AGM – Hosted by Central Okanagan Naturalists – May 10 – 13, 2012. Registration and details at BC Nature. Mark this on your calendar and get your registration forms in early!
FGM – 2012 FGM is being co-hosted by Nanoose Naturalists and Arrowsmith Naturalists. Dates are September 27-30th, 2012. This event also should be circled as a no miss event. More info available in the Spring Magazine.
Club Deadlines
Club Grants from the Foundation – due into office by Jan 31, 2012
Deadline for resolutions for the AGM February 28, 2012
BC Nature Awards – nominations accepted up until February 28, 2012 – for both AGM & FGM
Rene Savenye Scholarship – Please apply by April 4, 2012
Camps & Bird Blitz’s Skagit Bird Blitz: May 4 through 6th – 2012 Saltspring Camp – June 4-8, 2012 – now full up – wait list in effect Mt. Robson Bird Blitz – June 9 & 10, 2012 Manning Bird Blitz – June 15 – 17th, 2012 Lillooet Camp – Oct. 1-6th, 2012
Invitation to BC Parks Volunteer Strategy Workshop
As a valued contributor to BC Parks, you are invited to help develop a province-wide volunteer strategy at an upcoming regional workshop.
In 2011, BC Parks celebrated its 100th Anniversary, commemorating the establishment of Strathcona Provincial Park in 1911 and celebrating the creation of almost 1000 parks and protected areas since then. This successful celebration would not have been possible without the valuable contributions from volunteers across the province, more than 2500 volunteers participated!
To build on this success, BC Parks is developing a volunteer strategy to improve the volunteer experience for our existing and future volunteers. Our goal is to develop a strategy over the next few months and launch it in the upcoming summer season. The workshops will provide you with an opportunity to: • Share the work you or your organization has done in support of BC Parks; •Contribute to a discussion about how BC Parks can improve the volunteer experience; •Provide input on future volunteer opportunities you would like to see; and, •Network with BC Parks staff and other volunteer groups. Workshops will be held in February and March in nine locations across the province. You are welcome to attend the workshop location that best fits with your schedule and travel abilities.
Please RSVP to Erick Pay, Project Assistant () based on RSVP dates listed below. You will receive a confirmation email with detailed workshop information no later than two weeks prior to the workshop. If you are unable to participate in any of the workshops, please submit written comments to by March 16, 2012.
If you have any questions about the volunteer strategy, please contact Becs Hoskins, BC Parks Project Manager ().
Please join us at one of the following workshops:
Victoria – February 6, 9 am – 12 pm; RSVP by January 27
Prince George – February 10, 9 am -12 pm; RSVP by January 27
Smithers – February 13, 9 am -12 pm; RSVP by February 3
Vancouver – February 16, 1-4 pm; RSVP by February 3
Penticton – February 20, 1-4 pm; RSVP by February 10
Williams Lake – February 24, 9 am – 12 pm; RSVP by February 10
Miracle Beach – February 28, 1-4 pm; RSVP by February 17
Nelson – March 5, 1-4 pm; RSVP by February 24
Cranbrook – March 7, 9 am – 12 pm; RSVP by February 24
Kamloops – March 12, 9 am – 12 pm; RSVP by February 24
Issue 20
Date January 2012
Snowy Owl – Boundary Bay
Are you Opposed to the Northern Pipeline and Tanker Traffic
Did you miss the deadline for being on the speakers list for the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project Joint Review Panel(Oral presentations)? There is still time to have your opinion heard! Written submissions will be taken up to March 13, 2012 – the How – Where and When links are here There is still plenty of time to send in your submissions. Information pertaining to Enbridge/Pipeline/Tanker traffic and the impact on the BC landscape and waterscape can be found in a myriad of locations. Call the office if you would like more information
Interesting Sites and articles
Explore Inner Wild in the Midst of Nature: Unlikely Duo Who Share Recovery from Addiction & Love of Nature – Link
Blackthroat Luscinia obscura audio file . link
Sensational Bird discover in China Link
For information on Bat – White Nose Syndrome – link
How we can preserve and protect our beautiful coast
You’re invited to a panel discussion about tankers and pipelines and how we can preserve and protect our beautiful coast, Sunday, January 22, from 1-5pm, at the Roundhouse Community Centre. Speakers include Art Sterritt, Executive Director, Coastal First Nations; Rex Weyler, Tanker Free BC, Author, Co-founder of Greenpeace; and Nathan Cullen, former NDP Environment and Natural Resouces Critic, Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP, and NDP Leadership Candidate.
This will be a unique opportunity to talk with First Nations and Environmental Groups about what oil tankers on our coast will mean to us all. There will be ten environmental groups with information tables as well as the panel, so people will have an opportunity to look at information from many sources.
We hope people will come, learn, talk and discuss this important issue. It’s a free event and everyone is welcome.
Description & Schedule Title: Oil Free Coast. Tankers & Pipelines: Preserving and Protecting our Coast Date: January 22, 2012, 1-5pm
Speakers: Art Sterritt, Executive Director, Coastal First Nations Rex Weyler, Tanker Free BC, Author, Co-founder of Greenpeace Nathan Cullen: former NDP Environment & Natural Resources Critic, Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP, NDP Leadership Candidate
Moderator: Leslie Kemp, Coordinator Sustainable Communities Program, Langara College
Music: Ta’Kaiya Blaney, Tla’Amin Environmental Singer Songwriter
Program: 1 pm doors Open: Information tables (environmental groups), Tea/coffee/juice
1:30 Performance by Ta’Kaiya Blaney, Tla’Amin Environmental Singer Songwriter
2-4 Panel discussion: First Nations Blessing, Audrey Fisher, Squamish Elder
Presentations by Art Sterritt, Nathan Cullen and Rex Weyler Questions and discussion with audience (3-4)
4-5 Information tables (environmental groups), refreshments, informal discussion Sponsors: Coastal First Nations & Nathan Cullen, Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP, NDP Leadership Candidate Information: (604) 608-0384 or http://www.facebook.com/events/216911685061355/
Location: Roundhouse Community Centre, Theatre – 181 Roundhouse Mews, Corner of Davie/Pacific, Downtown Vancouver (One block to Yaletown Canada Line Station) More: Free admission ? Everyone is welcome ? Free childcare ? Refreshments ? Wheelchair accessible ? ASL Sign Language Interpreters
Vancouver Airport Fuel Delivery Project – Public Comment on Highway 99 Pipeline Route Addendum
Your commments would be appreciated by Feb. 1. The public is invited to obtain information about and comment on the addendum to Vancouver Airport Fuel Facilities Corporation’s application for an environmental assessment certificate for the proposed project. A 21 day public comment period on the application will start on January 11, 2012 and end on February 1, 2012. All written comments received by online form, fax or mail during this time period in relation to the addendum will be considered. View Link and details
AGM Registration
Sunny Kelowna – site of our 2012 AGM – Now accepting registration forms. In 2011, both Williams Lake and Delta Naturalists held a fabulous AGM/FGM (respectively) – the meeting portion is short and will not have you squirming in your seat to go outside to play! There are many great outings, speakers and bird watching events rounded up with a nice wind up banquet. It will be warm enough to camp or motorhome and the list of accomodation is long for those that prefer hotel/motel! Details and REgistration available on BC Nature Website or Central Okanagan Naturalists Club website
News Release- Ministry of Environment
Making progress: BC Parks Investments celebrate BC Parks 100th birthday VICTORIA – British Columbia’s world-class parks system has been enhanced by more than $10.5 million in capital and community legacy investments and free parking for the approximately 20 million annual visitors to ensure our provincial parks are more welcoming for families and visitors to B.C. The Province invested $10.1 million in a range of provincial park projects, including a $1-million upgrade to electrical systems at Golden Ears Park, $135,000 for trail improvements at Horne Lake Caves Park on Vancouver Island, a $193,000 investment in Liard Hot Springs Park facility and a new shower building worth $550,000 in Juniper Park in B.C.’s Thompson region. Projects from wetland restoration in Cypress Park to cultural celebrations at Montague Harbour Marine Park to new foot bridges at West Twin Park have been undertaken through $450,000 in legacy funding, which leveraged an additional $470,000 from communities throughout the province. All legacy improvements were aimed at recreational activities or conservation efforts. Most projects will be completed by March 31, 2012. Quotes: Environment Minister Terry Lake – “BC Parks not only help define us as British Columbians, they are a calling card internationally. They speak to our love of our province, the environment, a healthy lifestyle and they help draw tourists to B.C.” “It’s no surprise that investing in our parks just makes good economic sense. We know that for every dollar spent, we get back more than eight dollars in visitor spending on food, entertainment, transportation, and other goods and services.” Marie Fournier, Cetus Research & Conservation Society – “Cetus Research and Conservation Society was pleased to be part of the Community Legacy Grant initiative. This season we were able to complete some necessary upgrades to a popular marine life viewing area in the Qwiquallaaq/Boat Bay Conservancy Park. These upgrades and the funds received from the Community Legacy Grant have transformed this site for all who visit the area.” Quick Facts: * Parking fees were eliminated from B.C.’s provincial parks on May 3, 2011, making parks more accessible and inviting to families. * The Province invested $450,000 in community groups through the Community Legacy Fund to support improvements to 27 projects throughout the province. Community groups receiving funding through the program are contributing a total of nearly $470,000 in cash and in-kind support for a total project value of nearly $920,000. * BC Parks recently invested $100,000 in 100 new easily accessible picnic tables to be installed in two of B.C.’s busiest provincial parks (Rathtrevor and Golden Ears) throughout 2012. * The 100 Park Benches for 100 Years of BC Parks program allows people to sponsor a park bench and personalize it, at the same time providing 100 new locations for park visitors to sit down and enjoy the spectacular scenery. * BC Parks provided a grant of $5,000 to support Learn to Fish sessions at parks in the Okanagan, Kamloops and Vancouver Island regions – attracting a record number of 2,400 participants. * Park rangers are featured in four Great Ranger videos sharing their experience of working as stewards of B.C.’s wonderful provincial parks. Learn More: * BC Parks: www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/things_to_do.html * Great Ranger videos: http://bit.ly/ooyxPj * Connect with BC Parks on Facebook: www.facebook.com/YourBCParks
Insurance Update
Please have your executive in charge of your meeting rental location double check with the landlord where you are holding your meetings. Please ensure you are not being charged extra for Liability Insurance. It came to my attention today that one of our clubs was paying extra fees to the City for the rental of a hall for their meetings. All that you require from us is an insurance certificate for your club showing your liability coverage. This can be obtained through the office. Please email the office with the name and address of your landlord and if seperate location, the name and address of your meeting venue. You are already paying for this service, do not duplicate payment.
David meets Goliath
Our naturalists club in Kitimat (10 members) had their time in front of the Joint Advisory Panel on Enbridge. For being one of our smallest clubs (10 members),they did an outstanding job with a great presentation! Kudo’s to one of our smallest federated clubs in standing up for Nature against one of the largest and potentially damaging pipeline projects in our province. We can only surmise at how much time and energy this project has taken up with your group and we applaud your efforts. Please few the following link for some of the proceedings at the Kitimaat hearing day. See also the Financial Post link about the Kitimat Naturalists presentation.!
Enbridge Updates and links
Due to the extensive media coverage on the Enbridge issue, we will be putting some links and updates in this section. BC Nature in conjunction with Nature Canada is also an Intervenor and will have links and updates on our website along with Nature Canada as our presentation is reviewed. Thank you to Nature Canada and the BC Nature Conservation team for all of their time and efforts in finalizing our submission. Below you will find links to video and excerpts of news releases that you may find interesting.
Nature Canada – Enbridge Link No tankers Nathan Cullen, MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley, spoke on Salt Spring several months ago. He told about hiring a small boat and its captain to travel out from Kitimat, following the route that oil tankers would take with bitumen from the tar sands. Cullen was surprised at all the right-angled turns in the narrow fjord. He commented that the huge tankers would have to slow right down to get around the corners safely. The captain laughed: “ You’ve canoed. You know a boat has to keep up speed for steerage around a turn. Otherwise she stalls and drifts.” It doesn’t sound safe. The pipeline backer, Enbridge, says these would be double-hulled tankers. But the tankers would be owned by whatever companies in China and U.S. were hired to transport the bitumen. They might not be double-hulled. Two decades after the Exxon Valdez spill, only seven tankers serving Alaska are double-hulled, while seventeen are not. Exxon continues with cheaper single-hulled tankers on its Alaskan runs. Our shorelines, bays, and fjords need provincial and federal protection from oil tanker traffic.
Join Bird Studies Canada (BSC) and eight other ornithological organizations and societies, as Canada hosts for the first time, the fifth North American Ornithological Conference (NAOC-V). The conference is being organized by the American Ornithologists’ Union, Society of Canadian Ornithologists/Société des Ornithologistes du Canada, BSC, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society, Raptor Research Foundation, La Sociedad para el Estudio y Conservación de las Aves en México (CIPAMEX), Waterbird Society, and Wilson Ornithological Society. It takes place August 14 to 18, 2012 at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Academic and professional ornithologists from every sector of the field, including the research sciences, management, policy, and planning will come together from around the world. Registration opens January 20, 2012. The conference will begin with an opening reception on the evening of August 14, 2012. There will be society council and conservation group meetings, as well as workshops, held prior to the main scientific program at the same venue. One and three-day field trips to some of Vancouver and BC’s most spectacular locations will be offered before and after the scientific program. The four-day scientific program (August 15 to 18) will begin each day with an address by a distinguished plenary speaker and presentation of society awards. The remainder of the daily program will consist of symposia, contributed papers, poster sessions, and networking events. Many exhibitors, including commercial publishers, equipment suppliers, artisans, local groups, and conservation organizations will be present throughout the meeting. We are actively seeking sponsors and exhibitors for the conference – for more information and to view the prospectus, select this ! link.
Urban Wildlife: Challenges and Management
Urban Wildlife: Challenges and Management
April 18-19, 2012 Rocky Mountain Prestige Inn, 209 Van Horne Street South Cranbrook BC
Details, speaker list and registration are at this link Wildlife numbers are increasing within many British Columbia municipalities, leading to more interactions with humans and our infrastructure. Interactions can lead to property damage, public safety issues, public health concerns, impacts on biodiversity, and death or suffering of wildlife. Deer, elk, coyotes, moose, geese, racoons, bears, and other animals can become more than a nuisance, putting themselves and humans at risk. Through a combination of presentations, posters, and field trips, this conference will address the environmental, social, and economic issues related to wildlife in urban settings. We anticipate attendance by a multidisciplinary group of people: provincial, regional district, and municipal staff; biologists; resource managers; First Nations; academics; industry, stewardship groups; and others with an interest in human–wildlife interactions. We have 23 speakers lined up plus an evening presentation by Dr. Michael Proctor about co-existing with grizzly bears in the urban/rural Creston Valley. The list of presentations and posters is here
Questions or comments? Contact us via E-mail us at BC Nature
Join Comox Valley Nature for a walk to celebrate Comox trees on Saturday, October 3, 2026. We will meet in the parking lot of the Comox Tennis Courts at 1:00 p.m. This 1.5 to 2 hour walk will be led by tree lovers Alora Griffin and Barbara Neilson. The number of participants is limited, and registration is required. RSVP on our events page at comoxvalleynaturalist.bc.ca/events/We will walk beneath the graceful boughs of some of Comox’s glorious trees, while enjoying their surroundings and the ambience they create for us. The trees selected will include examples of all the native trees now protected by the Town of Comox, as well as some exotic trees.We will discuss their biological features and historical significance as we amble along Brooklyn Creek and through Filberg Park and other parts of Comox. The path through Brooklyn Creek is uneven and there are stairs to climb. Bring your curiosity and questions as well as a water bottle and sun or rain protection, if needed. Please wear comfortable walking shoes. Children are welcome but please leave your furry friends at home, except for service dogs.This event is free, but donations are welcome. ...
The Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis laingi) is a top-level avian predator in mature and old coastal rainforests and is considered an indicator species of these habitats, as well as an indicator of forest health and biodiversity.Over half of the global range of this subspecies occurs in coastal British Columbia, where it favours mature coniferous forest. This non-migratory bird needs a relatively large home range that contains a good food supply. Despite some recent habitat protection efforts, continuing habitat loss is predicted, in part because of anticipated short rotation times in forest harvest. On Haida Gwaii, populations are very low and face an added risk from declines of prey species due to forest understory losses associated with high levels of browsing from an introduced population of deer.The Gitsegukla Huwilp of the Gitxsan.have drafted a petition to call for the legal protection of Northern Goshawks. These birds are keystone species in the Skeena Natural Resource Region which covers northwest British Columbia and includes the northern half of the Great Bear Rainforest. The coastal subspecies of Northern Goshawk on Haida Gwaii is the most vulnerable.The petition urges the Province of British Columbia to recognize and implement Regionally Important Wildlife protection for the Northern Goshawk. To sign please go to form.jotform.com/261745367749068For more information on the Goshawk visit www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/cosewic-assessm......
Our partners in conservation; CV Land Trust & Conservation Partnership are crowdfunding to purchase a very ecologically important property in Deep Bay. ...
Comox Valley Nature invites its members and the public to CVN’s September general meeting, this Sunday, September 27th.This month John Neilson will be speaking on “The Challenges in Maintaining an Urban Salmon Population – the Brooklyn Creek Story”Streams in urban environments that support healthy Pacific salmon populations are uncommon, as natural watercourses are often degraded or even buried during the course of development of roads and other urban infrastructure. Of the various Pacific salmon species, coho salmon show special abilities to survive and even thrive in close proximity to human settlements. In this talk, John Neilson reviews the status of coho salmon in the region, and explores the characteristics of this species that promote their resilience. He will also speak of the work of the Brooklyn Creek Watershed Society as they work to conserve the watershed in Comox.Dr. John Neilson has had a 30-year long career as a research scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, including leading research on the population status and ecology of bluefin tuna and swordfish in Canadian waters. He was also a member of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), and most recently, led the preparation of the status report on chinook salmon in southern British Columbia. He is the President of the Brooklyn Creek Watershed Society.A brief business meeting follows. Reports from some of our interest groups and projects are an opportunity for guests to learn more about what we do. ...
Hands Off Old Growth, this Sunday October 4th in Simms Park: