PGNC News & Notes, May 13, 2024

• PGNC Interpretive Nature Walk at Hudson’s Bay Wetland, Saturday May 18, 9:30 a.m.
• PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals
• PGNC Next Executive Meeting, Wednesday June 12
• Report: PGNC Nature Walk and Introduction to eBird, May 4
• FWCP: Deadline to submit applications to join the Board: Monday June 3, 2024
• BC Nature: Bat Ambassador Training, June 6
• BC Nature scholarships, deadline to apply: June 21
• BC Nature webinar: Tackling the Problem of Agricultural Pesticide Use to Protect Bugs & Birds
• About this newsletter

Club News and Events

PGNC Interpretive Nature Walk at Hudson’s Bay Wetland, Saturday May 18, 9:30 a.m.

We will meet at the parking lot of The Exploration Place at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday May 18. Join us! Bring your camera or binoculars. For more information contact us at princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com. Facebook: @PGNaturalists, Instagram: PGNaturalists.

PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals

Thank you to everyone who is joining the PGNC or renewing memberships for 2024. Your membership supports the Prince George 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 the online version of BC Nature magazine, liability insurance coverage for Club work parties and field trips, and access to popular events limited to Club members only. Add $5 if you wish to receive a printed version of the BC Nature magazine in the mail.

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

PGNC Next Executive Meeting, Wednesday June 12

The next Executive meeting will be on Wednesday June 12. All members are welcome to attend. If you wish to attend, send an email to the Club at princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com to obtain meeting details.

Report: PGNC Nature Walk and Introduction to eBird, May 4

It was a lovely day to walk around Cottonwood Island Park on May 4. We got a great look at the nesting Great-horned Owls thanks to Cathy’s scope. Thank you to the 10 people who joined us. We observed 38 bird species even though it was relatively quiet. Here’s our full eBird species list if you’re interested. https://ebird.org/checklist/S171971743

Other Events and News

FWCP: Deadline to submit applications to join the Board: Monday June 3, 2024

The Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program is seeking a new public board member for the Peace Region Board. If you’re interested in fish and wildlife, have experience working with stewardship groups, and are ready to help make important decisions about our work in the Peace Region, apply by Monday, June 3 to join our Peace Region board. We hope to welcome a new public board member this summer. For more details see this link: https://fwcp.ca/join-peace-region-board/

BC Nature: Bat Ambassador Training, June 6

BC Nature is offering an online training opportunity with BC Community Bats Program to become a certified Bat Ambassador. Registration can be completed here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bat-ambassador-training-tickets-885673933577?aff=oddtdtcreator

More information about Bat Ambassadors can be found here: https://bcbats.ca/get-involved/become-a-bat-ambassador/

BC Nature scholarships, deadline to apply: June 21

The PG Naturalists Club has received word there has been only one applicant for the two student scholarships available from BC Nature:

Scholarships

1. The Rene Savigny Scholarship of $2,000 is awarded to a post-secondary
student enrolled in an undergraduate degree program that contributes to
awareness, appreciation, and understanding of our natural environment.

2. The Bert Brink Scholarship for $2,500 is awarded to graduate students.
Applicants should be registered in full-time studies towards a post-graduate
degree at an accredited institution of higher learning, in a program which
will lead to a Masters or Doctoral Degree in a discipline which contributes
to an awareness, appreciation, improved management of flora and fauna,
conservation, restoration, and understanding of our natural environment.

Deadline is June 21 for both.

BC Nature webinar: Tackling the Problem of Agricultural Pesticide Use to Protect Bugs & Birds

Dr. Christy Morrissey of University of Saskatchewan recently presented a webinar on tackling the problem of agricultural pesticide use to protect bugs and birds. A recording is now available on Nature Canada’s Youtube channel here. If you have any questions for Dr. Morrisey you can reach out to her at:  christy.morrissey@usask.ca

About This Newsletter

The newsletter is sent from the PGNC mailing address: princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com. We welcome contributions from members and supporters about matters of interest to naturalists. Feel free to send stories and links to princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com.

PGNC News & Notes, March 23, 2024

• PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals
• PGNC Next Executive Meeting, Wednesday April 10
• PGNC Curlew Field Trip, Sunday April 21
• Ferguson Lake – Wetlands: donate today!
• BIMBY: Butterflies in My Back Yard
• About this newsletter

Club News and Events

PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals

Thank you to everyone who is joining the PGNC or renewing memberships for 2024.

 Your membership supports the Prince George 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 the online version of BC Nature magazine, liability insurance coverage for Club work parties and field trips, and access to popular events limited to Club members only. Add $5 if you wish to receive a printed version of the BC Nature magazine in the mail.

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

PGNC Next Executive Meeting, Wednesday April 10

The next Executive meeting will be on Wednesday April 10.All members are welcome to attend. If you wish to attend, send an email to the Club at princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com to obtain meeting details.

PGNC Curlew Field Trip, 9 a.m., Sunday April 21

Join us for the annual field trip to see curlews. Meet under the Spruceland Shopping Centre sign near the bus stop for waiver signing. For more information contact us at princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com.

Other Events and News

Ferguson Lake – Wetlands: Donate today!

The Nature Trust of British Columbia is fundraising to raise $650,000 to protect 129.2 hectares (319 acres) of wetland, riparian forest, and mixed forest ecosystems. The property, known as Ferguson Lake-Wetlands, is located in the city of Prince George and in the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation. The deadline to raise the funds is Sunday March 31, 2024 and an update on this is coming soon.

The land is adjacent to the Ferguson Lake Conservation Area, a 31 hectare conservation area owned by The Nature Trust of BC. With the purchase of Ferguson Lake-Wetlands, the contiguous protected land will expand to be 160 hectares. These private conservation parcels are connected to provincial Crown land parcels, forming a natural wildlife corridor and increasing connectivity within the region. Ferguson Lake – Wetlands has merchantable timber value and its purchase will ensure that its mature and old growth riparian forests and wetlands are protected in perpetuity.

Considerable information on the importance of the Wetlands for waterfowl and animals is available here, along with a Give Today link: https://www.naturetrust.bc.ca/our-projects/ferguson-lake-wetlands

If anyone has questions or interest in donating they can contact Emma Liffen, Director of Development, Marketing and Communications at info@naturetrust.bc.ca or toll free at 1-866-288-7878.

BIMBY: Butterflies in My Back Yard

BIMBY is back! More than 300 volunteers from diverse backgrounds and locations in BC  became BIMBY Seekers last year. Together, they made 8,400 observations,  to formulate policies to protect vulnerable butterfly species in B.C. For more information on BIMBY see this link: https://tinyurl.com/374dksay.

Butterfly findings are posted on iNaturalist at https://inaturalist.ca. There’s also a Facebook group, BIMBY Community Science.

About This Newsletter

The newsletter is sent from the PGNC mailing address: princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com. We welcome contributions from members and supporters about matters of interest to naturalists. Feel free to send stories and links to princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com.

PGNC News & Notes, March 14, 2024

• PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals
• PGNC Annual General Meeting, Thursday March 21, 7 p.m. Studio 2880
• PGNC Next Executive Meeting, Wednesday April 17
• NRESi Colloquium, Friday March 15, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., UNBC Room 7-238 and online: Habitat ecology of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) during a period of cyclical change in prey abundance
• NRESi Colloquium, Forest Systems, and plant reproduction and nutrition after herbicide use – Dr. Lisa Wood, PhD, RPF: archive link
• About this newsletter

Club News and Events

PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals

Thank you to everyone who is joining the PGNC or renewing memberships for 2024.  Your membership supports the Prince George 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 the online version of BC Nature magazine, liability insurance coverage for Club work parties and field trips, and access to popular events limited to Club members only. Add $5 if you wish to receive a printed version of the BC Nature magazine in the mail.

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

PGNC Annual General Meeting, Thursday March 21, 7 p.m. at Studio 2880

Message from Angelina Joiner, PGNC President: We are looking for volunteers to serve on our executive. If you have ever thought you would like to make a difference, consider donating your time to us! We would love to welcome you to the board. You can have no board experience or lots of board experience, either way, you can help!

Board members must be members of the Prince George Naturalists Club. You would only need to commit a minimum of two hours per month. The rest would be up to you. We have been running a rather small executive and the executive functions best with around 12 board members, so we would love to add some new members this year.

If you would like to learn more or you can’t attend the AGM but would like to join our board please, contact us at princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com or on Facebook or Instagram @ PGnaturalists. Hope to see you at our AGM and presentation night!

PGNC Next Executive Meeting, Wednesday April 17

The next Executive meeting will be on Wednesday April 17. All members are welcome to attend. If you wish to attend, send an email to the Club at princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com to obtain meeting details.

Other Events and News

NRESi Colloquium, Friday March 15, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., UNBC Room 7-238 and online: Habitat ecology of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) during a period of cyclical change in prey abundance

Presentation by Shannon Crowley, MSc, Ecological Monitoring Coordinator, John Prince Research Forest: Cyclical change in the abundance of snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) can strongly influence the distribution and habitat use of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) and sympatric carnivores. However, we have very little understanding of the effects of natural and anthropogenic landscape change on that predator-prey dynamic. That includes the effects of accelerated and large-scale salvage harvest in north-central BC. We used a combination of non-invasive survey methods such as camera traps and hair snags (66 sites; 2015-2016, 2020-2022) as well as GPS collars (n = 17; 2020-2022) to assess the habitat ecology and status of Canada lynx populations. We conducted this research during two contrasting periods of hare abundance and in an area impacted by accelerated salvage harvest. We observed differences in the distribution, abundance, habitat use, and overlap of lynx, hares, and sympatric carnivores between the two periods. We found that forest cover/structure was a driving factor influencing these patterns and that the importance of riparian edge habitat increased during the low in hare abundance. We will discuss the implications of our findings to habitat management and population monitoring of Canada lynx. This talk is co-sponsored with the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.

Here’s the link to the UNBC colloquium webcasts: https://www2.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts

NRESi Colloquium, Forest Systems, and plant reproduction and nutrition after herbicide use – Dr. Lisa Wood, PhD, RPF: archive link

On March 8, Dr. Lisa Wood made a presentation that provides important information for experts and the general public. Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) are used across the globe. Often areas surrounding treatment zones are prone to unintended herbicide exposure and suffer the impacts of sublethal contact. Research out of The Plant Lab at UNBC shows that there is residual glyphosate in forest plants years after applications take place. We are accumulating information about what role this residual herbicide ingredient plays in the larger function of forest ecosystems of northern BC and Alberta. Using controlled trials at the IK Barber Enhanced Forestry Laboratory and through surveying and sampling in operationally managed forests we have observed that the rate of glyphosate degradation in plant tissues is dependent on climate conditions such as temperature and photoperiod. We have also observed that residue persistence in plants is dependent on perennation type, as it relates to the rate of litter/nutrient cycling. We understand that the impacts to ecosystem function are significant at least one full year after applications, with effects to floral and fruit production, pollen viability, fluorescence of flowers, and insect community composition. We hypothesize that GBH residues and these ecosystem changes lead to changes in space use by other organisms such as fungi, microbes, birds, and mammals which are currently under investigation or will be investigated over the next 5 years. Changes in communities, and in the way individuals and/or populations use treated areas, is no doubt due to overall change in habitat and food quantity and quality. The presentation is available for viewing on the UNBC Archive at 

https://video.unbc.ca/channel/NRES

About This Newsletter

We welcome contributions from members and supporters about matters of interest to naturalists. Feel free to send stories and links to princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com.

PGNC News & Notes, February 18, 2024

• PGNC Next Executive Meeting, Wednesday February 21
• PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals
• Report: PGNC Swan & Eagle Count, Sunday January 21
• PGNC Annual General Meeting, Thursday March 21, Spruce City Wildlife Fish Hatchery
• Thursday February 22, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Zoom. Are we Prepared for the Zombie (Fungi) Apocalypse?
• Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program (FWPC) Events
• About this newsletter

Club News and Events

PGNC Next Executive Meeting, Wednesday February 21

The next Executive meeting will be on Wednesday February 21. All members are welcome to attend. If you wish to attend, send an email to the Club at princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com to obtain meeting details.

PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals

Thank you to everyone who is joining the PGNC or renewing memberships for 2024. Your membership supports the Prince George 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 the online version of BC Nature magazine, liability insurance coverage for Club work parties and field trips, and access to popular events limited to Club members only. Add $5 if you wish to receive a printed version of the BC Nature magazine in the mail.

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

Report: PGNC Swan & Eagle Count – Sunday, January 21

The delay with the Swan Count paid off! On Sunday, January 21, six eager naturalists were able to enjoy the waterfowl with the milder -8 C weather and open roads. Much of the river was still frozen from the very cold temperatures the week before. This concentrates the swans.

A conservative count of 65 Trumpeter Swans were seen and heard along the Crooked River, north of Prince George. Cold springs keep much of the river open in the winter, even during -40 C temperatures. We haven’t had numbers like this since the late 1980’s.

Short snowshoe forays off the roads paid off with a mix of waterfowl. As well as swans we saw American Dipper, Common Goldeneye, Mallard, one Bufflehead, one Hooded Merganser, one adult Bald Eagle, two Belted Kingfishers, one Downy Woodpecker, and the ubiquitous Common Raven. Small birds were noticeably absent, with only a couple of Black-capped Chickadees calling.

It snowed up until the night before so not much for tracks, but a set of ermine tracks and a set of moose tracks provided excitement along one un-ploughed road.

Thank you to everyone who came out to make this a great day! Report by Sandra Kinsey. Photos by Angelina Joiner.

PGNC Annual General Meeting, Thursday March 21, Spruce City Wildlife Fish Hatchery

Save the date for the PGNC Annual General Meeting on Thursday March 21 at 7 p.m. at the Spruce City Wildlife Fish Hatchery. More details coming soon!

Other Events and News

Thursday February 22, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Zoom. Are we Prepared for the Zombie (Fungi) Apocalypse?

Zombie fungi are a group of ascomycetes, all formerly in the genus Cordyceps, that parasitize insects (and a few other organisms). The fungi often alter the behaviour of the insects, to the benefit of the fungi, essentially turning the insects into ‘zombies’ under the control of the fungi. Though zombie fungi are best known from tropical and subtropical ecosystems, there are a number of species known from BC, and from Clayoquot Sound. These zombi fungi are the basis of the popular video game, and subsequent television series, ‘The Last of Us’.

About our Speaker: Dr. Andy MacKinnon is a forest ecologist who lives in Metchosin BC. His fields of study include BC’s native plants, fungi and lichens. Andy is co-author of Mushrooms of British Columbia , and of six field guides to plants of western North America. He is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University, and past President of the South Vancouver Island Mycological Society.  Andy is going on the 11th year of co-teaching  RES’s “Mushrooms of the West Coast’ with the RES.This event is sponsored by the Raincoast Education Society. The Zoom link is here: 

http://tinyurl.com/2u9dwc5n.

Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program (FWPC)

The FWCP is running a series of information sessions in early 2024. Here are details about one in the Peace Region.

• Improving fish passage in our Peace Region, Friday, February 23, at 12 p.m. PST  

For registration see this link: https://fwcp.ca/events/

About this Newsletter 

The newsletter is sent from the PGNC mailing address: princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com. We welcome contributions from members and supporters about matters of interest to naturalists. Feel free to send stories and links to princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com.

Notice of Annual General Meeting, Thursday March 27, 2014

Prince George Naturalists Club Annual General Meeting Official Notice

Thursday March 27, 2014, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

At The Exploration Place

333 Becott Place, Fort George Park, Prince George BC

6:45 p.m. Membership renewal and registration

7 p.m.      Annual General Meeting

                Guest Speaker Doug Heard, Senior Wildlife Biologist: Moose populations in northern BC. Join the Club or renew your membership at the AGM or by mail. The membership form is available online at https://pgnc.wordpress.com/membership/.

Travelling World Community Film Festival, March 13 to 23 in Prince George

Thirty documentaries will be screened during this eleven day festival about social justice, environmental and human rights issues; films that are sure to change your view of our world and our community. A full festival pass costs just $30 and is available at Books and Company.  A day pass costs $5 and is available at the door. See the full schedule at http://www.booksandcompany.ca/World_Travelling_Film_Fest.html

 

The Prince George Naturalists Club is hosting Bear Witness on Saturday March 17 at 9 p.m. in Room 7-150, UNBC. Bear Witness is a film by BC’s Coastal First Nations speaking out with their concerns about trophy hunting for grizzly bears.

 

Prince George Naturalists Club
PO Box 1092
Prince George BC V2L 4V2
Hudson’s Bay Wetland: http://hbwetland.wordpress.com

 

PG Naturalist Club Event & Notes, 9 January 2014

Swan and Eagle Count, January 12

The Club will be conducting the annual Swan and Eagle Count on the Crooked River this Sunday. Meet at 9:00 am under the Spruceland Shopping Centre sign.

Meeting Place

Bring lunch, snowshoes (or skis, but they are more awkward). Dress warmly.  For more info email sjkinsey@direct.ca or phone at 250.963.8381.

Notes

The Membership page has been updated with the latest Constitution & By-Laws, Gifts & Donations Policy and Membership Forms

Christmas Bird Count
37 people took part in the 29 December Christmas Bird Count, which was remarkable considering that a foot of snow had fallen overnight. 10,612 birds in 46 species were tallied. A Snowy Owl at the airport, huge flocks of Bohemian Waxwings and comparative rarities such as Townsend’s Solitaires were among the highlights. Christmas Bird Counts are now a major international exercise. For results of the many counts in BC, go to http://bcfo.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/cbcs2013-14results11.pdfGrizzlies – Not Necessarily Asleep!
Mike Nash reports that there were fresh grizzly bear tracks ascending the first kilometre of the Viking Trail (Sugarbowl-Grizzly Provincial Park) from Highway 16 on New Year’s Day. It’s a reminder that grizzly bears can be active at any time of the year.

Reporting Wildlife Collisions
Until January 24, 2014, the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is seeking input about stretches of highways where wildlife is encountered, plus any additional comments about wildlife collision prevention. You can provide input online at http://engage.gov.bc.ca/safetyandspeedreview/provide-feedback/

Lost Lake Interpretive Forest Campaign
This email comes too late to announce a key meeting at the Beaverly Community Association AGM (9 January) regarding proposals for management of the Lost Lake area as an interpretive forest — but if you’d like to receive updates or support the campaign, send an email to druid@pgweb.com. There is also a Flickr group setup of the Lost Lake area that you can contribute your photos to as well.

Nature Centre for Prince George

The next meeting of the Nature and Outdoor Recreation Alliance will be on February 6 at City Hall, and several members of the PGNC executive will be taking part.

Purple Finch

Photo: you might have noticed that Purple Finches (rather prettier than the resident House Finches) have been appearing recently around Prince George, too late for the Christmas Bird Count, apparently drifting in from the east.

Clive Keen

PGNC Events and Updates, October 21, 2013

Oiled Dowitcher

Photo: Why oil should never be dumped into septic tanks. This Long-billed Dowitcher was one of a pair of oiled shorebirds at the Shelley lagoons this week. Fortunately most of the shorebirds there, including a rare visitor from Siberia – a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper – were unaffected. 

Club Event Reminders

1. Club General Meeting, Exploration Place, 7:00 pm, Thursday October 24
This is an important general meeting at which a new constitution and some policies related to the Hudson’s Bay Wetland project will be presented for ratification. After concluding the business, Steven Dubas will give a presentation on the work being done by the Tabor Mountain Recreation Society.

Club Notes
1. Update on the proposed Nature  / Outdoor Centre for Prince George
The external consultants have withdrawn their initial recommendation that a nature/outdoor centre should be located in the UNBC/Forests for the World/ Greenway trail area, recognizing that the HB Wetland/Cottonwood Island option offers many advantages, and it would be unwise at this stage to limit opportunities.

2. For Birders
Sandra Kinsey and Laird Law spotted some “firsts” for Haida Gwai, including a Palm Warbler, and a Whooping Crane was spotted near Kispiox

Events from Other Organizations
Talk by Dr. Jerry Haigh Wildlife Vet, Author & Storyteller, UNBC, Friday, October 25 – time and place TBA
A Kenya-born, Glasgow-schooled veterinarian, Jerry Haigh developed much of his expertise and storytelling over years of working in Africa. Experiences in several countries included work with species from elephants to wild dogs and lions. Since moving to Canada he has worked with, among others, polar bears, wolves, moose, seals and elk. He has studied animals in the mountains of Mongolia, the Outback of Australia and the lush pastures of New Zealand. His books include Wrestling With Rhinos (ECW 2002), The Trouble with Lions (UAP 2008) and Of Moose and Men (ECW 2012). He has had soldier ants up his shorts, given an enema to a rhino, checked both lions and polar bears for pregnancy and been chased by an irate mother moose. For eight consecutive years he took Canadian vet students to Uganda to learn about the complexities of the human x wildlife relationship and developed close links and new friendships with many of those students as well as his Ugandan colleagues. He has told stories about his work, and some of the folk-tales about his subjects across Canada and in many other countries.

Clive Keen

Naturalist Club Notes and Events, October 4th, 2013

American Pipit

Photo: American Pipits are on the move south, and just occasionally stop, like this fellow over the weekend, to pose for the cameras.

Update

Nature and Outdoor Recreation Centre for Prince George: Consultant Report
Anne Hogan and I attended a meeting yesterday at which the external consultant gave a report on the preferred location for the Centre. While cautioning that this was tentative only, she indicated that the best location would seem to be the Forests For the World/UNBC/Greenway Trail area.  Anne and I continued, however, to promote the merits first of the Hudson’s Bay Wetland/Fort George Park area, and alternatively, of a split site connecting the Wetland with Cottonwood Island Park.

The consultant reiterated that her recommendations were preliminary only, and she was still seeking input, and thus encouraged members of the Naturalists Club to send on their views. To do so, please email her at jwhite@mcelhanney.com

Upcoming Club Events

1. Hudson’s Bay Walk and Boardwalk Planning, 10:00 am, Sunday October 6 
Robin Draper will lead a morning walk to look at potential locations for boardwalks and observation features. Meet at The Exploration Place parking lot. Waterproof boots could prove handy.

2. Lost Lake BioBlitz 2, Sunday October 20,  8:30 am to 12:30 pm
This will be the second Club trip to Lost Lake, this time walking to the lake itself from Big Fir Road in Beaverly. Members may either carpool from Spruceland at 8:30, or meet at the first bend on Big Fir Road at 9:00.

3. Club General Meeting, Exploration Place, 7:00 pm, Thursday October 24
This is an important general meeting at which a new constitution and some policies related to the Hudson’s Bay project will be presented for ratification. After concluding the business, Steven Dubas will give a presentation on the work being done by the Tabor Mountain Recreation Society .

Notes

1. Peace-Williston Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program seeks a third public board member
This program, which provides funding to many nature-related projects, will shortly be seeking new projects to fund, so it is a particularly important time to be involved. See the attachment for details.

2. Good News about Salmon
The Fraser River has, against expectations, been awash with pink salmon: see http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/pink-salmon-reaching-fraser-river-in-massive-numbers/article14298697/

3. Observatory Open Houses
The Friday Open House fall season has resumed, starting after 7:30pm or 30 minutes after sunset, as long as the sky is 50% or greater clear. See http://pgrasc.org for details.

4. Bird-Window Collisions
The University of Alberta is seeking assistance on a project addressing the fact that an estimated one billion birds die in North America each year through collision with windows. To help with the citizen science,  go to http://birdswindows.biology.ual

Clive Keen

PGNC Events and Notes, may 26th, 2013

1. Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program – input needed
There’ll be an important FWCP meeting on June 4, at 6-9 pm in the PG Library. The program dispenses significant funds for fish and wildlife projects, and the meeting will help set priorities for the next five years. This is an excellent opportunity to the club to learn about and influence the program.

Notes

1. Bear encounter
Also attached is a photo of a large black bear Dave King encountered on Sunday on the Giscombe trail. It was just 30-40 ft from him and, oddly, it was not at all disturbed by the noise of his chainsaw. It reluctantly went up a tree 15 feet, allowing Dave, with chainsaw still running, to pass right underneath.

2. Star gazing
This week, three planets – Venus, Jupiter and Mercury – are converging in the evening western horizon. On the 25th and 26th, they will form a small triangle. This is a perfect opportunity to observe with binoculars – you’ll see that they are discs, not points (showing them to be planets rather than stars) and some moons should be visible.

3. Birds and windows
Some pleasing news from the U.S: reacting to the fact that up to a billion birds die every year in window collisions, a new bill calls for each federal public building to  incorporate, to the maximum extent possible, bird-safe building materials  and design features.

Clive

Field Trip at Wilkins Regional Park, June 2, 2012

Club Field Trip: Wilkins Regional Park, June 2, 8:30 am (half day)

Heather Meier will lead this trip to Wilkins, a 57 hectare park with a large system of scenic trails. At this time of year, the major influx of warblers should be with us, but leaves will not be fully out, giving good viewing opportunities. Plantlife should also be getting into its stride: those into flora: please bring your guide books.

Meet at 8:30 AM at Spruceland Mall, under the large sign as per usual. We will probably get to Wilkins around 9am which gives a half day of observation before lunch. People may wish to bring a lunch to enjoy at the picnic area when we’re done (or head off to mow the lawn).

Clive Keen