BC Naturalisthttp://www.naturalists.bc.ca SUMMER 2003 VOL.41 NO.3 ISSN 0228-8824

The Federation of British Columbia Naturalists"To know nature, and to keep it worth knowing"

BC Naturalist is published quarterly by the Federation ofBC Naturalists. Publication Agreement No. 40043545Circulation 4,500

EditonTerry Mclntosh (ginkgo@shaw.ca)Advertising: Linda Halls (lrhalls@shaw.ca)Production: Melody Yiu (this issue)

%^Ve welcome your artiojes, photos, earner-ready ad^ andletters. Pj^ase send thea^to the Editor; you are requestedto se"ml*material well in advance ofthe deadlirrejwhenever

* i u ... -possible: t * -.,,^c/'

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Office Manager: Maria Hamann

Objectives of the FBCN

1. To provide naturalists and natural history clubs ofBritish Columbia with a unified voice on conservationand environmental issues.

2. To foster an awareness, appreciation and understand-ing of our natural environment, that it may be wiselyused and maintained for future generations.

3. To encourage the formation and cooperation of naturalhistory clubs throughout British Columbia.

4. To provide a means of communication betweennaturalists in British Columbia.

A membership form is provided on the back page.

BC Naturalist Volume 41 No. 3

Table of Contents

Editor's Message 3

Okanagan-Similkameen: National Park 4Jileserve? .*&*• "^

Vt -•'

E-Flora£C jOnratop1 Shopping for Plant* Information j ^ X

» -<Important Birding Areas and the FBCN

Your Federation is Working for You

West Nile Virus

Ecological Reserve Wardens

The 2003 AGM in Kamloops

The 2003 AGM Awards

Workshop on Noxious and Alien Plants

BC Wildlife Watch and the FBCN

Organizing Young Naturalists' Clubs

Purchase of the Koodoos Property

BC Naturalists' Foundation: The Next Ten Years

KimberleyFGM

Conservation Report

Volunteers: Your Federation Needs You

President's Message

Club Chat

Editorial features are the sole responsibility of their authors and

opinions expressed therein are not necessarily those of the FBCN.

Cover Photo: Lac du Bois by Gordon Willies

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BC Naturalist

Editor's Messageby Terry Mclntosh

^elcome to the summer issue of the BC Naturalist.This is one of my four favorite seasons, and like many

ifn^t nlbst of our readers, I'm keeping busy at work and play inour magnificent BC environment. Summer also brings to lightconservation issues, often more dramatically than other sea-sons. One such issue, that of national parks, is the focus ofone of our articles. George Scotter reminds us that, althoughthe federal government has already started the process of com-pleting the definition of seven new national parks, there re-mains a great need for a national park in the south OkanaganValley. This is one the most continuously impacted, yet biolog-ically unique, areas of Canada and deserves our full conserva-tion efforts.

Conservation efforts are often encumbered by a lack of data.E-flora, now being developed by a number of parties focusedthrough UBC, will greatly benefit conservation goals. E-florais an electronic database intended to gather and disseminatebotanical information across the province.

A third article deals with our ongoing 'war' with insectpests, in this case, the mosquito and the potential for it carryingthe West Nile virus. Bev Ramey hits the nail on the head whenshe points out that it is difficult, if not impossible, to fully un-derstand the impact of our attempts at mass eradication of pests.

Lastly, this is my last issue as editor of the BC Naturalist. Iwould like to thank all those folks who contributed to the lastfew issues and those who supported me in my efforts, especial-ly Brenda Costanzo who helped to edit this issue.Post-script: Today, I am in Ashcroft, having just completed aday searching across an expanse of shrub-steppe for rare plantsin a site dedicated for the next Vancouver landfill. As a resi-dent of Vancouver who tries his best to recycle I ask two ques-tions: Why do we dump our refuse in an area not dissimilar tothe Okanagan and destroy it? Can't we do a better job at home?

RENE SAVENYE SCHOLARSHIP FUNDWe recently received the following donations to theRene Savenye Scholarship Fund, some of which werededicated to others:• From Thyrza Cohen in memory of Jack Sarles• From Dr Bert Brink in memory of J.Gilber, J.Radfordand Norah E. Kathleen• From Dr & Mrs. Len Drugge, Mr.& Mrs. Alan Wilkie,Dr & Mrs. Brian Cox and Mr.& Mrs Clare Irwin ofAl berta.

• From Joyce Heaton in memory of Eva JacobsAs a result of these and other donations previously re-ceived the balance in the Scholarship Fund as at June 30exceeded $4,800. This amount does not include a con-tribution from the FBCN itself. Since it has been cus-tomary for the FBCN to contribute to this type of edu-cation fund in the past it is likely we will do so for theScholarship Fund in the near future.

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Summer 2003

Okanagan-SimilkameenNational Park Reserve?

by George Scatter

In October 2002, Prime MinisterJean Chretien announced plansto establish ten new national

parks and three park extensionsacross the country. The new parkshave been further supported by therecent federal budget. The goal isto have one or more national parksin each of the 39 natural regions ofCanada within five years, plus asystem of marine conservationareas along our three coasts.

Natural Region 3, the InteriorDry Plateau, is one of the regionswithout a national park. Should theSouth Okanagan-Similkameen beconsidered for a National ParkReserve? I think it should bothbecause of its diversity and becauseof the serious threats to thatdiversity.

The South Okanagan-Similkameen has a diverseecological makeup which includesgrasslands, shrub-steppe,including the endangered antelopebrush ecosystem, dry Douglas-fir/ponderosa pine forests, andhigh-elevation larch/spruce forests. It is further enhanced byriparian habitats such as streams and creeks, and relict glaciallakes. Above the valley, rugged mountains with steep slopes,rock outcrops, and jumbles of scree dominate the spectacularlandscape.

The South Okanagan-Similkameen is a biodiversity "hotspot" within both British Columbia and Canada, being thenorthern-most distribution limit for many species and habitats.Dyer (2002) lists the species, subspecies, and habitats at risk inthe South Okanagan-Similkameen, based on information fromthe BC Conservation Data Centre, as follows:

Species GroupInvertebratesPlantsPlant CommunitiesVertebrates

Red-listed Number35691629

In total, 256 species, subspecies, or communities are Redor Blue-listed. Red-listed includes any indigenous species orsubspecies that have, or are candidates for, extirpated, endan-gered, or threatened status in British Columbia. Blue-listedincludes any indigenous species or subspecies considered to

Habitat for species such as this recently moulted female racer, a blue-listed reptile,would be protected by the creation of a Nationa Park Reserve. Photo by R.C. Lincoln

be vulnerable or at risk in British Columbia.The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in

Canada (COSEW1C) provides conservation status ranking forspecies at risk in Canada. COSEWIC lists 38 species in theSouth Okanagan-Similkameen that are at risk nationally.

Species such as northern leopard frog, pigmy short-hornedlizard, burrowing owl, sage grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, andwhite-tailed jackrabbit may already be extinct in the Okanagan.More than sixty percent of the globally imperiled antelope-brushplant community has been destroyed.

I consider this area to be the most threatened terrestrialenvironment in Canada because of the rapid development ofagriculture, particularly the intense pressure to convert naturallands to vineyards. In addition, habitats on the glacial soil de-posits are attractive to urbanization.

The shrub-steppe and grassland communities in particular,tiny compared with other ecosystems in British Columbia, areeasily damaged and slow to heal. Productivity levels in thedriest ecosystems are low because of a lack of moisture insummer. Invasion by exotic weeds increasingly degrades thesenatural ecosystems by displacing native species.

During my 30-year career as a research scientist and re-search director with the Canadian Wildlife Service, I had theopportunity to head teams preparing the planning documents

Blue-listed Number1748

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BC Naturalist

for ten potential national park sites and to see much of Canadaduring my work and travel. Because of the biodiversity, includ-ing species richness, species rarity, species resilience, and spe-cies at risk, and the threats by development of the remainingnatural areas in the region, I strongly believe the Okanagan-Similkameen should have the highest priority for conservationin Canada, preferably as a National Park Reserve.

A National Park Reserve in the South Okanagan-Similkameen would assist in maintaining an ecological corridorbetween the central interior grasslands of British Columbia withthose in the south. Such linkages are critical for the gradualadaptation of species and ecosystems especially given the pend-ing likelihood of climatic change.

There may be an opportunity to create an international parksimilar to Waterton/G lacier International Peace Park on theAlberta/Montana border. In addition, it might be possible toestablish an ecological cross-section of habitats of the conti-nental Pacific Northwest from the driest to the wettest, sharedby two nations along the international boundary.

Hopefully, Parks Canada has the vision to protect the areanow. What a loss it would have been if national parks like ElkIsland and Riding Mountain had not been created years ago.They are now natural areas surrounded by a sea of agricultureand other developments. Does anyone regret that Banff wasestablished as Canada's first national park more than a hundredyears ago? Should the South Okanagan-Similkameen be savedfor this and future generations? It will not be unless we all actnow!

Literature CitedDyer, Orville. 2002. List of Species at Risk: South Okanagan-

Similkameen Conservation Program Study Area updated toMay, 2002. Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, Pen-ticton, British Columbia.

George Scatter was a biologist, research scientist, anddirector of wildlife research for the Canadian Wildlife Serv-ice, based in Edmonton, for more than 30years. He served asvice-president and president of the Canadian Nature Federa-tion during its formative years. He is the author of three bookson the flora and fauna of the Canadian Rockies. Now retired,he has lived in Kelowna for the past 12 years.

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Summer 2003

E-Flora BC: One-StopShopping for Plant Information

by Brian Klinkenberg and Ross Waddell

In 2002, the Native Plant Society of British Columbia(NPSBC) Research Committee launched E-Flora BC, anon-line interactive atlas of the plants of our province. E-

Flora BC is a cooperative project between the NPSBC, theUniversity of British Columbia Herbarium (directed by FredGanders), and the Spatial Data Lab, UBC Department of Ge-ography (directed by Brian Klinkenberg). E-Flora will be anatlas in its broadest sense, providing up-to-date interactive spe-cies maps as well as other supporting biogeographical informa-tion. In addition to accessing key BC-based databases of plantinformation (such as the UBC Herbarium database), E-Florawill also access additional databases that will provide key in-formation on ecology, taxonomy, ethnobotany, and phytoge-ography. The goal is to access all of the above in a single search.For researchers, educators, and conservation planners, this willbe an invaluable resource that will provide a comprehensivedatabase of knowledge about our BC plant species, and willalso help conserve species by highlighting the importance andecological role of each one.

As you can imagine, this is an immense project and one thatwill take many years to complete. However, compiling a flora ofthe vascular plants of the province has already been completedby George Douglas, Del Meidinger, Jim Pojar, Jenifer Penny,and other botanists. The Illustrated Flora ofBC (Volumes 1through 8) is available in paper copy. This means that we don'thave to start at the beginning. But even so, developing an on-line, interactive atlas of the flora is still an overwhelming taskinvolving data compilation, writing computer programming, andmuch more. Because of this, the NPSBC Research Committeeopted to begin with a pilot project on the orchids of BritishColumbia. In BC, this is a relatively small family of plants with32 species plus a few varieties. We will use this family to workout the complexities of the project and to write some of thecomputer programming to put E-flora BC on-line.

Initial start-up funds for this portion of the project wereprovided by the Vancouver Orchid Society, the UBC HerbariumFund, and the NPSBC. With these funds, we have purchasedtwo dedicated E-Flora computers and set-up a dedicated serverfor the biogeographic databases. Two teams of volunteers andstudents are now working away. One team is based in the UBCHerbarium, entering orchid label data and annotating specimens.The second team, based in the Geography Department, hasbegun work on writing the programming, setting up databases,and researching the geographical data needed to support theatlas.

The partnerships that will make E-Flora BC possible arenow being forged. In addition to the Vancouver Orchid Society,the BC Ministry of Forests has become an E-Flora partner. TheMinistry of Forests will be providing E-Flora with criticalecological data from the BEC (Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem

Classification) database. The BC Ministry of SustainableResource Management has also corne on board as a partner,and will be providing the database from the Illustrated Flora ofBC directly into E-Flora BC. Algal specialists Sandra Lindstrornand Michael Hawkes at the UBC Herbarium are exploring waysof adding algae to E-Flora, and the Herbarium has donatedfunding towards a student position for orchid data entry.

In parallel to this, an image bank or database of photos ofBC plants will be developed under the guidance of NPSBCmembers Frank Skelton and Gary Lewis. Photos in this data-bank will be directly accessed and di splayed during any searchthat is carried out for a species on E-Flora. The images willreflect the photographic skills of many botanists and naturaliststhroughout the province.

The idea of an atlas of BC's plants was first explored byAdolf Ceska and others in 1996 and 1997, when the NPSBC wasfirst founded, and before the power of the internet was fullyrealized. An on-line atlas of plants will now provide a much-needed centralized information source on the botanical treasuresof our province: maps, information, photos, and illustrations.Contact us if you would like to participate. Volunteers andcontributors to this landmark BC project are not only welcome,they are essential!

For further information on E-Flora BC, visit our web siteat: http://www.geog.ubc.ca/-brian/florae/. Contributions to theimage bank are welcome—for further information on the im-age bank contact us at eflora_images@geog.ubc.ca

The NPSBC Research Committee:Patricia Boyle (co-chair),Perry Grilz (co-chair), Brian Klinkenberg (coordinator, E-Flo-ra), Fred Ganders, Ray Coupe, Chris Sears, Adolf Ceska, PatrickWilliston, Frank Skelton, Gary Lewis, Vanessa Pasqualetto, RossWaddell, Rossalyn Woodgate.

Brian Klinkenberg is an Associate Professor in the De-partment of Geography, UBC, and specializes in spatial dataanalyses, including CIS (Geographical Information Systems)and its applications to conservation biology and rare spe-cies. His research has focussed on rare and endangered plantspecies in BC and in the Carolinian Forest region of Ontario.He is co-author of several COSEWIC status reports and iscurrently editor of Cartographies:—International publicationsin Cartography and GIS. He can be contacted atklink@interchange.ubc.ca.

Ross Waddell is NPSBC Information Co-ordinator and canbe contacted at information@npsbc.org.

BC Naturalist

Important Bird Areas and the FBCNby Jeremy McCall

r | "Vie FBCN recently succeeded in obtaining funding fromI the Vancouver Foundation, Canadian Nature Federation,

J~ and TD Friends of the Environment Foundation to takethe Important Bird Area (IBA) program in BC to a new stagewith the implementation of the Seabird Survival Program forfive IBAs off southern Vancouver Island. As we embark on thisprogram, it is an appropriate time to review the FBCN's pastinvolvement with the IBA program in the province.

The FBCN first became involved with the IBA program in1996 when Anne Murray was invited to a workshop put on byBird Studies Canada (BSC), the Canadian Wildlife Service ofEnvironment Canada (CWS), and the Canadian Nature Feder-ation (CNF). BSC originally operated under the name LongPoint Bird Observatory. BSC's role is to identify sites based oncriteria established by BirdLife International (BLI), which hasrepresentatives in more than 100 countries round the world.The CNF's role is to deliver the program's goals of writingconservation plans, initiating stewardship, and ensuring pro-tection of sites. They do this through their provincial affiliates,such as the FBCN in BC.

An IBA is a site which provides essential habitat for one ormore species of breeding or non-breeding birds. The sites maybe home for threatened species or endemic species, especiallyrepresentative species or exceptional concentrations of birds.The goal of the program is to identify a network of sites which

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conserve the natural diversity of Canadian bird species and todetermine the type of protection and stewardship required. Whenselecting sites, consideration is given to whether they have na-tional, continental, or global significance.

After the 1996 workshop, the FBCN was given a list ofpotential sites which was circulated and reviewed by a dozenmembers having particular knowledge of the areas. The list wasmodified and returned to BSC with the FBCN's recommenda-tions for changes. It took BSC about two years after that todigest the input they received for sites in various parts of Can-ada. Meanwhile, the CNF hired Marc Johnson as the IBA con-servation planner to work out of its Ottawa office.

Following the agreement on the revised BC site list withBSC, the CNF then worked with the FBCN and Wild Bird Trust(WBT) which was also a partner until 2002, and in 1999 we hiredBarry Booth as BC's first IBA Coordinator, with a salary paid bythe CNF for the first two years. Barry worked with the BC IBAsub-committee, which included Anne Murray, George Clulow,and Madelon Schouten, and the sub-committee consulted oth-er ornothologists such as Wayne Campbell, Christine Bishop,Krista De Groot, and Andy Bezner to determine the prioritiesfor developing IBA conservation plans. Barry reported regular-ly to the FBCN and his first full report can be found in the 2000FBCN Annual Report. The development of conservation plansrequired funding so Barry was also responsible for applyingfor the necessary grants.

Because the FBCN thought that conservation issues in sen-sitive areas might cause strong reactions, it was decided thatBarry should begin by working quietly with stakeholder groups,landowners, and relevant agencies in certain targeted locationsthat could have an impact. This method worked well. We avoid-ed publicity about the program until we could point to somesuccesses, in order to avoid the kind of backlash that attendedcertain Ramsar designations. As communities came on boardand local groups recognized their IBA sites, prepared plans,and initiated stewardship efforts, then the dedication ceremo-nies were organized. One of the earliest sites to be dedicatedwas Somenos Marsh, a globally significant site for TrumpeterSwans. We have also staged several other ceremonies in BC;for example Comox — Courtenay and the Fraser River Estuary.Barry Booth submitted his final report on the initial phase ofthe program in September 2001, after he had completed some 18conservation plans.

There are now 597 IBAs in Canada and about 112 in BC. Ofthese, more than 60 are located in the Lower Mainland andaround Vancouver Island, primarily in the southern portion ofthe island. Approximately 36 are located near the mid-coast,primarily in the Queen Charlotte islands, and the remainingdozen or so sites are scattered throughout the interior. TheSeabird Survival Program will involve the five sites at SnakeIsland (at the entrance to Departure Bay), Porlier Pass, ActivePass, Sidney Channel, and Chain Islets off Oak Bay. The

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principal objective of the program is to advance the conservationplans for these five areas by mitigating the effects of humandisturbance at these sites. This will be achieved by means of apublic awareness and education campaign directed at therecreational and commercial boating community in thesurrounding areas.

In the next issue of BC Naturalist, we will provide moreinformation on the conservation plans and a full description ofthe Seabird Survival Program so that members can both be awareof the program and play a role in making the program moreeffective if they are in a position to do so.

Meanwhile, a visit to the IBA website is highly recommend-ed. It carries extensive information about all IBA sites in Can-ada and can be reached at www.ibacanada.com

Jeremy McCall as President of the FBCN is responsiblefor managing the FBCN's involvement, with the IBAs in BC,including the Seabird Survival Program.

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BC Naturalist

Your Federation is Working For YouLetters Sent:March 19 - To Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Water,

Land & Air Protection. Re: Gladys Lake Ecological Re-serve-commercial use

March 23 - To Pierre Johnstone, Wildlife Biologist, Ministry ofWater, Land & Air Protection. Re: Draft Muskwa-KechikaWildlife Management Plan

April 16-To Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Water, Land& Air Protection regarding BC's new model for fish, wild-life and park recreation.

April 16 - To Right Honourable Jean Chretien. Re: Moratori-um on offshore oil and gas exploration (also see Resolution2003-02)

April 30 - To Honourable Stan Hagen, Minister of SustainableResource Management. Re: A Working Forest for BritishColumbia-Discussion Paper.

May 16 - To Ms. Nancy Wilkin, Assistant DepurtyMinister,Minister of Water, Land & Air Protection. Re: Sup-port for Volunteer Ecological Reserve Wardens

May 2003 - Letter to the public. Re: Factual Information onWest Nile Virus

Letters have also been sent on each of the ten resolutions passedat the AGM (see Conservation Report)

Letters Received:March 20 - From Minister Stan Hagen on Working ForestApril 1 - from Kerry Grozier, Chilliwack District Forest Serv-

ice Manger, on Elk Creek Harvest proposal by CattermoleTimber Ltd.

April 17 - From Minister of Water , Land and Air Protection,in response to our letter of March 19/03 on Gladys LakeEcological Reserve, Spatsizi,, stating that future manage-ment direction for allowable uses will depend on severalfactors, including appropriate long-term protection.

April 24 - From the office of the Prime Minister the Right Hon-ourable Jean Chretien regarding the moratorium on offshoreoil and gas development in BC.

May 6 - From Nancy Wilkin, Assistant Deputy Minister, Minis-try of Water, Land & Air Protection responding to our Jan8/03 letter on trespass in Strathcona Park

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Meetings Attended:Our May 10th Annual Report includes reports on numerous

meetings, from 20 FBCN representatives on different com-mittees ranging from Naturescape to the Coalition for Li-censing and Regulation or ORVs. Extra copies of the An-nual Report are available from the FBCN office, so if youwould like one, phone or e-mail.

Feb 21 - 22 - Off Road Vehicle Workshop in Banff- attendedby Jim Duncan of the Rocky Mountain Naturalists on be-half of FBCN. Attendees included reps from Alberta andMontana. Jim's four page report is available at FBCN of-fice, and provides links to several websites.

Feb 8 - Seeing Common Ground conference on East KootenayAgriculture Wildlife Program, Cranbrook - attended byTravis McKinney of Rocky Mountain Naturalists on behalfof FBCN. Two page report available from FBCN office.Travis notes that — with the human population in the RockyMountain trench growing, the landscape becoming morefragmented, both fire suppression and forest encroachmentlikely to continue, guide/outfitters wanting more elk, ranch-ers wanting more rangeland, hunters and visitors wantingmore wild ungulates — he left the conference, "seeking thecommon ground".

Winter 2002/03 - A series of meetings on Provincial Park Man-agement Plan for Moose Valley and Flat Lake (near 100Mile House), attended by Audrey Hoeg

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Summer 2003

West Nile Virus:Prevention through Healthy Wetlands, Natural Predators and Public Education

by Bev Ramey

"T "Y Tith the anticipated arrival of West Nile Virus in Brit-\/\ ish Columbia this summer, several municipalities are

T T considering or undertaking the spraying of Bacillusthuringiensis israelensis (Bti) into waterways. Bacillusthuringiensis israelensis is a naturally occurring bacterium andis marketed commercially as a larvicide. It kills the larvae ofaquatic members of the Diptera (true flies), includingmosquitoes, blackflies, and midges. Although Bti apparentlydoes not directly affect other aquatic species, including fish,amphibians, dragonflies, and beetles, it does have a tremendousimpact on them by eliminating part of their food supply. Manyaquatic species eat the larvae of mosquitoes, blackflies, andmidges, and, with their food source strongly reduced or gone,many of these aquatic predators will starve or will eat eachother.

The effectiveness of Bti is relatively short-lived and, onceused, it becomes necessary to use it repeatedly. Once themosquito larvae and other fly larvae such as midges are killed,populations of the many natural, small predators of the mosquitolarvae will decline or even disappear. When new adultmosquitoes fly in and lay their eggs, there will be fewer naturalpredators to keep their numbers in check. This is why once

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you begin using Bti, it becomes necessary to continuallyreapply it. Adult mosquitoes have the ability to travel largedistances (over 15 kilometres have been reported), so even ifyou eliminate all the mosquito larvae in a pond or ditch with Bti,new eggs will constantly be reintroduced and hatch intomosquitoes. Natural predators of mosquito larvae are the mosteffective control because they are always present, and alwaysfeeding. However, the use of a larvicide in standing water areaswhere natural predators are unlikely to survive, such as catchbasins, does make sense.

There is a growing public concern that borders on hysteriaamongst media and politicians over the spread of the West NileVirus, and this is driving decisions to spend large amounts ofmoney to combat mosquitoes. In fact, several other diseasesborne by animals deserve equal or even more attention.Examples include Lyme disease, carried by ticks, Hanta virus,carried by mice, Psittacosis, clamydia from birds, Giardia orbeaver fever, and, most recently, monkeypox, a virus carried byprairie dogs. In addition, the deadliness of West Nile Virus isextremely small. In the first place, it is unlikely you will bebitten by an infected mosquito which must have first bitten abird with the disease. Fewer than 1% of people bitten by aninfected mosquito will suffer seriously from the disease. Peopleare more likely to die from flu.

Here's what you need to know about the small, but effective,natural predators of mosquito larvae. Several 'grazing' aquaticspecies, such as snails, eat mosquito eggs. Then there are themany natural predators of mosquito larvae and pupae. Theseinclude: dragonfly and damselfly larvae, three-spine sticklebackfish, tadpoles of newts and salamanders, whirl y gig beetle larvae,diving beetles (both adults and larvae), and young ducks. Withall of these natural predators present in healthy wetlands, veryfew mosquito larvae develop into adults.

As for mosquito adults, their natural predators include frogs,salamanders, newts, dragonflies and damselflies, birds (such asswallow, purple martin, common nighthawk, and fly catcher),and bats. Bats are extremely effective at catching and eatingadult mosquitoes. The little brown Myotis (BC's most com-mon bat) can consume over 500 mosquitoes in an hour at dusk.

Use of chemicals such as malathion or pyretherin is definitelynot recommended to kill adult mosquitoes. These chemicalsare not specific to mosquitoes and impact the entire food chain.They also pose a health risk for people.

It is best to control the mosquito eggs, larvae, and pupae,rather than adults. Healthy wetlands already have their ownbuilt-in control through the many natural predators present. Onthe other hand, one of the worst breeding areas for mosquitoesthat can spread West Nile Virus is our own yard. The intro-duced mosquito, Culex pipiens, thrives in yards in urban areasand only needs a tea cup of water to develop from eggs throughto adult. This is the mosquito that comes indoors on warmsummer nights. It's the one you likely hear when lying in bed,

BC Naturalist

and it does bite humans. It's also one of the most likely earnersof West Nile Virus. About twelve mosquito species are likelyvectors of the virus in British Columbia, with Culex pipiens atthe top of the list.

Therefore, public education is needed, and the messageshould encourage people to:• remove standing water in our yards, including saucers under

plants, old containers or tarps,• empty and clean water in pet dishes, wading pools and bird

baths at least twice a week; mosquitoes can grow from egg toadult in as little as 7 days,

• introduce fish to ponds or pools. For ponds which do notdrain into natural waterways, small sized or feeder goldfishare a good solution. They can be purchased from your localpet store, and are inexpensive. Larger goldfish work well,but cost more, and

• avoid pesticide use around the home.One of the most difficult, but important, areas to address is

standing water in house gutters and eave troughs, and waterthat remains on flat rooftops. Water sits in gutters when theyare clogged or when the gutter is not correctly sloped to thedownspout. This often happens as gutters sag with age. Gut-ter cleaning services estimate a large proportion of homes havestanding water in their gutters, and this water only dries upthrough a dry spell of a week or more.

Further, we should look beyond our own backyards, andassist in helping regional officials and the media to better un-derstand and treat the problem. For example, encourage yourlocal politicians to adopt these recommendations:

l.When monitoring to see where mosquito larvae arepresent, also inventory whether natural predators are present.Where natural predators are obviously present, do not use Bti.

2. Do not use Bti where it will flow into healthy waterways.3. Do not use chemicals to kill adult mosquitoes.4. Prepare and circulate public information on how to elim-

inate or properly maintain standing water on our properties.

For further information, contact FBCN office for our 5 pagebackgrounder.

For more on mosquito life cycle and natural predators, logonto the website of consultant Dr. Michael Jackson. He gavethis informative power point presentation to Vancouver CityCouncil, following which Council passed a policy opposing useofadulticides.

Here's a fundraiser idea for your naturalist club: the Bulk-ley Valley Naturalists constructed and sold bat boxes as a fundraiser. The boxes cost around $12 in materials and the clubsold them for $35. They built 36 boxes in a one day work beeand these all sold quickly. If you are interested in the bat boxconstruction plans and directions, please contact the FBCNoffice. These have been provided by Mel and Evi Coulson.

Bev Ramey is well known as FBCN Conservation Chair(going into her sixth year!) She also worked as a Park Plan-ner for the Greater Vancouver Regional District for 12 years.With husband, Bill, they have three teenagers, and sometimesscout the local ditches and ponds with nets.

NATURAL HISTORYTOURS

Distinctive Journeys, an Edmomtoivbasad eamjwiy hasbeen speetafczing m small and large group IOIMS worldwidefor the pasl 22 years. We are pleased to announce ttiat we

have partrorod w4h Or, Richard K^pton to guide thebllcrtlng tour Naluml History Tqurs. Ricfcard I* sm ground

flafcurallst, wlh st/arajtns Bvst range from birds andbutterflies, to flowers and fungi. Aa a world traveller. Richard

has lead Girding and native lours throughout Via USA&Canada.. f*oni Church* & the Higfc Arctic to She

Can»*art Rockw*. and from Arizona to fr« Alt^&e Cottf.Richard has ai&» g-jidad groups to such intern alia nal

desAJnaHtons as Trwiid&d & Tobago, Ecuador, Venezuela,Kenya. Scotland, Mexico and Costa Rica.

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Summer 2003 11

Ecological Reserves Lookingfor Volunteer Wardens

Several of BC's 150 Ecological Reserves are looking for aVolunteer Warden. The time is right to get involved andyou can attend the upcoming Gathering of Ecological

Reserve Wardens (on the weekend after Labour Day) to findout what this volunteer job entails.

The list we have of wardens may not be up to date, so if youare the warden for one of the reserves listed below, let EvaDurance know and we'll update the list.

The Reserves looking for wardens are listed by their numberand name, and are grouped geographically. The Cariboo (fromClinton to Quesnel) has been separated out from the North, buteven so, the North still has the most Reserves (17) withoutwardens (plus 2 more in the Charlottes). Surprisingly, VancouverIsland region is next with 15 Reserves looking for wardens.The Cariboo, Lower Mainland and Kootenays are each lookingfor 4 volunteer wardens. The Thompson-Okanagan Regionhas volunteer wardens for all their Reserves. Many of theReserves without Wardens are the higher numbered Reserveswhich are the most recently established.

Garry Oak in winter, Vancouver Island. Photo by Joan Best.

NORTH47 Parker Lake, W of Fort Nelson60 Drywilliam Lake, S of Fraser Lake62 Ft. Nelson River, N of Ft. Nelson71 B lackwater Creek, NW of Mackenzie80 Smith River, near junction with Liard85 Patsuk Creek, N of Mackenzie87 Heather Lake, NW of Mackenzie91 Raspberry Harbour, Williston Lake107 Chunamon Creek, NE of Germanson Landing133 Gamble Creek, E of Prince Rupert134 Ellis Island, W of Vanderhoof146 Catherine Creek, SE of Hazelton147 Grayling River Hot Springs, NE of Muncho Lake148 Kotcho Lake Islands, ENE of Fort Nelson149 Portage Brule Rapids, SE of Watson Lake150 Rolla Canyon, near Dawson Creek152 Ospika Cones, ENE of N end Williston Lake

CARIBOO (Clinton to Quesnel)35 Westwick Lake, S of Williams Lake53 Narcosli Lake, W of Quesnel65 Chasm, N of Clinton70 Nount Tinsdale, ESE of Barkerville

QUEEN CHARLOTTES9 To wHil l ,NE Graham Is land10 Rose Spit, NE point Graham Island

VANCOUVER ISLAND1 Cleland Island, Clayoquot Sound24 Baeria Rocks, Barkley Sound90 Sutton Pass, W of Port Alberni105 Megin River, NW of Tofino119 Tahsish River, S of Port McNeill120 Duke of Edinburgh, islands NW of Port Hardy123 Mt. Derby, S of Port McNeill125 Mount Elliott, S of Port McNeill135 Bowser, N of Parksville136 Comox Lake Bluffs, SW of Courtenay43? Hudson Rocko, N of frfeweastte-hiand *—138 Klanawa River, SE of Bamfield139 Ladysmith Bog, S ofNanaimo140 Misty Lake, NW of Port McNeill151 BallingallIslets,NNE of Ganges

LOWER MAINLAND (to Boston Bar)98 Chilliwack River, S of ChHliwack Lake131 Stoyoma Creek, near Boston Bar143 Liumchen, S of Chilliwack144 Yale Garry Oaks, E of Yale

12 BC Naturalist

KOOTENAYS19 Mount Sabine, N of Canal Flats20 Columbia Lake, E side of lake31 Lew Creek, E of Upper Arrow Lake32 Evans Lake, Valhalla Prov. Park

Volunteers Eva Durance, Bev Ramey, and Peggy Frank havebeen planning this provincial Gathering, jointly sponsored byThe Friends of Ecological Reserves and the Federation of BCNaturalists, to be held at the Henry Grube Education Centre inKamloops.

Friday evening's keynote speaker will kick off a great week-end of presentations, discussions, and social time. Senior gov-ernment staff will be speaking Saturday morning on the currentsystem as it relates to Ecological Reserves, and a panel of war-dens from different Regions will present their perspectives ontopics of specific concern, including changes in the warden sys-tem, access to ERs, invasive plants, and research opportuni-ties. There will also be small group discussions and lots of timefor questions and answers. Educational field trips will be heldSunday morning.

So that we can make firm commitments on meeting rooms,accommodations, and catering, we need to know, as soon aspossible, approximately how many people plan to attend. Pleasesend your completed registration forms by July 31,2003 at thelatest. If you have any questions, please contact Peggy Frank(250-519-0040, pegfrank@telus.net) or Eva Durance (250-492-0158, edurance@vip.net).

WEST OSOYOOS(Overlooking the Town of Osoyoos)

Unique Spanish style home on 10 acres ofunsurpassed beauty

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Contact Gerry FroeseROYAL LEAGE - Desert Oasis

(250)495-2606

Registration Form for Ecological Reserves Warden Gathering

Name(s):

Address:

Phone: Email:

Check one:G 1 do not need accommodation Q I would like to camp G I would like a hotel room G I would like to be billeted

Check one:Q I am warden of ER# , the .^___G I would like to attend as a prospective ER warden

Ecological Reserve. I have been a warden for years.

Check one:G Attend events on all three days (Friday to Sunday)Q Attend events on Saturday and SundayG Attend events on Saturday only

The registration fee is $20 and payable to " FBCN - Wardens Gathering".(Note: Funding support has been applied for and we're hoping to be able to contribute substantially to travel and accommodationcosts for all those attending. Updates on this will be forwarded to you.) If you have particular matters you would like broughtout at the meeting, please write them on a separate piece of paper and attach to your registration form.

Please send this form and $20 registration fee to:ER Warden Gathering, c/o Federation of BC Naturalists, 307-1367 W. Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6H 4A9

Summer 2003 13

The 2003 AGM in Kamloopsby Margaret Graham

H^re is a re-cap of the 2003FBCN AGM for the bene-fit of those people who

did not attend. The Symposium onDry Forests Ecosystems was wellattended by representatives of anumber of other conservationgroups and government people.Several speakers made presenta-tions to help people to understandthe processes that influence the dryforest ecosystems of the southerninterior; to explore the issues thatface managers of these forest eco-systems, and to discuss manage-ment options.

Following morning workshops,there were four field trips on Fri-day afternoon which illustrated thetheme of the AGM: "Fire andWater: Landscape Sculptors". Par-ticipants were able to view first-hand the impact of fire in theform of ancient volcanic action and lava flows as well as morerecent forest fires. The effects of water could be seen from therounded hillsides which were scoured by glaciers to the siltdeposits and gravel beds left behind when the glaciers melted.The rivers and creeks continue to carve out the landscape to-day, while the low amount of precipitation dictates the ecologyfor the plants and animals that live here.

As the objectives of the FBCN are to provide naturalistswith a unified voice on conservation and environmental issues,a number of resolutions were passed at the AGM which will bepresented to the federal and provincial governments. One ofthe resolutions was for a moratorium on oil and gas explora-tion and the designation of marine protected areas. Anotherresolution urged the phasing out of single-hulled tankers inCanadian domestic coastal waters by 2006. In keeping withthe Federation's desire to foster awareness, appreciation, andunderstanding of our natural environment, a resolution waspassed urging the Minister of Water, Land and Air Protectionto reinstate a Parks-controlled and supervised nature interpre-tation and education programme.

At the Saturday night banquet, Mayor Mel Rothenbergergave a welcoming speech in which he spoke of the fragility ofthe grasslands and the need to preserve them. Several awardswere presented to deserving individuals after dinner (see nextarticle). Harry Parsons concluded the evening with an enter-taining talk about frogs with attitude.

On Sunday morning, local birders led convoys of vehiclesout of town on the homeward journey, stopping at favorite view-ing sites in order to satisfy the bird-watching cravings for peo-ple unfamiliar with the Kamloops area. Next year's AGM will beheld in Vancouver.

Margaret Graham with the mayor of KamloopsMel Rothenberger and his wife Syd. Photo by Julie Taylor.

Harry Parsons, "the frog man ". Photo by Julie Taylor.

14 BC Naturalist

The 2003 AGM Awards

Afull array of Federation Awards was presented at the\.GM in Kamloops in May, 2003. Thanks to a goodesponse to a second call for nominations, the Awards

Committee was almost swamped!The FBCN's principal Award, the Elton Anderson Award,

was presented to our Conservation Chair Bev Ramey. As weall know, Bev has worked for years to provide clear and con-structive Conservation Reportson a wide range of issues of con-cern to the Federation of B.C.Naturalists'members. Bev is aninvaluable member of the Fed-eration Executive, always will-ing to help in the office as well,and it was only fitting that herdevoted efforts, as required bythe criteria for the Elton Ander-son, were rewarded in this way.

The Regional RecognitionAward was presented to threemembers this year:

Gary Davidson, of the Ar-row Lakes Naturalists, is a Sec-ondary School teacher in Na-kusp in the Kootenay Region.Gary has a long record of con-tributions, including teachingbird identification courses in sev-eral locations including Wells-Gray park and the Allan BrooksNature Centre. As well, he hascompiled and published threebooks and has contributed ahuge amount of monitoringrecords of West Kootenay birdsto the 4-volume publication,Birds of British Columbia.

Margaret Barwis, formerlyof the West Kootenay Naturalists' Association, was a foundingmember of that club, in 1972. Since then she has brought aboutand worked with others to establish the Kokanee Park VisitorCentre, an FBCN camp in the area, and an AGM in Nelson,and she has always opened her home to naturalists for a varietyofactivities.

Joan Best, of Kamloops, represents her Club on severalorganizations; a local LRUP, the Southern Interior Weed Com-mittee, and, recently, with Bev Ramey, represents the FBCNon the Coalition for the Licensing and Regulation of ORVs. Aswell, she served as Regional Coordinator for the Thompson-Okanagan-Shu swap Region for 2 years and is now the FBCNRecording Secretary.

The FBCN Recognition Award, presented to non-FBCNrecipients, was given to two gentlemen, Robert Koopmans,

Bev Ramey is presented with the Elton AndersonAward. Photo by Julie Taylor

of Kamloops, for his outstanding Nature/Outdoors column in alocal newspaper. Robert's articles have always stressed respectfor the environment. He keeps conservation values and thesimple appreciation of natural beauty a constant in his articles.

Ross McCutcheon, of Vancouver, was presented with theRecognition Award for his much-appreciated assistance to theFBCN through pro bono work, advice and consultation from

his legal knowledge. Rossalso promotes the Living byWater initiative and has beenvery active in bringing thisFBCN-supported project tothe attention of American aswell as Canadian residents.

The Barbara ChapmanAward, not presented since2001, was given to MichaelVaninsberghe of Victoria. AGrade 10 student, Michael'swork in Mt. Douglas Park hasbeen outstanding. His inter-est in natural history has ledhim to conduct field classesfor other students, to do ex-tensive biodiversity mappingin the park, and to make pres-entations on his work. Asso-ciated with his work in thepopular park, Michael's stud-ies have also contributed tomapping of the trails. Michaelis also credited with the dis-covery of a previously un-known location of Pacificwaterleaf in the park.Michael's accomplishments inthe field of natural historywould do credit to an adult

and, indeed, his work is being published in a naturalists' jour-nal.

Just a reminder, folks! At the FBCN FGM, in Kimberley,in September, further Awards will be presented. These are theFBCN Club Service Award and the Knowing Nature Award.The criteria for the Service Award is as follows:

"The FBCN Club Service Award is given to a person orpersons (more than one may be presented) belonging to an af-filiated or member Club, and recognizes their outstanding serv-ice at a local level."

"The Knowing Nature Award is given to an individual orclub that has participated in a project that has added to theknowledge of natural history in the province by having com-pleted plant studies, a nature trail project, etc." Only one Know-ing Nature Award is given.

Summer 2003 15

The AGM team: Margaret Graham, Karen Willies, Pat Petley and Marge Weninger. Photo by Julie Taylor.

In the past, the deadline for nominations for these Awardswas set at July 15. However, in these days of almost instantcommunication, nominations will be accepted if sent to theAwards Committee Chair on or before July 31. Time is neededfor the members of the Committee to review and made deci-sions on the nominations submitted. Please send backgroundinformation and an outline of the reasons for submitting a nameor names, i.e., a short history of their work for their Club ortowards natural history knowledge, to:

Joan Best,143-2960 TranquilleRd.,Kamloops, B.C.,V2B 8B6

Email is the preferred means of sending nominations:jbest@mail.ocis.net.

We had an impressive number of Awards recipients at theAGM. Let's have other deserving people recognized at the FGMtoo!

.Ross McCutcheon is presented with the FBCN's Recognition Award. Photo by Julie Taylor.

16 BC Naturalist

Workshop on Noxious and Invasive Plantsby Joan Best

Afull day was spent in Kamloops gathering commentsind offering input to the Draft Strategy on noxious andnvasive alien plants. This draft strategy has been

compiled by the Eraser Basin Council. By way of introductionand for those of us who had not previously been in attendanceat these series of meetings, a brief outline of the FBC was givenby Dave Marshall, the Executive Director. The Fraser BasinCouncil was established in 1997 with a mandate to ensure thatdecisions made now on activities within the Basin will protectsocial, economic, and environmental sustainability in the future.A non-governmental non-profit organization, the Councildirects its efforts toward impartial non-political work andadvocating for a sustainable Basin. More information can befound on the Basin's website; www.fraserbasin.bc.ca.

The workshop was attended by representatives fromgovernment, utilities, ranchers, farmers, other land-owners, andnon-governmental agencies, such as the FBCN. Delegatestravelled from such diverse locations as the Peace River to theBoundary country. The meeting reviewed a written Strategythat defined the impact, at all levels, of the spread of weeds andalso the agencies, legislation, etc. devoted, thus far, to theircontrol. At the time of writing, the results of the day-longKamloops meeting and the changes made to the Strategy arenot available. The revised Strategy will be presented for furtherdiscussion and action at the next meeting, tentatively set forOctober 7, in Vancouver.

Causes of weed spread are many and varied, and effectivelegislative control is lacking at most levels. The conference inKamloops agreed that public and land-owner education shouldbe the primary focus, with work also to be done to encouragegovernment to address the weed problem with greater resources.An ambitious schedule hopes to have a final Strategy in placeand formalized at the October meeting, resulting in apresentation to government shortly thereafter.

Of concern to naturalists is that the thrust for weed controlis still largely with various chemical agents. This is due, in part,to the sheer rapidity and scope of the infestations which con-tinue to outrun biocontrol agents. However, it is hoped thatlong-term control, once infestations are stable, will be achievedby using non-chemical means. Much discussion ensued onthe topic of how to push for changes to existing legislation. Itwas agreed that public education and awareness must be fore-most with punitive action as a necessary but a last resort. Un-fortunately, despite the good work being done by local weedcommittees, and (not all areas of B.C. have weed committees),general public awareness is either lacking or has not generatedsufficient action on the problem, the result being that weedscontinue to proliferate, much to the frustration of those land-owners who strive to eradicate or, at least, control weeds.

The Fraser Basin Council's initiative is promising as it is thefirst comprehensive approach to a problem, in this case weeds,and also has the interest and support of several concerned MLAs.

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Summer 2003 17

BC WUdlife Watch and the FBCNby Jeremy McCall

One of the best investments a naturalist can make is topurchase the British Columbia Road & RecreationalAtlas, obtainable from most map and outdoor stores.

In addition to Parks and Recreation Areas, Ecological Reserves,and Forest Service Recreation Sites, this atlas lists 222 WildlifeViewing Sites which have been identified through the WildlifeWatch program. The atlas also describes the eco-province inwhich each site is situated and the wildlife which can be seenthere on a month-by-month basis. The locations are shown onthe maps with a binoculars sign, so familiar alongside our high-ways.

The Wildlife Watch program was established in 1989. It wasdesigned to provide opportunities for viewing wildlife andencouraging public understanding and appreciation of wildlifespecies and their habitats. At a time when many of the natureinterpretation programs in BC's parks have been eliminatedbecause of the lack of government support, the role of theWildlife Watch program has become much more significant.However, it is probably true to say that many members of thegeneral public are not well aware of the program. I suggest thatit is very much in the interest of naturalists that we increase thelevel of awareness. Even if the amount of traffic in wildlifeviewing sites increases, wildlife as a whole should ultimatelybenefit from a more educated public.

The objectives of the program are closely aligned with theFBCN's second objective which is to foster an awareness,appreciation, and understanding of our natural environment,so that it may be wisely used and maintained for futuregenerations. Furthermore, the FBCN has played a significantrole with the development and operation of the program sinceits inception, and our role remains central to delivery of theprogram today. The program was originally sponsored by BC'sMinistry of Environment, Lands and Parks and it is now theresponsibility of the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection(MWLAP). However, the Ministry's role is now quite limiteddue to the government's widely publicized budgetaryconstraints. As a result, it has now fallen to the FBCN to makesure this program continues in an effective way. In this, we arebeing assisted to some extent with small annual grants fromMWLAP. Our role is to ensure that these funds are leveragedwith additional funding or in-kind contributions and expendedin the most effective way to continue the program and get themessage out about it.

In addition to site identification, which was largelyundertaken by members of the Federation, one of the principlepurposes of Wildlife Watch has been the design and publicationof a large number of wildlife viewing publications for di stributionto the viewing public. These have included many brochures,including Wildlife Viewing in British Columbia and suchregional brochures as Wildlife Viewing in the South Okanagan& Similkameen, and many bird check lists, most of which werecompiled by FBCN members. Some of the older brochures are

regrettably now out of print, though it may be possible to obtaincopies at MWLAP offices or from the FBCN office. Others areavailable through the Biodiversity in BC website athttp://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/wld/bio.htm and its links.

The FBCN and MWLAP recently commissioned two finenew brochures, one for the Kootenays and one for the Thomp-son - Nicola Region. These are now ready for printing anddistribution, and we are in the process of investigating ways tofund the cost of doing that. Since the local authorities in theregions should have an interest in promoting eco-tourism intheir areas, we intend to approach them for funding. We hopethat in this way they will also have an incentive to see that theyare appropriately distributed and maintained. We will also in-volve the local naturalist clubs in this so that they can workwith their local authorities. A new brochure for the Skeenaregion was also completed recently with funding from the Hab-itat Conservation Trust Fund, and the FBCN is being asked toprovide input regarding its distribution.

The programs goals were restated in November 2001 withthe publication of a five year business plan for Wildlife Watchand a number of objectives and actions were identified (copiesof this plan are available from the FBCN office). 1 have touchedon several of the objectives in this article but I believe theemphasis at this time should be on Objective 6 which is topromote public awareness and knowledge of wildlife throughinformational and educational materials. To do this, we need tomake better use of the materials we have available today. It ismy belief that what is needed now is to take stock of theresources which are available, and to develop a plan to makethe public more aware of the program and ways to access it.The FBCN is prepared to allocate some of the limited funding ithas available for this task, after which we will develop ways totake the program out to a wider public than is using it today.

Jeremy McCall is President of the FBCN and welcomesideas for making the most of the resources of the Wildlife Watchprogram as it exists today.

The VancouverEcological Explorer

A Walker's Guide to the Ecosystems

Available in book, nature, andoutdoors stores in Greater

Vancouver and Whistler

www. ecoexplorer. ca

18 BC Naturalist

Organizing Local Young Naturalist Clubs:your questions answered

by Daphne Solecki

Tie Young Naturalists' Club of BC is a project of the/ancouver Natural History Society, which supports andnanages the YNC on behalf of all FBCN members. While

it is desirable that YNCs are led by members from local FBCNclubs, this is not essential; there are many areas in the provincewhich are not served by FBCN clubs, so interested individualscan join the YNC and start a focalgroup.

For FBCN members who haveconsidered setting up a YNC fortheir area and wonder what is in-volved, this article outlines what alocal YNC leader is responsible forand what is undertaken by the YNCManagement Team (based in Van-couver).

Local YNClub Explorer Day Lead-ers have two basic responsibilities:

1. EXPLORER DAYS• The number 1 priority is organiz-

ing Explorer Days and other par-ticipatory programs in the area youchoose to cover. Discovering na-ture first hand is the core activityofYNC.

• All activities are family oriented -that is, all children under 14 mustbe accompanied by an adult (thiscan of course also be grandparent,aunt, uncle, older sib, or friend offamily).

• The YNC leader finds local resource people to guide and pro-vide the 'expertise', it doesn't have to do this him/herself.Most resource people are happy to be invited when they knowit is just once a year.

• Explorer Days are generally offered once a month but don'thave to be on a specific regular weekend; the day chosen isthe one convenient to local circumstances.

• The YNC is covered by 3rd Party liability insurance. At everyoutdoor event the waiver form must be signed. This acts asa register as well.

• Leaders create quarterly events calendars which are sent outwith each mailing of Nature WILD. Calendars actually cover 4months so that there is a bit of overlap in case of delays.Copies of the local calendar are sent out with new memberpacks.

Minister Joyce MurrayDaphne Solecki.

2. RECRUITING LOCAL YNC MEMBERS• The YNC brochure will be adapted for each club so that it has

a local contact name and address. It is important that eachYNC be recognised as a locally organised group.

• Initially, YNC leaders will want to get YNC known in the areaand recruit members locally. This can be done in any venue or

in any way that the leader feels isappropriate to the area. After the firstcouple of Explorer Days have beencarried out, word of mouth bypleased participants is actually themost effective recruiting method.Local Community newspapers areoften happy to run a story and pho-to about YNC activities.

YNC management committee is re-sponsible for (basically everythingelse!):1. Overall management of Young Nat-

uralists' Club of British Columbia2. Finances: fund-raising, receiving

and banking YNC member chequesand others, and keeping track of fi-nancial situation. Fund-raising iscarried out through the VancouverNatural History Society as being aRegistered Charitable Organizationis usually required by funding agen-cies. Therefore writing of cheques,accounting, audit preparation etc.,is done by the VNHS treasurer.

3. Maintaining Insurance for YNC through Sport BC InsuranceAgency.

4. Processing new member applications, sending out new mem-ber packages

5. Compiling, editing and printing Nature WILD and mailingout same each quarter. (Contributions, suggestions, commentsetc. from local YNC leaders & members are more than wel-come; we are very concerned to make NW relevant to allparts of the province.

6. Communicating and consulting with YNC leaders. Report-ing to VNHS & FBCN.

Daphne Solecki is the co-ordinator of the Young Naturalists'Club of BC. She can be reached at (604) 736-9471 ordaphsol@telus.net. More information about the YNC can befound at http://www. naturalhistory. be. ca/YNC

with Kelly Sekhon andMinistry photo.

Summer 2003 19

Conservation News

Purchase of the Koodoos Propertyin the Columbia River Basin

A group of leading BC land conservation organizations/ \y announced that they are completing the pur

-/. Achase of the 4,037-hectare Hofert/Hoodoos property inthe East Kootenays for $3.5 million. Known for the distinctive"Hoodoos" formations on the southern edge of the property,this ecosystem in the Columbia River Basin between FairmontHot Springs and Invermere contains numerous red and blue-listed species and provides vital winter range, migration corri-dors and staging ground for a variety of animals. The propertywas purchased by a partnership led by the Nature Trust ofBritish Columbia, the Columbia Basin Fish & Wildlife Compen-sation Program, the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund, DucksUnlimited Canada, the BC Conservation Foundation and Koote-nay Wildlife Heritage Fund. The Nature Trust negotiated thepurchase on behalf of the partners. The contributions of $ 1.44million to date include $ 1,000,000 from CBFWCP, $300,000 fromHCTF, $ 110,000 from DUG, $25,000 from BCCF and $5,000 fromKWHF. The purchase price will be paid over three years toallow the partners time to raise the full $3.5 million. Under thislandmark agreement, the Hofert/Hoodoos property will beleased to the BC Ministry of Water, Land & Air Protection anda co-operative property management plan will be developed bythe Ministry, The Nature Trust and CBFWCP.

General DescriptionThe property is located on the west side of the Rocky

Mountain Trench in the Upper Columbia Valley and is situatedopposite the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, between the northend of Columbia Lake and the south end of Windermere Lake.The southern and western boundaries of the property followclose to Dutch and Brewer Creeks. The eastern boundary followsthe CPR railway right-of-way and the Columbia River marshes.Private land abuts the property to the north. The property islocated in the East Kootenay Trench Ecosection and includesthree bio-geoclimatic subzones: two Interior Douglas fir andone Montane Spruce. This ecosection supports one of thelargest and most diverse assemblages of wildlife foundanywhere in the province. The diversity on this property is notonly a reflection of the bio-geoclimatic subzones represented,but its size, the varied topography, and range of elevations,The terrain is predominantly gentle, interspersed with siltygullies on the lower slopes, rising to moderately steep forestedslopes and ridges at mid-slope locations and becoming gentleonce again on the upper slopes. Aspects are primarily easterly,with some warm south and west aspects in the southeast portionof the property. In addition to the wetlands which adjoin theColumbia River along the entire easterly boundary of theproperty, there are several wetland depressions in the centralportion of the property. The main wetland compartments arecontiguous with the Columbia Marshes Wildlife Management

Area and Columbia Lake Indian Reserve No. 3 along the easternboundary. The property is bisected, generally from north tosouth, by the CPR Railway right-of-way, the paved WestsideRoad, a BC Hydro Transmission Line right-of-way and HawkeRoad.

HabitatThe habitat diversity on the Hofert property is high. Eight

general habitat types are present on the property: four non-forested habitats (grassland/shrub, wetland, clay gully, hoodoo)and four forested types (Aspen, Douglas fir, western larch,lodgepole pine). More than 50% of the property, or 2,217 ha, iscomprised of bunchgrass, shrub (saskatoon, willow, shepherdia,rabbit brush) and small clumps of Douglas fir. These sitessupport grassland-dependent bird species, such as VesperSparrow, mammals such as the red-listed (endangered) badgerand winter forage for significant numbers of elk and deer. Thecapability of this habitat as winter range could be significantlyenhanced through alteration of the current cattle grazing regimeas well as periodic prescribed burning. Improved rangeconditions could also allow for the re-establishment of the blue-listed (vulnerable) Sharp-tailed Grouse that has recently becomeextirpated from the East Kootenay Trench. The upland rockysections of this area possibly support rubber boa (blue listed),a little known secretive reptile.

Along the eastern edge of the property, there are 124 ha ofwetlands which are contiguous with the Columbia RiverMarshes. Great Blue Herons (blue listed) feed in the wetlandswith over 100 other species of birds, as well as beaver andmuskrat. Garter snakes and amphibians are common here aswell. Local conservation groups have installed goose nestingplatforms to enhance nesting success.

Approximately 15 distinct gulley systems comprising about153 ha link the grasslands to the wetlands along the easternportion of the property. The clay gullies are often sparsely veg-etated with June grass and the occasional Douglas fir snag,providing critical nesting for Lewis's Woodpecker (blue listed).Moister portions of the gulley complexes support shrub cover,providing suitable winter habitat for grouse and deer.

Small pockets of aspen forest comprising about 22 ha arefound in the moist portions of gullies within the property. Sup-porting a well-developed shrub layer and the occasional paperbirch, this habitat provides important winter habitat for grouse,forage for white tailed deer, and nesting habitat for a variety ofsongbirds. The interspersion of aspen stands amongst the grass-land portions of the property enhance the value of the area aspotential re-establishment sites for Sharp-tailed Grouse (bluelisted).

Most of the forested areas consist of dense young standscontinued on page 27

20 BC Naturalist

BC Naturalists' Foundation:the next ten years

by Jeremy McCall

Mfirst reaction on being elected as the President ofe newly renamed BC Naturalists' Foundation atamloops in May was one of shock! Could I really

manage another significant portfolio at a time when I am stilltrying to become more effective at managing the FBCN? Andof course my immediate thought was that I could not. I am wellaware of the great pioneering work which has been undertakenby my predecessors and their colleagues on the Foundation'sBoard as well as the solid legacy of policies and informationwhich they have put together. So I continue to harbour somedoubts as to whether I can give the Foundation the full atten-tion it deserves.

However, I have also come to realize that there are someadvantages to being in both positions at the same time. I haveoften had reservations about the apparent conflict between therundraising needs of the Federation itself and those of the Foun-dation. The Federation relies heavily on its annual appeal forfunds for a major part of its core funding, the type of fundingwhich, as most directors of non-profit societies are aware, isthe hardest to come by. And I have to say that the response ofhundreds of the Federation's members to the most recent an-nual appeals has been magnificent. The Foundation, on theother hand, does not require core funding so much as incre-ments of capital, so that its capital base can be built up toproduce regular income for conservation and nature educationprojects in the future. Yet its appeals for funding can be per-ceived to conflict with the Federation's annual appeal.

However a clear distinction has really always been there,even if it has been hard to distinguish it at times. And we willnow make the distinction even clearer than it was before. TheFederation will continue with its annual appeal for currentdonations for core funding. The Foundation, on the other hand,will concentrate its efforts on seeking commitments from thoseof our 4,000 members who would like to do make a bequest tothe environment. The directors and members of the Foundationwill be visiting the Regional Meetings and our clubs and askingtheir members if they have made some provision for theenvironment in their wills. If they have not done so they will beasked to consider making provision for the BC Naturalists'Foundation. In turn the Foundation will commit to treating anybequests which it ultimately receives as part of its overallendowment, which will in turn be carefully safeguarded andprudently invested. The income from the Foundation's capitalwill continue to be spent on conservation of BC's naturalenvironment and on nature education. Obviously currentdonations will always be welcomed as well but they will not bethe Foundation's main priority.

In the Spring 2003 issue of BC Naturalist my predecessorFrances Vyse listed the recipients of the numerous grants madeby the Foundation between 1992 and 2000, together with the

purpose of those grants. Currently, the Foundation grants itsentire income, after operating costs, to the Federation. TheFederation in turn deposits these funds in a separate accountand later employs them to supplement the funding of itsconservation and education projects, such as to the ImportantBird Areas program, Wildlife Watch or the Young Naturalists'Club of BC. Funds received by the Federation from theFoundation are not used for operating expenses as this wouldconflict with the Foundation's constitution.

One other major change which we plan to institute later thisyear is to request the Federation, whose responsibility it is, toappoint a larger number of members of the Foundation. At thepresent time there are barely enough to form an effective Boardof Directors. Ultimately we would like to have at least one mem-ber in every FBCN club and we will be asking those individualsto learn about the Foundation so they can encourage theirfellow members to consider making a future contribution to itby way of bequest. If there are any members of FBCN clubswho would have an interest in working with us as we carry onbuilding the Foundation they are invited to contact me or oneof the other Foundation directors.

The Foundation's directors and I hope that with the minorchanges we are proposing we will be able to build on the workof our predecessors and ensure that over the next ten years theFoundation can generate sufficient income to fund many otherconservation and education projects as well as those of theFederation and its member clubs.

M orTfUnkina vf

When you plan your charitable giving, you canmake an important difference in BC's natural worldfor years to come. Your charitable donation to the

FBCN or the FBCN Foundation will support theFBCN, its clubs and naturalists across BC as they

work hard to protect our natural heritage.

Donations to the FBCN President's Appeal arewelcomed. Major gifts and bequests are handledby the FBCN Foundation and can be either usedimmediately for FBCN programs or added to theFBCN Foundation's endowment funds.

•̂•DH f \HFor more information, please contact us and ask

for our new Planned Giving brochure.

BC Naturalists'Foundation#307-1367W. BroadwayVancouver, BC V6H 4A9

tel. (604) 737-3057 / fax (604) 738-7175fbcn@telus.net / www.naturalists.bc.ca

Summer 2003 21

FBCN 2003 Fall Meeting in KimberleySeptember 18-21

Learning Your Natural World: Mildred White's Legacy

Tie Rocky Mountain Naturalists are proud and excited tolost this year's Fall General Meeting. The focus of FBCNrall Meetings is the health of the Federation Clubs around

British Columbia. This is the meeting where we regenerate ourinterest in rejuvenating our individual clubs. Gain new ideasand insights about growing memberships, establishing a coreof young naturalists, marketing club activities and placing allour clubs on sound financial footings. We are counting on rep-resentatives from every FBCN Club coming to Kimberley tocelebrate and share your club's strengths with the rest of us.The FBCN is an incredibly important voice for conservation inBritish Columbia. Our Federation is only as strong as our indi-vidual clubs!

The East Kootenay is world renowned for our warm "Indi-an Summers". Enjoy world class vistas of the Rocky Moun-tains from the North Star Centre - in the Kimberley AlpineResort under endless azure-blue skies. You haven't lived untilyou have seen the turning of the tamaracks (western larch).We're only one day's drive from the Lower Mainland and wesit at the threshold of the World's finest collection of naturalparks.

This year's Fall Meeting is dedicated to long time Federa-tion Naturalist Mildred White, who passed away in December2001. Mildred was widely recognized for her involvement inmany local and provincial organizations:

• Regional Director- BC Federation of Naturalists• Rocky Mountain Naturalists life time member• Past President - Rocky Mountain Trench Committee• Participant at the Table for the Commission on Resources and

the Environment• Club service award with the Federation of BC Naturalists

(1995)• Recorder of 1000's of statistics about birds of the East Koote-

nay• Lifetime Member of the Kimberley Camera Club• Past board president of the Kimberley Hospital Auxiliary• Received the Commemorative Canada 125th Year Medal for

significant contribution to the community in December 1992• Recognized as Woman of the Year by Beta Sigma Phi in 1991

Biologists and wildlife managers and interpreters from allover the province knew Mildred and sought her advice whenthey visited our area. The Rocky Mountain Naturalists are inthe process of compiling her thousands of bird and plant recordsin a database as a legacy for future generations.

As you can see from the schedule and registration form in-cluded in this month's publication, we have lined up an exciting

slate of workshops on many different topics. Our workshopleaders are focusing on teaching and learning natural history.Our interesting array of topics include:

• Stream restoration• Great Blue Herons• Study Group projects• Ethnobotany• Geology• Pond life• Birdingby Ear• Shore Bird outing• Grassland resources• Natural history for kids• Young Naturalists' Club• Dedicating Mildred's Pond

We are counting on participants from each FBCN Club inthe province. Let's make this the best fall meeting ever. Seeyou in the warm, sunny, long-light East Kootenay in Septem-ber.

General info: Greg Ross(250) 489-1508 gsross@shaw.ca

Registration: Tara Szkorupa(250) 489-1990 taraszkorupa@hotmail.com

Program: Ruth Rutledge(250) 489-1508 drrutledge@shaw.caOr Laura Duncan(250) 427-2600 lduncan@telus.net

Local FBCN director: Ian Adams(250) 426-0268 ianadams@cintek.com

Discounted room rates: Purcell and Rocky Mountain CondoResorts (across from main venue)1-800-343-3936 (starting at $50/night)

Camping: Happy Hans(250) 427-3666 www.happyhans.ca

Kimberley Chamber of Commerce(250)427-3666 www.cyberlink.bc.ca/-kimbchamber/

Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce(250) 426-5914 www.cranbrookchamber.com

22 BC Naturalist

.egistration Form (more copies at http://www.naturalists.bc.ca)

Name(s):

Address:

City:

Day Phone: ( )

Fax: ( )

Club:

Province: Post al Code:

Evening Phone: ( )

Email:

Applications before August 15th # attending Cost each Total

Full RegistrationQ Full registration includes all speakers and field trips, Friday lunch buffet, Friday ^Q() ^

evening social, and Saturday banquet "

Partial RegistrationU Friday (lunch buffet included)

Partial RegistrationQ Friday (lunch buffet included) $35 $

Q Saturday (excluding banquet) _________ $30 $

Q Saturday evening banquet $25 $ _______

LI Sunday field trip No charge

Total (enclosed) $

Applications after August 15th # attending Cost each Total

Full RegistrationG Full registration includes all speakers and field trips, Friday lunch buffet, Friday

evening social, and Saturday banquet ___ $100 $ _______

Q Saturday (excluding banquet) $35 S _

Q Saturday evening banquet $25 $_

Q Sunday field trip No charge

Total (enclosed) $ _

Please identify 1st and 2nd Choices for Workshop / Field Trip Options (see details on next page):

FrL 08:30am - 10:00am Mark Creek Recovery Program Geology of the Star Mountain

Fri. 10:30am - 12:00pm Great Blue Herons / Group Study Life Around a Pond

Fri. 0130pm - 03:00pm _____ Ethnobotany of the Nordic Trails Beginners'Guide to Bird Songs

Sat. 09:00am - 1200pm Wycliffe Wildlife Corridor Making Magic in Nature

Please let us know if you are vegetarian, or have any special diet requirements:

Make cheques payable to: Rocky Mountain NaturalistsMail forms and payment to: FBCN FGM Registrar, c/o Rocky Mountain Naturalists, Box 791, Cranbrook, BC VIC 4J5

No refunds after September 14th

Summer 2003 ' 23

Schedule of Events

Thursday, Sept. 18th

7:00am-9:00pm

Registration and Rocky Mountain Naturalist displays at North Star Center

Friday, Sept. 19th

7:3 Oam-8:30am

8:30am-10:00am

lOflOam-1030am

1030am-11:1 5am

ll:15am-1200pm

12:00pm-130pm

130pm-300pm

3:00pm-700pm

7:00pm-930pm

Registration and refreshments at North Star Center

Mark Creek Recovery Program - Helen SanderA snapshot of the restoration work on Kimberleys MarkCreek with a short carpool and an easy walk along thebanks of this urban creek. Learn how one town is healingtheir vital water artery after 1 00 years of abuse.

Geology of North Star Mountain - Bill OlmstedA moderate hike discovering the geologic features ofNorth Star mountain and the impact that water, frozen andliquid, has had in its formation. Bill turns this complexsubject into a fun- filled romp, which will teach you morethan you thought you didn't know about our base layers.

Coffee break

Great Blue Heron Survey - Marlene MachmerMarlene will provide an overview of the Great BlueHeron breeding inventory and habitat assessment projectin the Columbia Basin. She will share vital knowledgeabout this exotic and magnificent bird.

Learning Natural History through Group Study -Kimberley Nature Park SocietyA description of the year-round projects we havedeveloped to increase our personal knowledge andimprove our outreach activities. Learn about our study-loop, herbarium, polygon analysis, living room studysessions, and more.

Life Around a Pond - Paula Rodriguez de la VegaAfter a quick carpool ride, Paula will lead a short, easywalk to Eimer's Lake/Sphagnum Moss Bog, where shewill unlock some pond secrets. Paula is Manager of theCreston Wildlife Interpretation Center.

Come along to find out.. .Who's hiding under the water?Who loais and suntans on the log at the pond's edge?Who hunts underwater insect larvae with a voraciousappetite?

Lunch buffet at North Star Center A S^~A /"~~2^.C^(/^//£30 ^OTKXeLLfEthnobotany of the North Star Nordic Trails -Michael Keefer K'tunaxa Kinbasket Tribal CouncilA moderate walk in the adjacent Nordic Trails whereMichael and his K'tunaxa accomplice will fascinate youwith stories of traditional uses of native plants by theK'tunaxa people.

Beginners Guide to BC Bird Songs -John Neville and Mel CoulsonThe official release of John and Mel's latest double audioCD of BC bird songs. This invaluable resource is aterrific aid in learning to identify birds by their songs.With a little practice, you can bring a whole newdimension to your binding experience.

Break and dinner (on your own)

Social, displays and no-host bar at North Star Center

24 BC Naturalist

Saturday, Sept. 20th

6:30arn -8: 3 Oam

8:00am -9:00am

9:00am-12:00pm

12:00pm-130pm

130pm-430pm

6:00pm -9:00pm

KeynoteSpeakerBen Gadd

Early Morning Birding at Reed LakeA 20-minute carpool and easy walk to Reed Lake to view shorebirds and other fell birds. As you walk through thegrasslands to this precious jewel, you will be treated to a panoramic view of the Rockies and the Steeples Range.

Registration and refreshments at North Star Center

Wycliffe Wildlife Corridor- Kathleen SheppardA carpool and moderate walk on uneven terrain to TheLand Conservancy's Wycliffe property. Kathleen willfocus on the Rocky Mountain Trench Fire-MaintainedEcosystem and on how private landowners can help toprotect our threatened grasslands.

Lunch (on your own)

Making Magic in Nature - Leanne Walker anddaughter Chalise (a Young Naturalist)We will participate in part of the Magic Basin School BusProgram and learn about inspiring young people to gethooked on nature. Leanne designed the acclaimed MagicBasin school program and has established a successfulYoung Naturalists Club in the Elk Valley.

FBCN Fall General MeetingThis meeting will focus on our FBCN Clubs and how they are doing. Do you have the feeling that your club isstagnated and not attracting new young participants? This is our chance to discuss the vitality of our individual clubsand to share valuable information about what works to keep them strong.

FBCN Banquet and Awards at North Star Center

Key Note Address - Conservation, from Chaucer to Smokey the Bear With Ben Gadd, Naturalist InterpreterRenowned author of the classic Handbook of the Canadian Rockies, Ben Gadd is recognized as one of the topauthorities on Canadian Rocky Mountain natural history. The Handbook has become a standard reference fornaturalists from Waterton to the Yukon, with comprehensive information on plants, mammals, birds, fish, insects,geology, weather, human history, and outdoor recreational pursuits. Ben recently published his first work of fictiontitled Raven's End, which follows the spiritual quest of a young raven.

Ben will top off a scrumptious day with his witty and uplifting after-dinner address.

Sunday, Sept. 21st

9:00am -12:00pm

Dedication of Mildred's Pond - A Restored Wetland on Wolf CreekWe will leave from North Star Centre at 9:00 and drive 45-minutes to Wild Rose Ranch and Resort for the dedicationof this beautiful restored wetland to Mildred White, long-time Federation of BC Naturalist.

Barry and Shannon, owners of the Wild Rose, told us that when they took on the daunting task of restoring WolfCreek and its wetlands, Mildred White was their mentor. Barry talked to Mildred many times on the phone andMildred made many trips to their place to give them advice and support.

After the dedication, we will bird for a while before sharing coffee or tea.

Summer 2003 25

Conservation Reportby Bev Ramey

On May 9th, the Federal Government and British Colum-bia formally established the Gulf Islands National

Park Reserve as Canada's 40th National Park. In thespeeches at the press conference, our provincial Minister ofWater, Land and Air Protection, Honourable Joyce Murray, stat-ed these encouraging words, "Our government will continue towork in partnership with the federal government to followthrough on the province's Throne Speech commitment to ex-plore the potential for new marine parks and a new NationalPark in the Okanagan."

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve follows on the March24,2003, announcement by Heritage Minister Sheila Copps, oflong-term funding for National Parks. She committed $144million dollars over the next five years to implement the ActionPlan for Canada's National Parks and National Marine Conser-vation Areas. This funding is added to a commitment of $74million announced in the federal budget in February. The Min-ister also announced an on-going increase in funding of $54million per year to provide long-term support after the five yearplan is complete.

More good, national news: the Species At Risk Act(SARA) was proclaimed law on June 5, 2003, and two-thirdsof the SARA are now in effect. The Committee on the Statusof Endangered Wildlife (COSEWIC) has been given legal rec-ognition, the Public Registry established, and the time limitshave begun on listing species, preparing Recovery Strategiesand Management Plans. The rest of SARA, which is the prohi-bition component, will come into effect next year on June 1,2004. The on-line SARA registry is now up and running. Youcan access it at: www.sararegistry.gc.ca/

Provincially, the Minister of Forests has committed $880,000to maintain forest service recreation sites and trails for 2003.Lacking is the commitment to maintain the access roads to someof these sites.

Good news for Strathcona Provincial Park - MinisterJoyce Murray announced July 9th that Boliden Mines will notbe allowed to draw water for power generation from lakes withinStrathcona's Nature Conservancy Area. Boliden Mines hadundertaken survey work in this area last summer, so it is heart-ening to see the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protectionfollow through on their commitment to conservation.

Ten Resolutions were passed at the May 10, 2003, FBCNAGM. These have been mailed with covering letters to theappropriate government body. Full text of the Resolutions andcovering letters is available by contacting the FBCN office.Here's a summary:1. Reinstate a Parks-controlled and supervised nature interpre-

tation and education program.2. Conveys FBCN support for the Federal moratorium on oil

and gas exploration and urges federal and provincial govern-ments to designate Marine Protected Areas.

3. Urges federal government to amend legislation to phase outuse of single hulled tankers in Canadian domestic coastalwaters by 2006, in line with US regulations.

4. Fish Farming - Several points including: halt the issuing ofall new fish farm licenses pending further studies, review thesiting of existing farms and relocate or close poorly sited ones,and support the development of closed containment systems.

5. Urges BC to meet its obligations under the National Accordfor Protection of Species at Risk.

6. Urges BC to immediately designate Wildlife Habitat Areasfor Marbled Murrelet.

7. That BC protect the integrity of Ecological Reserves8. To the Fraser Basin Council to coordinate wetland enhanc-

ing and people friendly designs into lower Fraser River dykesand shorelines

9. Since Land and Water BC is considering selling off leasedlots on the reservoir lakes above Okanagan Lake, FBCN urgesthe Minister of Sustainable Resource Management to imme-diately undertake comprehensive study of the entire shore-line and water body of these lakes to address water quality,wildlife habitat, biodiversity and public access.

10. In the Lillooet LRMP study area, the FBCN urges the Prov-ince to protect habitat for Spotted Owl, to defer logging inareas of Spotted Owl activity, and prepare a recovery planfor Spotted Owls; and further we reiterate our support forthe Conservation/Recreation/Tourism/Conservation optionland use plan.

Bird Photos

Two coffee table style books of close-up 7.5 x 9.5 in. colourphotographs of a variety of local birds, including somenesting scenes, together with a brief text.

"Some Birds of British Columbia", 72 pages, and "MoreBirds", 80 pages, by John Wanderer.

$14.95 each or both for $27.80, postage included. Sendcheque or money order to:

John WandererBox 578, Eriderby, B.C.

VOE 1VOWrite for free sample page.

26 BC Naturalist

Volunteers - Your Federation Needs You!

Many of the 4,000 odd members of the Federation's memberclubs often think of the Federation as something out there whichis separate and distinct from them and their clubs. However,what is generally known as the Federation is actually the com-bined efforts of just 20 or so volunteers, who do the variousjobs on the Executive Committee, including the Regional Coor-dinators, in the office and on the website, along with the 50directors from the clubs. Most of those individuals are alsoactive members of their clubs. In other words the Federation isreally just a small group of volunteers!

In that vein I am pleased to advise that Dawn Hanna, aprofessional writer and photographer who is also a director ofthe Vancouver Natural History Society, has agreed to succeedTerry Mclntosh as content editor of BC Naturalist. At thepresent time the Federation has an urgent need to fill threeother volunteer positions, two of which we hope to fill throughthe membership and one through Volunteer Vancouver.

Recording Secretary - Executive CommitteeThe Recording Secretary is possibly the most important

member of the Executive Committee. He or she is required torecord the minutes of the Annual General Meeting, the FallGeneral Meeting and meetings of the Executive Committee.There are about four of the latter each year and they are held byconference call. It can be very helpful if the Secretary has someinterest in, and appreciation for, the different types of conser-vation issue in which the Federation gets involved. Keepingthe record of the administrative matters discussed is quitestraightforward by comparison. This position will definitely beof interest to a person having an interest in learning about BCconservation issues.

Club LiaisonWe are also seeking a volunteer to redefine the function of

Club Liaison. Until recently we had a Departments Editor forBC Naturalist, who jogged the memories of those responsiblewhen it was time to make their regular contributions to thenewsletter. That can actually be done by the other editors. Wehave also had a Club Chat coordinator, who was responsiblefor compiling a summary of recent information items from clubsfor each issue of the newsletter. For the immediate future thatwill be the responsibility of Maria Hamann, the office manager.We have not really had a person who was in touch with most, ifnot all, of the clubs on a fairly regular basis to make sure that wewere aware of their significant activities, their successes andtheir challenges. As a result we have not always been fullyaware of some of their successes, in particular. We would like torectify that. This position will appeal to someone who wouldenjoy chatting with other members across the province byphone or by e-mail and making sure that the Regional Coordi-nators are aware of significant happenings in their regions.This will also help the editors of BC Naturalist to make the

newsletter more relevant to the activities of the clubs and theirmembers.

Production Editor - BC NaturalistWe are also seeking a volunteer who has had experience in

layout and desk-top publishing using the Adobe Pagemakerpublishing program. The volunteer will be responsible for work-ing with the content editor and laying out the newsletter inpreparation for printing. This volunteer position is open to anyperson having the skills and the interest but, as a precaution,we have also posted it on the Volunteer Vancouver website.

If you have an interest in any of the above positions pleasecontact Jeremy McCall, FBCN President, at 604-876-3313 or bye-mail at imccall@helix.net

"Hoodoos " - continued from page 20

of Douglas fir (753 ha), western larch (397 ha) and lodgepolepine (292 ha) along the southern boundary of the property andat mid slope in the central and northern sections. Much of thisforested habitat has become re-established following a wildfirein 1971. Mature Douglas fir and larch stands exist on ridge topsand along part of the southern boundary. Merchantable timberhas been removed in accessible Douglas fir sites throughoutthe property within the past five years. Areas with widely spacedmature fir provide excellent winter range conditions for elk.Snags are used by kestrels, Red-tailed Hawks and Lewis'sWoodpecker (Blue List). The young stands will requiresilvicultural treatment (burning, thinning) to improve wildlifevalues.

The purchase of the property will help offset the loss ofhabitat from the construction of BC Hydro dams and the grow-ing scarcity of lowland wintering habitats in the East KootenayTrench as a result of the expansion of subdivision, resort andrecreational developments on private land.

While some of the property has been logged in the past, theland has largely been retained in its natural state.

For more information or a copy of the news release andbackgrounder please contact Jim Hope, BC Conservation LandManager, The Nature Trust of BC at 866 288-7878 or by e-mail atjhope@naturetrust.bc.ca

Groups and individuals interested in making a tax deductiblecontribution to the Hofert/Hoodoos purchase are encouragedto contact Marian Adair, The Nature Trust of BC at 1-866-288-7878.

Summer 2003 27

D I P L O M A O RC E R T I F I C A T E I N

Restoration

-. ' ••. > ,

Systems

'Helping theland heal'

This interdisciplinary programgives students a broad knowl-edge of the science, practice,and human values that must beconsidered in environmentalrestoration projects.

Courses are offered in a variety offormats convenient for part-timestudy. The program is especiallysuited for professionals workingin the area of environmental .conservation or restoration, inpolicy development, or who arelooking for a career change.

For more information, pleasecontact Peggy Faulds, ProgramCoordinator:

Telephone (250) 721-8463E-mail pf(wIt}s@uv(SMVk,coVisit our Web site atwww.uvcsMvk.ca/festore/

University of VictoriaDivision of Continuing Studies

President's Messageby Jeremy McCall

I feel sure that all those who journeyed to Kamloops willagree that their trip was well wor thwhi le and that the Kam-loops Naturalist Club mounted a very fine Conference and Annual Gen-

eral Meeting. Particular thanks are due to Frances Vyse for coordinating thespeakers in the excellent one-day Symposium on Dry Forests Ecosystemsand to Margaret Graham and her colleagues in the club for their meticulousorganization of the great field trips, the other speakers and the AGM itself.Memories of the extraordinary landscapes in the Kamloops area, of burrow-ing owls and of Harry Parsons' amazing talk on "The Nature of Frogs: Am-phibians with Attitude" will linger for some time!

As noted at the AGM, the FBCN is undergoing a budgetary crunch thisyear due to the uncertainty surrounding the timing of our next Direct AccessGrant from lottery funds, which presently form an important part of our corefunding. The ground rules for applying for these funds were recently changedand it remains to be seen how that will affect the FBCN. We remain hopefulthat we shall be able to obtain some funds by the end of the year but mean-while we must tighten our belts.

With that in mind, we did not renew the contract of our part-time commu-nications coordinator Moni Habib, who was largely responsible for the lay-out and graphics in EC Naturalist during his time with us. We plan to goback to our earlier practice of having a volunteer fill this role and we are inthe process of identifying a suitable person. Terry Mclntosh and I ask foryour indulgence as one of the consequences of this change is that the sum-mer issue of BCNaturalist will be a little late. We will also be appointing adifferent volunteer to act as a club liaison person to make sure there is astrong communication link between each of the clubs and the FBCN office.This person will work with the volunteer responsible for Club Chat and willmake sure that, among other things, all clubs provide information on theiractivities for the Fall General Meeting Report each year.

Important priorities for the FBCN this summer are the Seabird SurvivalProgram, which is intended to increase public awareness about five Impor-tant Bird Areas off southern Vancouver Island among the marine community(see separate article in this issue), and the BC Wildlife Watch program, inwhich the FBCN can and does play a pivotal role and which needs somefresh ideas (see article). Add to these the ever-present question of interpre-tation programs, which have been severely curtailed since the Ministry o f ,Water, Land & Air Protection decided not to fund them any more, and it can :be readily seen that the FBCN has its hands full of issues related to conser-vation and education. The FBCN is working with the Canadian Parks &Wilderness Committee to draw up terms of reference for a small study onways in which interpretation programs can be delivered with minimal gov-ernment funding. Members having thoughts on this are invited to share themwith me or other members of the FBCN Executive Committee.

The next big item on the FBCN calendar is the Fall General Meeting andConference in Kimberley from September 18 to 21.1 was particularly pleasedwhen Greg Ross and his colleagues in the Rocky Mountain Naturalists agreedto host this event. Of course, it is a long way for members of many otherclubs to travel but 1 very much hope that many of you will be able to musterthe resources and the time necessary to travel to Kimberley at a beautifultime of year. I look forward to seeing those of you who decide to make thetrip.

BC Naturalist

Club Chatcompiled by Maria Hamann

Central Valley Naturalists are planning a picnic to theHeronry in Chilliwack in June to wrap up another busy andinteresting year. Membership continues to grow, and we allhave enjoyed speakers on a wide range of topics from plans forSumas Mountain Regional Park to the biology of the Americandipper. Field trips to diverse locations throughout the LowerMainland, including Barnston Island, Minnekhada, Yew Lake,and Belcarra Park, to name just a few, have been verypopular. Several members of our club have been involved inlocal and regional conservation issues, including Phase 1 ofthe controversial SE2 power plant National Energy Boardhearings. Others have lent support to park cleanups, judgedscience fair awards, and manned our club display at communityevents.

BEAR Network: Betty Carrington has recently beenappointed by the FBCN Conservation Committee as its blackbear representative. The BEAR Network's Spring and Summeractivities have included the following:March, Michael Allen Whistler Bear Man spoke to BEARNetwork about his research with black bears;April, "Parkgate Community Day" with Michael Allen;May 25, Lynn Headwaters "Wilderness at our Doorstep" with

black bear education;June 6 and June 8, Bear viewing in Whistler with Michael Allen;June 7, "Environment Day" hosted by Lynmour CommunityAssociation with bear education ;June 14, Dr. Ken Macquisten spoke to BEAR Network on theGrizzly Cubs at the Grouse Mountain Wildlife Refuge;June 21, Blueridge Farmers' Market at foot of Berkley Roadon Mt. Seymour Parkway with bear education by the NorthShore Black Bear Network

Burke Mountain Naturalist member, Quirien Mulder tenKate, a local teacher, has been working with students at herschool to conserve energy and promote the "3 R's". Theyrecently won the National Senior School Green Team(Environment Week) Award for saving the Coquitlam SchoolDistrict an estimated $56,000 in energy costs by turning downthermostats and taking other energy conservation measures.Quirien has been working with her students on a number ofother initiatives such as composting and battery recycling. Theyhave also assisted the Burke Mountain Naturalists with theirannual Coquitlam River cleanup.

Ellen Schoen of Dawson Creek's Timberline Trail andNature Club reports they had a bluebird house building bee.

The Great CanadianShoreline Cleanup _September 13 - 21,2003

Join thousands of volunteers across Canadaas we clean up our rivers, streams, lakes,and ocean shorelines. Register for this nationalconservation event before August 15.

Call: 604-659-3506 (within B.C.)or 1-877-427-2422 (toll-free).

Web site: www.vanaqua.org/cleanup

A V A N C O U V E R AOUARIUM C O N S E R V A T I O N I N I T I A T I V E

JH Bfil Friends of theJ J"™ Environment

CM Fou ndat M

ConservationPartners:

The Ocean „Conservancy

VANCOUVER AQUARIUMM A R I N E S C I E N C E C E N T R E

Summer 2003 29

Thanks go to Louisiana Pacific for supplying the wood and aworkshop. Snow storms have delayed some of their field trips,such as putting up the bird boxes, but they have had some goodindoor programs. Charles Helm from Tumbler Ridge made apresentation; they have watched historical footage from theSmithsonian on Kinuseo Falls; and another historical video madeby an early naturalist who made his own movie camera. Al-though numbers are stable, the club is in need of new blood onthe executive. The Timberline Trail and Nature Club was veryinvolved in writing the FBCN tetter on the Muskwa-KechikaWildlife Management Plan.

The Quesnel Naturalists are doing quite well. They foundthat forming partnerships has helped them. One bigaccomplishment in the past year or so has been the formationof a Nature Centre. They have worm composting, and hope tohave displays soon. A Nature Day at the beginning of springbreak this year that was very successful. They charged $1.00and supplied hot chocolate and cookies. There were stationson animal tracks, lichens, mosses, etc. The club has hadprograms on mountain pine beetle; Clive Callaway from theLiving By Water project is coming for a series of workshops.Burnout is minimized by having co-chairs run the club, holdingexecutive meetings, and by not having regular general meetings.Field trips have been adapted over the years to respond tomembers' interests.

Williams Lake Field Naturalists held their annual ScoutIsland Nature Centre fundraiser banquet. 2003 is the 25thAnniversary celebration of the Scout Island Nature Centre.Several events took place in May. On May 15 Stefan Himmer, abear biologist from Bella Coola spoke at City Hall. On May 21Karen Wiebe, a professor from the University of Saskatchewan,spoke on her Northern Flicker research at Riske Creek. And onthe May 31 -June 1 weekend, there were activities for the publicat the nature centre such as bird walks, plant walks, marshwalks, crafts for kids, and reading for kids. Dick Canningspresented a slide show on his most recent book The RoadsideNaturalist. The club is involved in two land planning processes:the Junction Sheep Range and the Tatlayoko Lake plans.Membership is stable.

Mackenzie Nature Observatory is gearing up for a newseason of migration monitoring. Fund-raising, writing grant

WILDFLOWERS INTHE VALLEY OF THE GODS

AN EASY HIMALAYAN HIKE- MAY, 2004Though less known than the famed Valley of Flowers in the

Indian Himalaya, Har-ki-Doon (the Valley of Gods) boasts a rich-ness in the variety of flora second to none. Walking on gentle trailsthrough mountain villages untouched by time, we reach our base intwo days. In the shadow of 21000 ft. high snow peaks, we spendthree leisurely days in camp birding and seeking alpine wildflow-ers in the grandest of settings. Taj Mahal tour is available later.

Kelly Sekhon, who has led many natural history tours for theVNHS as well as four successful nature trips to India will lead thissmall group tour.

For program and price details,contactPEAK ADVENTURE TOURS (our 7* successful year in BC)

lnfo@peakadventures.ca OR phone (604) 888 0634

30

proposals, and hiring paid and volunteer staff are only some ofthe preparations being made. The club also does fish work, andwas investigating the possibility of operating the Ministry ofForests recreation sites.

The Prince George Naturalists is famous for its field tripsand have had moderate turnouts this winter. They host monthlyprograms also. A number of members attend the meetings of avariety of organizations as representatives of the naturalist club.

The Chilliwack Field Naturalists is holding its AnnualPicnic on Saturday June 21 at Cheam Lake-Wetlands Park.

Cowichan Valley Naturalists' Society is very concernedabout proposed developments along the shoreline of CowichanLake. The preservation of a pristine shoreline, an importantarea for juvenile fish, is vital for the health of the lake and thewhole of the Cowichan Valley. Representations have alreadybeen made against one such proposed development and othersimilar developments are being monitored. Mount TzuhalemFlower Reserve has shown the effect of broom clearing bySociety members and others in an excellent show of springflowers this year - the endangered deltoid balsamroot(Balsamorhiza deltoidea) is spreading within the Reserve andin an area just outside its boundaries.

Eric Marshall, Secretary, CVNS

Lillooet Naturalist Society was pleased to have itsresolution about spotted owls and protecting their habitat inthe Lillooet area passed at the FBCN AGM, and also that it wasfollowed up with letters so promptly - thank you. We are workingon a project with the Village of Lillooet to make the old bridgerenovations 'bat friendly', and we are also working with theCayoose Band on a sign about birds at the Seton salmonspawning channels - an excellent local birding spot. We continueour 'wildlife bulletins' on a regular basis with Radio Lillooet.Our AGM is planned for July.

Vivian Birch-Jones

Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society has initiated a HabitatAtlas Project for the Boundary Bay Area to include south tonorth-Cherry Point and Terrell, Dakota, California Creekswatersheds to the South Arm of the Fraser River includingWestham Island and east to west -Serpentine, Nicomekl & LittleCampbell Watersheds to Robert's Bank, Pt. Roberts andincluding Birch Bay; the Boundary Bay Watershed System.We'd like to invite those of you who have not been aware ofthe project. Since it is in the initial stages, we'd like to not onlywelcome you to join us but also ask you to forward this invitationto those you deem it may interest. Our project partners includeinformation and data sharing, expertise, and fundingopportunities. We will shortly have a draft project summarybrochure to be edited and finalized. There will be an opportunityfor potential partners to be acknowledged on the projectbrochure; it will have wide distribution. For further informationand/or to participate in the project please contact:

Margaret Cuthbert604-536-2636

Victoria Natural History Society has a variety of interesting

BC Naturalist

KONNI LAKE RESORTwww.konnilakeresort.com

Located in theNemaiah Valleyadjacent to TsylosProvincial Park.Discover flora andfauna of the dryside of the CoastRange. Exploreancient Indian andpacker trails fromthe floor to thepeaks of TsylosPark.

For brochures, maps,and trail guides,phone or fax:(250) 468-9948

Marcy & Stan Blood2790 Lana Rd.Nanoose Bay, BCV9P 9B2

Use our comfortable cabin as base carnp.Lakeshore log cabins $65/day, $390/wk (inc. ca-noe)Season - May 15 - Oct. 15

things going on this spring. On Saturday, June 14, there was anunveiling of natural history sign kiosks at the Esquimalt Lagoon.This project came from the Esquimalt Lagoon StewardshipInitiative with major funding from the Victoria Foundation. TheHabitat Acquisition Trust has also had much to do with gettingthe job done. Bird banders at the Rocky Point Bird Observatorybanded a total of 3,365 birds representing 57 species in 2002.This is the largest number of birds banded in a year. The numberof species appears stable between 54 and 62 per year. 2003 isthe tenth year of banding. Check out www.islandnet.conV—rpbo.for more information. Finally, we have a new Board of Directors,and Ann Nightingale is our new president.

John Henigmanhenigman@pacificcoast.net

Katherine Emmings of Galiano Island was the first recipientof the Victoria Natural History Society funded bursary at RoyalRoads University. The scholarship is given to a deserving full-time student in the Bachelor of Science in Environmental ScienceProgram who demonstrate financial need, with preference beinggiven to applicants who have been active in a natural history orenvironmental organization. VicNHS gave Royal RoadsUniversity (RRU) $5,000 in 2002, which was matched by RRU,so the interest is being generated on $ 10,000 right now. VicNHShave also committed to adding $ 1000 per year for the next fiveyears, so the final value of the endowment will be $ 15,000. FBCNmembers can keep up with Victoria Natural History Society'sactivities, including selected articles from The Victoria Naturalistat our website: www.VicNHS.bc.ca

Ross Archibald, Restoration Researchrossarch@islandnet. com

The Rocky Mountain Naturalists invite all clubs to the FallGeneral Meeting being held in Kimberley, September 19-21,2003. Details of the meeting are elsewhere in this issue of BCNaturalist. Our club has been very active this past spring. Ourannual "Little-Big Day" Birdathon was held May 10. Twenty-four participants forming six teams observed 142 species ofbirds in the southeast corner of BC. For the first time ever, twoteams tied for the win each with 113 species. We continue toraise funds for a bursary in Mildred White's honour to beawarded to a student in the field of natural history or ecologyeach year. The club has representatives on various local land

use planning and conservation initiatives. The Bluebird Projectcontinues apace with over 500 boxes monitored annually!Amongst all this, of course, members are spending lots of timein the field in this season of plenty: blooming flowers, nestingbirds, and backcountry hikes.

The Vancouver Natural History Society publishes a journalof natural history called Discovery, which is now available tonon-members by subscription. To subscribe or to get moreinformation please contact Editor, Marian Coope at 604-224-6192 or by e-mail at marian.coope@ubc.ca

In May, 29 members of the VNHS participated in a week-long camp at Cowichan Lake Education Centre, organized byWally Kiel and Bob Holden. From there, tours were organizedto Carmanah and Botanical Beach at Port Renfrew and otherplaces of interest to naturalists.

In September, another week-long tour to Bamfield MarineStation is being offered by Ann Kent and Margaret Butschler(please see the ad in this issue for more details).

VNHS will host the AGM of the Federation in May 2004.We hope that naturalists from all over the province will partic-ipate.

The Langley Field Naturalists meet every 3rd Thursdayfrom Sept. to June with a guest speaker followed by refresh-ments and a short business meeting. Every Wednesday eveningduring July and August, we meet for a 2 hour walk through avariety of natural areas in the area. The public is welcome onthese walks. One of our ongoing projects is the raising of pur-ple loosestrife beetles, Galerucella calmeriensis, to combat theinfestation at Brydon Lagoon and off the Langley Bypass. A

Summer 2003 31

SPACE AVAILABLE ATVANCOUVER NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY CAMP

AUGUST 10-17

The VNHS 2003 Summer Camp will be at Ghost Peak nearRevelstoke from Sunday August 10 to Sunday August 17

The location selected for this year's camp is above the Co-lumbia River valley about 15 km SE of Revelstoke at anelevation of 6,700 ft. This attractive site is highly recom-mended by several members of interior hiking clubs and liesin a bowl with alpine meadows and 3 tarn lakes. Access willbe by helicopter.

The price of the camp is $695 plus GST for adults and $345for children under 16 yr. The price includes all meals for theweek and the cost of helicopter transportation.

To request a registration form and information kit, pleasesend a stamped, self-addressed No. 10 envelope to: BethWark, Camp Registrar, 5625 Halifax St., Buraaby BC V5B2P2.

For more information please also contact Gordon Squire,VNHS CampCommittee Chair, at 604-921-8175 or by emailat gbsquire@shaw.ca

generous donation from Canadian Tire has helped finance theproject this year. A committee monitors the Forslund- Watsonproperty and we do a regular cleanup of the Irene Pearce Trail.Several members are involved in the WITS project to monitorregional bald eagle nests.

Sunshine Coast Conservation Association members werevery pleased this spring to receive notice from InternationalForest Products (Interfor) that they had dropped their loggingproposal adjacent to the Ambrose Lake Ecological Reserve andwere looking forward to helping our association secure thissite as an addition to the reserve. Interfor also has decided togive up all of its logging approvals in the Chapman/Gray com-munity watersheds (five cutblocks in total). In an email to theSCCA in May, Interfor expressed its hope that relations be-tween the company and the community would be more positivein the future. These developments followed a series of com-plaints by the SCCA to the Forest Practices Board and a chal-lenge to their ISO 14001 Environmental Certification and Sus-tainable Forestry Initiative Certification.

Also this spring, Canadian Forest Products (Canfor) haswithdrawn from all murrelet nesting habitat and mountain goatwinter range in the Howe Sound landscape unit near Port Mel-lon. We are now working with the company on protecting old-growth through the Howe Sound landscape unit plan. Marbledmurrelet and mountain goat issues continue to be a major focusfor our organization. SCCA members are encouraged that evenunder a government that is indifferent to conservation priori-ties, careful advocacy work still gets results.

The Kitimat Valley Naturalist held a meeting of its directors

in mid-January of this year. Activities in the early springincluded a Bird Night at the local museum where slides andphotos of local birds were presented. Information and datafrom the Christmas bird count and the upcoming GBBC inFebruary were shown and made available. Everyone wasencouraged to take part in the GBBC in February. At the end ofFebruary, an evening about whales and the Whales Watchprogram was given by two members of the Cetacean Branch ofthe Vancouver Aquarium. It was an interesting evening of slidesshowing the different types of whales off the BC coast andinformation about reporting whale sightings.

Local naturalist Dennis Horwood had an article in the localnewspaper about the unusual birds that were seen in the Kiti-mat area over the winter and early spring. These unusual birdsincluded: a sandhill crane, a snowy egret, and about 300 snowgeese.

Chilliwack Field Naturalists continue with regular monthlymeetings, with field trips once or twice a month to explore andenjoy various natural habitats. We also have taken part in boththe Christmas and the spring bird counts, as well as a butterflycount. The club continues with the care and planting of nativespecies at the Kournosoff Ecological Reserve, near the HopeRiver. This 20-plus acre property was the bequest of MikailKournosoff to The Nature Trust, with the Chilliwack club asthe stewards. Since October, our Young Naturalists' Club hasgrown steadily. We received a great boost recently when theTD Friends of the Environment Foundation granted us $1,300for YNC Chilliwack proj ects."

Central Okanagan Naturalists' member Harold Hall re-ceived the Mayors' Individual Environmental Award for his lead-ership on the development of the Mission Creek greenway andthe signage for the Mildred Wardlaw trail. The Rotary Club ofKelowna received the Mayors'(Group) Environmental Awardfro the work together with CONC on the rehabilitation of BrandtCreek Estuary. A bench will be installed in memory of Jim &Joan Burbridge at Woodhaven Conservancy. These 2 peoplewere instrumental in preserving this valuable ecosystem.

Pat Westheuser

Comox Valley Naturalist Society has received a grant for$16,500.00 from the regional district for our invasive plantseradication work, (this was formerly called purple loosestrifeproject). As well, Interfor has donated two weed pullers and ispaying the salary for a college student to work with Ernie Sell-entin for the summer. With a DU and the IB A grants, we are!looking towards a very active summer in the estuary.

There is a link under 'publication' on our web site,www.comoxvalleynaturalist.bc.ca, that gives a full report byErnie Sellentin on last year's activity in the Courtenay Estuary.The club is also the steward for the Courtenay Lagoon Airparkwhere we are removing Scotch broom, bramble, and knot weed,and replacing them with native species. We have boyscouts incharge of watering eight native plants and members of the clubcommitted to some of the other plants. The membership isactive and happy and many are involved with other environ-mental battles.

Betty Lunam

32 BC Naturalist

A bat box installed by Stephan Perron and the Whistler Naturalist Society. Photo by Veronica Sommerville.

UlbC,(JVbKY Open Subscription Form

We are now offering subscriptions to readers everywhere, without the obligation ofmembership in the Vancouver Natural History Society. (Members of the society will, ofcourse, continue to receive their journal as part of their membership.)

Name:

Address:

E-mail: Tel: (

Subscription enclosed: G $7.50 for one issue Q $15 for two issues

Please mail this to:The Editor, Discovery, 4635 Bellevue Drive, Vancouver, BC, V6R 1E7 Canada, with your cheque or money order payable toVancouver Natural History Society.

Summer 2003 33

FBCN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2003Member Tel Fax Email

President Jeremy McCallVice President Rosemary FoxVice President Tom BurgessPast President Anne MurrayTreasurer Donald McLellanRecording Secretary Joan BestConservation Chair Bev RameyKootenay Regional Coordinator Brenda BalaamLower Mainland Regional Coordinator George BanghamNorthern B.C. Regional Coordinator Sandra KinseyVancouver Island Regional Coordinator Ron SpellerThompson Okanagan Regional Coordinator Ed McDonald

Honorary President Dr. Ian McTaggart-CowanPartner, Maitland & Company, Barristers and Solicitors

604-876-3313250-847-5150

gbangham@hotmail.comae457@pgfn.bc.ca

beron@shaw.camcdonald@jetstream.net

Consultantsto the FBCN: Joe Wan Certified Management Accountant

Lower MainlandDir./Pres. Address Tel Fax Email

Regional CoordinatorAJouette Field NaturalistsBo\ven Nature ClubBurke Mountain NaturalistsCentral Valley NaturalistsChilJiwack Field NaturalistDelta Naturalists' SocietyLangley Field Naturalist SocietyFender Harbour & District Wildlife SocietyRoyal City Field NaturalistsSquamish Estuary Conservation SocietySunshine Coast Natural History SocietyVancouver Natural History SocietyVancouver Natural History SocietyVancouver Natural History SocietyVancouver Natural History SocietyWhistler Naturalists SocietyWhite Rock & Surrey Naturalists Society

George Bangham 1039 Scantlings, Vancouver V6H 3N9 604-Duanne Vandenberg 12554 Grace St Ridge V2X 9G3 604-D.G. Blair-Whithead RR 1 D27, Bowen Island VON 1GO 604-Jude Grass PO Box 52540 RPO Coquitlam Centre, Coquitlam V3B 7J4604-Kathy Wilkinson Box 612 Mainstation, Abbotsford V2S 6R7 604-David Hutchings Box 268, Chiiliwack V2P 6J1 604-John Whittaker 6062 16lh Avenue, Delta V4L 1H6 604-Joan Wilmshurst Box 56052 Valley Centre PO, Langiey V3A 8B3 604-Jac Harrison S4C9 RR1, Garden Bay VON ISO 604-Gareth Llewellyn 903-1219 Harwood, New Westminster V3M 2L2 604Nicola Kozakiewicz Box 1274, Squamish VON 3GO 604-T. Greenfield Box 543, Sechelt VON 3AO 604-Bev Ramey 604-Bert Brink 604.Joan Ford 604-George Bangham 604-Marta Zucht 7-6320 Lorimer Road, Whistler VON 1B6 604-John Verheul 12492 28th Ave., Surrey V4R 2N9 604-

29xx green fie ldtony@hotmail. com•885-5539•224-7689-224-7078•524-3445731-7669•932-7499•535-2622 604-535-8187

Northern BCDir./Pres. Address Tel Fax Email

Regional CoordinatorBulkley Valley NaturalistsMackenzie Nature ObservatoryPrince George Naturalist Club

9860 Alpine Drive, Prince George V2N 5W7Box 4209, Smithers VOJ 2NOBox 1598, Mackenzie VOJ2COBox 1092, Stn A, Prince George V2L 4V2

Quesnel Naturalists c/o Baker Creek Enhancement Society 410 Kinchant St, Quesnel V2J 7J5Skeena Valley Naturalists Judy Chrysler S13 C-A1 RR4 Water Lily Bay Road, Terrace V8G 4V2 250-798-2535Timberline Trail & Nature Club Ellen Schoen 9049 Elwood Drive, Dawson Creek V1G3M8 250-782-4485Williams Lake Field Naturalists Society Fred McMechan Box 4575, Williams Lake V2G 2V6

Kootenay

Regional CoordinatorBoundary Naturalists AssociationNelson NaturalistsRock}' Mountain NaturalistsWest Kootenay Naturalists' Association

34

Dir./Pres.

Brenda BalaamRuth KuhlJim VincentIan AdamsJoan Snyder

Address

940 Celia Cresent, Trail, BC. V1R IBSBox 2191, Grand Forks VOH 1HOBox 893, Nelson V1L6A5Box79LCranbrook V1C4J5Box 3121, Castlegar V1N3H4

Tel Fax

250-368-9677250-442-8859250-825-9386250-426-0268250-226-0012

Email

georgeb@sunshinecable.corajayvincent@netidea.com

ianadams@cintek.comsnowdance@telus.net

BC Naturalist

Thompson-OkanaganDir./Prcs. Address Tel Fax Email

Regional CoordinatorCentral Okanagan Naturalist ClubKamloops Naturalist ClubNorth Okanagan Naturalists1 ClubNorth Shuswap Naturalist ClubQUver-Osoyoos NaturalistsShuswap Naturalists ClubSimilkameen Naturalist ClubSouth Okanagan Naturalist ClubVermillion Forks Field Naturalists

RRl,Sl,C33,TappenBC VOE 2X0Box 396, Stn A, Kelowna V1Y 7N8Box 625, Kamloops V2C 5L75777 McClure Rd, Vernon V1B 3R1Site 16 B Comp. 24 RR1, Celista VOE 1LOBox 1181,OsoyoosVOH 1TOBox 1076, Salmon Arm VIE 4P2RR1, C5S33,CawstonVOXlCOP.O. Box 23003, Penlicton V2A 8L7Box 2074, Princeton VOX I WO

Vancouver IslandDir./Pres. Address Tel Fax Email

Regional CoordinatorArrowsmith NaturalistsComox Valley Naturalists SocietyCovvichan Valley Naturalists SocietyMitlenatch Field Naturalists SocietyNanaimo Field NaturalistsFender Island Field NaturalistsRock)'Point Bird ObservatorySalt Spring Trail & Nature ClubVictoria Natural History SocietyVictoria Natural History Society

Ron SpellerWill LemmonFrank HovendenLoren DuncanRolf KellerhalsOpenJan Kirkby 4547David AllinsonNancy BraithwaiteTom GillespieJohn Henigman

250-752-8339250-757-2387250-338-9962250-746-0240250-285-3570

Bedwell Harbour Rd. RR1, Pender Island VON 2M1572 Atkins Rd., Victoria V9B 3A3Box 203, Ganges, Salt Spring Island V8K 2V9Box 5220, Stn B, Victoria VSR 6N41887 Forrester St., Victoria V8R3G7

Affiliate Groups

250-629-9956 jankirkby@gulfislands.comgoshawk@telus.net

Dir./Pres. Address Tel Fax Email

Kitimat Valley Naturalists April MacleodOsoyoos Desert Society Joan MuirheadMalaspina Naturalist Club Sherri WrethamSouthern Interior Bluebird Society Sherry LinnSunshine Coast Conservation Association Marianne LarsenLillooet Naturalist Society Vivian Birch-JonesNanoose Naturalists JC MacKenzieB.EAR.S. Betty Carrington

Allan Brooks Nature Centre Society, Vernon, 250-260-4227Alexander McKenzie Voyageur Route Association, Kelowna, 250-860-4782BC Watershed Stewardship Alliance, VancouverBoundary Bay Conservation Committee, Delta, 604-943-6406Biology Coop. Education Coordinators, Univ. of VictoriaBurns Bog Conservation Society, Delta 604-572-0373Charlie Lake Conservation Society, Charlie LakeCreston Valley Wildlife Mgt. Area Society, Creston, 250428-3260Comox Valley Project Watershed, CourtenayEvergreen Foundation, Vancouver 604-689-0766Federation of BC Mountain Clubs, Vancouver, 604-878-7007Francis Pt. Marine Park Society, Madeira Park, 604-883-2730Friends of Caren, Madeira ParkFriends of Cortes Island Society, Whaleton, 250-935-0087Friends of Cypress Provincial Park Society, West Vancouver, 604-922-7949Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society, White Rock, 604-536-2636Friends of the Stikine, GibsonsGarry Oak Meadow Preservation Society, VictoriaGrassy Plains School, Burns LakeThe Land Conservancy of BC, Victoria 250479-8053, Vancouver 604-733-2313Land Trust Alliance of BC, Salt Spring Island, 250-538-0112

Summer 2003

72 Skeena Street, Kitimat V8C IY9Box 123, Osoyoos VOH 1VO4029 Lyton Avenue, Powell River V8A 5A6Box 494, Oliver VOH 1TOBox 1969, Sechelt VON 3AOBox 1065, Lillooet VOK 1VO3265 Huntington PL, Nanoose Bay V9P 9H61866 Berkley Rd, North Vancouver V7H 1Z3

Associate GroupsMacdonald Wood Park Society, Comox, 250-3394370Marine Life Sanctuaries Society, Vancouver, 604-684-6212Native Plant Society of BC, Vancouver, 604-255-5719Natural History Soc. of Nfld & Labrador, St. Johns, NfldNature Saskatchewan, Regina, SK, 306-713-6698Nature Trust of BC, North Vancouver, 604-924-9771Okanagan Similkameen Parks Society, Summerland, 250494-8996Riveniew Horticultural Society, Coquitlam, 604-290-9910Sargeant Bay Society, SecheltSave Our Parkland Association, Vancouver, 604-224-7027Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC),Vancouver, 604-736-7732Soil & Water Conservation Society, Langley, 604-888-7511Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society, DuncanStanley Park Ecology Association,Vancouver 604-257-6908Students for Environmental Awareness, Camosun College, Victoria, 250-370-3139Swan Lake/Christmas Hill Nature Centre, Victoria, 250479-0811Trails BC, Vancouver 604-737-3188West Vancouver Stream keepers, Vancouver, 604-984-9311Wild Bird Trust of BC, Vancouver 604-921-8253World Wildlife Fund, 1-800-26PANDA

35

Jf you want to connect witft ot&wnature Covers, we invite you to

1. Join your local naturalist club OR 2. Become a direct memberWe invite you to contat your local club to find out when theirnext event is and to join us at one of our many activities.You'll meet other nature lovers and enjoy all these benefits:• Learn about nature in your community from local experts

• Enjoy birding, hiking, botanizing, camps, and outdoor fieldtrips

• Participate in local conservation projects such as restoringmarshes and alpine areas, removing invasive plants, install-ing and monitoring bird boxes, building trails, maintainingnature centres

• Hear great guest speakers/see slide shows

• Receive the local club newsletter (if published)

• Contribute to club projects like bird and plant checklists,trail guides, nature books

• Have opportunities to get involved in park and land stewardship

• Support people working to protect nature in your community

• Act locally, while thinking globally

• Enjoy all the benefits of FBCN Direct Membership

If there isn't a Federated club in your community thenjoin the FBCN as a Direct Member. It's only $15 peryear and you receive all these benefits:• Receive the quarterly newsletter BCNaturalist. Discover

BC's natural areas and wildlife and get information onenvironmental issues and events

• Attend FBCN exploratory and club camps and learnabout BC's wild heritage from expert naturalists

• Attend FBCN member meetings and learn about otherparts of the province

• Support the Federation in its conservation efforts toprotect endangered species and natural areas

• Receive discounts on special fundraising items• Borrow resource materials from the FBCN office

More information on the FBCN can be found on page 2 ofthis publication.

D $15 DIRECT MEMBERSHIP(If you are a member of a Federated Club, you'reautomatically a member in the FBCN and a directmembership is not necessary.)

D $15 SUBSCRIPTION

D $400 LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP DONATIONA charitable tax receipt will be issued donations abovethe membership fee.

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Mail to: Federation of BC Naturalists, 307-1367 West Broadway,Vancouver, BC V6H 4A9