PGNC News & Notes, October 27, 2022

• Saturday October 29, 8:30 am. Caribou Viewing Field Trip, 8:30 a.m.
• Wednesday November 9, 7 p.m., Executive Meeting on Zoom
• Memberships: New and Renewals
• PGNC Director Profile: Lauren Elviss
• Are You Experienced in Website Design? The PGNC Needs You!
• Friday October 28, 3:30 p.m., UNBC Room 7-212, NRES Institute Colloquium: Indigenous Elders Teachings: Working across disciplines and sectors for the well-being of future generations
• UNBC student chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Photography Contest Deadline: November 10
• Meteor Lake Wetland-Bog

Club News and Events

Saturday October 29, 8:30 am. Caribou Viewing Field Trip, 8:30 a.m.

Reminder: Our Caribou Viewing (Members Only) field trip is coming up this Saturday! There are only 5 spots left so if you haven’t emailed us yet and you would like to come, we recommend getting on that ASAP.

We will meet at Spruceland Mall under the Spruceland Shopping Centre sign near the bus stop for waiver signing and carpooling on October 29, 8:30 a.m. Please bring $10 to give to your driver. For more information contact us on Facebook or Instagram @PGNaturalists or email us at princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com.
Please note: We have to cap the Caribou Viewing field trip at 25. It will be on a first-come, first-served basis so please email us at princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com if you would like to come. Please note, there will be carpooling on this trip. This trip will be at least 6-8 hrs in length and we will be traveling northwest of Prince George (about 165 km.) Please bring a snack if you feel you need one and dress appropriately for the weather. We hope you can join us! If you are interested in membership please find information here: https://pgnc.wordpress.com/membership.

Wednesday November 9, 7 p.m. Executive Meeting on Zoom

The next Executive meeting is set for Wednesday November 9 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Current PGNC members are welcome to attend Executive meetings. If you would like to attend, send an email to the Club President at princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com to obtain the Zoom link.

PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals

Thank you to everyone who is joining the PGNC or renewing memberships. Your membership supports the Naturalists Club and BC Nature, our parent organization, in all their good work.

E-Transfer is available by sending to PrinceGeorgeNaturalistsClub@gmail.com and it goes directly into the Club’s bank account. No secret word is needed. Payments by cheque can be mailed to Prince George Naturalists Club, PO Box 1092, Prince George BC V2L 4V2. 

Memberships run from January 1 to December 31. Cost is $25 per calendar year for individuals, $40 for a family, and $15 for students. Benefits of membership: Subscription to BC Nature magazine, liability insurance coverage for Club work parties and field trips, and access to popular events limited to Club members only. 

“To be a naturalist is to be joyful, inquisitive, and at home on the world. To be home is to treat every life form as a family member”: Marina Richie.

PGNC Director Profile: Lauren Elviss

Lauren is currently a master’s student at UNBC, and her research focuses on the experimental feeding program for the endangered Kennedy Siding herd in central British Columbia. Lauren’s research examines physiological bioindicators in hair and feces to investigate whether supplemental feeding increases the number of females that breed each year or whether feeding increases the survival of calves. Lauren is an avid hiker and wildlife photographer and can often be found in the woods with her camera. In her free time, she enjoys embroidery, baking, and cuddling her cat. 

Are You Experienced in Website Design? The PGNC Needs You!

We are looking for someone who has web design experience to help us with plans to redesign the website. If this is you or someone you know, please email us at princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com.

Other Events and News

Friday October 28, 3:30 p.m., UNBC Room 7-212, NRES Institute Colloquium: Indigenous Elders Teachings: Working across disciplines and sectors for the well-being of future generations

Presenter is Dr. Darlene Sanderson, Associate Professor Health Sciences: “In this presentation I will discuss the values and principles learned from Indigenous Elders about water. It will relate to the intersections and connections of the disciplines of health, law, education and the environment. I will also present how we have brought together traditional knowledge and western science through our recent local research, using Indigenous research methodologies, and collaborative international work with agencies and different levels of government.”

The Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute (NRESi) at UNBC hosts a weekly lecture series at the Prince George campus. Anyone from the university or wider community with interest in the topic area is welcome to attend. Presentations are also made available to remote participants through Zoom Webinar. Go to http://www.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts to view the presentation remotely.

UNBC student chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Photography Contest: Deadline is November 10.

The annual photography contest is a major fundraiser for the UNBC TWS student chapter. Photos will be accepted from October 25 to November 10. The winning photos are used in the production of the 2023 Calendar. Proceeds are shared with the wildlife shelter in Smithers. Details are outlined in the poster below. If you have any questions about the contest or how to find the TWS bulletin board on campus, send an email to tws@unbc.ca. 

Meteor Lake Wetland-Bog

The Nature Trust of BC is currently raising funds to purchase four parcels of land near Meteor Lake, located between Prince George and McBride. The 235-hectare Meteor Lake Wetland – Bog connects to one of the largest wetlands in the Upper Fraser River Valley. More information on the importance of this and other wetlands to mitigate the impacts of climate change on biodiversity loss within BC, is available here: https://www.naturetrust.bc.ca/our-projects/meteor-lake-wetland-bog-priority-project. PGNC members and supporters understand the significance of wetlands. The Club spent many years raising funds and building observation decks at the Hudson’s Bay Wetland in downtown Prince George.

PGNC News & Notes, March 24, 2022

• PGNC Executive News
• PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals
• Monday April 4, 2022, 7 p.m. PGNC Special Drawdown BC online event for members concerned about climate change
• Friday March 25, 3:30 p.m., UNBC Room 7-212, NRES Institute and UNBC Student Chaper of the Wildlife Society (TWS): Recovering sea otters increase eelgrass genetic diversity, and show how restoration of species interactions can support resilience
• Monday March 28, 6:30 p.m. Key Biodiversity Areas, The Exploration Place, virtual adult speaker series 
• Tuesday March 29, 7 p.m. on Zoom. Pollination and Pollinators: The love affair between pollinators and flowering plants
• Do you have a backyard available for insect research?

Club News and EventsPGNC Executive News
The Executive met via Zoom on March 23 and confirmed the appointment of the Club’s officers: President Angelina Joiner, Vice-President Caitlin Zvanovec, Secretary Diana Corona Castro, Treasurer Sandra Kinsey, and BC Nature Director Dave Leman. The Executive plans to meet regularly to plan Club activities and events.

PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals
Thank you to everyone who is renewing memberships or joining the PGNC. Complete information on payment options is available any time at: https://pgnc.wordpress.com/membership/. E-Transfer is available by sending to PrinceGeorgeNaturalistsClub@gmail.com and it goes directly into the Club’s bank account. No secret word is needed. Payments by cheque can be mailed to Prince George Naturalists Club, PO Box 1092, Prince George BC V2L 4V2. 

Memberships run from January 1 to December 31. Cost is $25 per calendar year for individuals, $40 for a family, and $15 for students. 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. 

Monday April 4, 2022, 7 p.m. PGNC Special Drawdown BC online event for PGNC members concerned about climate change

Are you concerned about the impacts of climate change, and are you looking for ideas on ways you can help make a positive contribution to the problem? PGNC members and supporters are invited to attend a one-hour online event by Drawdown BC, specificially designed for our Club. Maximum registration is 40 participants. Anyone wishing to attend should email Dave Leman at dave@ecovisions.ca. Dave will build the participant list and send out Zoom meeting details to attendees a day or two ahead of the event.

What is Drawdown BC? It’s a volunteer-run organization dedicated to the education and engagement of ordinary citizens about some already identified climate solutions required to reverse global warming. See https://drawdownbc.org for more information. 

In November 2021, BC Nature sponsored a 5 week series of online sessions put on by Drawdown BC. Drawdown BC relies on information and principles from Project Drawdown. 

Project Drawdown’s stated mission is to help the world reach “drawdown”—the point in the future when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline, thereby stopping catastrophic climate change—as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible. More information on Project Drawdown is available here: https://drawdown.org/about

Other Events and News

Friday March 25, 3:30 p.m., UNBC Room 7-212, NRES Institute and UNBC Student Chaper of the Wildlife Society (TWS): Recovering sea otters increase eelgrass genetic diversity, and show how restoration of species interactions can support resilience.

On Friday, March 25th, 3:30 pm, the NRES Institute, in partnership with the UNBC Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society (TWS), will be presenting Dr. Erin Foster (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) who will be giving the virtual presentation “Recovering sea otters increase eelgrass genetic diversity, and show how restoration of species interactions can support resilience”.

Presenter is Dr. Erin Foster (Fisheries and Oceans Canada). Most knowledge about the role of predation in the workings of nature is ecological, focused on how predation influences community structure. However, many predators disturb plants and substrates when foraging. Some types of disturbance can increase genetic diversity, which can in turn influence species’ potential for adaptation and resilience. In this seminar, I will discuss how my colleagues and I tested the idea that sea otter (Enhydra lutris) digging – a foraging behaviour used to excavate prey from eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows – could cause disturbance, potentially influencing eelgrass reproductive strategies and genetic diversity. Sea otters once ranged across the Pacific Rim, but were driven to near-extinction by the mid-1850s. Sea otters are recovering in parts of their range, causing a mosaic of areas with and without otters, which we used to design a natural experiment comparing meadows from areas where otters were present for decades, a few years, or were absent. We found that eelgrass allelic richness and genotypic diversity were, respectively, 30 and 6% higher in meadows where otters were established for 20-30 years, than where they had recently arrived (<10 years), or were absent. We infer that otter digging disturbs eelgrass, increasing flowering compared to vegetative reproduction, and provides conditions for seed set and growth. We tested if meadow size, depth, and temperature affected eelgrass genetic diversity, but found the association between otters and eelgrass was strongest. When sea otter populations were severely reduced, their effects on eelgrass genetic diversity were lost. Our findings highlight an underappreciated evolutionary process by which sea otter recovery can contribute to ecological resilience, and illustrate a novel consequence of trophic downgrading that may apply broadly across systems where large fauna have been functionally eliminated. I will discuss these potential implications, and approaches we may use to evaluate such ideas.

This talk will be available to attend in-person in Room 7-212* or Online via the link below. Dr. Foster will be presenting remotely.

*Please note: Masks are recommended for those attending in person as per UNBC Policy. Thank you for your understanding.

Also note that at the request of the speaker this talk will not be recorded and thus won’t be able to put in the NRESi video archive for later viewing.

The best way to ensure access to the NRESi and FWCP webinars is to sign up for the NRESi weekly newsletter which contains all the access information for each event. If you would like to receive NRESi’s newsletter, updates on events and other announcements, please contact Al Wiensczyk at Al.Wiensczyk@unbc.ca or Art Fredeen at: Art.Fredeen@unbc.ca. 

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/

Monday March 28, 6:30 p.m. Key Biodiversity Areas, The Exploration Place, virtual adult speaker series 

The Exploration Place is hosting a virtual adult speaker series on March 28 on Key Biodiversity Areas. KDAs are sites that contribute significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity. Ian Adams, BC Coordinator for Key Biodiversity Areas, will lead a presentation on what KBAs are, how they are recognized and what happens next. For more information about the topic and the presenter, and to register for this event, visit The Exploration Place website at https://tinyurl.com/badefvm9

Tuesday March 29, 7 p.m. on Zoom. Pollination and Pollinators: The love affair between pollinators and flowering plants.

Presented by the David Douglas Botanical Garden Society. Speaker is Paul van Westendorp, Apiculture Specialist for British Columbia. Register in advance for this meeting at REGISTER HERE or go to https://www.ddbotgarden.bc.ca Upcoming Events. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Paul was first introduced to bees and beekeeping about 60 years ago. His ongoing fascination with bees and their critical role in agriculture and the environment led to agricultural science studies at UBC with employment as summer student with the BC Ministry of Agriculture in the 1970s. After UBC, Paul was involved in apiculture research at the Agriculture Canada research station at Beaverlodge Alberta for several years. In the mid-1980s he moved to Uganda to manage an apiculture development project under the auspices of CARE International. Its objectives were to train subsistence farmers beekeeping management and generate supplemental income. He returned to Canada in 1987 and was appointed Provincial Apiarist of Alberta. When the equivalent position in BC became available in 1989, Paul was appointed BC’s Provincial Apiarist. 

While honeybees have always been the prime focus of BC’ Apiculture Program, issues related to other pollinators including bumble bees, orchard bees and leafcutter bees have also been part of the portfolio. Familiarity with stinging insects and their behavior made it obvious for the Asian Giant Hornet file being assigned to the Apiculture Program. For details about BC’s Apiculture Program extension and educational services, please visit www.gov.bc.ca/apiculture and www.gov.bc.ca/foodforbees.

Do you have a backyard available for insect research? 

Special request from Claire Paillard, Master’s Student at UNBC: I am a UNBC Master’s student looking to sample insects in the back yards of Prince George residences this summer. I am looking for yards with lawns, and with little or no pesticide use. It would involve me setting up five small pitfall traps spaced a meter apart in your yard. A pitfall trap is a small cup in the ground that traps insects. I would come by every two weeks between late May to August to collect specimens, giving you advance notice each time. This research would help teach us about how urbanization is impacting insects in Prince George and tell us what native and introduced species we can find right under our feet. If you are interested in providing a small amount of space in your yard this summer, please contact me at paillard@unbc.ca.

PGNC News & Notes, March 11, 2022

• The PGNC Welcomes New Board of Directors
• Monday April 4, 2022, 7 p.m. Special Drawdown BC online event for PGNC members concerned about climate change
• Join BIMBY, the great BC butterfly search by March 14
• Monday March 28, 6:30 p.m. Key Biodiversity Areas, The Exploration Place, virtual adult speaker series 
• Do you have a backyard available for insect research?

Club News and Events

The PGNC Welcomes New Board of Directors

The PGNC elected a new slate of directors at the AGM on March 3. Directors are Diana Corona Castro, Lauren Elviss, Sandra Hepburn, Angelina Joiner, Sandra Kinsey, Dave Leman, Cara Snell and Caitlin Zvanovec. Three of the new directors are UNBC students and a fourth will be attending UNBC in the fall. The Board is planning to meet soon on Zoom so everyone can get acquainted and build a work plan for the coming year. The officer positions will be filled at a future Executive meeting.

Monday April 4, 2022, 7 p.m. Special Drawdown BC online event for PGNC members concerned about climate change

Are you concerned about the impacts of climate change, and are you looking for ideas on ways you can help make a positive contribution to the problem? PGNC members and supporters are invited to attend a one-hour online event by Drawdown BC, specificially designed for our Club. Maximum registration is 40 participants. Anyone wishing to attend should email Dave Leman at dave@ecovisions.ca. Dave will build the participant list and send out Zoom meeting details to attendees a day or two ahead of the event.

What is Drawdown BC? It’s a volunteer-run organization dedicated to the education and engagement of ordinary citizens about some already identified climate solutions required to reverse global warming. See https://drawdownbc.org for more information. 

In November 2021, BC Nature sponsored a 5 week series of online sessions put on by Drawdown BC.  Drawdown BC relies on information and principles from Project Drawdown. 

Project Drawdown’s stated mission is to help the world reach “drawdown”—the point in the future when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline, thereby stopping catastrophic climate change—as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible. More information on Project Drawdown is available here: https://drawdown.org/about

Join BIMBY, the great BC butterfly search by March 14

BIMBY (Butterflies in My Back Yard) is an ongoing effort to track the abundance and diversity of butterflies in B.C. If you live in BC, love butterflies and enjoy hanging out in nature, this project is for you. From February 28 to March 14, the David Suzuki Foundation will recruit volunteers to help document butterfly species in their communities starting in April.

In an April webinar, BIMBY volunteers will be trained to use iNaturalist (an app that allows people to identify plant, animal and insect species with smartphones and record information for researchers and other citizen scientists). Volunteers will then meet monthly from May to September. School participants will be invited to join a schoolyard BIMBY Bioblitz in June. Keen volunteers will also be trained to document butterflies along specific walking routes during the season.

If you are interested in joining the BIMBY project, please fill out the registration form at davidsuzuki.org/bimby by March 14.

The B.C.–based citizen science campaign is hosted by the David Suzuki Foundation on the iNaturalist platform, in partnership with UBC zoologist Michelle Tseng and UBC Botanical Garden associate director Tara Moreau. According to UBC’s E-Fauna B.C. website, at least 184 butterfly species can be found in the province, the most diverse in the country. Tseng says the latest data also show 10 of 19 endangered insects in B.C. are butterflies.

Like other wild pollinators, butterflies in B.C. are threatened by pesticides, climate change and habitat loss. The BIMBY project team hopes the data collected in 2022 will help present a clearer picture of B.C. butterfly health and help inform conservation efforts. According to Moreau, apart from using citizen science to create a baseline and document butterfly abundance and diversity in B.C., it is important “to see how this work can help to halt the loss of biodiversity and prevent extinction of species in B.C. These are the big global biodiversity goals for the next decade, and it would be great to showcase how we can connect baselining butterflies to halting their extinction.”

Monday March 28, 6:30 p.m. Key Biodiversity Areas, The Exploration Place, virtual adult speaker series 

The Exploration Place is hosting a virtual adult speaker series on March 28 on Key Biodiversity Areas. KDAs are sites that contribute significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity. Ian Adams, BC Coordinator for Key Biodiversity Areas, will lead a presentation on what KBAs are, how they are recognized and what happens next. For more information about the topic and the presenter, and to register for this event, visit The Exploration Place website at https://tinyurl.com/badefvm9

Do you have a backyard available for insect research? 

Special request from Claire Paillard, Master’s Student at UNBC: I am a UNBC Master’s student looking to sample insects in the back yards of Prince George residences this summer. I am looking for yards with lawns, and with little or no pesticide use. It would involve me setting up five small pitfall traps spaced a meter apart in your yard. A pitfall trap is a small cup in the ground that traps insects. I would come by every two weeks between late May to August to collect specimens, giving you advance notice each time. This research would help teach us about how urbanization is impacting insects in Prince George and tell us what native and introduced species we can find right under our feet. If you are interested in providing a small amount of space in your yard this summer, please contact me at paillard@unbc.ca.

PGNC News and Notes, September 17, 2021

• Prince George Naturalists Club News
• PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals
• Sunday September 19, 7 p.m. Introduction to Drawdown Climate Solutions Course, Webinar (45 min.)
• NRESi Colloquium Proposed Schedule, Fall 2021
• Plants of Northern British Columbia, expanded second edition

Club Events and News

Prince George Naturalists Club News

Field trips have been limited this year for all the reasons that make it hard to plan in advance, especially the pandemic. We are grateful to Sandra Kinsey for organizing three weed pulls this summer, with special thanks to the volunteers who turned out to help.

The Annual General Meeting scheduled for March 2020 had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. The Club received an extension from BC Registries that allows the 2020 AGM to be held before November 1, 2021. Current members of the Executive have been holding the fort for the past 18 months. An in-person AGM would be a great opportunity to get together and encourage new members to join the Executive. More information to come soon about the AGMs for 2020 and 2021 once the current Executive has a chance to review the options.

PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals

Club members continue to renew their memberships by mail or online at https://pgnc.wordpress.com/membership/. New members are also joining the Club. This support is much appreciated. 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.

BC Nature has changed how individual Club membership lists are kept. Anyone more than three months in arrears will not receive BC Nature magazine or BC Nature’s monthly eNews. 

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 of the bird seed purchased at Spruce Capital Feeds, and access to popular events limited to Club members only. 

Other Events and News

Sunday September 19, 7 p.m. Introduction to Drawdown Climate Solutions Course, Webinar (45 min.)
Drawdown BC, is a part of a global coalition of scientists, researchers, economists, and others, that has built a model to evaluate solutions to global warming, based on their actual impact on greenhouse gas emissions.  

Attending the Introduction to Drawdown Climate Solutions Course on Sept 19 will help you explore and initiate climate change solutions, help you decide if you want to register for the full 5-week course, and give you an opportunity to ask questions.  

By Zoom. Register for free:   https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/introduction-to-drawdown-tickets-169024961209?utm-campaign=social%2Cemail&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-source=strongmail&utm-term=listing This event is sponsored by the BC Nature Climate Action Sub-Committee. For more information on Project Drawdown visit: https://drawdown.org

NRESi Colloquium Proposed Schedule, Fall 2021

The Colloquium presentations this fall are scheduled for Fridays at 3:30 p.m. with in-person attendance at UNBC or accessible online. Those wishing to attend in person must be partially vaccinated (before Oct 24th) or fully vaccinated (after October 24th) and wear a mask as per Provincial Health Officer (PHO) orders and UNBC policy. 

The best way to ensure access to the NRESi and FWCP webinars is to sign up for the NRESi weekly newsletter which contains all the access information for each event. If you would like to receive NRESi’s newsletter, updates on events and other announcements, please contact Al Wiensczyk at Al.Wiensczyk@unbc.ca or Art Fredeen at Art.Fredeen@unbc.ca.

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/

Presentation Date	Tentative Presenter and/or Topic
September 17, 2021	Omineca Fisheries on the rise – an overview of current freshwater fisheries management approaches and challenges in the Omineca Region of BC. Dr. Nikolaus Gantner (FLNRORD)
September 24, 2021	Ecosystem Integrity Monitoring: My Journey from UNBC to Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. Dr, Travis Gerwing (Parks Canada)
October 1, 2021	Christopher Morgan (UNBC)
October 8, 2021	Dr. Jennifer Provencher (Canadian Wildlife Service)
October 15, 2021	Todd French (EDI consultants)
October 22, 2021	Dr. Dominick DellaSala (Geos Institute)
October 29, 2021	Dr. Geoff De Ruiter (BC BioCarbon)
November 5, 2021	David Boudinot, Daniel Brendle-Moczuk, and Calvin Sanborn (UVic)
November 12, 2021	Mayflies across northern Canada: Adventures of an aquatic insect biologist. Dr. Donna Giberson (University of PEI)
November 19, 2021	Reconciliation in Land Use Planning. Dr Sarah Atkinson, (Vesta Consultants). Inspiring Women Among Us (IWAU) sponsored presenter
November 26, 2021	Dr. Samuel Bartels (UNBC)

Plants of Northern British Columbia, expanded second edition

Great news! The second edition of Plants of Northern British Columbia is back in print after seven years. Plant lovers can now replace their well-worn first editions by buying a copy from Books and Company here in Prince George. Books and Company had to place an order for 1,000 copies in order to convince the publisher to print it again. Here’s a link to the bookstore website in case you want to order a copy online: https://www.booksandcompany.ca

PGNC News & Notes, February 27, 2021

• PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals
• Report: Two Excellent February Events 
• Trans Mountain Expansion Project Reconsideration: Deadline March 1
• Wednesday March 3, 12 noon, “Dammed if we don’t: Exploring opportunities to restore connectivity in rivers and streams and why it matters”
• Friday March 5, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. NRESi Colloquium, Dynamics and Restoration of Whitebark Pine Ecosystems at their Northwest Limit
• Saturday March 6, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Northern BC Virtual Seedy Saturday
• Moose Winter Tick Monitoring Program

Club Events and News

PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals

We are very grateful that Club members continue to renew their memberships online or by mail. New members are also joining the Club. This support is much appreciated. 

BC Nature has changed how individual Club membership lists are kept so anyone more than three months in arrears will not receive BC Nature magazine or BC Nature’s monthly eNews. 

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 of the bird seed purchased at Spruce Capital Feeds, and access to popular events limited to Club members only. 

Other Events and News

Report: Two Excellent February Events 
On February 8, Dr. Hugues Massicotte gave an overview of the challenges of studying fungi and explored some of the insights he has made over the years with colleagues at UNBC, including the intriguing myco-heterotrophic plants and the opportunities of myco-prospecting in northern BC. Over 100 people enjoyed his informative and entertaining presentation. Thanks to The Exploration Place for sponsoring this online presentation as part of their Virtual Adult Speaker Series.

On February 10, conservation specialist Rich Weir gave an online presentation on  “A Tale of Two Populations: Why Are Fishers in the Peace Different from 200 km Away?” Just over 80 people watched the webinar which was sponsored by the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program and NRESi at UNBC. A PGNC club member reported that it was an A++ presentation both for the content and the presentation style of the speaker. It’s now available for viewing at the NRESi Colluquium archive: https://video.unbc.ca/channel/NRESI/

Trans Mountain Expansion Project Reconsideration: Deadline March 1

The Province of BC is seeking public comments on the Draft Provincial Reconsideration Report. Deadline to submit comments is March 1, 2021. For full information on the reconsideration report see: 
https://engage.gov.bc.ca/govtogetherbc/consultation/trans-mountain-expansion-project-reconsideration/

Wednesday March 3, 12 noon, “Dammed if we don’t: Exploring opportunities to restore connectivity in rivers and streams and why it matters”
Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program and NRES Institute Special Colloquium Presentation. Presenter is Dan Kraus, Senior Conservation Biologist, Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Ecological connectivity and wildlife corridors are often considered for terrestrial wildlife, but in many places in Canada it is our aquatic ecosystems that are most impacted by habitat fragmentation. Migratory fishes that depend on access to spawning and nursery habitats are often impeded by dams and other obstructions, including road-stream crossings. These barriers can compromise stock and species diversity, result in losses of annual recruitment and reduced production and harvests. Fragmentation of aquatic habitat connectivity can also impact nutrient flows, riparian processes and spread invasive species. Fortunately there are many actions that can help us to better understand and improve aquatic habitat connectivity. Using examples from the Great Lakes basin and case studies from the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Dan will explore some of the approaches to mapping and prioritizing barrier removal and the challenges and opportunities of reconnecting aquatic habitats. 

Dan is the Senior Conservation Biologist with the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s national office. He is an expert on Canadian biodiversity and conservation and has recently written reports on a variety of topics including freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas in Canada and species at risk legislation. Dan also co-authored biodiversity conservation strategies for all four Canadian Great Lakes, co-led the first conservation assessment of Great Lakes islands, and prepared the State of the Great Lakes indicator on aquatic habitat connectivity. His current projects include developing Canada’s first list of nationally endemic species, a review of biodiversity in Canadian cities, and an assessment of biodiversity, threats and conservation responses across southern Canada. Dan often shares his passion about nature and the importance of conservation, and his editorials have appeared in media across Canada. He is a councillor on the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution, a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, Deputy Chair of the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario and was a founding board member of the Ontario Invasive Plant Council. In his spare time, he is currently researching the socio-ecological drivers of wildlife extinction and recovery at the University of Waterloo. Prior to NCC, Dan worked with Parks Canada and as an environmental consultant. Dan lives at the headwaters of Bronte Creek in the Lake Ontario watershed where he enjoys chopping wood and raising happy chickens. 

This event is funded by the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP). The FWCP is a partnership between BC Hydro, Fisheries & Oceans Canada, First Nations, Public Stakeholders and the Province of BC, to conserve and enhance fish and wildlife in watersheds impacted by existing BC Hydro dams. Contact al.wiensczyk@unbc.ca to request the passcode and get the Zoom link.

Friday March 5, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. NRESi Colloquium, Dynamics and Restoration of Whitebark Pine Ecosystems at their Northwest Limit
Sybille Haeussler, Adjunct Professor, UNBC, Smithers and Alana Clason, Post-doctoral Research, Bulkley Valley Research Centre, Smithers are the presenters. Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), western Canada’s first officially endangered tree, reaches its northwest limit in our backyard, the mountains of north central BC. Its huge, nutritious seeds are dispersed by a bird –the Clark’s Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana)–rendering it particularly vulnerable to a changing environment. Fifteen years ago, against the backdrop of BC’s devastating mountain beetle epidemic, the Bulkley Valley Research Centre in Smithers began a collaborative research program to better understand the dynamics of this curious tree species, and to develop practical techniques for restoring healthy whitebark pine ecosystems. For full background on this webinar see: https://tinyurl.com/52w94nu9

Members of the PGNC have found that the best way to ensure access to the NRESi and FWCP webinars is to sign up for the NRESi weekly newsletter which contains all the access information for each event. If you would like to receive NRESi’s newsletter, updates on events and other announcements, please contact Al Wiensczyk at Al.Wiensczyk@unbc.ca or Art Fredeen at: Art.Fredeen@unbc.ca.

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/

Saturday March 6, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Northern BC Virtual Seedy Saturday
The PGNC has participated in Seedy Saturday events for many years. Sponsored by Prince George Master Gardeners and David Douglas Botanical Garden Society, the event is going online this year. Host is Seeds of Diversity. SIGN UP HERE: https://tinyurl.com/b9xsuhax After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Moose Winter Tick Monitoring Program

The Province is running a Moose Winter Tick Monitoring Program from January 1 to April 30. Provincial wildlife biologists are asking for our help in promoting moose health and controlling potentially-deadly winter moose tick infestations. It’s easy to participate. All you need are keen eyes and a love of the great outdoors. Here’s the link to the survey information: https://tinyurl.com/y2ayhbl6

PGNC News and Notes, February 7, 2021

• PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals
• Monday February 8, 6:30 p.m. Dr. Hugues Massicotte, “Planet fungi, underground connections and myco-prospecting”, The Exploration Place Virtual Adult Speaker Series
• Wednesday February 10, 12 noon, Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program presentation,  “A Tale of Two Populations: Why Are Fishers in the Peace Different from 200 km Away?”
• Friday February 12, NRESi Colloquium, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Survival How? Pandemics, Transgressions and Education for the Anthropocene. Dr. Alex Lautensach, School of Education, UNBC
• Seedy Saturday Online, February 19 to 21
• Trans Mountain Expansion Project Reconsideration
• Moose Winter Tick Monitoring Program
• Request for information on Erythranthe lewisii / Mimulus lewisii

Club Events and News

PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals

We are very grateful that Club members continue to renew their memberships online or by mail. New members are also joining the Club. This support is much appreciated. 

BC Nature has changed how individual Club membership lists are kept so anyone more than three months in arrears will not receive BC Nature magazine or BC Nature’s monthly eNews. 

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 of the bird seed purchased at Spruce Capital Feeds, and access to popular events limited to Club members only. 

Other Events and News

Monday February 8, 6:30 p.m. Dr. Hugues Massicotte, “Planet fungi, underground connections and myco-prospecting”, The Exploration Place Virtual Adult Speaker Series
In this presentation, “Planet fungi, underground connections and myco-prospecting”, Dr. Massicotte will give an overview of the challenges of studying fungi, and will explore some of the insights he has made over the years with colleagues at UNBC, including the intriguing myco-heterotrophic plants and the opportunities of myco-prospecting in northern BC.

Dr. Massicotte retired as Full Professor from the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), Canada, in the summer of 2020 and is now Adjunct Professor with the Ecosystem Science and Management Program. He remains fascinated by the natural history of fungi and plants, and still feels he knows far too little about them. 
Attendance is free but advance registration is required. Here’s the link to the registration information you need to enjoy this talk by one of the Prince George Naturalists Club’s favourite presenters: https://tinyurl.com/2mbv6yku

Wednesday February 10, 12 noon, Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program presentation
Join carnivore conservation specialist Rich Weir for “A Tale of Two Populations: Why Are Fishers in the Peace Different from 200 km Away?” Find out about one of the rarest mammals in the Peace Region, the key role fishers play in local low-elevation forests, and what is being done to conserve their habitat.
Known to have among the fastest burst speed of any land mammal in North America and an unequaled ability to prey on porcupines, fishers are a housecat-sized carnivore that live around us in the forests of central and northern BC. Fishers are one of the rarest mammals in the Peace and Williston regions, but they play a key role in low-elevation forests throughout these areas. Come hear Rich Weir talk about this fascinating species and learn about what is being done in the Peace and Williston regions to conserve this vital part of our forested ecosystems. Rich Weir is the Carnivore Conservation Specialist for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy in Victoria. Fascinated with ‘all the little killers’ since an undergraduate student, Rich has done field studies on fishers across BC over the past 30 years and is a leading expert on the species. This event is funded by the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP). The FWCP is a partnership between BC Hydro, Fisheries & Oceans Canada, First Nations, Public Stakeholders and the Province of BC, to conserve and enhance fish and wildlife in watersheds impacted by existing BC Hydro dams. 
The presentations are free, and no pre-registration is required. Contact al.wiensczyk@unbc.ca to request the passcode and get the Zoom link.

Friday February 12, NRESi Colloquium, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Survival How? Pandemics, Transgressions and Education for the Anthropocene. Dr. Alex Lautensach, School of Education, UNBC
The CoViD-19 pandemic has caught much of humanity by surprise, despite repeated warnings by the scientific community. Yet, the pandemic also represents a multidimensional learning opportunity. It illustrates the human predicament in the Anthropocene in its exponential growth patterns and dynamics. Based on his latest book, Dr. Lautensach will interpret the Anthropocene as a period of population anomaly and transition, governed by significant choices and patterns of behaviour regarding resource use and ‘development’. Education in the sciences, the social disciplines and the humanities can contribute significantly to our successes or failures with respect to the environmental, socio-political, economic and health-related challenges to future human security. A crucial potential influence comes from cultural learning at the individual and collective levels, particularly involving cultures learning from each other.
Contact al.wiensczyk@unbc.ca to request the passcode and get the Zoom link. 
To see the full schedule of NRESI/FWCP webinars from now until April, check this link: https://www2.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-series. 

Members of the PGNC have found that the best way to ensure access to the webinars is to sign up for the NRESi weekly newsletter which contains all the access information for each event. If you would like to receive NRESi’s newsletter, updates on event and other announcements, please contact Al Wiensczyk at Al.Wiensczyk@unbc.ca or Art Fredeen at: Art.Fredeen@unbc.ca.
If you’re unable to access the webinar on the day it’s broadcast, here’s the link to the archive: https://video.unbc.ca/channel/NRESI/

Seedy Saturday Online, February 19 to 21

BC’s First Collaborative Virtual Seedy Saturday Conference: Seed Saving. Want to know more about saving seed for yourself and others? Join FarmFolk/City Folk and Seedy Saturday organizers on February 19 to 21. For details and registration information see: http://www.bcseeds.org/2021-bc-seedy-saturday-virtual-conference/

Trans Mountain Expansion Project Reconsideration

The Province of BC is seeking public comments on the Draft Provincial Reconsideration Report. Deadline to submit comments is March 1, 2021. For full information on the reconsideration report see: 
https://engage.gov.bc.ca/govtogetherbc/consultation/trans-mountain-expansion-project-reconsideration/

Moose Winter Tick Monitoring Program

The Province is running a Moose Winter Tick Monitoring Program from January 1 to April 30. Provincial wildlife biologists are asking for our help in promoting moose health and controlling potentially-deadly winter moose tick infestations. It’s easy to participate. All you need are keen eyes and a love of the great outdoors. Here’s the link to the survey information: https://tinyurl.com/y2ayhbl6

Request for information on Erythranthe lewisii / Mimulus lewisii
Message from Mackenzie Urquhart-Cronish, PhD student, Botany Department, UBC, to the PGNC: I am a PhD student studying the geographic distribution and natural history of the native plant pink monkeyflower (Erythranthe lewisii or Mimulus lewisii). The Prince George region is the North-Eastern range limit for E. lewisii and I am looking to compile a list of current occurrence records to identify potential sites where I would apply for permission to conduct minimally invasive sampling of leaf tissue (to be used to extract DNA for genomic analyses).

While there are a few Herbarium records from the region, many are over 20 years old. Erythranthe lewisii is a riparian plant species and populations are prone to environmental disturbances (e.g., flooding), so older records are less reliable. So far, I know of current occurrence records in Kakwa Provincial Park (iNaturalist with images and coordinates), and have heard that the plant might occur in Evanoff Provincial Park along Fang Mountain Trail (but have not seen any photographic evidence, herbarium collections, or GPS coordinates from populations within the Park). If your organization is able to put me in touch with any local Botanists or Native Plant experts in your region, I would be grateful. 
Note: If you have information or photos you would like to share, you can send them directly to Mackenzie at murquhart@zoology.ubc.ca.

PGNC News and Notes, October 16, 2020

• Friday October 16, NRESi Colloquium, 3:30 p.m. Webinar: Supplemental Feeding and Endangered Caribou Populations
• Monday October 19, The Exploration Place,  7 p.m. Virtual Adult Speaker Series, The Impact of Climate Change on Mountain Ranges
• 2020 Phenomenal Mushroom Season

Prince George Naturalists Club Events and News
No in-person Club events are in the works at this time. The Club is happy to promote virtual events sponsored by other organizations. See below for details.

Other Events and News

Friday October 16, NRESi Colloquium, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Webinar: Supplemental Feeding and Endangered Caribou Populations

The presenter for this colloquium is Doug Heard, RPBio, Adjunct Professor, UNBC, who will be giving the talk “Can Supplemental Feeding Promote Growth in Endangered Caribou Populations? A Test of the Aesop Hypothesis”Increased predation risk may be preventing caribou from surfing the green wave, compromising their nutritional status and contributing to population declines. To test that hypothesis, we fed high-quality food pellets to free-ranging caribou in the Kennedy Siding herd each fall for 6 years. Supplemental feeding appeared to increase population growth. Was Aesop right in concluding that “It’s better to eat simply in peace than to feast in terror”?
Please contact Al Wiensczyk, Research Manager at Al.Wiensczyk@unbc.ca for the webinar link and passcode.

Monday October 19, The Exploration Place,  7 p.m., Virtual Adult Speaker Series, The Impact of Climate Change on Mountain Ranges

Please note* Zoom link will be available one hour prior to the event.

Presenter is Dr. Joseph Shea, Assistant Professor, Environmental Geomatics at UNBC. Mountains are the proverbial canary in the coal mine when it comes to climate change, and the impacts of climate change on high elevation regions will be felt far downstream. Mountain glaciers and snowpacks are critical sources of seasonal streamflow and soil moisture. Mountains provide unique habitats and ecological niches and support a huge range of biodiversity. And mountains are seeing some of the greatest rates of warming observed on the planet. This talk will focus on ongoing and future research in mountains both near and far, identify how and why mountains are changing so fast, highlight the challenges in collecting data from high elevations, and hopefully generate a mountain of discussion. About the presenter: Born and raised in Southwestern Ontario, Dr. Joseph Shea has moved from the Hamilton “Mountain” to conduct research on snow, ice, and water in mountain ranges around the planet. His research is focused on measuring and modelling the impact of climate change at high elevations, and the application of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS, aka drones) and satellites for change detection. After completing his PhD in 2010 and conducting post-doctoral research at UNBC, he spent 4 years in Nepal with his family working in the Himalayas before returning to Prince George. When he’s not parenting three fantastic kids he trail runs, mountain bikes, and skis, and can be occasionally seen around town performing with his band The Ebbs. We are pleased to acknowledge that CBC Daybreak North – Northern British Columbia is the official media sponsor of the Adult Speaker Series. https://www.cbc.ca/

2020 Phenomenal Mushroom Season
Mushrooms in Prince George are well covered this morning by a layer of wet snow. Here’s a link to a September 28 article about one of the best years ever for local fungi lovers: https://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/news/wet-weather-later-frost-extends-mushroom-season-1.24211567

PGNC News and Notes, November 7, 2019

• Calling All Members: A Message From the Club Executive
• PGNC Memberships, New and Renewals
• Friday November 8: Astronomical Society Open House, 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
• Monday November 18, Adult Speaker Series, The Exploration Place, 6:45 pm. to 8:30 p.m.
• Anna’s Hummingbird sighted in Prince George in October!

Club Events and News

Calling All Members: A Message From the Club Executive

Do you as a Club member want to make a difference? Express your passion for nature? Why not consider attending an Executive meeting and contribute ideas for planning events such as field trips, guest speakers, and other activities?

There are currently nine directors and three vacant director positions. See the list of directors at: https://pgnc.wordpress.com/737-2/ We meet on the second Wednesday of the month at Spruce City Wildlife Fish Hatchery, 1384 River Road, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. All members of the Club are welcome to attend and contribute their ideas, especially for events planning. The next Executive meeting is on Wednesday November 13.

 

PGNC Memberships, New and Renewals

 

New members joining the PGNC between now and December 31 will be in good standing until December 31, 2020. The membership year runs from January 1 to December 31. Cost is $25 per year for individuals, $40 for a family, and $15 for students. Information including payment by PayPal is available at: https://pgnc.wordpress.com/membership/.

Benefits of membership: Subscription to BC Nature magazine, liability insurance coverage for Club field trips, 10% discount on bird seed purchased at Spruce Capital Feeds, and access to popular events limited to Club members only. The discount on bird seed is especially valuable from November to April, during Project Feederwatch: https://tinyurl.com/yyw227ho

Other Events and News

 

Friday November 8, Astronomical Society Open House, 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

 

Bob Nelson PhD will give a talk on “The Speed of Light” at the Prince George Astronomical Society, 7365 Tedford Road. The Open House runs from 7:30pm to 10:30pm with viewing if weather permits. The presentation starts at 7:30 p.m. and again at 9:00 p.m. Please dress warmer than normal as the Observatory is generally -6 Celsius colder than in town.

 

Monday November 18, Adult Speaker Series, The Exploration Place, 6:45 pm. to 8:30 p.m.

 

Mountains are the proverbial canary in the coal mine when it comes to climate change, and the impacts of climate change on high elevation regions will be felt far downstream. Mountain glaciers and snowpacks are critical sources of seasonal streamflow and soil moisture. Mountains provide unique habitats and ecological niches, and support a huge range of biodiversity. And mountains are seeing some of the greatest rates of warming observed on the planet. This talk will focus on ongoing and future research in mountains both near and far, identify how and why mountains are changing so fast, highlight the challenges in collecting data from high elevations, and hopefully generate a mountain of discussion.  

 

Born and raised in Southwestern Ontario, Dr. Joseph Shea has moved from the Hamilton “Mountain” to conduct research on snow, ice, and water in mountain ranges around the planet. His research is focused on measuring and modelling the impact of climate change at high elevations, and the application of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS, aka drones) and satellites for change detection. After completing his PhD in 2010 and conducting post-doctoral research at UNBC, he spent 4 years in Nepal with his family working in the Himalayas before returning to Prince George. When he’s not parenting three fantastic kids he trail runs, mountain bikes, and skis, and can be occasionally seen around town performing with his band The Ebbs. Dr. Shea is Assistant Professor of Environmental Geomatics at UNBC.

 

6:45 p.m. Doors Open to the general public. 7:00 p.m. Lecture. Q & A afterward. Cash bar. This event is free and aimed at an adult audience. TEP is pleased to acknowledge that CBC Daybreak North – Northern British Columbia is the official media sponsor of the Adult Speaker Series. https://www.cbc.ca/

Anna’s Hummingbird sighted in Prince George in October!

 

A PGNC Club member mentioned that she had seen a hummingbird in Prince George in October. Clive Keen noted that it looks as though it was an Anna’s and provided details of a confirmed October sighting: 

 

Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) (1) CONFIRMED
– Reported Oct 20, 2019 11:27 by Emily Williams
– Brentwood Drive, Fraser-Fort George, British Columbia
– Checklist: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60854148
– Comments: “Observed at a nectar feeder. Medium sized hummingbird with bright green back and grayish breast. The bird had a patch of iridescent red feathers on its throat.”

PGNC News and Notes, September 24, 2019

• Prince George Naturalists Club, Wednesday Walk, September 25, Ridgeview Trail
• PGNC Memberships, New and Renewals
• Report: Wednesday September 11, Wednesday Walk
• Report: Thursday September 19, Edible Mushrooms Presentation
• Wednesday September 25^th, 7 to 9.m. UNBC Canfor Theatre, free screening of Climate Change and the Human Prospect 
• Thursday September 26^th, keynote address by Dr. Gregory Heming on Climate Change, UNBC Canfor Theatre
• Friday September 27, NRESi Colloquium: Integrated Watershed Research in the Nechako, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., UNBC Room 8-164
• CleanBC Plastics Action Plan, deadline for response extended to September 30
• Co-Existing with Bears, Friday October 4, 6 to 9 p.m., Spruce City Wildlife Association, 1384 River Road
• The Fascinating Connection Between Plants, People and the Environment, Saturday October 5, 1 to 3 p.m. UNBC Weldwood Theatre

Club Events and News

Prince George Naturalists Club, Wednesday Walk, September 25, Ridgeview Trail

Sandra Kinsey will lead this Wednesday Walk. Join her on September 25th for our first Wednesday Walk on the Ridgeview Trail in the Hart Highlands. This woodsy walk is about 3km on a well maintained trail with no concerns about steep hills. We meet in the parking lot at Spruceland Shopping Mall at the corner of 5^th Avenue and Hwy 97 under the big Save On Foods sign at 9:20 a.m. There we sign a waiver form and arrange for carpooling. Departure time is 9:30 a.m., with return in the noon hour. Please dress for the weather, wear sturdy footwear, bring water and a snack. These slow walks to observe nature are open to members and non-members, so invite a friend.

This will be our last Wednesday Walk for 2019. The October Walks to Forests for the World and Wilkins Regional Park have been cancelled.

PGNC Memberships, New and Renewals

 

This is a great time for new members to join the PGNC! New members joining between October 1 and December 31 will be paid up until December 31 of the following year. The membership year runs from January 1 to December 31. Cost is $25 per year for individuals, $40 for a family, and $15 for students. Information including payment by PayPal is available at: https://pgnc.wordpress.com/membership/. If you’re not sure your membership is up to date, you can check with Sandra Kinsey at sjkinsey@direct.ca.

Benefits of membership: Subscription to BC Nature magazine, liability insurance coverage for Club field trips, 10% discount on bird seed purchased at Spruce Capital Feeds, and access to popular events limited to Club members only.

 

Club Reports

Wednesday September 11, Wednesday Walk, Peardon Road Trails

Submitted by Dora Hunter

It was another Wednesday Walk with much to see and ponder: moose and bear tracks, a toad, fungi and late summer flowers and early fall colours. The dorsal, mid-line white stripe; webbed hind toes; generally warty skin and prominent parotoid glands (looking like shoulder blades) help identify this as a Western Toad. Before long this little one will be digging down into our sandy soil, below the frost line, to hibernate for the winter.  Google: Canadian Herpetological Society. The long tubular yellow flower of the hemi-parasitic Common Paintbrush, nearly hidden by red bracts, is designed for pollination by bees and, particularly, hummingbirds. Mosses, lichen and fungi adorn this old stump still making its contribution to the forest. Thank you, Sandy, for once again leading our WW and, Gillian, for your fine photos and for the app which helped the group identify the ubiquitous Eyebright (Euphrasia sp).

Sandra’s Bird List

          Black-capped Chickadee

          Boreal Chickadee

          Red-breasted Nuthatch

          Golden-crowned Kinglet

          Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Thursday September 19, Edible Mushrooms Presentation

A capacity crowd filled the Atrium at The Exploration Place for Steph Laurent’s edible mushrooms presentation and cooking demonstration. The event was presented in partnership with The Exploration Place. This was a fine follow-up to the very successful September 8 Mushroom walk in Wilkins Park. Here’s the link to the CBC story on the Mushroom Walk: https://tinyurl.com/y5r384ca

Other Events and News

A message from Sam Legebokow, President of Students for a Green University (SGU) at UNBC:

Activist, politician, and literary ecologist Dr. Gregory Heming will be at UNBC this week. Gregory is the founder and co-director for the Centre for Local Prosperity in rural Nova Scotia, he was an advisor for Project Drawdown, and he is a municipal councillor in rural Nova Scotia.

On Wednesday September 25^th, there will be a free screening of Climate Change and the Human Prospect, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Canfor Theatre. This documentary follows as an assembly of thinkers gather to discuss and outline a plausible solution to climate change.

On Thursday September 26^th, from 7 to 9 p.m., in the Canfor Theatre, Dr. Heming will give a keynote address regarding the topic of Climate Change and the impacts we can make as individuals and rural community members.

For more information on these events, email sgu.unbc@gmail.com.

Friday September 27, NRESi Colloquium: Integrated Watershed Research in the Nechako, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., UNBC Room 8-164

Drs. Ellen Petticrew, Stephan Dery, Margot Parkes and Phil Owens, UNBC will be presenting “Integrated watershed research in the Nechako”. The Nechako Watershed encompasses nearly 50,000 square kilometers from the Coast Mountains to the Interior Plateau of British Columbia, forming the second largest sub-watershed of the Fraser River Basin. The Nechako (a derivation of a Dakelh word meaning “big river”) remains a vital waterway for anadromous fish including three species of salmon and non-anadromous fish such as bull trout, rainbow trout, and the endangered Nechako white sturgeon. Despite its ecological, societal and cultural importance, the nature of this complex system remains elusive. Cumulative stressors including climate change, landcover disturbances (e.g. wild-fires, the mountain pine beetle outbreak and forest harvesting), land use changes (e.g. the expansion of the Vanderhoof agricultural belt), and damming of the Nechako River main stem have led to drastic changes to the water and landscapes of the Nechako. Over the past five years, a team of four UNBC researchers with complementary expertise has thus undertaken a study to integrate knowledge on climate change and water security, sediment sources and fluxes, and the health and well-being of the Nechako. This colloquium delivered by the four members of the Integrated Watershed Research Group will report on their findings through the first years of research in the Nechako and lessons learned in this collaborative effort involving many stakeholders across the Nechako. This presentation will also be available on-line through the UNBC LiveStream feed.

CleanBC Plastics Action Plan, deadline for response extended to September 30

The province is seeking feedback on how to reduce plastics pollution in BC. Here’s the link to the CleanBC Plastics Action Plan and related online public survey: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/govtogetherbc/consultation/cleanbc-plastics-action-plan/. Deadline to respond is September 30.

Co-Existing with Bears, Friday October 4, 6 to 9 p.m., Spruce City Wildlife Association, 1384 River Road

SCWA is offering two free workshops outlined below. Just show up – everyone is welcome!

6 to 8 p.m. Grizzly Bear Safety and Bear Spray Training: What do you do when you encounter a grizzly bear? How to prevent conflicts and hands-on practice with inert bear spray.

8 to 9 p.m. Electric fencing for bears workshop. Protect your fruit trees, gardens, chickens and livestock from bears. Learn how to install and maintain effective electric fencing to keep bears out.

The Fascinating Connection Between Plants, People and the Environment, Saturday October 5, 1 to 3 p.m. UNBC Weldwood Theatre

Master Gardener Brian Minter will explain the connections between plants, people and the environment. Here’s some background on the connections with the environment that Brian discusses in his gardening columns:  https://tinyurl.com/y65txmat. This event is sponsored by the David Douglas Botanical Garden Society. See poster for ticket information.