BC Nature enews August 2012

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Krista
Upcoming
Events
  • FGM – 2012 FGM is being co-hosted by Nanoose
    Naturalists and Arrowsmith Naturalists. Dates are September 27-30th, 2012.
    Registration in the Summer Magazine or BC Nature Website . Only 5 weeks away, register now. To BC
    Nature Representatives – The club is trying to pin down Lunch Numbers for the
    Directors meeting, please email the registrar office at this link
    if you intend to participate but have not yet sent in your registration.

    GREAT NEWS – EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION DATE EXTENDED TO AUGUST 27, 2012

  • Lillooet Camp – only 5 spots left – October 1 –
    6th, 2012 For further information, please contact
  • Elders Council for Parks BC – Who are we?
    Retiree’s from Parks Canada, BC Parks and Regional Parks. We are hosting a fun
    weekend @ Manning Park Sept 7 – 9, 2012. So – if you are a fellow park retiree,
    please come join in the fun, book your space through Mel Turner –
  • BC Nature Photo Contest – BC Nature is looking
    for your entry on your best nature photographs – Flora or Fauna! Close date for
    entries is September 1, 2012 – Great Prizes and immortal infamy on our website
    with your photographs. Please email with “Photo Contest” in
    the subject line. Please submit high resolution
    jpegs.
FGM 2012 Update
FGM 2012 “Nature by the Salish Sea” on beautiful Vancouver
Island. The FGM is co-hosted by the Arrowsmith and Nanoose Naturalists and
promises to be an not-to-miss event, showcasing much of the flora and fauna that
makes Vancouver Island unique. Highlights of the FGM will include a keynote
address by Dr. “Buzz” Holling, an internationally-recognized scientist
celebrated for his theory of “ecosystem resilience”. Also, the new Deep Bay
Field Research Station – designed and built to LEED specifications – will
demonstrate the latest research into aquaculture and showcase the startling
diversity of our local waters. For registration and program info, see the latest
BC Nature magazine or go to Arrowsmith Naturalists Site GREAT NEWS – EARLY
BIRD REGISTRATION DATE EXTENDED TO AUGUST 27, 2012 – Don’t delay!
Issue
24
Date
August 2012
Dwarf
Dogwood
BC Nature Website
Update
We
now have the new website up and running. We are continuing to update and find
areas that we need to “Tweak” – and we are now ready to start work on the
“members only” section. The password will be based on your name as entered into
our database. When you receive your BCnature Fall magazine, please check the
mailing tag on the back page to ensure that your name is correct. If otherwise,
please email the office with corrections.
Wells Gray’s Valley of Fire and Ice – September 1st
2012
Join
us for a full day guided tour of the Clearwater Valley near Wells Gray Park—BC’s
Valley of Fire and Ice. Dr. Cathy Hickson, Canada’s foremost expert on volcanoes
and the landscapes they produce, will provide a full day of interpretation of
the 400 Million years of geological change that has made the Kamloops region so
rich in gold, copper, uranium and other precious minerals. The tour includes a
bus coach tour from Kamloops to Wells Gray Park, short easy walks to spectacular
viewpoints and landmarks, and a buffet dinner with an illustrated talk by Cathy.
The all inclusive cost for the bus, bag lunch, and buffet dinner will be only
$70, so space will be limited! This will be the first in a series of events to
celebrate the rich resources that are protected by Wells Gray Park for which it
has been nominated as a World Heritage Site. For more information and to reserve
a space contact: Tom Dickinson, The Faculty of Science, Thompson Rivers
University, Kamloops. 250-828-5400;
On going Enbridge Information, articles,updates
The
Joint Review Panel is accepting written comments on the Enbridge Pipeline until
the end of the month. If you didn’t get a chance to make a presentation to the
panel — and even if you did — please take a moment to let the panel know your
opinion. It doesn’t have to be long. Tell the panel in your own words how you
feel about the idea of a crude oil pipeline running through our wild salmon
watersheds and supertanker traffic on our north coast. Here’s how: 1. Click here
to visit the Joint Review Panel’s website and submit your comment using the
online form. OR… 2. Mail or fax your letter to the Joint Review Panel:
Secretary to the Joint Review Panel Joint Review Panel – Enbridge Northern
Gateway Project 444 Seventh Avenue S.W. Calgary, Alberta T2P 0X8 Facsimile:
403-292-5503, or toll free at 1-877-288-8803 (you can either send an original
letter or use the comment submission form which you can download here)

This is a reminder that the online scheduling tool is available to
schedule oral statements for the community hearings in Vancouver, Victoria and
Kelowna, BC. The Joint Review Panel announced the dates for the community
hearings for oral statements in these locations on 27 June 2012. The schedule is
available on the Panel’s website at Link . The deadline to schedule your oral
statement for the Community Hearings in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna, BC is
30 September 2012.

Enbridge Waterway Depiction Link Here

About Town – Upcoming Events
Richmond
Raptor Festival – The 5th Annual Richmond Raptor Festival, a fabulous family
event that celebrates the magnificent birds of prey that live in Richmond and
throughout British Columbia, will take place on Sunday, August 26, 11am to 4pm.
This event is hosted by the City of Richmond in partnership with the Richmond
Nature Park Society. The festival takes place at Terra Nova Rural Park in
Richmond, BC. (2631 Westminster Hwy).
For the fourth consecutive year,
Pacific Northwest Raptors will offer flying demonstrations at 11:30am, 1:30pm
and 3:30pm. Last year, approximately 1000 people attended. After last year’s
success, we are again opening up the event to organisations involved in
protection and conservation of birds of prey.

Treefest 2012 – The
Treefest Planning Committee would like to extend an invitation to your
organization to participate in the 19th annual Treefest. The festival is an
opportunity to celebrate trees and heritage with an emphasis on the fine
collection of trees on the Riverview lands. This year’s event will take place on
Saturday, September 15th, from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm at the Riverview Hospital
Grounds located at 2601 Lougheed Highway in Coquitlam. Activities will include
tree tours, an outdoor heritage tour, live entertainment, Blackberry Tea,
children’s activities, community displays and more. Food and beverage services
will be provided on site and the Serenity Garden provides a great location for
picnics. Please also note that this year is a critical year for the future of
Riverview. For nearly 100 years, the Lands have been a centre for the treatment
of mental illness and addiction. In August 2012, the use of the Lands as a
provincial mental health hospital will come to an end and the future of the
Lands is unknown. For more information and to participate in planning for the
future of Riverview see Riverview Values

White Rock Native Plant
Demonstration Your are cordially invited to: to attend the unveiling of the
White Rock Native Plant Demonstration Garden Interpretive Signage
Thursday,
September 6, 2012, 4:00p.m. at the west side of the White Rock Museum &
Archives – 14970 Marine Drive,City of White Rock
“The White Rock Native
Plant Demonstration Garden is a Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society Project with
the support of the City of White Rock,the White Rock Museum & Archives and
the White Rock & Surrey Naturalists’ ”. Please RSVP: Margaret Cuthbert,
or call 604-536-2636

Volunteers needed for
the Campbell Valley Country Celebration, a family event, September 15th
and 16th. • The ‘task’: Saturday September 15th, 8:30 am – pick up materials at
the FoSBS office, go to Campbell Valley Park Country Celebration venue off 8th
Ave and 204th St. (Langley) and set up the display and activity for 10am; attend
the tent until 4pm, then cover for overnight with a tarp. • Sunday September
16th, 9:45 am attend the display and family activity until 4pm then pack up and
return materials to the FoSBS office. If you can help for all or part of this
time, please contact Marg as soon as possible, email:

Reminder: Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup September 22nd at Blackie Spit,
Crescent Beach, Surrey at 10am. The Vancouver Apneists (free divers) and 1st
Semiahmoo Sea Scouts/Venturers will be participating. Please contact Alison if
plan to attend, email:

BC Butterfly Atlassing update
Launched
in 2012, the BC Butterfly Atlas is harnessing the efforts of both professional
biologists and citizen naturalists to document the distribution and abundance of
butterflies in British Columbia. Gathering butterfly records from across BC will
help identify which species are truly rare and which are more common, provide a
snapshot of butterfly populations to which past and future surveys can be
compared, and inform efforts to conserve butterflies and their habitats. Results
will be collated into a single database and made available on maps on the
project website. The project also aims to educate and engage the public about
the importance of biodiversity and increase involvement in butterfly
conservation in BC. For more information on the Atlas project, go to BC
Butterfly Atlas
Interesting Sites and articles
Tropical
Fish invading East Coast Canada – Link
Endangered Whale Species make
appearances in California Link
Heritage trees are worth protecting – Link
Beauty and the Beak – Link
Latest
news from the BC Breeding bird atlas – Link

Birds that live with varying weather sing more versatile songs: study link
A Bluebird Summer: Bringing Western
Bluebirds back to Southeastern Vancouver Island – Article
14
Fun Facts about Fireflies – Link
Carbon Tax Feedback
The
B.C. government wants your views on the future of the carbon tax and how to make
it better. Until August 31st, you can influence the future of this crucial
policy.
Since 2008, the carbon tax has been encouraging industries and
households that generate carbon emissions to pollute less. And it works; B.C.’s
climate policies are driving down emissions while keeping the economy healthy.

B.C. showed great leadership by implementing this solution. Now it’s time to
lead again, by improving it with a Better Future Fund.
We want the
government to start taxing all industries equally. Currently, no companies get
taxed for so-called “fugitive and process emissions.” Taxing the responsible
industries would generate another $125 million per year, which could go toward
sustainable solutions like transit, renewable energy, and green jobs. By
investing wisely in green projects that reduce emissions, we’ll make our
communities healthier and better places to live. Like the sound of that? The
Better Future Fund (a partnership between the David Suzuki Foundation and other
like-minded organizations) is collecting your thoughts on the carbon tax and how
your community could benefit from a “green fund,”and sending them to B.C.’s
Finance Minister. Have your say today! Send your Feedback here

Climate change threatens to alter marine ecosystem
Climate
change threatens to wreak havoc on entire marine ecosystems due to factors such
as rising water temperatures, increased acidification, and reduced oxygen
levels, according to a report on B.C.’s Pacific coast Read more: Vancouver Sun
Fracking could taint water systems: research
A
new scientific study of the risks associated with hydraulic fracturing or
“fracking” – in the U.S., found that current methods for wastewater disposal put
drinking water at risk. Read more: Times Colonist
Calling all clubs – PCAF Funding Available – Deadline September 25,
2012
We
are pleased to announce that the Public Conservation Assistance Fund is running
a second call for applications from individuals or groups interested in doing a
conservation project. The application deadline is September 25, 2012.
For
more information, including the application forms and guidelines, please visit
our website If you have questions, please do not hesitate to phone
Jane Algard ( 250 940-9781) or Lynne Bonner
( 250 940-9787). http://www.hctf.ca/PCAF/PCAF.html
Feedback on National Marine Conservation Area
Why
does my feedback matter?
Parks Canada is finalizing the boundaries and
other measures to create a National Marine Conservation Area in the Southern
Strait of Georgia. Public opinion counts! YOUR feedback will influence the
outcomes! What’s at stake? The southern Strait of Georgia is an
incredibly rich part of our inland sea with unique marine habitats and a huge
diversity of marine life – including killer whales, lush kelp forests, seals,
sea lions and seabird colonies.
The Strait of Georgia is also bustling with
human activities. A National Marine Conservation Area will help ensure that the
special species and their habitats are protected, and the wide array of human
uses – from fishing to shipping to whale watching and more – are sustainably
managed.
Keeping this marine environment healthy matters for everyone who
lives in or visits our coastal communities, or enjoys the sea’s rich harvest!

I’m no expert, what can I say? Let Parks Canada and your local
politicians know why the Southern Strait of Georgia is special to you, and why
you believe there should be a large National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA).

Some points you may also wish to make: •The proposed north and south
boundaries are good, but the large rectanglar area NE of Galiano and Valdes
Islands should be added back into the NMCA. •The NMCA boundary should extend up
to the high tide line and include important near-shore ocean habitats (e.g.
areas beside provincial parks) •The NMCA should include a network of core “no
take” areas that are fully protected. •Parks Canada should assume management
responsibility for the entire NMCA at once, rather than phasing it in over many
years. Feedback Link

This entry was posted in BC Nature. Bookmark the permalink.