Shulaps Camp

By B. Harris

BCnature Fall 2019 5

The BC Provincial Government had just formed a new Department of Recreation and Conservation to meet increasing demands for both commercial and recreational uses of public lands. And there was a growing understanding among the general public of the impact of human activities on the natural environment. People of wide-ranging educational backgrounds - not just scientists - were now being attracted to the natural history clubs, seeing in them a way to voice their concern about human consumptive uses of the environment.

And yet many decision makers of the era persisted with the view that British Columbia’s natural resources were inexhaustible. In 1964, the then Minister of Conser-vation and Recreation William K. Kiernan, declared that “No man who really knows BC could think, even in his wildest imagination, that BC will run out of wilderness for a century at least.” Naturalists, who were in the field and knew what was happening, did not agree. Over the next few years, the BC Nature Council and other affiliated groups pushed hard for stricter protections for provincial parkland.

Parks were not the only concern of the new BC Nature Council. Names of its standing committees indicate the breadth of its activities: • Summer Camp, • Pacific Nest Record Scheme, • Parks and Access and

Protection,• Land Management, • Newsletter and Publicity,• Threatened Species, • Biocides and Pollution, and • Club Affairs.

Meetings of the BC Nature Coun-cil followed in 1964 in Penticton (AGM) and Victoria (FGM) with an announcement of a contest for a crest design for the Nature Coun-cil. At the 1965 Kelowna AGM, the winning design was revealed:

the raven, based on totems of the native peoples of BC, by Margaret Dean, a UBC third-year Zoology major. (Thirty years later, when the federation adopted the new operating name of BC Nature, it decided to change the logo. A new logo designed by a Prince George firm was approved in 2007 and this is the logo in use today.)

In 1966, Peter Legg of Vernon (North Okanagan Naturalists) was tasked with preparing the necessary legal steps for incorporation and Dick Stace-Smith (Vancouver) was elected president for two years (Duncan AGM; Penticton FGM). At the Vernon AGM in 1967, Peter Legg reported that the Registrar of Societies had advised that incorporation could not be done under the name “Coun-cil”, so the process moved slowly forward under the name “Federation of British Columbia Naturalists”.

When the 1967 Fall general Meeting was held in Victoria at Thomas Francis Park Nature House (Freeman King’s ‘kids’ will appreciate this loca-tion), the merits of incorporation were discussed. Violet Gibbard of Nara-mata reported on the Pacific Nest Record Scheme, and Dick Stace-Smith and Bert Brink reported on their meeting with the Minister of Recreation and Conservation where they “expressed concerns about the status of many parks and proposed parks in the province”. Alas, in 2019 this sounds only too familiar.

At the sixth AGM in Vancouver in 1968, the pros and cons of the values of incorporating as a federation were discussed yet again. Finally, at the FGM 1968 in Kelowna, motions were passed regarding membership within the Council for nonvoting associates and financial supporters, incorpora-tion of the Council, and annual dues increases from 25 cents to 50 cents per member. At the seventh and final AGM held in Comox, incorporation as the Federation of British Columbia Naturalists was approved under the Societies Act. The draft constitution was accepted and registered on June 3, 1969, officially marking the end of the BC Nature Council and the beginning of the FBCN. The nine founding member clubs were Central Okanagan Naturalists, Comox-Strathcona Natural History Society, Cow-ichan Valley Natural History Society, North Okanagan Naturalists, Prince George Naturalists, South Okanagan Naturalists, Thetis Park Nature Sanc-tuary Association, Vancouver Natural History Society, and Victoria Natural History Society.

Elton Anderson served as FBCN president from 1971 to 1973; our foremost service award is named in his memory. Anderson’s goals as president were to make FBCN “an effective force within the province…[to] work towards the creation of natural history clubs in all areas of the province…[to] devote considerably more time and money into producing a newsletter…[and to] employ a full-time executive secretary.” He travelled the province in his ‘Tin Tent’ (camper truck) enlisting new members and encouraging the formation of new clubs. Elton was widely recognized for his dedication to a number of causes and his uncanny ability to foresee the major environmental issues at an early stage and to bring the facts to the attention of those in government and industry responsible for policy.

1978 - FBCN Directors Meeting

BCnature Fall 2019

Fifty Years of Conservation with BC NatureConservation has always been at the core of BC Nature. Educa-

tion comes first with “Know Nature” followed by the conserva-tion focus, “Keep it Worth Knowing”. That’s our organization’s motto. If we don’t know nature, we cannot act to conserve it. As Joni Mitchell described so well in her song, “you don’t know what you’ve got, ‘til it’s gone”.

Over half a century, many dedicated and knowledgeable natural-ists have given their time to BC Nature’s education and conserva-tion initiatives. The following account highlights a few achieve-ments, grouped under eleven headings: Return It

An early and successful BC Nature campaign was for legislation for “Returnable and Standardized Bottles and Cans”. In 1968, BC Nature representatives presented this recommendation to the gov-ernment; they also engaged in public discussions and leaflet distri-butions. In response to the complaint from stores that they would have to sort many tall bottles, FBCN suggested standardized pop bottles similar to the returnable beer bottles. Success! The Litter Act, passed in 1970, required a two-cent deposit on every beer or soft drink container sold. This may seem a small accomplishment, but those who have recently travelled in the UK may have noticed the contrast: the UK has not yet required a return deposit on bottles and cans and many natural areas are littered with beverage containers. All British Columbians can be grateful for this success-ful campaign, undertaken in the very early years of BC Nature. Resolutions

Since the formation of the Federation of BC Naturalists, reso-lutions have played an important role in increasing awareness, developing policies, and presenting conservation issues to gov-ernment. Approved resolutions were submitted to governments; follow-up replies were recorded and reported at the next AGM. Resolutions over the past 50 years provide a good historical record of the issues on which our organization has focused. (You can read these resolutions at the BC Nature website under: Conservation – Resolutions: FBCN Policy Manual 1988, for the early resolutions, the FBCN Resolution Manual 1988-1994, and Resolution Manual 1995 – to the present day.)

In its first four decades, FBCN considered large numbers of reso-lutions: 19 in 1972, 23 in 1976, and the all-time high of 31 in 1993. Not surprisingly, the AGMs stretched over an entire day during

At the time of his death in 1975, he was engaged in a campaign to keep plastic pop bottles out of Canada.

Many of Elton Anderson’s goals are now a reality. There are 51 BC Nature Clubs throughout BC, 57 volumes of the BC Nature Magazine have been published (including the seven earlier years of the BC Nature Council), a full-time Office Manager with a part-time assistant employed in our office; and, perhaps a bit late but nonetheless a national endeavour is now considering reducing use of plastics in our society. •

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those years. In the past decade the number of resolutions has decreased to fewer than five and the AGMs have become manageable in a half day.• Mining was at times a focus, including

uranium mining; our resolutions on uranium mining (1978-80) ultimately resulted in a seven-year moratorium and then a legislated ban (2008)

• FBCN called for regulations to prohibit strip mining and ‘cat roads’, as well as mandatory land reclamation following mining (1981).

• Poisoning of lakes in the mid-1970s was halted. Lakes were being poisoned to remove native ‘trash’ fish, so named at the time as they were regarded to have no value for angling.

• FBCN opposed ocean salmon farms and presented to the Panel on Sustainable Aquaculture.

• FBCN was instrumental in establishing the BC Endangered Species Coalition (1994-2000) and then promoting the federal Species at Risk Act (2003). We are still urging enactment of a provincial Species at Risk Act.

Continued from Page 5

June 1975 - Elton Anderson started to campaign for the banning of plastic bottles out of Canada


Conferences, Roundtables, and Advisory CommitteesConservation issues have been publicized through reso-

lutions, briefs and letters, while conferences, workshops, and roundtables have provided education about the issues. These discussions, sometimes in partnership with other environmental groups, brought naturalists and academics together with senior government staff.

In the 1960s and 1970s, FBCN championed the values of the Fraser River Estuary and Boundary Bay and raised public awareness about the importance of the Pacific Fly-way. (This campaign continues today with opposition to the second terminal at Roberts Bank and the importance of the Fraser River Estuary IBA.)

In 1975, FBCN organized “The Need for Sanctuaries in the Fraser River Estuary”, a conference led by some of our province’s most influential naturalists: Barry Leach, Dick Stace-Smith, Bert Brink, and Jude Grass. FBCN went on to found the Fraser River Coalition, which held subsequent conferences, one in 1977 and a second in 1987. FBCN presented a brief on “Protecting the Fraser River Delta” to governments in 2005 (prepared by Anne Murray). All these efforts have helped to secure designa-tion of several provincial Wildlife Management Areas in the lower Fraser River.

We sponsored conferences and workshops on other topics, including: Threatened and Endangered Species (1981 and 1984); Bits and Pieces Symposium on the natural diversity of our province (1987); Old Growth Forests (1990); and Land for Nature, through which at least 16 workshops were held around the province in the 1990s. Most of these conferences and workshops resulted in publications that further made known concerns and recommendations. In addition, many of the AGMs and FGMs have featured a conservation theme, helping to spread awareness and action.

BC Nature representatives have further influenced conservation policy through participation in Advisory Committees organized by government, including:• Forest Land Use Liaison Committee 1970s (co-chair

Dick Stace-Smith)• Agriculture-Wildlife Advisory Committee 1990s

(then-named Problem Wildlife Committee) through to 2000

• Kemano-Nechako (long-time advocate June Wood), through the Rivers Defense Coalition (1987-1995) and then promoting environmentally responsible management of the Nechako through to the present day

• Off Road Vehicles (long-time volunteers Joan Best and Bev Ramey), with letters dating back to 1960s, and at least ten different resolutions over the decades. In 2014 legislation finally required a visible numbered decal or plate

• Wetlands Stewardship Partnership 1990s onwards, and

• Several regional committees on LRMPs (Land and Resource Management Plan) and PAS (Protected Areas Strategy) in the 1990s resulted in provincial park establishment.

Brochures and PostersFBCN provided nature education through brochures

and posters, with the aim to conserve sensitive natural areas. Our brochures included: “Fraser River Estuary”, “Wildlife Viewing in Regions of Province”, and “Sea-bird Survival”. Two posters were produced on endan-gered plants and birds (1970s). In the 1980s we pro-duced posters highlighting three types of fragile land-scapes: Wetlands, the Alpine, and Grasslands. FBCN also published policy papers on Grasslands (2000) and Marine Protection (2001). Projects

BC Nature undertook several conservation projects, supported by educational stewardship materials, through paid professional contractors that were hired with the help of outside funding. BC Nature oversaw these projects, which typically supported and extended the work of local naturalist clubs by providing outreach and hands-on activities. In several cases, the contractor provided the final ‘professional packaging’ for the natu-ralists’ observations (citizen science field records). This ‘professional packaging’, nowadays often electronic, ensures observations made by naturalists are usable by government resource agencies. Major projects included:• Wildlife Watch, late 1980s, with contractor April

Mol• Land for Nature, 1990 to 1998, beginning with

contractor Nora Layard• Living by Water, 1997 to about 2005, when it

grew to the national level under Nature Canada, with contractors Clive Callaway and Sarah Weaver (Kipp)

• BC Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), 1996 to the present day (with Bird Studies Canada


Elton Anderson award being presented to Violet Gibbard

BCnature Fall 20198

and Nature Canada). Volunteer Anne Murray has provided ongoing oversight; current contractor Krista Kaptein supports 50 volunteer caretakers overseeing most of BC’s 82 IBAs, and

• Wildlife Tree Stewardship (WiTS), 2001 to about 2010 (volunteers Ron Speller and Jude Grass; contractors Kerri-Lynne Wilson, Ian Moul and Lisa Scott).

Park Creation and Land TrustsThe 1990s were the heyday of park creation, with

extensive public involvement through government-sponsored land use and resource management planning committees, with representatives from a range of public and industrial interests. Provincial parkland doubled in area from 5.7% of the province in 1990 to about 12% by 2001.

FBCN contributed directly to the establishment of at least 12 Provincial Parks. Our first office manager, Adeline Nicol, was a key figure in the effort to create the Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park. Another important park advocate was Bert Brink, whose efforts to establish the South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park dated back to 1937. Naturalists have been strong supporters of Ecological Reserves and the Friends of Ecological Reserves. Several BC Nature members serve as volunteer Ecological Reserve Wardens. Naturalists contributed to establishing three National Parks within BC and we continue efforts to establish the South Okanagan-Similkameen National Park Reserve and to expand National Marine Parks off the BC coast.

Many individual members and local clubs within the federation have supported Land Trusts in BC, locally and provincially, through contribution of private lands, donations and membership on Land Trust Boards.

Throughout the 1990s, there were many occasions for celebration. When each new park was established, there would be a media event, with politicians announ-cing their good news and conservation groups, includ-ing FBCN, sharing in the celebration. Sadly, times have changed: in the present decade, we are more likely to meet up with conservation groups at public hearings or at legal challenges in court than at celebrations for new parks.The Dark Years

The 1990s era of government enlightenment was unfortunately followed by cuts to budgets and staff, from the late 1990s through the first decade of this century. Reduced staff in the 2000s and different political priorities saw deterioration in communication with government. Meetings with politicians became dif-ficult to arrange and rarely occurred. Even our letters went unanswered or received only superficial replies. In recent years we have seen signs of gradual improve-ment, both provincially and federally.

In response to government budget cuts, BC Nature organized the “HELP MELP” campaign from 1998 to 2001 to restore funding to provincial environmental management, parks and forestry research. “MELP” stood for the then-named provincial Ministry of Environment, Lands, and Parks. A coalition of 14 environmental groups participated in this campaign. Unfortunately, it did not succeed. At both the provin-cial and federal levels, environmental legislation was weakened, monitoring reduced, and budgets for long-term scientific biological research were slashed. Govern-ment staff who remained were not free to engage with the public and media.

In 2001, the provincial government cut all provin-cial park interpretation programs. BC Nature cam-paigned to reinstate park interpreters, without success. In response, from 2004 through 2010, we directly employed summer interpreters, hired through job creation programs and with on-site support from the private Park Facility Operators. In 2008, at the peak of this BC Nature program, 37 summer park interpreters provided programs in 23 Provincial Parks, with an esti-mated 133,000 people attending. By 2010, government reduced support for this program. At the 2010 FGM the Club Directors voted to terminate our involvement unless government provided some support; that sup-port did not materialize.Success at the Local Government Level

By contrast, during the years that BC Nature’s com-munications with senior governments deteriorated, many natural history clubs established good communi-cation with their local and regional governments and were able to protect important natural areas.

During the 1990s, contract biologists employed through BC Nature’s Land for Nature project worked with local clubs around the province to document key natural areas, then provided municipal and regional governments with this documentation and rationale to protect the sites. In addition, workshops enabled clubs to pursue constructive means for protecting these areas.

Serpentine Fen Wetland Management Area announced in August 2009


Naturalists familiar with their local landscapes are able to advocate knowledgeably for the protection of environmentally sensitive natural areas, includ-ing many wetland and grassland sites. These were often smaller areas overlooked by the high-profile campaigns to protect large wilderness tracts. Many of these smaller parks protected through the Land for Nature campaign now serve as important cor-ridors connecting larger protected areas, providing critical habitat for species at risk. Local naturalists’ clubs have been successful in these endeavours because the value of well-documented local know-ledge from community residents is powerful. Local clubs also offer important ongoing stewardship roles for these natural areas as volunteer wardens and caretakers, advisory committees members, or through hands-on restoration and enhancement activities. Ongoing vigilance and involvement of this kind has been essential for conservation.

An example of a successful local conservation initiative was led by the Thetis Park Nature Sanctu-ary Association, one of the nine founding clubs of the Federation of BC Naturalists in 1969. The club formed with the specific purpose of persuad-ing government to dedicate a park surrounding Thetis Lake, just outside of Victoria. The Club had arranged with local government to take on manage-ment of the area in 1958. But it would take until 1975 for the area to finally obtain park status, after which the club disbanded. The Capital Regional District Parks took over park management in 1993. A Lesson Learned – Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Conservation

The conservation files of the past 50-years of BC Nature show, sadly, the same story over and over again: battles are won, but then the underlying issues, which have never gone away, rear up once more. For example, even in designated parks, issues

such as boundary adjustments, inappropriate land uses (e.g. pipeline crossings), or proposals such as new ‘fixed-roof accommodation’ continue to arise. The lesson? If natural-ists want an area protected in perpetuity, continued vigi-lance will be required!

Major industrial developments that naturalists thought had been defeated have also resurfaced. We celebrated in the early 1980s when the Site C dam proposal was turned down by the Public Utilities Commission, only to have this proposal resurface with construction approved in 2014. Despite further review, the dam was approved, and con-struction began in 2018. A second example is the Manning-Skagit “donut hole”. While naturalists were waiting for the Skagit Environmental Endowment Fund to negotiate purchase of the old mineral claim, the area was partially logged; now there is a new application for further mineral exploration.Energy, Climate Change, and the Courts

FBCN activism on energy issues dates back to 1976, when our organization presented a brief on the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline at the Berger Hearings. At the time, this was an anomaly: our primary focus was improving land and wildlife management and protecting natural areas. In recent years, however, BC Nature’s Conservation Committee has taken a stronger stand on energy development proposals. Site C has been just one of several energy-related development propos-als in the 21st century that caused the Federation to broaden its conservation focus. In 2002, naturalists and other groups managed to defeat the proposed Sumas 2 Power Generating Plant proposal. We have also addressed a number of other energy development proposals: environmental impacts of coalbed methane extraction (including in the Princeton area); shale fracking to extract oil and natural gas and develop Liquefied Natural Gas for export; Independent Power Projects; wind farms; port expansion in the Lower Mainland; and the Enbridge Northern Gateway and the Trans Mountain expansion pipelines.

The old strategies of letter-writing, meeting with govern-ment officials, and public mobilization have not been effective for these complex issues. So, in 2012, BC Nature took the major step of engaging in legal action to oppose the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline to Prince Rupert; the proposed pipeline was finally turned down in 2016. This legal engagement was made possible through the extensive pro bono contributions of UVic’s Environmental Law School and now CELL (Pacific Centre for Environ-mental Law and Technology). BC Nature Presidents and Board have followed the legal process closely and decided to continue this work through similar actions with the Trans Mountain Pipeline. Conclusion

Over the past half century, BC Nature has succeeded in increasing public and political awareness and in protecting important natural areas. This work has for the most part been enjoyable: sharing our knowledge of the natural

1992, April, FBCN Land for Nature, walk with Central Okanagan Naturalists

BCnature Fall 201910

environment and acting on our passion for protecting nature. Gathering data to support our recommenda-tions, writing letters, briefs, and resolutions, organ-izing and speaking up at meetings and hearings have been satisfying and worthwhile activities. Of course we have been disappointed with the outcome of some campaigns. And we have learned that as soon as one conservation issue is resolved, another will pop up, and at the same time we must watch over areas seemingly

protected. There is no end to this work. But, as natural-ists, we have been able to ease our disappointments and regain our energy with a walk in a forest or grassland or along a quiet shore; we have been able to re-energize for the struggle by reflecting on the value of conserving biodiversity and of providing a voice for nature.•

Outdoors with BC Nature Field Trips and Field Camps

You do not have to go alone into the wilderness in order to experience the joy of nature. Camps and

field trips organized by BC’s naturalists’ clubs have enabled several generations of members to share and communicate their experiences of the natural world. This bonding has been amplified by the creation of the Federation of BC Naturalists. Through the FBCN, we not only gain a bigger voice on conservation issues, we also gain more territory to explore.

The general meetings provide the formal vehicle for club representatives to meet together, yet perhaps it is the field trips offered by the host club that really draw us together. Speakers at the conference portion are well received and the topics are informative, but it is on the field trips that naturalists become friends and streng-then ties, while at the same time learning from the host club as they share their local natural treasures.

Early on, the FBCN adopted the practice of having member clubs host the general meetings, resulting in varied venues around the province. The local club takes great pride in showcasing their beloved natural areas and in sharing stories of how they helped protect the area, or contributed to land purchase. In some cases, the very land we explore was donated by a generous club member. The local naturalists’ understanding of the seasonal features of the site and its history make for informative outings. The popularity of field trips shows

through the large crowds that attend even the early morning birding, despite start times of 5:30 or 6:00 am.

It is not just elected board members and club repre-sentatives who attend the conferences. Typically, over a hundred other members attend as well. For example, the 1978 AGM in Williams Lake was attended by 130 people. The all-time attendance high was at the FBCN’s 30th anniversary, the 1999 Qualicum AGM, which was organized in conjunction with Nature Canada: 236 people registered. More recently, the Salt Spring Island AGM in 2015 attracted 206 paying regi-strants, quite the challenge for the host club to arrange, given the limited venues and accommodation on the island.

If conferences and field trips bring us together in friendship, then field camps are the heart of BC Nature. The camps are based in locations throughout the province where we can explore, learn, and streng-then friendships, all while housed each evening in a diverse array of accommodation arrangements, unique to each site. Typically, we join together for meals, fre-quently organized by volunteer caterers (such as mem-bers extraordinaire Pat Westheuser and Fiona Flook, who have provided tasty meals at seven field camps with much improvisation to fit the different venues).

Not only are the camps a great experience for us naturalists, but the camps (and AGMs and FGMs) often generate a surplus of funds which is split between the host club and BC Nature. This surplus arises even though registration fees are reasonably priced. Clubs put their funds to good projects. BC Nature uses its portion to fund the travel expenses of Club Represen-tatives and Board members. In some years when several camps are offered, the surplus enables BC Nature to make contributions to one of its internally restricted accounts, such as a project or scholarships.

The importance of camps has been noted during all membership surveys and has been incorporated into strategic plans as goal statements (1998, 2010, and 2015) such as: “Expand on our high-quality camps and

2010 BC Nature backpackers Breeding Bird Atlassing Kakwa Provincial Park.


field activities on a regular annual basis as a means of both nature education and fund-raising.”

Camps began under the BC Nature Council in 1964, first held at the UBC Geology Field Camp at Oliver. The first camp included a ‘Junior’ component, led by Freeman ‘Skipper’ King of the Victoria Natural History Society. Field camps continued for four years, but then had a ten-year hiatus until 1978, when Bill Merilees led a field camp at Waterton Lakes National Park (139 registrants). Since then, field camps have continued most years, with registration numbers from 20 to 70 participants. Here is a sampling of locations and some organizer and host club names:

• Nanoose Bay, with Bill Merilees,• Elko near Kikomun Creek, with Bert and Ruth

Brink and Helen Akrigg, • Shuswap Lake, with Elsie Nykyfork and North

Shuswap Naturalists, • Smithers, with Rosamund and JimPojar,• Okanagan Lake, with North Okanagan Natura-

lists,• Chilcotins Gaspard Creek, with Williams Lake

Field Naturalists,• Gardom Lake, with Salmon Arm Bay Nature

Enhancement Society, • Lac du Bois, with Susan Hammond, Karen Wil-

lies, and Kamloops Naturalists, • Sunshine Coast, with Pender Harbour and Dis-

trict Wildlife Society,• South Okanagan, with Laure Neish and South

Okanagan Naturalists,• Kelowna area, with Pat Westheuser and Central

Okanagan Naturalists, • Comox Valley, with Betty Lunam, • Princeton, with Madelon Schouten and Vermilion

Forks Naturalists, • Alaska-Cassiar Highway bus tour, with Bill Meri-

lees and others, • Saturna Island, with Anne Murray and Bev

Ramey,• Gavin Lake, with Fred McMechan and Williams

Lake Field Naturalists,• Quadra Island, with Rolf and Heather Kellerhals, • Eastern Washington Birding, with Anne Murray

and Eva Durance,• Boundary Bay Winter Birding with Anne Murray,• Lillooet Field Camp, with Vivian Birch-Jones and

Lillooet Field Naturalists,• Saltspring Island, with Nieke Visser and Saltspring

Trail and Nature Club,• Harrison Lake, with Janne Perrin and Chilliwack

Field Naturalists,• Tofino, with Anne Gosse, and • Telegraph Cove, with John and Heather Neville.

In 1977 the field camp offering was expanded to include “exploratory backpacking”. Organizers chose destinations that were being promoted as potential parks, and these camps increased awareness of each area’s natural values. Participants were typically res-ponsible for their own gear and food and sometimes contributed to transport to remote areas. Destinations included:• Height of the Rockies, with Bob Harris and Norm

Purssell, • Stein River Valley, with Norman Purssell,• Ilgachuz Mountains (West Chilcotins), with Bob

Harris and Ted Stubbs, • Jarvis Lakes (Kakwa Provincial Park), with Ted and

Pat Stubbs.• Spatsizi, with organizer Ted Stubbs,

Exploratory camps were revived in 2008, when Bev and Bill Ramey organized backpacking trips to collect data for the BC Breeding Bird Atlas over five years to these areas: • Snowy Protected Area, • South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park, • Big Creek Provincial Park, • Kakwa Provincial Parks, and• Niut and Potato Range in the West Chilcotins.

For several years there was a Camp Coordinator, Committee and Registrar. For example, in 1993 Nor-man Purssell was Camp Committee Chair with mem-bers Helen Akrigg, Doreen Shaw, and Barbara Blow. In recent years the Camp Committee has been chaired by Heather Neville; the present chair is Harry Crosby.

For the enjoyment and friendship of members, and for the enhancement of our knowledge of nature, BC Nature is committed to con-tinuing field camps, with the support of our member clubs, and to maintaining the excellent quality of its conferences (AGMs and FGMs) and field trips arranged by host clubs. •

1976, Rene Savenye at Lucky Four Mine near Mt Cheam


BC Nature Communications: Newsletters, Magazine, Board, Website, eNews, and the Office

Since the beginning of FBCN the newsletter has been our

steadfast educational publication. Over the past half-century, it has evolved from mimeographed sheets, to a typeset newsprint format, to a magazine with a colour cover. For the past two decades we have also benefitted from website outreach, and for the past seven years, a monthly eNews circulation. These have provided members with FBCN news including reports on conserva-tion and education activities and nature accounts. Office staff have facilitated these connections for the past 35 years.Newsletters – the beginning years

In 1963, the BC Nature Council appointed Gladys Soulsby of the Victoria Natural History Society as editor of its newsletter. That early beginning explains why in 2019 our magazine reached volume 57, while FBCN officially began only 50 years ago. Elton Anderson was editor from 1967 to 1975. Through the newsletter and his travels, he encouraged new members and formation of clubs around the province. The Federation of British Columbia Naturalists Newsletter had a masthead featuring logo, federation name, and mailing address. It was printed on 11” x 17” paper, folded in half to provide four pages and published quarterly. By 1975 it had expanded to eight pages, and had secured an ISSN number (International Standard Serial Number unique code for identifying publications) by 1976.

By 1980 the masthead title became BC Naturalist and its length increased to 16 or 24 pages. (The periods of “B.C.” were dropped in 1992 to yield BC Naturalist.) Content resembled our present-

day magazine with FBCN news, conservation issues, articles about nature, reports on club activities, and information on upcoming meetings. During that era, gov-ernment staff often provided articles.

In the early years, “citizen sci-ence” observations conducted by our members for the BC Nest Record Scheme featured largely in the BC Naturalist. Begun in 1955 as a UBC project, the Nest Record Scheme was transferred to the BC Nature Council in 1966. Results of the bird nest record cards were documented annually in the BC Naturalist for close to 30 years, often requir-ing two to four extra pages that were supported by the provincial museum. Volunteer Violet Gibbard of Naramata compiled the informa-tion, with assistance from R. Wayne Campbell (BC Naturalist, Vol 24, No 2; see also tribute to Violet by Dick Cannings in BCnature, Vol 45, No 1.) These annual tallies of nesting birds included names of contribu-tors who provided more than 20 card observations. The extent of this project was huge: between 1968 and 1987 about 170 people contributed over 52,000 cards. These data were, of course, compiled by hand, as per-sonal home computers did not yet exist. On Violet’s retirement, Wayne Campbell noted that: “almost every article dealing with breeding birds in the Province has referred to the 50,000 or so cards Violet processed during her period as coordina-tor” (BC Naturalist, Vol 24, No 2). Documentation in the BC Naturalist continued for about a decade after Violet Gibbard’s retirement and then moved to the Biodiversity Cen-tre for Wildlife Studies, a non-profit organization based in Victoria.

Nature observations by members were also included in the newsletter during the 1980s to 1993 through the quarterly “Wildlife Atlases Progress Report,” provided by the BC Provincial Museum (now Royal BC Museum). Other survey data were included, including the annual Christmas Bird Counts, Bird Blitzes, Swan Counts, and the Interior Eagle Count.

BCnature magazine no longer reports regularly on citizen sci-ence but it does from time to time include invitations for volunteers to contribute to such efforts led by other organizations. For example, when the five years of data col-lection for the BC Breeding Bird Atlas took place (2008 to 2012), BC Nature partnered with other organi-zations, led by Bird Studies Canada. Most of the volunteers in the field were members of BC Nature. Simi-larly, naturalists continue to provide the ‘boots on the ground’ for the annual Christmas Bird Counts. BCnature magazine recently called on members to contribute to the

Beautiful hand-drawn wildlife covers graced our newsletters in1994.


BC Annual Bat Count. We also encourage members to post photos and accounts to eFlora and eFauna and to iNaturalist. Newsletter to Magazine

Jude Grass recalls the late 1970s when she first helped with newsletters; the text was pasted on large sheets of paper for printing. The 1980s and 1990s were the decades of newsprint. Jude became editor in 1982, a job she did for the next sixteen years. During that time the newsletter increased from four to six issues a year. Jude recalls that volunteers no longer did the paste-up: the final text was sent to the printing company for typesetting and layout. Club news grew to one or two pages titled ‘Club Chat’, and lengthened to six pages in 2005, with short newsy paragraphs provided by clubs. Duanne van den Berg coordinated Club Chat for sev-eral years, and then this duty was taken on by the office manager. The newsletter included a directory of the Board and Club Directors. (This information is now at the website.) The newsletter also included registration forms for camps, news on upcoming AGMs, FGMs, and conferences, and reports from the president and, occasionally, from regional coordinators.

During those decades the newsletter included recur-ring columns, such as:• “ptarmigan ptracks” by David Stirling on a wide

range of natural history themes,• “The Enlichenment” by Trevor Goward on lichens,

with philosophy and humour,• “Close-Up On Nature” and “Jerry’s Rangers” by Al

Grass on nature observations,• “The Gnat’s Whiskers” by Bunny Ramsdin, a page

of drawings and info for kids,• “Geotalk” by Jim Weston on geology, • “Haycock’s Herptiles” by Russ Haycock on

amphibians and reptiles,• “Crossword” with nature theme by Betty Lunam,

and “Perspectives” by Eric Damer with wild ranging discussions of nature.

In 1998 an editorial board was established and pub-lication again went quarterly. The newsletter focused on content themes for a few issues, organized by guest editors. In the year 2000 the newsletter transformed from newsprint to white paper magazine. From 2003 to 2010, the magazine was headed by paid contractor, Dawn Hanna, who acted as editor and also handled the design. In 2003 our motto, “To Know Nature and Keep It Worth Knowing” was added to the masthead.

Through that decade the magazine included some standard features. “Your Federation is Working for You” covered letters written by the Conservation Com-mittee and the responses it received; this feature also reported on meetings attended by FBCN representa-tives. Almost all issues included a president’s message,

sometimes under headings such as “RavenTalk” or “President’s Perch.” The names of Board members and club representatives were included in the directory portion of the newsletters. The number of volunteers involved over the past half century is truly impressive, but far too many to name in this account. The list of our 20 past presidents is also too lengthy to mention here, but is available on the website, as an appendix of the historical account.

In 2007 the new BC Nature logo was incorporated in the masthead design and name for the magazine became “BC Nature”. In 2009 the space between the BC and nature was deleted to give BCnature. In 2010 the BC Nature office manager, Betty Davison, took on coordination and design, a job which she continues to do. Also in 2010 our logo was shortened to the direct “Know Nature and Keep It Worth Knowing”. Colour burst forth on the cover in 2012.

As I researched this article, I frequently found myself distracted by articles in the old newsletters and maga-zines. After years and even decades, the back issues of our publications remain entertaining and informative. May our publications continue to have this appeal for readers.Cordillera

For five years, beginning in 1994, FBCN published a full-colour journal, Cordillera, with Frances Vyse as volunteer managing editor. Although the journal published articles with broad appeal, the FBCN lacked the funds and personnel to sustain such an ambitious publication. After full consideration the journal was terminated in 2000.Office and Staffing

Office staff have enabled consistent communication, and contributed to the newsletters/magazines, commu-nications with members, other organizations, and gov-ernment agencies, in addition to supporting the Board and Club Directors. Elton Anderson recognized this need for a hub for communication and spearheaded a “Drive for Office” in 1974.

Cordillera from FBCN was first printed in 1994 with full-colour cover.

Editions available on-line.


Yet it wasn’t until 1983 that a part-time paid office secretary, Adeline Nicol, was hired. Adeline worked initially from her home in Langley and then from a small desk in the corner of the Outdoor Recreation Council office in Vancouver. Adeline’s title soon became Executive Secretary, with full-time hours. In 1994, the position was renamed Office Manager, with Frieda Davidson hired, followed by Leslie Ann Drummond in 1996. By this time the office had relocated to 1367 W Broadway, Vancouver, in space leased from Sport BC. Maria Hamann was hired in 1999 and provided good grounding for our activi-ties for a decade. We offered free space in our office to the newly formed Young Naturalists Club of BC under the leadership of Daphne Solecki, beginning in 2004. The Young Naturalists Club is now known as NatureKids BC. We were forced to move when Sport BC relocated to Richmond in 2007. Our search for new office space fortunately landed us in a park. Now we are happily located at the base of Mt Seymour Provincial Park, North Vancouver, in the Parks Heritage Centre, through arrangement with the Elders Council for Parks in British Colum-bia, and with support from BC Parks. We continue to provide shared office space to NatureKids BC.

Since Maria Hamann’s retirement in December 2009, Betty Davison has ably facilitated communi-cations from our office. Betty has also taken on the duties of magazine coordination; she also assists the Elders Council for Parks in British Columbia for one day a week. Although digital communica-tion has facilitated correspondence and discussion, it has also expanded the demands of the job. The office receives anywhere from 50-100 emails a day! Given the increased workload, in 2019 BC Nature hired a part-time office assistant, Natalia Pisareka. Website and eNewsFBCN’s first website went live in 1998. It has gone through periodic updates and at least five makeovers in the ensuing years. For the past decade, the website has been coordinated through the office.

As the key portal to our organization, the website provides information on our conservation and education activities, projects, and upcoming natur-alist events such as AGMs, FGMs and camps, plus contact information for all clubs around the prov-ince. The website includes a page on our partner organization, the BC Naturalists’ Foundation.The BC Naturalists’ Foundation, a separate society closely linked to BC Nature through appointment of its Directors, receives donations and bequests, on which the interest earned is dispersed annually to support BC Nature and its clubs’ projects.

The website links to our project, Nature Guide (also known as Harnessing Nature Knowledge or Wildlife Viewing Guide), began in 2011. Nature Guide describes natural attractions throughout the province with interactive map. This material has been compiled through contractors with information provided by local naturalists. https://bcnatureguide.ca/

Another project link at our website connects to our joint project with Bird Studies Canada, coordinating the volun-teer caretakers for the Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs). For those who haven’t viewed these projects, infor-mation is posted on the BC Nature website, under ‘Nature Knowledge’, ‘Wildlife Viewing Guide’, or head directly to: https://bcnatureguide.ca/

Since 2012, another digital communication was inititated, the monthly BC Nature eNews, “Nature's Voice”, reaches all members via their email. Nature's Voice includes current BC Nature news, plus information provided by other organiza-tions, often with a conservation focus, and website links for additional information, and for job postings. Members can suggest items for posting through the office.Communication through the next Half Century

Definitely digital communication works well throughout the great distances of our province, although many feel overwhelmed by the volume of emails they receive. When that happens, as it does frequently for office staff, board, and committee members, as well as club executives, it is time to plan for some outdoor time – the best antidote for digital overload.

Could any of the nine founding clubs and the Board members who signed the society papers in 1969 have imag-ined that we would grow as an organization together with such expansive communication capabilities? Can we today picture how our organization will change and evolve over the next half century? In the next fifty years, will our wildlife, conservation lands, and marine protected areas be able to withstand the press of population growth, pollutants, and climate change? How can we as a naturalist organization continue to improve our communications for the struggles and challenges of the next half century?•

2009, saying farewell to retiring Maria Hamann (C) by Board members Treasurer Kate Prusova, Jude Grass (L), Bev Ramey, Anne Murray (R).

BCnature Fall 2019

A History of the BC Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA) ProgramAuthors: Anne Murray and Krista Kaptein

BirdLife International initiated the international IBA Program in 1985. At that time, the acronym 'IBA'

stood for 'Important Bird Areas'. In 1996, an initial working list of 242 potential IBA sites for the BC and Yukon region was developed by representatives from the BC Ministry of Environment, Lands, and Parks; Can-adian Wildlife Service; BC Nature (Federation of BC Naturalists) represented by IBA Liaison Anne Murray; Bird Studies Canada; Nature Canada (Canadian Nature Federation); and BC Field Ornithologists. This list was refined over the next few meetings, and 83 sites in BC were designated. In 2000, Nature Canada received a Mil-lennium Grant to assist with funding a BC Nature IBA Community Conservation Planner, Barry Booth, to de-velop conservation plans and materials.

Somenos Marsh near Duncan on Vancouver Island was the first BC IBA to be formally dedicated, in 2000, fol-lowed the next year by the Fraser River Estuary, the most significant of all of Canada’s 597 designated areas, in terms of the number of qualifying bird species. In 2002, Comox Valley IBA on Vancouver Island was designated (now part of K’omoks IBA).

In 2006, BC IBA program partners BC Nature (repre-sented by Anne Murray,) and Bird Studies Canada (repre-sented by Pete Davidson,) initiated a volunteer-based Caretaker Network. The network of knowledgeable vol-unteer birders and naturalists throughout BC became the “eyes, ears, and hands” on the ground, acting as the local contact for information on the site, and where pos-sible, watching for, and reporting on, any changes in bird population levels or conservation threats. It was the first such Caretaker Network in Canada, although networks of volunteers and site support groups had been estab-lished elsewhere in the world, from Denmark to Cambo-dia, and Tanzania to Mexico.

Krista Englund took over from Barry Booth as IBA Coordinator for the BC program around this time, and within a few years, the volunteer Caretaker Network cov-ered 90% of BC's IBAs. An IBA slide show, information brochures, a Caretaker manual, and IBA identification and interpretive signs were all developed. Krista and Anne undertook an extensive outreach campaign to the staff of relevant government departments and non-government organizations, hosting meetings and “Lunch-and-Learn” sessions, to introduce as many as possible to the IBA Pro-gram and to encourage collective conservation planning. A series of successful group meetings for action planning were held for the five Okanagan IBAs thanks to the sup-port of local Caretakers such as Eva Durance and Doreen

Olson, and Orville Dyer, from BC Ministry of Environ-ment, among others.

In 2015, BirdLife International expanded the IBA Pro-gram to become 'Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas'. Krista Kaptein of the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island took on the IBA Coordinator role. Print resources and signage were updated and the new IBA logo was added. Regular outreach and information presentations con-tinue to be held at BC Nature meetings and community events; and annual meetings in the Okanagan follow up on priority projects there, such as the construction of a new bird-viewing structure at the Vaseux Lake IBA and eBird Protocol Surveys in the White Lake and Kilpoola IBAs.

In 2017, to lead their Fraser River Estuary IBA conserv-ation project, Bird Studies Canada hired James Casey, who works closely with Caretakers Anne Murray and Marg Cuthbert. Elsewhere in BC, IBA program projects recently included a swan survey in Stuart, Tachie, and Middle Rivers IBA; outreach to Coastal First Nations Guardian Watchmen; and design and placement of large interpretive signs for several IBAs including two with Haida language in Haida Gwaii IBAs; all completed with the support of various funding partners and local Care-takers. More than 60 volunteer Caretakers continue to monitor BC's 83 IBAs and carry on this key stewardship program of BC Nature. For a full list of BC IBA Care-takers visit the BC Nature website https://www.bcnature.ca/projects/iba/list-of-ibas-and-caretakers •

Fraser River Estuary IBA dedication in 2001: (l to r) George Clulow, Delta Mayor Lois Jackson, Anne Murray, White Rock

Mayor Mary Mickelson, Fraser River environmental activist Judy Williams

15

By A. Murray


Young Naturalists' Club of BC - Now NatureKids BC; 2000 – 2019 Author: Daphne Solecki

NatureKids Vancouver with Istvan Orosi

By L. Pedersen

NatureKids Victoria intertidal exploration with Stephanie Weinstein.

By S. Gabaglia

The Beginning:

In the 1990s, the BC naturalist community was concerned that their mem-bers were aging and that younger members were not being recruited. The environmental movement in this province originated in the natural-

ist clubs but as the population grew and threats to natural habitat increased, more activist groups emerged and a split seemed to develop between the established knowledge-based naturalist clubs and the newer more action-based environmental groups, which drew younger people.

Dr. Rob Butler proposed that the then Federation of BC Naturalists (BC Nature) create a program for young naturalists and their families based on the youth program of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The Vancou-ver Natural History Society (Nature Vancouver) volunteered to sponsor this new initiative: , The Young Naturalists’ Club of BC (YNC), for children 5 – 12 years, coordinated by Daphne Solecki.

The aim of the YNC was to develop a generation of naturalists who are both knowledgeable in natural history and ecology and prepared to take action on behalf of the environment. The program emphasizes being out-doors, exploring and learning about nature, and participating in stewardship

and citizen science activities. (From being a program of Nature Vancouver, the YNC spun off into a separate organi-zation and is now a registered charity. Later the name changed to NatureKids BC)Growing:

At the start, the coordinator’s dining table served as the office, but later the FBCN offered to share their office space. In 2007, when forced to move the office, the two organizations re-settled in the old Ranger Station in Mt. Seymour Park.

In fulfilling its mandate, NatureKids BC continues to be most appreciative of the support provided by BC Nature in so many ways. In addition to the provision of office space and utilities, NatureKids is given the opportunity at AGMs and FGMs to make presentations to BC Nature members and space in BCnature magazine to report on cur-rent activities.Today:

NatureKids BC Club Leaders and members are supported by the Board of Directors (President – Leslie Bol) and a team of three part-time staff; Executive Director Sarah Lockman, Program Coordinator Christina Chowaniec, and the Office and Membership coordinator Niki Dun. The quarterly publication, NatureWILD, is volunteer-produced with some technical support. Annual membership fees are deliberately kept low ($35.00 per family) so that cost is not a barrier to joining; operational funding comes primarily from grants and donations.

NatureKids BC is particularly grateful for the support of the many BC Nature Clubs around the province – they contribute so much to the success of our 25 local NatureKids BC Clubs, not least in their sharing of nature knowledge on Explorer Days.

With their support, every year since 2000 up to 500 families representing approximately 1000 children have enjoyed up to 10 Explorer Days. That’s a pretty amazing total and we feel our partnership will, in the long run, be successful in meeting its goal of bringing more members to BC Nature and the naturalist community in general. Future:

NatureKids BC is unique in Canada in having initiated the first province-wide network of family-based nature clubs. By providing administrative and program support to local club leaders, we assist clubs to continue through changes in leadership and not fade away when the initiating leader leaves.

Alberta, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia have adapted the British Colum-bia program to their regions. Nature Canada looks to our organization as a good model and actively assists us in our endeavours. •


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Conservation ReportAuthor: Peter Ballin and the Conservation Committee

Your Conservation Committee met at the most excellent BC Nature AGM in Duncan in May, where we learned about the historical

activities of the Committee from past chairs Anne Murray and Eva Durance, as well as some of Nature Canada’s perspectives from Execu-tive Director Graham Saul. Notably, BC Nature, prior to the reign of the BC Liberal Party, had the ear of politicians and a significant role in policy shaping, especially in regard to our parks. Read Bev Ramey’s arti-cle in this issue for a history of BC Nature’s conservation work. Also, Ministers and Deputy Ministers regularly attended our Annual and Fall General Meetings. The Committee agreed that we would seek more meeting time with the appropriate ministers and staff about issues relevant to our members. At the same time, we plan to focus on cam-paigns initiated by us, asking other ENGOs to join us, and spend less time “putting out fires”. We certainly still encourage you, BC Nature’s member clubs, to seek BC Nature’s support on issues of concern. How-ever, we need you to do the groundwork, as this is the only way we can expand our capacity with our limited volunteer base. In other words, we urge member clubs to look into these issues of concern to them before suggesting that the Conservation Committee do this. Then we will vet your request and put forward to the appropriate person(s). In particular, we hope to give priority to addressing incipient issues so that we can be proactive rather than reactive. Government responses to BC Nature letters are often inadequate and need us to follow-up. The let-ters that BC Nature sends out and receives can be found under “Con-servation” on the BC Nature website.

At the Duncan AGM, David Denning included a fact-filled, passion-ate appeal for personal action to combat climate change. At the end of his keynote address, he repeated, “I hope that I haven’t upset you”. And I’m sitting there thinking, “I hope that you did upset us!” Although each of our actions may count for little, our collective action does mat-ter. And it feels good to do the right thing. Think of per-capita output: we Canadians produce 20.94 metric tons of CO2 per person, more than our southern neighbours’ 19.9. China: 8.72. Canada is the ninth-largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the world. We must transition to clean energy, as energy demand continues to rise. Accord-ing to Natural Resources Canada, only 8 to 11% of Canadian energy production is currently “clean”. BC gets 19% from electricity according to the National Energy Board. The Paris Accord target for 2040 is 28% clean energy. The sectors most in need of urgent attention include oil and gas, transportation, and buildings. Here is where government policy matters most and where our personal actions are our votes. In late June, I attended a talk by economist Mark Jaccard, a professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fra-ser University and an advisor on energy policy to many governments. He urged the audience to assess politicians by their proposed policies rather than promised actions, since the actions to remediate climate change do not come from the politicians but arise from their policies. We have a federal election coming up. Salmon - On July 10, BCN sent a letter to Fisheries and Oceans Minister Wilkinson, proposing severe restrictions on salmon fishing.


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Kamloops Naturalists’ Frank Dwyer spearheaded the letter, with his concern for Steelhead. On July 11, the Governments of Canada and British Columbia, through the Pacific Region Species at Risk Program of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, announced “a comprehensive Steelhead Action Plan containing new conservation measures that will reduce mortality and increase survival of Thompson and Chilcotin Steelhead returning to rivers to spawn; improve freshwater conditions through habitat protection and restoration; and, increase science and monitoring activities.” However, the Governor in Council (GiC) decided that not listing Thompson River and Chilcotin River Steelhead Trout under the Species at Risk Act would result in the “greatest overall benefits to current and future generations of Canadians and the conservation of these wildlife species.” You can read more at the news release, Action Plan backgrounder, and the Species at Risk Public Registry. In the same stream, the modernization of the Fisheries Act looks pretty good, emphasizing sustainability and science-based decisions (….what were they meant to be doing previously?).

Roberts Bank Terminal 2 - Roger Emsley continues his tireless work, along with his colleagues at Against Port Expansion, to convince the decision-makers to block this project. Read his report in this magazine.

Bear Dens - BC Nature wrote in support of a letter sent to government by one of our members, Helen Davis, requesting legislative protection of winter den sites of black bears on Vancouver Island and across coastal B.C. These bears require den sites that keep them secure and dry during the winter denning period. Given their size, they need the kind of forest architecture that includes standing and downed large-diameter trees that occur primarily in old-growth forests. Lack of appropriate regulation could adversely affect the future of black bear populations, as viable den sites support the birth and early life of cubs. The number of suitable den sites have declined along with the loss of old-growth forests. With less habitat available, mother bears may be forced into dens too close to other bears. Current harvesting practices neither require site assessment for bear dens nor allow trees to grow large enough to provide optimal denning habitat.

The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act Legislation banning large oil tankers off BC’s north-

ern coastline passed in the Senate and became law shortly after BC Nature sent a letter of support. The region is biologically and resource rich: a global eco-logical treasure. Its marine waters and estuaries are

inseparably interconnected with the Great Bear Rain-forest, the largest intact coastal temperate rainforest left on earth. The health of the marine and terrestrial ecosystems is essential to the well-being of people in the coastal communities.• BC Nature signed on to letters supporting:

Bill C-438 Environmental Bill of Rights• Protection of the offshore “Pacific Deepsea Oasis”• Examination of the herring fishery• Funding for a Natural Lands Acquisition Fund •


Steelhead Trout

By Wikipedia Commons


The Education Committee is very grateful and acknowledges our

member clubs that responded to the request for one of their members to attend the 2019 Regional Science Fair award ceremonies to represent BC Nature and give out the awards. Thank you to each of you:• Cariboo Mainline - Thompson

Rivers University, Kamloops, Gary Hunt, Kamloops Naturalists’ Club

• Central Interior - University of Northern BC, Prince George, Dave Leman, Prince George Naturalists

• East Kootenay - College of the Rockies, Greg Ross, Rocky Mountain Naturalists

• Fraser Valley - University of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford - Hank Roos, Abbotsford-Mission Nature Naturalists’ Club

Field Camp Update for 2020Author: Harry Crosby

Field camps for 2020 are in final stages of planning.A field camp is planned for Mt Assiniboine for early July – due to

the complexities of transportation and lodging we are asking for expres-sions of interest at this time. Information we have gathered to date: Mt. Assiniboine and the Rockies Camp is planned for early July. This will be a three-day, two-night camp. We will hike in from the Sunshine Ski area. We hope to explore Og meadows, Assiniboine Pass, Nublet Viewpoint, with an option hike to Wonder Pass. Packs and people who wish to fly in will go by helicopter from Shark Mountain trailhead. We encourage you to stay in Field and the surrounding area for a few extra days of exploring the alpine meadows at Helen Lake, the ridges at Iceline Ridge, and the vistas of Plain of Six Glaciers, and Eiffel Lake. Please email [email protected] with your interest. Confirmation and costs will depend on the availablity of the lodge and number of participants.Other Camps in the planning stage are:Lillooet In Spring - This event will run from Friday night until Sunday.in May 2020 It will involve workshops and field trips on Botany with an optional stay Monday.Rossland – Salmo Creston – Cranbrook in June - Start in Rossland. Explore Record Ridge. Move on to the crest of the Salmo Creston Highway. End with hiking in Cranbrook when fields of Three Spotted Mariposa lilies are in bloom.Vancouver Area - Birding event - A birding event in the Lower Mainland is under discussion.Wells Gray Park - An event in Wells Gray Park is currently under discussion. •* All information (field camp schedule, registration, and costs etc.) regarding 2020 field camps will be found in the Winter edition of BCnature.

Science Fair Update

• Greater Vancouver - University of BC, Vancouver- Bengul Kurtar, Nature Vancouver

• Northern BC - North Peace Sr. Secondary, Fort St. John - Ingebjorg Jean Hansen, Timberline Trail and Nature Club

• Pacific Northwest - Charles Hays Sec School, Prince Rupert - Wendy Brooks, Northern Amphibians Naturalists’ Society

• South Fraser - Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey - Kristy Harrison, Friends of Semiahmoo Bay

• Vancouver Island - University of Victoria - Ann Nightingale, Victoria Natural History Society

• West Kootenay and Boundary -LV Rogers Sec School, Nelson - Ann Wood, West Kootenay Naturalists

We are still looking for representation in two regions – the Yukon Stikine and the Northern Vancouver Island.

Congratulations to all of the students who participated and were granted the BC Nature Science Fair award. A full listing of all the student winners, and their projects are available on the BC Nature website. •

Author: Marg Cuthbert

Magog Lake on Mt. Assiniboine

Sebastian Audet with the projectOne Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish Hey!

By M. Cuthbert

By H. Crosby


BC Naturalists’ Foundation Historical Perspective and ReportAfter being approved at the 1990 AGM, the Federa-

tion of British Columbia Naturalists’ Foundation was incorporated provincially under the Society Act on July 6, 1990. The Foundation was truly the brainchild of Joe Lotzkar. While he was serving as President of the FBCN (1987-88), he became convinced of the long-term value of establishing a Foundation as a major fundraiser for the FBCN. He looked upon it as an endowment that would not be created immediately but, over time, would be in a position to be of great help to the FBCN. The initial Directors of the Foundation were: Joe Lotzkar, Richard (Dick) Stace-Smith, V.C. (Bert) Brink, Yorke Edwards, and Peter Legg. The purpose of the Founda-tion is “To promote the preservation of the natural en-vironment for future generations through conservation, education, and research projects.” In 2003 the Founda-tion’s name was simplified, legally, to BC Naturalists’ Foundation.

In 2009, a joint meeting of the Foundation Board and the BC Nature Board was held to discuss the future of the Foundation. The role of the Foundation and its Constitution and Bylaws were reaffirmed, as recorded in the notes from that meeting:

The Foundation is an entity autonomous from the Federation but inextricably linked to it by shared goals and by the power of the Federation to appoint members to the Foundation and nominate Directors. The Foun-dation provides a permanent vehicle to fund enduring and tangible projects to promote the preservation of the natural environment for future generations through conservation, research, and education projects.

Since that beginning 29 years ago, BC Nature mem-bers’ contributions have helped the Foundation grow its capital to over $700,000 while at the same time having contributed over $214,000 towards Club projects and BC Nature initiatives. We encourage you to donate through the annual appeal or at any time of the year and, on behalf of the directors, I would like to thank the many members who have supported the Foundation in the past and continue to do so. The Foundation’s Annual Report is available on the Foundation’s web-page. This Report includes updates on the nine club pro-jects which the Foundation assisted with grants earlier this year, plus a summary of the Foundation’s year-end Financial Statements. The full Financial Statements are also available on the webpage. If you would like a hard copy of either the Annual Report or the full Financial Statements, please contact the BC Nature office to have a copy mailed to you, or you can contact any of the Foundation Directors.

At the Foundation’s Annual General Meeting on May 3, the following Directors were elected, as nominated by BC Nature Club Directors, for three-year terms: Alan Burger, Stephen Partington, Bob Handfield, and Tom Bearss. Directors continuing are: Kees Visser, David Tsang, Gerald McKeating, and Bev Ramey. The Presi-dent and Treasurer of BC Nature are ex officio mem-bers of the Foundation Board directly representing BC Nature.

At the subsequent Director’s meeting held the same day the following officers were elected: Bob Handfield (President), Tom Bearss (Vice-president), David Tsang (Treasurer), and Bev Ramey (Secretary). •

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BC Nature readers receive a complimentary pre-tour hotel night!*

Author: Bob Handfield

BCnature Fall 2019

Annual Donation Appeal – September 2019

Dear BC Nature Member and BC Naturalists' Foundation Supporters;

It is that time of year when we shake the collection box and appeal to you for donations to BC Nature and BC Naturalists’ Foundation. We take pride in managing our hard-earned funds very well and only put out an appeal once a year. BC Nature is one of the most effective and influential voices for nature in BC and our success is heavily dependent on our member volunteer efforts. With more than 50 member clubs and more than 6,000 members, we have a tremendous pool of knowledgeable and committed volunteers. BC Nature has one permanent employee (our hard-working office manager), one part-time staff, and a tiny shared office so nearly all the donations we recive go directly to support education, conservation, and nature communication. Here is how your donation will be spent:

ConservationOur Conservation Committee has been very effective in focusing attention on key environ-

mental concerns in our province. With the increased pace of resource development threaten-ing wildlife and functioning ecosystems, increased vigilance is essential. Natural gas exports, oil pipelines, off-road vehicle impacts, wolf culls, the Site C dam – these are all issues that our committee has worked on to voice our opinion to governments and to alert our mem-bers and the public. This year a legal team from the University of Victoria’s Centre of Environmental Law and

Litigation (CELL), acting on behalf of BC Nature, is challenging the Federal Government for the approval of the extension of the Trans Mountain Pipeline. Our emphasis is on marine birds, which the National Energy Board almost completely ignored in their advice to the Federal Government. This request for a judicial review was done on July 8, but there will be a financial risk to this appeal. At our annual general meeting in Duncan in May this year, it became clear that our membership expects this action from BC Nature. Although the CELL team are pro bono on our behalf, BC Nature will likely incur some unexpected legal filing costs. We need to raise money to cover these costs without reducing any of our other core programs.We are also working very hard to stop the Roberts Bank Expansion, as promoted by the

Vancouver Port Authority. Such an expansion would destroy a major bird migration stopping point along the West Coast.

EducationNothing BC Nature does is more important than fostering knowledge and the love of

nature and science in young people. Our Education Committee does a great job in working with schools, clubs, educators and parents to promote these values and sponsor nature work-shops and mentoring programs in many parts of BC. We award money annually to the BC

22


Science Fair program, a postgraduate (Dr.Bert Brink) scholarship, and to our Rene Savenye scholarship, given to worthy post-secondary students.

NatureKids BCFormerly known as the Young Naturalists’ Club, NatureKids BC is the youth partner of

BC Nature. They run nature clubs and meetings for 5-12 year-olds in 24 BC communities. Although NatureKids BC is now a separate society, we still provide financial support and, through our Education Committee and club members, hands-on help with this superb group.

CommunicationOur Communication Committee, along with our office manager, have done a great job in

bringing you our quarterly magazine (hasn’t this improved tremendously over the past few years?), regular e-News nature bulletins, and updating of our website. The BC Nature website is not as intuitive as it could be; we are working to improve this. For

that purpose we have a volunteer who is charged with updating our website with the assis-tance of the office personnel. We have just been granted a “Communications” co-op student via Simon Fraser University in September 2019 to take us to our next level in digital com-munications. This will go a long way to improving our communications to both you and to potential new members.

Special ProgramsBC Nature is active in several wildlife and nature programs, often partnered with other

organizations. Currently these include:• BC Important Bird Areas and Bioiversity (IBA) in partnership with Bird Studies Canada;• BC Nature Guide Project – building up a web-based, map-based tool to identify nature-

viewing sites across BC. It is free to all – check it out at http://bcnatureguide.ca/

How does the BC Naturalists’ Foundation fit into this picture? This is the arms-length soci-ety set up to manage BC Nature’s endowment funds – money committed to long-term invest-ments that provide annual grants to our member clubs for their projects. Consider naming the Foundation in your will, making a major donation, or gifting your life insurance. Your donation to BC Nature provides a significant component of our annual operating

budget. Thanks to your generousity in legacy gifts and donations last year to the BC Natural-ists' Foundation, the annual disbursement from the BC Naturalists’ Foundation increased to $18,000 to BC Nature Club projects and support for BC Nature scholarships.

Thank you for your support! Your tax-deductible donation will go a long way in helping BC Nature to live up to its motto “Know Nature and Keep it Worth Knowing”.

Kees Visser Robert Handfield President, BC Nature President, BC Naturalists’ Foundation

BCnature Fall 2019

Leaving a Legacy – in More Ways than One: A Tribute to Ursula EasterbrookWhen Ursula passed away in February of 2017, the Delta

Naturalists Society (DNS) and BC Nature lost a valued colleague and a tireless advocate for nature.

She was a long-time member and Director of DNS, our BC Nature representative, and the recruiter for our monthly speak-ers. She was also president of the Cammidge House Commit-tee for two years and a founding member of Boundary Bay Park Association (BBPA), a certified Canadian Association for Photographic Art (CAPA) Judge, and editor/publisher of the CAPA Pacific Zone Newsletter. The Birds in Focus Program, which she initiated, is still entertaining and educating nature lovers.

Ursula often said she was “a photographer, not a birder”, but she certainly knew a lot about birds. Her personal favourites were the Snowy Owls. Ursula also made sure that the photographers causing stress to the owls, by getting to close, regret their behaviour! She had no problem “educating” them on protocols of ethical nature photography.

Ursula was very well-traveled and, in addition to visiting Antarctica and Namibia, she took many road trips to photograph nature, often with her sheepdog Farley as her only companion. She shared her photos of these trips in presentations at Delta community libraries as well as to nature groups.

When Ursula became aware that her cancer diagnosis was terminal, it became important to her that she find some-one to work with her to ensure the three Birds in Focus events would still take place, even if she herself was unable to deliver them. I am pleased to say that a Visual Presentation, a Photography Workshop, and a Mother’s Day Tea in celebration of International/World Migratory Bird Day all took place in 2017 and 2018 and most recently, the 2019 Visual Presentation and Photography Workshop were once again very successful events.

Even though Ursula is no longer with us, her commitment and contributions to BC naturalists continue be felt through her generous spirit. At the May 2019 BC Nature AGM, it was revealed that she had bequeathed $85,000 to the BC Naturalists Foundation - an extremely thoughtful and generous contribution. Although she is no longer with us, Ursula Easterbrook’s legacy will continue to benefit nature and those who love it as she did. •

Ursula and her faithful companian Farley

Thank you for supporting BC Nature

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F O U N DAT I O N

B C N a t u r e & B C N a t u r a l i s t s ’ F o u n d a t i o n a c c e p t d o n a t i o n s t h r o u g h canadahelps.org

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Author: Elizabeth Perrin


BC Nature 2019 AGM: “Nature In Quw’utsun – The Warmland”Authors: Carol Milo and Gail Mitchell

The Cowichan Valley Natural-ists’ Society was honoured to

host the 2019 BC Nature Confer-ence and AGM, on the 50th anni-versary of BC Nature. We would like to acknowledge that the AGM was held on the unceded territory of Cowichan Tribes, who have lived in harmony with Quw’utsun for thousands of years.

Ramada Duncan provided a con-venient venue for the meetings, as well as accommodations for many of the conference attendees. We are grateful to the Ramada staff for their patience and attention to detail. Our organizing commit-tee and many volunteers worked hard for over a year at making this conference a success.

Thursday’s keynote speaker was David Polster, an internationally recognized restoration ecologist and Cowichan Valley Naturalist member, who gave a thought-provoking talk on restoring ecosys-tems for resilience, in the face of climate change. This was followed by an engaging presentation on astronomy, by local naturalist

Koksilah Rain Forest Koksilah Rain Forest Koksilah Rain Forest Koksilah Rain Forest Koksilah Rain Forest

By W. Harvey

and amateur astronomer Bryon Thompson. Although the presenta-tion had to be moved indoors, it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the presenter or the audience.

The conference was formally opened Friday morning, with a wel-come by respected Quw’utsun elders Philomena and Peter Williams, as well as Mayors Michelle Staples and Al Siebring, MLA Sonia Furstenau, and MP Alistair MacGregor. This was followed by a presentation on Garry Oak Ecosystems by David Polster, as well as presentations by Genevieve Singleton (nature mentor and ethnobotany interpreter) on the Bluebird Project, and Quw’utsun Plants. Genevieve was ably assisted by summer student Braden Judson. Tim Kulchyski, Cowichan Tribes biologist, closed out the morning.

Friday afternoon talks included the Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Program by Sally Leigh-Spencer and Adam Taylor (Marmot Recovery Foundation), Tracking Juvenile Cow-ichan River Chinook by Kevin Pellet (DFO), The Persistence of Cyanobac-teria in BC Lakes by David Preikshot (Research Biologist), Cowichan Lake Lamprey by Joy Wade (Fundy Aqua), and Acoustic Monitoring of Western Screech Owls by Tania Tripp (Senior Biologist, Madrone Environmental Services).

The Friday evening keynote speaker was the renowned ethnobotanist Dr. Nancy Turner, who spoke on tradi-tional land and resource manage-ment systems in British Columbia. Dr. Turner’s talk was preceded by the Tzinquaw Dancers, who have per-formed around the world, showcas-ing their language and culture.

Those not attending the Saturday morning field trips had a choice of talks by Eric Marshall (retired DFO librarian and CVNS Co-President) on the Humpback’s Return, Rick

Harbo (author and RBCM Research Associate) on Freshwater Mussels in BC, and Emily Wallener (home-school student and bat enthusiast) on the Bats of Vancouver Island.

Friday afternoon and Saturday morning field trips showcased natural areas and features in the Cowichan Valley, including Some-nos Marsh and Lake, the Somenos Garry Oak Protected Area, Stoney Hill, Stolz Bluffs, Eves Provincial Park, Mount Tzouhalem, Maple Bay, the Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre, and a private pollinator garden.

The Sunday morning farewell field trips ventured further afield: Bird-ing from Duncan to Swartz Bay, Koksilah Ancient Forest, Honey-moon Bay Ecological Reserve, Salt-spring Shoreline, Cowichan Garry Oak Preserve, and the Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre. Thank you to all our field trip leaders. We are especially grateful to Dave Aldcroft and Derrick Marven for leading the early morning birding trips to Some-nos Marsh and Cowichan Bay.

The AGM was well attended on Saturday afternoon. The meeting started off with a presentation from Graham Saul, the Execu-tive Director of Nature Canada. He spoke of the importance of Indigenous leadership, the power of social media and asked that we consider what the strength of our group is (our “super power").

Belted Kingfisher at Cowiichan Estuary

By W. Harvey

26BCnature Fall 2019

There are hundreds of Nature groups across the country. We need to “Discover, Defend, and Restore”. Following Graham's presentation, the main body of the meeting consisted of: summaries of the President's and Treasurer's reports; the Office Report by Betty Davison; summaries of the written reports of Committees, including a request for more members to become involved; the passing of the Bylaws Revision; the election of the Board of Directors (noting that the term “Directors” only refers to those on BC Nature Executive and that the members who represent each club are now called “Representatives” - Alan Burger was thanked for his extended Presidency and Kees Visser was thanked for taking on the role of President; the passing of Kamloops Naturalists resolution on caribou conservation; Krista Kaptein spoke on IBAs and Gary Hunt reported on the Next Generation Naturalists project with the Kamloops Naturalists; and Tom Bearss reminded us of funds available from the BC Naturalists’ Foundation through club support grants. Toward the end of the meeting, Cynthia Berg, President of NatureKids BC gave an energetic presentation of this group. Four part-time staff are involved. There are 24 clubs and as many as 30,000 children who have participated recently. Finally, Burke Mountain Naturalists gave an excellent presentation on the upcoming Fall General Meeting, where the 50th anniversary of BC Nature will be celebrated.

The Saturday evening keynote speaker David Denning provided much food for thought with his presentation entitled “Science, Citizens, and Time”. David is a naturalist, science educator, and filmmaker/writer, who lives on Salt Spring Island. His talk, which reviewed what science has discovered regarding changes to our ecosys-tems in the face of climate change, and the present and future roles of naturalists and citizen scientists on a rapidly-evolving planet, was a fitting way to conclude “Nature in Quw’utsun – the Warm Land”.

The success of this conference owes much to the hard work of those on the Planning Committee (Gail Mitchell, Carol Milo, Cheri Beau-lieu, Carol Blackburn, Genevieve Singleton, Dave Aldcroft, John Scull, Dorothy and Eric Marshall, Barry Hetschko, Wilma Harvie, Bruce Coates, and Jane McAllister), as well as a score of enthusiastic volunteers. Thank you! •

AVOCET TOURS

THAILAND ~ Birding old Siam. December 8 to 20, 2019. Price: $4,899, from Bangkok, Thailand. Leaders: Nick Upton & Chris Charlesworth.

WEST MEXICAN ENDEMICS ~ February 1 to 12, 2020. Price: $5,499, from Puerto Vallarta, MX. Leader: Chris Charlesworth & Luis Morales.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO ~ Island Paradise. March 12 to 21, 2020. Price: $5,500, from Port of Spain, Trinidad. Leader: Chris Charles-worth and local guides.

NOME, ALASKA. June 3 to 10, 2020. Price: $6,500, from Nome, AK. Leader: Melissa Hafting.

COLOMBIA ~ East Andes and Choco Lowlands, with Eastern White Sands Forest Extension. February 15 to March 3, 2020. Price for main tour: $6,899, from Bogota, Colombia. Price for extension: $2,300. Leader: Avery Bartels & local guides.

POINT PELEE, ONTARIO ~ Migration Madness. May 11 to 17, 2020. Price: $3,599, from Toronto, ON. Leader: Chris Charlesworth.

COSTA RICA ~ Quest for the Quetzal. November 22 to December 1, 2020. Price: $5,599, from San Jose, Costa Rica. Leader(s): Diego Quesada and Chris Charlesworth.

CUBA ~ Caribbean Island Endemics. January 12 to 24, 2021. Price: $5,199, from Havana, Cuba. Leader(s): Orestes Martinez & Chris Charlesworth.

**All prices in Canadian dollars. Prices based on double occupancy**

•THAILAND •WEST MEXICO •TRINIDAD & TOBAGO •COLOMBIA •POINT PELEE •COSTA RICA •CUBA

UPCOMING TRIPS

Stripe-headed

Resplendent Quetzel. Photo © Diego Quesada.

WWW.AVOCETTOURS.CA Western Spindalis. Cuba. Photo © Orestes Martinez.

BC Nature - Volunteers NeededBC Nature is seeking volunteers to assist with committees and future Board positions.Volunteer time Requirements - Maximum four to five hours per month.Qualifications - a committment to nature in BC Positions we would like to fill - Field camp committee members, Regional Coordinator (Board position - Kootenays), Strategic Planning committee, and various other committees. Mentorship and training will be provided.

Please email [email protected] and we would be pleased to forward your details and your willingness to assist the Board member in charge.•


The 2019 Bert Brink Scholarship Recipient

The Bert Brink Scholarship was developed to assist postgraduate

students working on a Masters or Doctoral degree that contributes to an awareness, appreciation, conser-vation, restoration, or understand-ing of our natural environment.

Lee Beavington is the recipient of this year’s Bert Brink Scholarship. Lee focusses on keeping nature worth knowing by increasing aware-ness, appreciation, and understand-ing of nature activities related to habitat conservation. Below are Lee’s own words describing the activities that ultimately resulted in his being the successful candidate:

“My passion for ecology, educa-tion, and nature experience is seen in my frequent volunteer activities within our local ecosystems. I regu-larly lead nature walks and outdoor workshops and have given presenta-tions on the importance of place-based, environmental learning for Nature Vancouver, White Rock and Surrey Naturalists, Chilliwack Field Naturalists, Science World, and more. I also work with elementary and high schools, volunteering to take students on outdoor, environ-mental-themed excursions in local parks. For the past decade I have taken students down to Cougar Creek in Delta to annually monitor stream health and water quality.

“In working with NatureKids BC, I coordinated with leader Lynn Pollard to have his enthusi-astic group visit the biology lab at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), where they looked at micro-organisms under the microscope. In addition, I co-founded the KPU Biology Club, and inspired multiple faculties at KPU to implement field trips for their biology students. As a volunteer for the Mayne Island Con-servancy, I have joined work parties to remove invasive species from local habitats. I have published an

article on Arbutus trees in BCnature Magazine, and an article on centi-pedes for Discovery Magazine. Cur-rently, I am writing two additional articles on (a) an inspiring walk with ethnobotanist Nancy Turner, and (b) the extensive cutting down of trees in my home neighborhood. Three years ago, I started Journey Men, a men’s intentional hiking group; we meet monthly at different locations in nature where I facilitate discussions on environmental issues and personal growth.

“This collective volunteer experi-ence both informs and inspires my PhD research. As a full-time student in SFU’s Philosophy of Education program, my doctoral research aims to help myself and others rediscover the wonder and vitality of the natural world. In the face of climate change and other looming ecological crises, we want to foster in students an appreciation for, and stewardship of, the natural world.

“Last year, I worked closely with the Museum of Vancouver and Nature Vancouver (specifically Bev Ramey and Elena Klein) on the exhibition, Wild Things: The Power of Nature in our Lives. This exhibi-tion emphasizes how nature influ-ences our everyday lives, and the intricate and often hidden webs of reciprocity that humans rely on to survive.

“Like Bert Brink, my life’s jour-ney has led me into the fascinating study of plant ecology. For KPU, I volunteered to create a local plant identification book. My research involved an extensive literature review of 50 plant species and travel-ling to more than 40 (often remote) sites to take thousands of photo-graphs of specimens. This book is now used by Ecology students.

Growing up, my father took me on an annual hike deep into the wil-derness. We drove along dirt roads

until we found a mountain stream and ventured into the sacred realm of the temperate rainforest. These early experiences shaped who I am today. By understanding the com-plexities of our local ecosystems, we can better manage their use and pro-tection. This can inspire a systemic shift from a colonial-exploitative model to a non-extractive economic system that recognizes the inherent value of the environment.

“Today, I love to take my family to many of the parks Bert Brink helped protect, such as Stanley Park, Pacific Spirit Park, and the Reifel Bird Sanctuary. My camera loves to capture the wonder of the natural world. Trying to balance full-time PhD studies, work, and being a parent to young children can be challenging. The Bert Brink Schol-arship would allow me to continue my pertinent research into nature appreciation and conservation.

“In an interview towards the end of his life, Bert Brink expressed how he “work[ed] very hard in the hopes that what we’re doing is going to turn the tide.” This is also my hope, to enliven our relationship with nature and promote a transforma-tion from an anthropocentric world-view to a set of principles centered on ecological ethics and long-term conservation.”•

Author: Marg Cuthbert

BCnature Fall 2019

The 2019 Rene Savenye ScholarshipAuthor: Marg Cuthbert

This year the task of choosing from amazing students for the Rene Savenye Scholarship has been extremely difficult, but the

committee chose to award the scholarship to Brennan Strandberg-Salmon. Below are Brennan’s own words describing the activities that ultimately resulted in his being the successful candidate:

“I’m a strong advocate for environmental conservation and public awareness and…[I] am a three-year member of the Stoney Creek Environmental Committee, a Burnaby stream-keeping group. My activities included recruiting 20 student volunteers who together pulled 25 bags of invasive plants, counted 400 spawning salmon, painted 22 yellow fish signs near storm drains, and handed out creek and wildlife awareness brochures to 100 residences. We also secured funding for, researched, designed, and presented a bee pol-linator awareness display at a public environmental education event, informing 100 Burnaby residents on the importance of habitat preservation. We co-wrote an article on stream stewardship aware-ness published in two provincial magazines, including BCnature, developed an activity work-plan, made status reports, launched a youth volunteer recruitment drive at my high school, coordinated volunteer and public awareness projects, and raised funds.

“In high school I became co-chair of the Environmental Club, after participating for four years. I launched a campaign to switch schools across BC to sugar cane copy paper to significantly reduce deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. I organized an Environmental Week at my school and successfully applied to have Moscrop Secondary School certified as a “Bee School” by Bee City Canada, the first in the Lower Mainland. This involved planting bee-friendly plants, creating habitat for native bees, and organizing school pollinator awareness events. I also contributed to city-wide, youth-run environmental projects as an executive member of the Burnaby Youth Sustainability Network, a district-wide group made up of various school environmental clubs in Burnaby.

“For the past two years I have been a volunteer for the Force of Nature Alliance, an organization dedicated to accelerating the decarbonization of the Lower Mainland: helping to raise public awareness and support community action on the transition to a low carbon future. I’ve contributed to municipal government outreach and engagement efforts on renewable energy, participating in dele-gations to city councils to advocate for incentives for solar photovol-taic system uptake in cities.

“In May 2018, I became a member of the Fraser Basin Council’s Youth Advisory Committee and do research, providing advice on sustainability definitions, and youth engagement strategies to contribute to the organization’s Youth Program and national Youth Leadership Initiative, with a particular focus on climate change awareness and action.

“I also regularly volunteer for the National Industrial Symbiosis Program, helping business identify their wastes and match them to organizations that can use these wastes in their operations; a com-ponent of a circular economy, which will reduce demand for nat-

Congratulations Brennan StrandbergCongratulations Brennan StrandbergCongratulations Brennan StrandbergCongratulations Brennan StrandbergCongratulations Brennan Strandberg

28

ural resources and ensure the biodiversity of our ecosystems can be maintained.

“My passion for environmental solutions is also demonstrated by my work experi-ence for an environmental consultant; my research covers a variety of environmental topics such as the circular economy and sustainability best practices of universities, municipalities, and businesses. Currently, I work for the City of Vancouver as a Water Efficiency Advisor, to provide public edu-cation on water conservation and imple-ment water conservation behavior change programs through assessing and reducing water consumption of residential irrigation systems.

“Over the past six years I have demon-strated increasing leadership roles to chan-nel my environmental passion into mobil-izing people to contribute to the sustainable future in BC and beyond. From member of an environmental club, to becoming its co-chair, to volunteer positions and now a full-time job and university studies, I have consistently worked to increase my know-ledge of, and impact in, environmental con-servation and natural habitat protection. I plan to continue this path so that I can play a strong role as an environmental leader in my ultimate career and community.

"It is an honour to be considered for an environmental award established in Rene Savenye’s memory. I hope to walk in Rene’s footsteps as a tireless student and advocate of nature and conservation, bringing my joy and passion for the environment to the lives of others.”•

BCnature Fall 2019

Book Review

Author J.Duane SeptPublished May 2019 Harbour Publishing Co. Ltd.416 Pages, $29.00, Soft CoverReviewed by Carly Spence

The New Beachcomber’s Guide to the Pacific Northwest: Completely Revised and Expanded 2019

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your identification of the subject. More than once I found myself looking at the similar species and flipping to its description to help eliminate a mistaken identification.

The author, J. Duane Sept is a biologist, professional photogra-pher, writer, and environmental consultant who calls BC’s Sunshine Coast home. His photography skills coupled with his knowledge of marine biology make this book not only interesting but eye-catching for all levels of readers.•

Carly is a student at Simon Fraser University. She worked as the 2019 summer student for BC Nature. This book was invaluable for identification of sea life while assisting with outreach with Friends of Semiahmoo Bays' - Beach Heroes Program. This program teaches children and adults alike about the importance of the intertidal zone.

When walking on a beach in the Pacific Northwest, one can’t help but notice

how, in the span of a few metres, distinct ecosystems present themselves. From the high-tide line, to the vast array of marine life found in tidal pools and under rocks, every walk along the beach presents itself as

a unique experience.The Beachcombers Field Guide of the Pacific Northwest is light in your hands,

an ideal feature when walking along the shoreline. The pictures are displayed in full colour and illustrated in vivid detail. The guide notes the common and the scientific name, along with detailed descriptions of size, habitat, and range. The book is catalogued by phylum using coloured index tabs at the top of the pages for quick reference. The guide also references similar species along with relevant notes and comments. This addition of similar species proves to be very useful in the field, helping you confirm

BCnature Fall 2019

Do you want to leave a legacy that really makes a difference? Then consider a

planned gift in your will to The Nature Trust of BC. As a non-profit organization

we’ve saved over 175,000 acres of our province’s most critical habitats. With your

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BCnature Fall 2019

Report on the Roberts Bank Container Terminal 2 ProjectAuthor: Roger Emsley, BC Nature Special Representative for Roberts Bank

The public hearings for the Roberts Bank Container Terminal 2 Project (RBT2), led by a federally ap-

pointed Review Panel, came to a close on May 31 for both the general submissions and the topic-specific sessions. The Review Panel then headed to Vancouver Island for the Community Public Hearings, where vari-ous First Nations presented their issues and concerns. The Panel then headed back to Vancouver for the last session on June 24. The Panel then announced the close of the hearing process prior to writing their final report. The Panel is accepting closing remarks from registered hearing participants up to August 26, 2019. It will not accept any other submissions.

The first week was taken up by general hearings, where primarily members of the public and NGOs made presentations. During that week there were also presentations from various stakeholders, such as the Chamber of Commerce. The host municipality, Delta, gave an excellent presentation expressing real concerns from an environmental and community perspective and highlighting the traffic chaos that will result if the project goes ahead.

I attended most days of the hearings in Delta. I made my presentation on behalf of the Against Port Expan-sion Community Group on May 17. On most other days I also asked questions.

If you are interested, you can view my presentation on behalf of APE at https://bit.ly/309QyxW

Topic-Specific sessions started on May 21. During these sessions, specific environmental topics were addressed each day. Both Environment Canada and Department of Fisheries and Oceans presented and expressed significant environmental concerns about the placement of RBT2 and the high degree of risks to wildlife and the Roberts Bank ecosystem.

On May 27, I introduced Dr. Peter Beninger, who made his presentation on behalf of BC Nature. Dr. Pat Baird preceded him.

Both their presentations and the ensuing Q&A were excellent. They both addressed the significant failings and errors of the Port Authority’s science. They both recommended that there was far too much risk and urged the Panel to reject the RBT2 project.

You can see their presentations here: https://bit.ly/2KBUXo7 and https://bit.ly/2zcB3tr

They spoke about biofilm, migratory birds, and shore-birds. They challenged the Port’s non-peer reviewed science and findings. Essentially their message was that:• The Port’s experts have not properly characterized

the significant environmental impacts. • RBT2 will result in significant adverse

environmental effects that cannot be mitigated

• The Port has skewed their science thus ignoring the shorebirds’ needs for Omega 3 fats found in the diatoms, essential for Western Sandpipers in particular.

Their assessments were supported by presentations from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Both agencies expressed concerns in the manner that the Port has approached the science; that the information on salinity is just wrong, and, importantly, that RBT2 will have the effect of turning off the salinity trigger that is essential for the diatoms to start producing Omega 3 fats.

Key was this statement from ECCC - “that predicted Project-induced changes to Roberts Bank constitute an unmitigatable, species-level risk to Western Sandpipers and shorebirds more generally due to the predicted disruption to the salinity regime that supports fatty-acid production and biofilm”.

ECCC made a post-hearing submission concern-ing the salinity trigger. This is a significant document because it clearly shows that RBT2 will turn off the salinity trigger that is key to healthy and rich biofilm production during the northern migration of Western Sandpipers.

The hearing process had a number of flaws that ended up tainting the whole hearing process.1. The Panel did not allow questions to Panel

members.2. The Panel did not allow comments from registered

hearing participants.3. Participants were only allowed two questions, and

this was later reduced to one.4. The Panel disallowed several motions and refused to

accept counter-arguments.5. The Panel allowed the Port to make closing

statements every day. The Port therefore adopted

31

Roberts Bank Aerial view 2018

BCnature Fall 2019

a strategy from day one and rarely asked any questions of presenters. Instead they used their closing statements to discredit presenters, disagree with key issues, and provided their own skewed arguments, which could not then be rebutted. Both Dr. Peter Beninger and Dr. Pat Baird were appalled with comments that appeared in the closing statement the day that they presented.

6. The Panel stated that it operated on a basis that is fair to everybody but then obstructed meaningful discussion.

7. The Port had between 25 and 30 people at the hearings every day. Many of them were consultants paid for by the Port. None of the science presented by these consultants has been peer-reviewed by independent experts, despite provisions in CEAA 2012 that specifically allow for that to happen. Certain people were particularly appalled by this, stating that in their years of science they had never come across this before.

8. The Panel set strict deadlines regarding submissions, but then on several occasions allowed the Port to violate those deadlines by letting them submit documents late.

The most egregious failure related to alternative means of carrying out the RBT2 project as per CEAA 2012, sec. 19 (1) (g). The Panel decided arbitrarily to limit the definition of alternative means that is in direct violation of CEAA 2012. I and others challenged that limitation. I obtained a legal opinion that broadened the definition to what CEAA 2012 actually means. The Panel disallowed my presentation that I was due to make at a topic-specific session on the last day. So I had to modify my presentation. However four other present-ers and I did make presentations arguing that the RBT2 project is environmentally unsustainable and must be

located elsewhere. We were able to show examples of other locations, e.g. Prince Rupert, that do not result in significant environmental damage. We were also able to demonstrate that the economics for RBT2 are flawed and make no business sense.

Overall, I believe we - all the presenters with concerns - did as good a job as possible, given the limitations and performance of the Panel. We had any number of excel-lent and well-qualified presenters throughout the hear-ings. I knew going in that the public hearing was going to be a challenge. I did not realize just how difficult it was going to be in terms of getting the facts out there and impartially discussed.

The next step is for the Panel to submit its report and recommendations to the Environment Minister. It is unclear whether this will happen before the October federal election. In any event, once the Minister receives the report, she has two choices:(i) to approve the RBT2 project (likely with mitigation conditions), or:(ii) to reject the RBT2 project. In that circumstance the final decision is then made by the Governor in Council (the Cabinet) to either reject the project or to approve it.

Even with the independent scientific consensus that RBT2 will result in significant adverse environment effects that cannot be mitigated, I am fearful that the Panel is likely to approve RBT2 with mitigation. I hope I am wrong.

If the Panel and then the federal government were to approve RBT2 then Roberts Bank, as a hugely import-ant ecosystem and the very crucible of the Fraser River Estuary, along with the wildlife that relies on it, is doomed. •

32

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BCnature Fall 2019

No Ordinary Pigeon: Our Band-tailed Pigeon

The Band-tailed Pigeon is indeed a beautiful bird and, over the years, we have had great enjoyment attracting them. When you have a

chance, listen for its lovely cooing.We often get asked what the secrets are to attract this charming spe-

cies. First, buy only the best quality seed, such as premium oil sunflower meats (“chips”). All seed-eating birds love it, and it makes little or no mess (100% edible). Avoid cheap seed mixtures full of waste. Next you will need a top-quality feeder like the “fly-through” type. A large one will accommodate this large bird. Mount it on a pole with a “baffle” so that no rodents can get at the feeder — you will now have an ideal setup. A large tube feeder with a large tray (30cm, 12 inch) will also work well. It is not only important that a feeder should be easy to fill, but it should also be easy to clean.

We found a couple of interesting facts about the Band-tailed Pigeon in David Bird’s wonderful book, Birds of Western Canada: it is the largest pigeon in North America and it can hang upside down by its toes to feed on dan-gling fruits! – Amazing! •

Author: Jude Grass

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33


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

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

Address: _________________________________City: __________________ Postal Code: __________

Phone: ________________________E-mail: ________________________________________________

Are you a BC Nature Club Representative? Will you attend the Club Representatives’ meeting on Thursday afternoon? Yes No

FIELD TRIP SELECTIONS Total

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

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

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

Species Identification Using iNaturalist at Golden Ears Provincial Park

Birding at Colony Farm Regional Park DeBoville Slough Birding Walk

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

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

Mossom Creek Hatchery & Education Centre Tour

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

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

Colony Farm Regional Park

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

REGISTRATION OPTIONS By July 31 After July 31 Amount

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

$125 $150

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

$60 $70

or Friday evening only – includes BMN’s 30th and BC Nature’s 50th year anniversary celebration and evening speakers. DOES NOT include barbecue.

$20 $20

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

$80 $90

Optional Conference Activities

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

$30 $35

Saturday morning field trip – Paddle the Katzie Slough in Pitt Meadows $25 $25 Saturday banquet – includes keynote speaker, awards and silent auction $50 $55 Sunday farewell field trips Free Free

BCnature Fall 2019

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

The Alaska Highway, #97, from Dawson Creek, BC to Fairbanks, Alaska, is just over 2400 km. We turned off

at km 79 onto road #271, leading to Beatton Provincial Park on the east side of Charlie Lake. In spring and fall it’s very popular for birders from southern BC to look for migrating birds. Many years ago, we arrived in early spring when the ice had just begun to melt. In the small open areas of water were thousands of swans, geese, ducks, and gulls, all rafted together. The squeaky calls of Franklin's Gull particularly appealed to me. We have enjoyed a summer colony of these gulls at Wembley Marsh, near Grand Prairie in Alberta, for many years. In the fall you can often see all four loon species on their southerly journey.

The park is 320 hectares. Aspen is the dominant forest cover with mixed alder, birch, Lodgepole Pine and spruce. The understory contains Saskatoon Berry, Flat-top Spirea, and Waxberry. In addition to a campground and day-use area, there are some excellent forest trails. The camp host recom-mends July as the best month to fish for Northern Pike and Walleye.

I was a little late getting up for the dawn chorus at about 4: 45. The melodic voice of a robin, the “wail” call of a Com-mon Loon and the ethereal voice of a Swainson's Thrush were the first sounds to greet me through the open door. The familiar “hey sweetie” of a Black-capped Chickadee and the measured drumming of a Ruffed Grouse soon joined the chorus. Then the special sounds of the boreal forest started to capture my senses. Charlie Lake is east of the Rockies and therefore is part of the province that accommodates eastern boreal species. The loud “teacher-teacher-teacher” song of an Ovenbird, the whistled “oh, Canada-Canada-Canada” of a White-throated Sparrow and the “cher-lek” calls of a Least Fly-catcher joined in. The descending notes of a Northern Water-thrush, ending in “chew chew” could be heard at the water’s edge. The Magnolia Warbler, with his bright yellow and black breast, quietly sang his short, musical, but rather weak and simple “sweeter sweeter sweetest”. The soft 2-, 3-, and 4-note calls of an American Redstart made me smile. Another fam-iliar character announced his presence before I finished my first cup of coffee: it was the two-note raucous calls of a Blue Jay. When the sun was a little higher, the rich whistled song of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak reached me from the top of a Black Spruce. On this late spring morning, the park was truly vibrant with birdsong.

The Alaska Highway snakes over hills and descends into river valleys and winds between endless spruce, poplar and aspen trees. The road took us closer and closer to the North-ern Rockies on our left-hand side. We soon discovered that most of the route was still surrounded by wilderness and I was reminded of a John Muir quote: “that going to the mountains is going home, that wildness is a necessity and that moun-

Franklin's Gull

By H. Neville

tain parks and reservations are useful, not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life....”

After driving through Wonowon, a pipeline assembly point, we passed a hiker. He was wear-ing a bright yellow vest, towing a small cart (like a sulky), and using walking poles to aid his progress on his northerly migration. He reminded me of two stories. First, Biking the Alaska Highway by Arthur W. Peterson, which gives a different per-spective of distances, isolation, and of course eleva-tions compared with us in a motorhome. Second, The Book Guy: A Librarian in the Peace by Howard Overend, who was driving this highway in the 1960s, when it was still gravel, delivering books to tiny communities and schools.

At km 226 we pulled in for gas at Pink Mountain and a rest. May's Kitchen (once popular with bird-ers) has been replaced by The Buffalo Inn, inac-curately named after a Bison herd escaped from a ranch a generation ago and still roam this area.

There is a very rough forest road to the top of Pink Mountain. We drove this road in a jeep many years ago and observed several discarded exhaust pipes from low-clearance compact cars. My purpose was to record White-tailed Ptarmigan at the beginning of the spring season while there was still a little snow in the alpine zone. Later in the summer it's a great place for alpine flowers. The summit also gives wonderful views of higher Rocky Mountain peaks, like white stepping-stones in the sky. Paleontologists also like this area for the fossils. A 21-metre long Ichthyosaur, Shonisaurus sikanniensis, was excavated by staff in the 1990s. It measured 23 metres in length! The Royal Tyrell Museum over three field seasons (1999-2001) from the edge of the Sikanni Chief River.are slowly preparing it for display. •

36

BCnature Fall 2019

The initiative to form the first natural history society in BC came from three men: Jack Fannin, Edward Hassel, and

Charles Newcombe. Triggered by the recent creation of the provin-cial museum, the men identified the need for a group of amateur enthusiasts who would work with, and for, the museum.

On December 2, 1886 the Provincial Museum of Natural His-tory and Anthropology opened its doors to the public. The museum’s stated purpose was the “constant exhibition of natural products—mineral, vegetable, and animal—of the Province.” The first curator was one of the three, Fannin.

Jack Fannin was a man of many talents including taxidermy. He also wrote articles for such outdoors magazines as Forest and Stream and Canada West. By 1884, Jack Fannin was a respected member of the BC community, with an unrivalled knowledge of BC’s hinter-land and its wildlife.

Frequent reports in the Daily Colonist reinforced requests for additions to the collection by listing donors and donations. Because shotguns were widespread in the community at the time, the cause acquired many birds, large and small.

The other members of the founding trio were Edward Hasell, a cultured man who enjoyed a wide range of interests including natural history and Charles Frederick Newcombe MD. After studying medicine at Aberdeen, Charles came to Victoria in 1883, but found it difficult to establish a viable practice. With no viable practice, Charles had time for his avocations of archeology and natural history. He joined in collecting specimens for the new museum, which brought him in touch with Jack Fannin.

The three newcomer friends—Fannin, Hasell, and Newcombe—discussed an idea. Why not form a club including those people known to be interested in natural history? They called an explora-tory meeting on March 6, 1890, in Fannin’s room, to draw up a proposed constitution for such an organization, to be adopted at a second meeting on March 26. In the event, “more than forty gentlemen signified their wish to join the society.”

The original constitution and bylaws of the Natural History Soci-ety of British Columbia stated the objectives as “to acquire and promote a more extended knowledge of the Natural History of the Province, and to act as an independent auxiliary to the Provincial Museum.”

The society immediately began a series of fortnightly lectures in a room adjoining the legislative library. Throughout the ensuing year the society heard talks on natural history and other topics. It had become clear that the members’ interests included anthropol-ogy, which matched the objectives of the museum. In addition to lectures, the society organized field excursions. Any specimens collected on such forays were destined for the museum’s collec-tions. Their excursions, as well as providing opportunity for more serious fieldwork, became popular social events.

At the time of the annual report for 1890/91, the society’s mem-bership included 54 residents in Victoria, four near Shawnigan Lake, two each in New Westminster and Comox, and members in Massett, Enderby, and Vancouver, for a total of 65 members.

Starting in December 1897, the Natural History Society enjoyed the use of the splendid new reading room adjoining the new

Author: Michael Layland

British Columbia’s First Natural History Society

37

legislative library for their meetings. The mem-bership had grown and now included several professional scientists, such as C.C. Pemberton and James R. Anderson, the first deputy min-ister for agriculture. These two, together with Professor John Macoun, established and built the museum’s botanical collection. Ladies could now join as members but would form a separate branch and could not serve as officers or on committees.

Fannin’s failing health forced his resignation. His replacement was not Dr Newcombe, as widely expected, but the deputy curator, Francis Kermode. He deliberately distanced the society from the museum. Nonetheless, the members persisted. They found a new venue for meetings and their extensive library in the use of a room in the Carnegie Library building, declaring it to be “very pleasant quarters.”

In March 1914, an editorial in the Daily Colonist highlighted and praised the work of the society:

“Its greatest benefit will be in creating here an atmosphere of culture, by which we do not mean mere superficial refinement of manner, but an attitude of mind towards the various aspects of Nature, an intelligent interest in every phase of animate and inanimate things.”

Over the decades following the First World War, activity by the Natural History Society of British Columbia dwindled. The society became inactive by 1930 and finally dissolved three years later. In 1944, a new organization, the Vic-toria Natural History Society, began to function, and it flourishes to this day.•

This article is adapted from the author’s book, In Nature’s Realm; Early Naturalists Explore Vancouver Island, for release October 2019.

On April 12, 1890, members of the Natural History Society of BC made the first of their Sunday field

excursions to Cadboro Bay. Image B-09586 courtesy of the Royal BC Museum and Archives.

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38 BCnature Fall 2019

An“Similkameen Spring”May 28 - 31, 2020

The Vermilion Forks Field Naturalists, in Prince-ton, invite you to come and experience a

“Similkameen Spring”. Our spring is both later and different than most. Our area has much to offer from forest to grasslands and everything in between—geol-ogy, flora, fauna, fossils, incredible views of moun-tains, rivers, lakes, biking, First Nations’ culture, and challenging hiking terrain.

In the evening you can sit back and enjoy a lineup of outstanding speakers. Having fun whilst enjoying nature is our goal. •

Registration, schedules, and details for AGM 2020 in Princeton will be posted in the BCnature Winter edition.

Save the Dates!

Annual General Meeting and Conference 2020

BCnature Fall 2019

Protecting Western Bats from Deadly White-Nose SyndromeAuthor: Shannon West, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation

The first time Cori Lausen held a Big Brown Bat in her hands,

it was love at first sight. “She was so tiny. She fit in my hand. And the band showed that she was older than I was.”

The more Cori learned about bats, the more she realized how unique they are – and when she asked ques-tions about them there were often no answers. “There are so many things we just don’t know about them.”

So, she took a leave of absence as a high-school teacher in 1999, earned a Masters’ degree in bat ecology at the University of Calgary and a PhD in bat population genetics.

Today, as an Associate Conserva-tion Scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Cori is looking for ways to protect west-ern bat populations from deadly white-nose syndrome (WNS). This includes cutting-edge research sup-ported by the Habitat Conserva-tion Trust Foundation (HCTF) to develop and apply a probiotic cock-tail that can help bats survive the dis-ease. HCTF has contributed nearly one fifth of the $583,000 budget for the two-year project.

WNS originated in Europe and is caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoas-cus destructans. It first appeared in North America in New York State in 2006 and has since killed millions of bats.

The disease started in the east and gradually moved south and north. Its spread west was slower because of migration patterns, until 2016 when it made a giant leap into Washington State. “The jump was a big shock,” says Cori. She expects the infected bat hitched a long-distance ride on a transport truck going to the port in Seattle, highlighting the importance of checking trailers, campers, and trucks for stowaway bats.

WNS causes a white fungal growth across a bat’s muzzle and wings; a

disease that has proven to be deadly at times for this spe-cies. It disrupts winter hiber-nation, rousing the bats, so they use up the valuable fat reserves they need to survive until spring.

There’s an added challenge in western North America because there are no large bat hibernacula like in the east. Instead, bats overwinter in smaller numbers in rock crevices, trees, caves and mines, and even in some buildings.

Cori was already interested in what bats in western Canada do in winter when WNS appeared in Washington State, and, thanks to help from many BC naturalists, had detected eight of the 14 species that overwinter in British Columbia. “When the fun-gus first showed up, we realized that understanding where bats are is now more than curiosity – it is absolutely urgent.”

But with few locations and few bats, these winter hibernacula are unlikely to yield a solution to the WNS problem. “We need a ‘made in the west’ approach to fight off the fungus and set them up to come back in the spring alive,” Cori says. “We decided to target our vulnerable building-roosting bats since we know where thousands of them roost in the summer.”

Through the HCTF project, the researchers developed a probiotic using bacteria sourced from local healthy bats. They first tested it on captive bats at the British Columbia Wildlife Park in Kamloops in 2018. This spring, they developed an application method, and will test it in the Vancouver region where WNS will probably appear first in BC. At roost entrances, they will dust powdered clay infused with the probiotic, so it sticks to the bats and they get a small dose every time they

come and go. “We are the first to propose treat-

ing bats in summer, introducing probiotic gradually so it does not overwhelm their immune system,” Cori says. “We will take wing swab samples from the bats now and repeat in spring to see if the probi-otic is still there and still viable.”

Purnima Govindarajulu, Act-ing Head of the B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy’s Conservation Science Section, is part of an advisory committee supporting the project. “Bats are an important part of a healthy ecosystem,” she says. “White nose syndrome could have serious repercussions in British Columbia because bats eat huge number of insects, and this benefits agricultural crops, forests, and people.”“We know white nose is coming so we have nothing to lose,” says Cori. “It does not cost a lot to give a landowner a little bag of clay that they can dust into bat boxes or building roosts. If it looks like it will save bats, we will apply for further research support to develop a widespread approach.”•

3 9

BCnature Fall 2019

Since this year is BC Nature’s fiftieth anniversary, I thought an appropriate article would be one on

roots. They are structures upon which plants depend, but at the same time, they are like so many other structures and processes in nature, in that they are the things we do not see that actually run the world.

The anniversary also brings back memories of some members of the Vancouver Natural History Society (now Nature Vancouver) whose activities at that time have left a legacy for naturalists of today. Al Grass and Bill Merilees who were active at that time are still teaching us about nature today. Bert Brink was active in the creation of many protected areas we now enjoy. Bob Harris researched the locations of many First Nation and pioneer trails in southern British Columbia, and Halvor Lunden built many of the trails that are still popular with Lower Mainland hik-ers. Just a few memories of five decades ago.

The story of roots is the story of cooperation between plants and fungi, and this symbiosis allowed plant life to escape from the sea and colonize the continents. The fossil record indicates that the first land plants, 400 million years ago, did not have roots, but they possessed mycorrhizal fungi in their underground stems. Most plant roots are associated with these types of fungi. The fungi keep the plants alive by supplying water and dissolved nutrients such as phosphorus. In exchange the plant supplies sugar to the fungus. In some forests the mycorrhizal network connects the roots of different trees to one another, even the roots of different tree species. Fungal threads are much thinner than root hairs and reach farther into the soil. Under dry conditions, especially, they are critical in accessing water.

Roots not only supply nutrients and water to the plant, they are also important in supporting the plant and binding soil together. We tend not to appreciate how much of a plant is underground, until we try to pull up a weed with a deep taproot or see a tree whose roots have been exposed. So many aspects of nature are not readily apparent, even major ones like this. In the dry interior, trees usually have a deep taproot, but on the coast the root zone is close to the surface. After a winter storm you can see how shallow this root zone is.

The soil surrounding the roots is called the rhizo-sphere. Due to root exudates and decaying organic matter, it possesses an astounding level of biodiver-sity, almost all of which is microscopic. The soil eco-system is the most complex one on earth. A handful of rich soil contains 10,000 or more bacteria species, almost all of which are unknown. Most cannot be

RootsAuthor: Terry Taylor

40

By T. Taylor

cultured, because they depend on complex ecological rela-tionships between members of the soil biota. The existence of this ecosystem has been ascertained by genetic sequencing and statistical analysis, but the details of the bacterial ecol-ogy cannot be ascertained at the present level of technology.

Another thing some roots do is nitrogen fixation. Actually, it is not the roots that do that, it is a small group of bacteria living within roots such as those of legumes and alder trees that take nitrogen from the air and convert it to a form that supports other forms of life. Not all bacteria can do this, and not all of them are in roots. Some are free living in the soil, or inside lichens, but all living things depend on this small group of bacteria.

So, next time you look at a plant, think about what is below ground. •

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Alder root exposed above the beach at Nanoose Harbour

BCnature Fall 2019

In June, eleven experienced birders travelled to the South Okanagan to participate in an eBird Protocol Bird Survey

in Chopaka East and Kilpoola Lake Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA). This count, the second of its kind in the Okanagan and the fourth in BC, received support funding from the BC Field Ornithologists (BCFO).

The count took place on June 9, 2019 on a cool fresh morning of clear skies and warm temperatures which made for good weather for hiking through the hills and grassland. This year the spring was warm and dry but water levels in Kilpoola Lake have been higher than those noted in the past few years.

Last year a similar count was conducted in White Lake IBA with 15 volunteers. Even though fewer birders were available this year, which meant large area sizes for each team, overall about 50% of the IBA was covered in the six-hour period starting at sunrise. Participants came from as far as Vancou-ver Island, and the youngest birder was 16 – the local expert on his team, and an encouraging sign for the future!

The Chopaka East and Kilpoola Lake IBA is located at the Canada/USA border about 5 km west of Osoyoos. The IBA includes Blue Lake, Kilpoola Lake, and some small wetlands, in an open grassland with bunchgrass and big sagebrush, and with small stands of aspen and open dry coniferous woodlands of Douglas-fir and Ponderosa pine. The South Okanagan hosts 30% of BC's red-listed wildlife species and 45% blue-listed wildlife species, many of which depend on these unique habitats for their survival.

The IBA hosts a nationally significant population of Threatened Lewis's Woodpeckers, Endangered Sage Thrasher and small numbers of Special Concern Flammulated Owls known to breed near Blue Lake, Common Nighthawks, and Provincially Red-listed Brewer's, Grasshopper, and Lark Sparrows. Endangered Burrowing Owls have also been reintroduced to the area by the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of BC for several years to attempt to re-establish a population across their previous range in southern BC which has been extirpated since the early 1980's.

Authors: Krista Kaptein, Jason Bieber, and Matthias Bieber

Focus on IBA - eBird Protocol Survey in Chopaka East and Kilpoola Lake IBA

41

By K. Kaptein

During the count, the only owl species observed or heard was the Short-eared Owl which is a BC Blue-listed species. “We counted three individuals and were pleasantly surprised to find them,” said Mat-thias Bieber, Co-Caretaker of the IBA. “We enjoyed watching them hunting over the open sagebrush grassland.”

Other species at risk observed included two BC Red-listed species, a group of nine Grasshopper Sparrows found in one area of the IBA, and only one Sage Thrasher observed for a very short moment near the Canada/USA border . Blue-listed species observed include Lark Sparrow in a few areas of the IBA, and a good number of Brewer's Sparrow detected in almost all areas within the IBA.

A total of 1856 birds were counted within the IBA on count day, consisting of 101 species. Counts such as these provide great baseline data which is impor-tant as the South Okanagan region is experiencing high rates of urban and agricultural expansion which has increased pressure on our ecosystems and the native birds and other wildlife that depend on them.

Thanks to the BC Field Ornithologists for funding support, and to the landowners, the Nature Trust of British Columbia and the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and BC Parks for granting land access. •

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Spotlight On Distinguished Naturalist Mentors

Des Belton and Dawn Germyn - Northern Amphibians Naturalists Society

Rick Schortinghuis – Rocky Point Bird Observatory

Rick’s interest in nature and willingness to share his knowledge has no bounds. As a member of Rocky Point Bird Observatory,

he has filled many roles over the last twenty-plus years, and in doing so, has brought dozens of others along with him. Rick has mentored many young birders and naturalists with enthusiasm and patience. He has trained a generation of bird-banders and has gently nudged seasoned and novice birders into a greater appreciation of dragon-flies, butterflies, and botany. He has often provided transportation to those too young to drive—even if that meant getting up an hour earlier to do it—just to make sure they had opportunities to attend events or volunteer at the banding station.

In addition to his contributions with Rocky Point Bird Observa-tory, he has also led innumerable field trips for the Victoria Natural History Society, helping those who might not be so young in age but are new to the field improve their knowledge and skills. He has participated in several BioBlitzes and is always willing to take the novice naturalists under his wing. He is happiest when he can share nature with others and is learning continuously himself as he teaches others.

Rick’s generosity of time and passion for nature, along with his laughter and sense of humour have made him a beloved member of our organization. Many of those he has mentored have gone on to study or work in environ-mental fields, thanks, at least in part, to Rick’s influence. Rick is the epitome of a naturalist mentor.•

Des Belton and Dawn Germyn are the NatureKids BC Club Leaders for the Nass Valley. They live on the Ksi Sii Aks River

(also known as the Tseax River) and work exclusively with youth from the Nisga'a First Nation. They have lived in the valley for years, coming as teachers and staying after retirement to continue to serve the community.

For the last five years they have run NatureKids Explorer Days based out of the school in New Aiyanish. They deliver program-ming for a wide age range of kids, from kindergarten to grade 10, and (ages 5-15) on a diverse variety of topics from winter tracking to lava fields; incorporating First Nations history and cultural knowledge wherever possible. For example, last year they ran an Explorer Day on Eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus), a fish that was caught primarily for its grease, and was a critical winter staple and trading item for the Nisga’a. They also lead nature education ses-sions for local schools and have travelled all over the north giving BC school classes opportunities to learn and explore outdoors.

Aside from their deep knowledge about nature interpreta-tion, Dawn is also a well-known local artist, incorporating her love of nature into her works. They are both active members of BC Nature and this past fall they organized the AGM for the Northern Amphibians Naturalist Society at Gitlaxt'aamiks (Aiyanish) in the Nass River Valley.

Their love for the natural world and passion for teaching and sharing is visible in everything they do and we are very lucky to have them as part of our NatureKids BC team.•

Rick Schortinghuis (L) mentoring Rebecca Clarke-Rick Schortinghuis (L) mentoring Rebecca Clarke-Rick Schortinghuis (L) mentoring Rebecca Clarke-Rick Schortinghuis (L) mentoring Rebecca Clarke-Rick Schortinghuis (L) mentoring Rebecca Clarke-Coates at Bird BandingCoates at Bird BandingCoates at Bird BandingCoates at Bird BandingCoates at Bird Banding

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Dawn Germyn and Des Belton

BCnature Fall 2019

Author: Ann Nightingale

Author: Christina Chowaniec

BCnature Fall 2019

Publications Mail No. 41804027

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

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