Preservation Through Education
NORTHWEST WILDLIFE PRESERVATION SOCIETY
W I L D L I F E T A L E S
F A L L N E W S L E T T E R 2 0 1 4
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As the sun begins to go down earlier and
the air becomes a little more crisp, summer
seeps away and fall begins to take over.
Animals know summer is over and fall
is here. Antlers clattering will echo through
the forest as moose compete in the rut.
Learn more about moose and their ruts
from our Creature Feature on page 4. Birds
will begin to migrate to warmer climates as
summer turns to fall and fall turns to
winter. Animals start to bulk up for winter
and build their food reserves. Although not
all animals hibernate, find out what bears
do instead of hibernation on page 7.
Hiking isn’t only a summer activity.
Spring and fall bring more mild
temperatures for enjoyable hiking. If you’re
getting out there and enjoying the
wilderness make sure to find out how to
have a no-impact hike on page 6. Hiking is
an affordable activity, except for when you
buy pricey energy bars! Learn how to make
your own fruit and nut bars on page 6.
These yummy treats are perfect for keeping
you going.
—IN THIS ISSUE —
INTRO 1-2
VAN ISLAND OPERATIONS 3-4
NWPS IN THE COMMUNITY 5-6
MOOSE FEATURE 7-8
VISION FEATURE 9-10
RECIPE 11-12
NO IMPACT 13-14
MYTH : BEARS HIBERNATE 15-16
VOLUNTEER FEATURE 17-18
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THANK YOU, DONORS!
Thank you so much to our generous top
donors whose contributions have made it
possible for us to continue providing
important environmental education
to British Columbians since 1987.
We have been offering full time wildlife
education programming since 2013 on
Vancouver Island.
Our island operations have done over 40
Wildlife in Schools programs from Victoria to
Nanaimo reaching over 1500 school children.
Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society has
been attending events around the island over
the summer.
We look forward to all the great things to come
with the 2014-2015 academic year.
Manly Farm Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary has
been doing well! There is some very exciting
news about our permits.
Wildlife in
Schools programs
School children
— VANCOUVER ISLAND OPS —
[MANLY FARM]
Our permits have been approved to
continue our wetland restoration project! We
need funding and support in order for this
project to be a success. BCIT faculty and
students will be helping out with the
restoration. However, we always need more
volunteers! Volunteer involvement can range
from anything from wildlife surveying to land
use planning. If anyone on Vancouver Island is
interested in getting involved please contact us.
Please contact
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— NWPS IN THE COMMUNITY —
[FESTIVALS]
Surrey’s World Ocean
Day Celebration
June 8th
Family Fishing Day
June 15th
North Delta Family
Day
June 22nd
MEC Paddlefest
July 5th
O.W.L. Summer Open
House
July 26th-27th
White Rock Sea
Festival
August 3rd
Crankworx
August 15th-16th
Raptor Festival
August 17th
5
We would like to
thank everyone who
hosted us at festivals
and congratulations
on such successful
events!
Burnaby
Environmental Festival
May 31st
6
Thank you to all who volunteered at our stewardship events and to those
who came out and visited us at festivals. Keep an eye out for us at the
upcoming events. More events to come that may not be listed here so
make sure you keep up to date!
A huge thanks to Pacific Coast Tents for lending us a tent for special events.
[STEWARDSHIP EVENTS]
Iona Beach Invasive
Species Pull
June 17th
Kitsilano Shoreline
Cleanup
July 15th
Third Beach
Shoreline Cleanup
July 21st
Sunset Beach Shoreline
Cleanup
August 8th
Iona Beach Invasive
Species Pull
June 17th
[UPCOMING EVENTS]
Critter Care’s Annual
Walk-a-thon
Sunday Oct 5th
Tree Planting at
Crippen Regional
Park
Saturday Oct 25th
Great Canadian
Shoreline Cleanup
Sunday Sept 20th
Coho Festival
Sunday Sept 7th
MOOSE are the largest herbivores in North America.
Canada: home to the largest moose population in the world! The
animal’s range stretches across the Northern Hemisphere. The
moose is often thought of as a Canadian symbol alongside maple
syrup, hockey, and the beaver. These magnificent creatures can be
seen in every province of Canada roaming around wetlands,
woodlands and muskeg.
They are the largest of the deer family. Unlike other smaller
species in the deer family, moose tend to lead a more solitary life
and avoid forming herds. A common deer characteristic that is
seen in moose is that they lack upper incisors; they have no top
teeth at the front of their mouth. Instead of snipping at the
aquatic and terrestrial vegetation with a set of teeth, they use
their bottom incisors against their top flat pallet.
A fascinating feature of the male moose is the large
palmate antlers. These massive antlers can span 6 feet! They grow
a new pair every season, shedding them in December. A female
moose, also called a cow, lack antlers. This sexual dimorphism is
common within the deer family.
These antlers play an important role during the rut. The rut
is the mating season when bulls compete for cows. The antlers
show a males size but they will also be used in competing against
other bulls of a similar strength for a group of females. The rut
usually begins in late August and runs until early October.
With moose being such a large animal they have very few
predators . The two main animals that hunt moose are wolves and
grizzly bears. These predators need to be careful when hunting
moose because these large deer can kick in every direction!
— CREATURE FEATURE—
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The animal kingdom demonstrates
many adaptations that contribute to
some species’ superior vision. Raptors are
well known for their precise vision. Being
able to see at night is a huge advantage
for many animals. There are more
adaptations that most people don’t think
about.
We’ve all heard of the sayings
“watching like a hawk” or “eagle eyes”.
These idioms are inspired by nature.
Eagles and hawks are both part of the
raptor family. Raptors are a family of
birds that catch prey with their feet and
are carnivorous in their diet. They are
well known for their accurate vision, it is
said to be 8 times better than human
vision. One of the reasons these birds
have excellent vision is the ratio of their
eye size to their body size; they have the
largest eyes compared to their body.
Their eyes have adapted to seeing far
distances because they need to scout out
tiny prey while hunting. Owls are also
part of the raptor family. They can see
during the day but their vision is best at
night.
Having night vision opens up a
different time niche for animals to hunt.
This is not only demonstrated in owls but
also wildcats, such as the cougar.
Animals’ eyes that have night vision will
often give off a glow. This glow is from
the tapetum ludicum which is a layer in
the eye that reflects light. This reflective
layer makes it possible for the animals
eye to interact with the light longer, there
for detecting more light.
The light that humans can see is
not the only spectrum of light that
animals’ eyes pick up. Humans have
three types of colour receptors while
birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish have
an additional type of receptor that helps
them detect the ultra-violet spectrum.
One example of birds using their ability
to see UV on feathers and bills is during
courtship. It’s hard for humans to
imagine something different than our
own vision but many animals see the
world much differently than we do.
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Power bars, granola bars, fruit and nut bars can all be expensive. Why not make your own fruit
and nut bars! These bars are fantastic, easy and mess-free: the perfect energy boost for hiking,
biking, camping or skiing. Luckily, they are simple to make containing only four ingredients.
*Best results when using a food processor.
CHOCOLATE LOVER
Walnut • Chocolate • Cranberry • Dates
SWEET & SUMMERY
Pistachio • Orange • Cranberry • Dates
• Coarse chop your nut of choice•
• Food process the dates or dates & cranberries•
• Blend to paste, if using cranberries ensure there are no recognizable chunks•
• For Chocolate Lover, grate and add orange zest•
• Knead together like dough •
• Press into a mini loaf pan •
• Freeze, cut when frozen •
• Enjoy•
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Photo Credit: Jack Edgar
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[WATCH OUT]
Be mindful of what terrain you’re hiking
on. Try to stay on durable materials like
rock, gravel or sand as opposed to dirt,
alpine plants and stream banks. If there is
a designated path stay on the path and try
not to cut corners on switchbacks. Cutting
these corners can lead to soil erosion and
destroy the path.
[WATER DISPOSAL]
Disposing of wastewater can attract
wildlife and ruin pristine waterways. Make
sure to be 200ft away from any waterways
or streams when disposing of wastewater
from washing out containers.
[LEAVE NO TRACE]
You must pack everything out that you
packed in. Try to minimize the disturbance
you’re causing to the environment you’re
going through.
— NO IMPACT HIKING—
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When you are young, one of
the first things you learn about bears
is that they hibernate. Hibernation is
not the correct term to use when
referring the process that black bears
and grizzly bears go through. These
bears are not classified as true
hibernators. The phenomenon bears
undergo is called torpor. Both torpor
and hibernation are types of
dormancy, which helps to reduce
energy consumption. Food resources
are low in the winter, so by going into
a state of dormancy animals are able
to survive harsh winter conditions.
There are many differences between
these two processes.
One of the most notable
differences is the body temperature.
With hibernation, body temperature
will drop to around the same degree
as the surrounding atmosphere,
whereas in torpor, the body
temperature is relatively high. One
reason that bears keep their body
temperature high in their dens is to
help keep the cubs warm.
The heart rate slows down
rapidly in hibernation, while in torpor
the drop is not as dramatic. They are
similar processes but they are
different enough that they should be
recognized separately.
There have been cases where
black bears and grizzly bears do not
enter torpor for the winter because
their food resources are plentiful
enough for them to survive off of .
This shows how torpor is a voluntary
process, whereas hibernation is not.
— MYTH: BEARS HIBERNATE—
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I'm Emmanuelle. I'm 23 years old and I come from
France.
I was in Vancouver only for 6 months to learn
English and to live an adventure.
At the beginning I took some English classes in a
language school, where I met Darren from
Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society during one
of his wildlife presentations.
At the beginning, I didn't know a lot about wildlife
and British Columbia, that's why I was really
interested in becoming a volunteer.
It was a very good experience for me because I
learned a lot about Canadian wildlife and it was a
pleasure to help Darren, who is very passionate
about this subject.
He gave me a lot of experience during my stay and I
was involved in a variety of activities and
programs. So thank you so much for everything!
Tomorrow I’ll leave Vancouver but I’ll come back
here to learn and discover more about Canada.
See you soon, unbelievable Vancouver!"
— VOLUNTEER: EMMANUELLE —
NEWSLETTER PRODUCED BY NORTHWEST WILDLIFE PRESERVATION SOCIETY
CREATED BY ANITRA PARIS 18
If you would like to volunteer,
please call us at 604.568.9160
or
email us at [email protected]
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