- Prince George Naturalists Club: News from the Executive
- Club Events
- PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals
- Friday October 22, 3:30 p.m. NRESi Colloquium, “Stop-and-Go Primary Succession: The Story of Vegetation Development on the Nisga’a Lava Beds”
- Wednesday October 27, 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time, Things That Make You Go Boo!
- West Coast Olefins natural gas extraction plant applications
- Birdwatching Backpacks at the Prince George Public Library
Club News and Events
Prince George Naturalists Club: News from the Executive
Current members of the Executive have been holding the fort for the past 18 months. Some directors have delayed retirement in order to keep the Club afloat during the pandemic. Essential business has been conducted by email. The Executive has now started to meet via Zoom so we can prepare for an in-person Annual General Meeting in early 2022. This will be a great opportunity for Club members to get together after months of reduced activity. The Executive is working on ways to recruit new members to the Executive. If you have ideas or would like to join the Executive, please email us at princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com.
Club Events
December 2021, Christmas Bird Count
Swan Eagle Count, January 16, 2022
Annual General Meeting, January or February 2022
More information on all these events will be publicized closer to the dates.
PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals
New members who join the Club between now and December 31 this year will remain in good standing until December 31, 2022. Memberships are available online at https://pgnc.wordpress.com/membership/. Memberships can now be paid using eTransfer. No secret word is needed. Just send the e-Transfer to PrinceGeorgeNaturalistsClub@gmail.com and it goes directly into the Club’s bank account.
Memberships run from January 1 to December 31 and are available online any time. Cost is $25 per calendar year for individuals, $40 for a family, and $15 for students. Information including payment by PayPal is available at: https://pgnc.wordpress.com/membership/. Payments by cheque can be mailed to Prince George Naturalists Club, PO Box 1092, Prince George BC V2L 4V2.
Benefits of membership: Subscription to BC Nature magazine, liability insurance coverage for Club work parties and field trips, 10% discount on some bird seed purchased at Spruce Capital Feeds, and access to popular events limited to Club members only.
Other Events and News
Friday October 22, 3:30 p.m. NRESi Colloquium, “Stop-and-Go Primary Succession: The Story of Vegetation Development on the Nisga’a Lava Beds”.
Dr. Phil Burton, Professor, Ecosystem Science and Management, UNBC, will be presenting remotely on the Nisga’a Lava Beds. The 26 km2 lava plain left by the Tseax Volcano in the Nass Valley is an impressive central feature of the Nisga’a Lava Beds Memorial Provincial Park north of Terrace, B.C. The volcanic eruption that took place sometime in the 1700s and its impacts are central to the history of the Nisga’a First Nation. The current lava landscape supports a wide variety of vegetation, ranging from largely bare rock and thick blankets of lichens and mosses, to areas of closed forest cover dominated by mature lodgepole pine and cottonwood, prompting the question, “Why are there such pronounced differences in ecosystem development more than two centuries after a single historical disturbance?” Field research undertaken in 2018 and 2019 revealed significant effects of substrate differences, as expected, but also a pronounced legacy of recent disturbance events. A distinctive climate on the lava plain, combined with human activity, has resulted in recurrent wildfires that repeatedly reset the pattern of succession there. Conversely, other disturbances such as flooding and road construction have led to silt deposition that has promoted the establishment of trees and other vascular plants. As extreme weather leading to fires and floods is on the increase, future vegetation development on the lava beds can be expected to be set back in some places and accelerated elsewhere. This complexity challenges textbook descriptions of linear ecological succession and foretells an uncertain future in a changing climate. This talk will be available to attend in-person in Room 8-164** or Online via this link: https://www2.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts
**Please note: Masks must be worn by all those attending in person as per PHO order and UNBC Policy. Thank you for your understanding.
If you’re unable to access a webinar on the day it’s broadcast, here’s the link to the archive: https://video.unbc.ca/channel/NRESI/
Wednesday October 27, 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time, Things That Make You Go Boo!
From Nature Conservancy Canada: The season of fright is here, and all around us are images of commonly feared animals – bats fluttering against a full moon, the howling lone wolf, but just how scary are they? In this Nature Talks, a panel of speakers will walk us through the fact from fiction of some misunderstood creatures and help us understand how our perceptions impact species survival. Once registered, you’ll receive a link to the livestream event, and after the event, a link to the recording. https://tinyurl.com/6n5uuwb8
West Coast Olefins natural gas extraction plant applications
Submitted by Ellen Loughery: West Coast Olefins has submitted applications to the Oil and Gas Commission, Regional District Fraser Fort George and the Agricultural Land Commission. The Agricultural Land Reserve is involved as the company has applied for “non-agricultural use” in the Pineview Agricultural Land Reserve to have a natural gas extraction plant to service its needs.
Petrochemical operations are known to cause serious health concerns in humans, pollute air, water and land, and negatively impact fish and wildlife.
If you are opposed to this complex please let your voice be heard. The deadline is the end of October. Email your concerns to developmentservices@rdffg.bc.ca using WCOL ALR Application in the subject line.
To ensure the submission can be forwarded to the Agricultural Land Use Standing Committee for consideration, the following is required in your email:
I, (your name) consent to comments contained in or attached to this email becoming public information. I understand that this means the comments may be placed on a public meeting agenda of the Regional District and may be forwarded to the Agricultural Land Commission for their use.
Birdwatching Backpacks at the Prince George Public Library
The Prince George Public Library is lending out six birdwatching backpacks containing a Field Guide, binoculars, a checklist of birds in north-central BC and a brochure on birdwatching around Prince George. The PGNC provided the local checklist and brochure to the Library for reproduction. All six backpacks are being put to use – they are either checked out or awaiting pickup at the Bob Harkins Branch. This is an excellent service for beginning birdwatchers.
