FGM Cranbrook – Sept 19-22, 2013. Registration and Outings and Presentation information is now available at the BC Nature Website
BC Rivers Day – Sept 29, 2013 Look for events in your community
Club Grant Applications – Deadline January 31, 2014
BC Nature Awards Nominations – Deadline February 28 2014 Nominate a worthy member today
Issue 33
Date June 2013
Prince George Request for Proposal
Request for Proposals for Consulting Services – Development of a Master Plan for a Nature Interpretation & Outdoor Learning Network – Any interested parties – please refer to this Link
Comments to BC Government Re: proposed changes
1) The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is inviting the public to review and comment on proposed visual-quality objectives and scenic areas in the Kootenay Lake portion of the Selkirk Resource District. The deadline for comments is August 15. Please follow this link for details
2)The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is offering funding for organizations planning to participate in the environmental assessment of the Brucejack Gold Mine project approximately 65 kms north of Stewart. Deadline for applications is July 6. Please follow this link for details.
3)The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency must decide whether a federal environmental assessment is required for the proposed Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project in British Columbia. To assist it in making its decision, the Agency is seeking comments from the public on the project and its potential effects on the environment. Please follow this link for details.
4) Murray River Coal Project – Public Comments Invited Please follow this link for details.
5) The Lac Du Bois Grasslands Management Planning Team is looking for input into the development of the draft management plan. They are specifically looking for information on the recent land additions and the Tranquille Special Feature Area portion of the protected area. For more information on the planning process and to provide your input click here .
6)Management planning projects have been initiated for Kikomun Park and Dean River Conservancy . More information on active management planning processes can be be found by visiting the BC Parks Management Planning Page .
Solve the puzzle – current energy debate
You cannot solve a puzzle without seeing the big picture. And in Canada’s current energy debate, sadly, the family cat got on the table, knocking most of the pieces to the floor, while toddlers argue over the three remaining pieces shouting “Mine!” Those pieces are the oil sands and while we maintain an obsessive focus on them, other elements crucial to our energy security, economic prosperity and our future as a planet are being neglected at Canada’s cost and peril. If all the key pieces of Canada’s energy future “the climate crisis, a prosperous economy, labour issues, east-west connectivity, energy efficiency, technological innovation, federal-provincial relations” were jigsaw pieces on our collective family table, it would be worthwhile to find the picture on the box the pieces came in. The cover of the box, a glorious sustainable energy roadmap, would depict where we want to be, with: a meaningful carbon reduction plan; phasing out coal across the land; bringing in energy conservation and efficiency standards; producing far more energy from renewable sources; applying cleantech solutions broadly; paying attention to energy security; and shifting from a strategy of rapid export of unprocessed product to managed production at a steady rate of upgraded and refined product, with value-added creating far more employment in oil production while energy efficiency targets create jobs everywhere in overhauling our built infrastructure. You cannot solve a puzzle when you do not see how the pieces fit together. In the case of the current energy debate, the dialogue is so devoid of content that one cannot dignify the noise by calling it debate. Back to that Canadian family table with all the jigsaw pieces we need to fit together, sadly, the family cat got on the table knocking most of the pieces to the floor, while toddlers argue over the three remaining pieces shouting “Mine!” To read the rest of the article visit this Link Article by Elizabeth May
Interesting Sites and articles
ebutterfly site Link
View a 3-minute video about freshwater in BC and the need for a new Act. The video features WWF Freshwater Ambassador Scott Niedermayer and a song by the Great Lake Swimmers. The youtube link to ” Water for Nature, Water for People” is here: Youtube link
Globe and Mail article on the recent Kinder Morgan pipeline oil spill near Merritt, BC
Orcas make rare visit to Vancouver harbour – Link. And a second link
Haida Gwaii Whale Watching Biologists Spot Rare Species link
The mother country turns on salmon farming – Alexandra Morton – link
About Town – Upcoming Events
Richmond Raptor Festival – August 18th For more information, check out this link Registration is now open for the 20th annual Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup – September 21 – 29
The Lower Mainland Green Team is working with the Corporation of Delta to remove the invasive plants ivy and lamium at Ladner Harbour Park on July 28th. To sign up and details click Here. Tools and gloves provided, no experience necessary
The Fascinating World of Bears – July 3, 2013. A slide presentation with biologist David Cook about the natural history and biology of bears. For details, visit here
CPAWS loves the South Okanagan-Similkameen!
CPAWS-BC’s campaign to achieve a national park in the South Okanagan-Similkameen is full steam ahead, including the filming of a short film and a tour by CPAWS national Board and staff. Having the opportunity to connect with locals and why they want their grasslands protected put wind in their sails. We believe that levels of local support are approaching the critical mass needed to move this forward. Read more here: link
Enbridge Hearings – Final Testimony
Rejecting Northern Gateway pipeline opens Canada to economic disaster, hearing told. Read more: Link
Rejecting Northern Gateway risks disaster, Enbridge lawyer. link
Press release for final Enbridge arguments from BC Nature and Nature Canada
Bird Studies Canada looking for volunteers – Lewis Woodpecker Survey
Bird Studies Canada, BC Nature, and the Canadian Wildlife Service are initiating a project to survey Lewis’s Woodpeckers and their nesting habitat in southern British Columbia. Volunteers are needed to conduct the following surveys this summer: 1) Habitat Ground truthing (basic and quick habitat review); 2) Lewis’s Woodpecker (LEWO) “point counts” (counting LEWO at predetermined locations); and 3) Casual observations of LEWO and opportunistic nest checks. Depending on your schedule, the time commitment could involve as little as one morning, or many days. Point counts must be completed between June 15 and July 15. Ground truthing surveys can be completed any time of the year within prescribed LEWO habitat. Some survey locations are near towns, while others require more driving; we’ll work with you to select a suitable route (close to your home or areas you plan to visit.) If you’re interested in volunteering, or have more questions, please contact the project coordinator for your area of interest. For Thompson-Nicola, Boundary, and East Kootenays, call Bird Studies Canada’s Christopher Di Corrado at 1-877-592-8527 or email . For Okanagan-Similkameen, contact Lisa Scott, Wildlife Tree Stewardship Program, at or (250) 404-0115.
BC Beached Bird Survey: Call for Volunteers
The British Columbia Beached Bird Survey is a long-term volunteer-based monitoring program that collects information on the causes and rates of seabird mortality. Many thanks to the 250 volunteers who have conducted over 3000 surveys and walked more than 7000 km of BC’s beaches since 2002! In total, 1204 beached birds of 67 species have been reported. Gulls, Northern Fulmar, Common Murre, and waterfowl have been the most abundant, accounting for 60% of the birds recorded. Bird Studies Canada is seeking volunteers for the program. Surveyors conduct monthly beach walks during the last week of the month, looking for bird carcasses that have washed ashore and signs of oiling. Advanced birding skills are not required, and the program is suitable for anyone who enjoys walking their local beach. The information gained helps us understand causes of seabird mortality, and identify which species are most vulnerable. We have many vacant beach routes in Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo-Qualicum, and Ucluelet-Tofino, and we are happy to set up new routes elsewhere in BC. Please contact Karen Barry (email ) for information or to sign up.
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: