C Naturalist

E

The Federation of British Columbia Naturalists321 - 1367 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6H 4A9

ISSN 0228-8842

The Federation of B.C. NaturalistsOffice: 321-1367 West Broadway,

Vancouver. B.C. V6H 4A9phone: 737 3O57 fax: 738 7175

FEDERATED CLUBS

LOWER MAINLAND

Regional Coordinator: Vacant

Alouette Field Naturalists:12554 Grace St. Maple Ridge, V2X 5N2 ,D: Duanne van den Berg (463 8743)

Bowen Nature Club:RR#l,SlteF. Box 27,Bowen Island, VON 1GOD:TBA

Burke Mountain Naturalists:Box 52540, RPO Coquitlam Centre,Coquitlam, V3B 7J4D: Jude Grass (520 3706)Alt Mike Griffin (942 5326)

Central Valley Naturalists:c/o 7271 LeFeuvere Road,Mount Lehman, V4X2C1D: Johanna Saaltink (856 4982)

Chilliwack Field Naturalists:Box 268, Chilliwack. V2P6J1D: Birch Van Home (795 5108)

Delta Naturalists' Society:4992 Stevens Lane, Delta, V4M 1P1D: Anne Murray (943 0273)

Langley Field Naturalists Society:Box 56052, Valley Centre Post Office,Langley, V3A 8B3D: Martin McNicholl (294 9333)

Pender Harbour & District Wildlife Soc.:Box 220, Madeira Park, VON 2HOD: Ann Barker (883 2689)

Royal City Reid Naturalists:125 Bonson St.,New Westminster, V3L 2J9D: Norma Boutillier (430 8033)

Squamish Estuary Conservation Society:Box 1274, Squamish, VON 3GOD: Jim Wisnia (898 2000)

Sunshine Coast Natural History Society:Box 543, Sechelt, VON SAOD: Tony Greenfield (885 5539)

Vancouver Natural History Society:Box 3021, Vancouver, V6B 3X5D: V.C. (Bert) Brink (224 7078)

Ltnda Kingston (525 0420)Melanie Marchand (985 3720)Daphne Solecki (7369471)

White Rock and Surrey Naturalists Soc.:Box 75044, White Rock, V4A 9M4D: David Dunnison (538 5288)

VANCOUVER ISLAND

Regional Coordinator: Audrey Hoeg4260 Riverside Road, RR#7, Duncan,V9L 4W4 (748 8506) <£

Arrowsmith Naturalists:Box 1542, Parksville, V9P 2H4D: John Mackenzie (752 8689)

Comox-Strathcona Natural History Soc.:Box 3222, Courtenay, V9N 5N4D: Joan Cartwright (334 2272)

Cowlchan Valley Naturalists' Society:Box 361, Duncan, V9L 3X5D: Nils Hoeg (748 8506)Alt Audrey Hoeg (7488506)

Mitlenatch Field Naturalists Society:Box 413, HeriotBay, VOP 1HOD: Heather Kellerhals (285 3570)Alt. Allan Brooks (337 8180)

Nanaimo Field Naturalists:Box 125, Nanaimo, V9R 5K4D:TBA

Pender Island Field-Naturalists:RR#1, Pender Island, VON 2MOD: Jan Kirkby (629 3381)

Salt Spring Trail & Nature Club:Box 203, Ganges P.O.Salt Spring Island, V8K 2V9D: Don Flook (653 9202)

Victoria Natural History Society:Box 5220, Stn B., Victoria, VSR 6N4D: Tony Embleton (595 6812)

Tom Gillespie (361 1694)

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN 4,

Regional Coordinator: Mike Chappell2050 Fisher Road, Kelowna,V1W2H2 (763 1437)

Central Okanagan Naturalists Club:Box 396, Kelowna, VlY 7N8D: Mike Chappell (763 1437)

Cec Dillabough (862 8254)

Kamloops Naturalists Club:Box 625, Kamloops, V2C 5L7D: Wayne Jennings (374 8338)

North Okanagan Naturalists Club:Box 473, Vernon, V1T 6M4D: Frank Paul (542 7629)

Peter Blokker (545 8297)

North Shuswap Naturalists Club:Box 162, Celista, VOE 1LOD: Helen Akrigg (955 2963)

Oliver-Osoyoos Naturalists:Box 1181, Osoyoos, VOH 1VOD: Harold King (495 6907)

Shuswap Naturalists Club:Box 1076, Salmon Arm, VIE 4P2D: TBA

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN cont.

South Okanagan Naturalist Club:Box 23003, Penticton. V2A 8L7D: Glenda Ross (493 7500)

Vermilion Forks Field Naturalists Soc.:Site 19, Comp. 12. RR#1,Princeton, VOX 1WOD: Madelon Schouten (295 7078)

NORTHERN BC ^(includes Peace, Cariboo, North Central)

Regional Coordinator: Sandra KinseyRR#5, Site 18, Comp. 9, Prince George,V2N2J3 (9638381)

PEACE

Timberline Trail and Nature Club:9049 Elwood Drive,Dawson Creek, V1G 3M8D: Ellen Schoen (782 4485)

CARIBOO

Bella Coola Trail and Nature Club:Box 3, Bella Coola, V7O ICOD: Lis Karup (799 5932)

Quesnel Naturalists:P.O. Box 4296, Quesnel, V2J 3J3D: June Wood (249 5532)

Williams Lake Field Naturalists:Box 4575, Williams Lake, V2G 2V6D: TBA

NORTH CENTRAL

Bulkley Valley Naturalists:Box 4209, Smithers, VOJ 2NOD: Evi Coulson (846 5649)

Mackenzie Fish and Game Association,Environmental Section:Box 149, Mackenzie, VOJ 2COD: Alan Simcoe (997 2634)

Prince George Naturalists Club:Box 1092, Stn. A,Prince George, V2L 4V2D: Jack Bowling (963 7837)

Skeena Valley Naturalist Club:c/o 2711 Skeena Street,Terrace, V8G 3K3D: Grant Hazelwood (635 2317)

KOOTENAY £?

Regional Coordinator: Greg RossRR#2, Site 4, Box 34, Cranbrook,V1C4H3 (4892566)

Arrow Lakes Naturalist Club:RR#1. Site 5, Comp. 45, Nakusp,VOG 1ROD: Dr. Bill Sones (265 4542)

Boundary Naturalists Association:Box 2194, Grand Forks, VOH 1HOD: Jim Glanville (442 3865)

PAGE 2 B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995

B.C. JVaturolistis published six times a year by

The Federation ofBritish Columbia Naturalists

321-1367 West Broadway,Vancouver, B.C. V6H 4A9

Bulk Mail Registration Number0448607299

FBCN OFFICEAdministrative Officer

Frieda Davidson

Office Hours: Monday to Thursday10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Lunch 12 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.Volunteers welcome

KOOTENAY cont.

Nelson Naturalists:P.O. Box 893, Nelson, V1L 6A5D: Heather Neville (352 9954)

Rocky Mountain Naturalists:P.O. Box 791, Cranbrook, VIC 4J5D: Mildred White (427 3605)

West Kootenay Naturalist's Association:Box 3121, Castlegar, V1N 3H4D: Dorothy Beetstra (368 9716)

AFFILIATE ORGANIZATIONS ̂& Observers /

Alberni Valley Naturalist Society:3691 Maitland, Port Alberni, V9Y 3X5Shirley Prince (723 6484)

Friends of Mount Revelstoke & GlacierField Naturalists:P.O. Box 2992. Revelstoke, VOE 2SOBeatrice Schuh (837 2010)

Mayne Island Naturalists Club:C22, Bluff Way, Mayne Island, VON 2JOMichael Dunn (539 5745)

Sargeant Bay Society:P.O. Box 1486, Sechelt, VON 1YOJoop Burgerjon

Similkameen Naturalists Club:Cawston, VOX ICOGabiHollmann (4995404)

Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society:Box 711, Duncan, V9L 3Y1Nils Hoeg (748 8506)

Tumbler Ridge Ornithology Group:Box 1690, Tumbler Ridge, VOC 2WO

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORY

Honourary President:Dr. Ian McTaggart-Cowan

THE B. C. NATURALISTEDITORIAL COMMITTEE

EDITOR:Jude Grass103-7065 Stride Avenue, Burnaby,B.C. V3N ITS tel: 604 520 3706

ADVERTISING MANAGER:Penelope Stewarttel: (604) 255 6483

ADVISORY BOARD:Bert Brink, Norm Purssell,& Syd Cannings

Circulation: 6.000

Printed by College Printer*, Vancouver

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President:Frances Vysec/o FBCN Office (tel:/fax: 372 8607)

First Vice President:Vacant

Second Vice President:Allan Brooks1630 SeaviewRoad, Black Creek, V9J U5(337 8180)

Treasurer:Doug Halsonc/o FBCN Office (tel: 945 9648)

Recording Secretary:Melanie Marchand2116 Grand Boulevard, NorthVancouver, V7L 3Y7 (985 3720)

Past President:Daphne Solecki3672 West 1st Avenue, Vancouver,V6R 1H2 (tel:/fax: 736 9471)

Conservation Chair:Daphne Solecki (see above)

Education Chair: - Vacant

The Executive Committee also includesRegional Coordinators and the Editor ofthe BC JVaturalist.

Mc€ute;he0tx

. :

* i ' Chartered, Accountant. $0940? ;

r^ ,:. B.C,

lj^j^^^^ijj^^i^lS^flii^lSmiijj^

ctoae-tip on -

-^:^&

:SSi:Sft'

LAND FOR NATURE INITIATIVE

Director:Robert A.B. Phillips, FCSI, MBA

New Project Coordinator:Andrew Bales, MA, Dipl Ed

Lower Mainland Coordinator:Emma Childs, MA, BSc (Hon)

903-207 West Hastings StreetVancouver, B.C. V6B 1H7

tel: 604 878 0826fax: 604 929 1842

South Okanagan Coordinator:Open for Competion - Fall 1995

B.C. NaturalistDEADLINES

The deadline for submitting articles andadvertising is:

EDITION DEADLINE

JanuaryMarchMayJulySeptemberNovember

25 November25 January25 March25 May25 July25 September

The distribution date is the first of theedition month.

Federation of'British Cotum&ia

gratefuffy actno'wCetfgesthe support of

gaBritishColumbia *

Ministry of Housing, Recreationand Consumer Services

B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995 PAGE 3

NATURESCAPEB R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

Caring for wildlife habitat at home

You can ma&e a 6ig difference ... aCCyou need is a fittfe space.

'Restoring Biodiversity...

preserving the web of life.

Every day we are surrounded by a miracle that too oftenwe take for granted. That miracle is the variety of life in thegarden outside our door, in the meadow across the street,the woodland down the road, or the lake a few milesoutside of town. Scientists call this abundance of livingthings biodiversity. It affects the food we eat, the water wedrink, and the air we breath. Alarmingly, biodiversity isdisappearing at an accelerating rate. A major cause is lossof wildlife habitat due to human activities.

Imagine a w or (d withoutBirds and wifdfCowers.

now imagine a world full of song and colour.

The natural environment of British Colombia boasts morebiodiversity than any other part of Canada, It ranges fromDouglas-firs on a coastal headland to micro-organisms ina drop of water. It includes orcas and toads, eagles andlichen, bears and bats, salmon and salal, fireweed andcaribou, cottonwoods and owls. Yet even in British Co-lumbia, habitats are threatened and species face extinc-tion. Nature scape British Columbia is a program thatexplains how to co-exist with nature. Guided by wordsand illustrations in the Naturescape Kit, you can startrestoring your outdoor space to a more natural state andmake a home for many types of wildlife that live there.

tfow to reverse Coss ofwiCdtife fiafjitat...

think locally ... act locally.

We are bombarded daily by media reports about the perilsfacing planet Earth. The perils seem so big, complex, anddistant that individuals wishing to help often don't knowwhere to begin. But we needn't feel discouraged or power-less. The actions of individuals acting at home can makea big difference. All you need is a little space - a balcony,patio, yard, or acreage. Each is a potential wildlife habitatPAGE 4 B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995

where biodiversity may be restored and protected. Yourinvestment need not be overlie expensive or ambitious.Installing a planter, a feeder, or a bird bath is a simple buteffective way to start.

Tfte power of a singCe yard...

a patchwork quilt of green spaces.

Only six per cent of the land in British Columbia isprivately owned, but that six percent is concentrated inareas where biodiversity is greatest and where, because ofhuman activities, it is most threatened. The forestedvalleys, river courses, and estuaries that we find mosthabitable are equally desired by multitudes of othercreatures also seeking food, water, and shelter. Becauselocation is more important than size, a single restoredyard has far-reaching effects. Acting first as a model, itstimulates the creation of others. Soon a group of inter-connected yards serves as a corridor between a naturesanctuary and a city park. Seen from the perspective of abird, the once-isolated green spaces below have growninto a patchwork quilt of private.and public naturescapescapable of providing food, water, and shelter.

Saving water, time, and money...

the pleasures of sharing habitat.

Water shortages are a growing concern for many BritishColumbia communities. In some cities, outdoor wateringaccounts for 35 per cent of residential water use. Even ifthe consumption rate stays constant, total consumptionwill increase as human population grows. Replacingwater-hungry lawns and exotic plants with water-thriftynative trees, shrubs, and perennials is a smart way toavoid or defer spending large sums on new reservoirs,dams and aqueducts. Native plants are self-reliant butgenerous: they don't need chemical fertilizers, herbicides,or much upkeep but they satisfy wildlife needs by provid-ing nectar, seeds, nuts, fruits and berries. A wildlifehabitat is full of active things — nesting birds, croakingtoads, flitting dragonflies. And slow-moving things — thecycle of seasons, of decay and regeneration. And compli-

cated things ~ the interdependence of species such thatif one disappears, the other is doomed to follow. Andwondrous things — the life stages of a butterfly. Andmysterious things — for much of biodiversity is composedof what we do not easily see and, in many cases, do notfully understand. All these things will prompt you toexplore, observe, and record. And as you develop the keensenses and knowledge of a naturalist specializing in yourown outdoor space, all these things become yours to sharewith family, neighbours, and friends.

Naturescape Kit

'Program information andbenefits arrive in two stages.' fat is sent to everyone wno compCetes the enclosed

card, tfne kit comprises:

• A Naturescape British Columbia booklet withinstructions and illustrations for building anamphibian pool, planting a hummingbird gar-den, erecting bird and bat houses, and muchmore.

• A booklet with specific information about nativeplants and animals in your region of the province.

• A regional resource booklet that lists publica-tions, naturalist organizations, garden clubs,garden centres, and wildlife rehabilitation cen-tres.

• A Naturescape British Columbia membershipcard which entitles you to discounts at participat-ing retailers.

Additional benefits

Included in the kit is an easy-response questionnaire thatenables you to describe your outdoor space and how youhave made it more attractive to wildlife. Upon receipt ofthis information, we will send you the following materials:

• A Naturescape British Columbia sign for youryard to demonstrate that you care for wildlifehabitat at home.

• A Naturescape British Columbia newsletter fea-turing participants' reports about projects un-dertaken in their backyards, a question andanswer department, plus seasonal information tokeep you up-to-date throughout the year.

Naturescape British Columbia is funded by WildlifeHabitat Canada, Environment Canada (Canadian WildlifeService), British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Landsand Parks, the Habitat Conservation Fund and the par-ticipants who register in the Naturescape program. Thesupport and assistance of the Federation of BC Natural-ists, BC Society of Landscape Architects, and the UrbanWildlife Committee (Vancouver) is greatly appreciated.

ifaturescajye 'Kits, are now avaitaftCe.

.rf

h00

s•jS

3

|

z I 0

£I

.8«»co•fi

^E

p

For more information, call 1 800 387 9853.

In Victoria, call 387 9369.

Please send above form to:

Naturescape British Columbia

300-1005 Broad Street. Victoria, B.C. V8W 2A1

B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995 PAGES

ENDANGERED SPECIES LEGISLATION face of our planet represents one less option for futuregenerations.

This fall, the federal government will bring a proposalbefore the House of Commons. The Canadian Endan-gered Species Protection Act proposes to create "a coordi-nated and cooperative national approach to protect ...endangered, threatened or vulnerable species".

A discussion document was produced earlier this yearand series of little-publicized public forums were heldacross the country. The BC forum was held in Vancouver.Only eighteen citizens or organizations submitted briefsor other written comments. Response from other prov-inces was similar, and widespread complaints were regis-tered regarding lack of public notification,

Overall support for legislation was tempered withskepticism. Would the Act provide for any governmentaccountability?

Suggestions included using existing COSEWIC listings asabasis for species identification, avoidance of duplicationamong varying levels of government, greater public edu-cation, incentives for provincial governments to cooper-ate, and tax breaks to encourage businesses and privatelandowners to preserve habitat. It was also suggestedthat local and traditional knowledge be used to supple-ment scientific data.

Environmental groups and most private citizens whoresponded recommended legislation with 'teeth'. Busi-nesses, cattlemen and unions were concerned about'socio-economic impact'.

The proposed legislation tries to address all of theseconcerns. Its attempt to please everyone may well renderit ineffective. The Act does provide for protection of listedspecies and designation of critical habitat. It also providesfor enforcement and penalties for violators, but only onfederal lands and waters. Provinces and territories are tobe 'encouraged' to protect or recover endangered species.The federal Minister of the Environment is to 'assist andencourage' landowners to protect species and habitats onprivate lands.

Provisions are also included for 'funding authorities','third party agreements with conservation partners' and'conservation partnerships with ... non-governmental in-terests'. The end result is a legislative proposal thatappears fragmented and vague.

We should remember than many plants and animals inCanada are in danger of extinction. Causes are as diverseas habitat loss, introduction of exotic species, and con-tamination of ecosystems by toxic substances. Despitelocal and regional attempts to deal with the problem, thelist of endangered species continues to grow.

We often forget that the disappearance of species acts asa bellwether for our own future, for diversity of species andecosystems is the basis of sustainable development. Eachspecies of plant, animal or fish that disappears from thePAGE 6 B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995

The Canadian Endangered Species Protection Act couldwell be the first step in a new direction. But it will needthe active cooperation of all Canadians, including theirprovincial, territorial and local governments, to make itwork.

To obtain a copy of the Canadian Endangered SpeciesProtection Act proposal, write to: Minister of the Environ-ment, House of Commons, Room 509-S, Centre Block,Ottawa, Ontario K1A OA6

Barbara ParsonsPenticton

JAMES BAILLIE MEMORIAL FUNDFOR BIRD RESEARCH

AND PRESERVATION

Do you have plans for an individual or club project onbirds that needs some extra funding? The James BaillieMemorial Fund may be able to help.

The Fund offers two types of grants (1) for projects thatinvolve research or education or that contribute to thepreservation of Canadian birds; and (2) for a special fiveyear program (1993-1997) to initiate and support migra-tion monitoring stations [bird observatories) that monitorCanadian birds during their migrations. The Fund sup-ports projects that involve volunteers in education, re-search or data collection. Support of graduate studentresearch projects is not a priority. Individuals or organi-zations can apply. Grants range from $200 to $3,000 andaverage about $1,000. Next deadline for applications is27 January 1996.

For more information and application forms write to:David J.T. Hussell, Secretary, James L. Baillie MemorialFund, Canadian Centre for the Study and Preservation ofBirds, P.O. Box 160, Port Rowan, Ontario, NOE 1MO Tel:5195863531.

STEWARDSHIP '94 PROCEEDINGS

Stewardship '94, a landmark conference, sponsored bythe FBCN, was held in Vancouver in March 1994. Itbrought together private land owners, non-governmentconservation organizations, industry representatives andgovernment agencies to look at how we can become betterstewards of our land and water.

Copies of the proceedings are still available at a cost of $ 15per copy and can be obtained by sending your name, etc.along with a cheque made payable to the Habitat Conser-vation Fund. Mail to: Ministry of Environment, Landsand Parks, 300-1005 Broad Street, Victoria, B.C. V8W2A1. Tel: 604 387 9369 or fax: 604 356 0985.

LOCATING BARROW'S GOLDENEYES

The Canadian Wildlife Service is seeking your help inlocating marked Barrow's Goldeneye wintering in coastalareas.

Barrow's Goldeneye have been marked with nasal disks onbreeding grounds in Interior British Columbia. Disks ofvarious shapes and colours were used, one on each side ofthe bill. The disks will assist biologists in determiningindividual movements and survival rates.

Please record the following information.Location of sighting:Sex of Barrow's Goldeneye:Colour Code:• Duck's Right side Colour: Shape:• Duck's Left side Colour: Shape:

If you see a marked Barrow's Goldeneye please contact:Sean Boyd or Saul Schneider,Pacific Wildlife Research Centre,Canadian Wildlife Service5421 Robertson RoadRR#1, Delta, B.C. V4K 3N2Tel: 604 946 8546 or fax: 604 946 7022

BC BALD EAGLENEST REGISTRY PROGRAM

You are invited to participate in EC's first Bald Eagle NestRegistry Program The purpose of this program is togenerate a continual supply of Bald Eagle nesting data. Upto date nesting data will aid in the management of thismagnificent species. It is hoped that upon the discovery ofany Bald Eagle nest you will fill out the BC Bald Eagle NestRegistry Program Field Observation Form. We are askingthat you forward copies of this form to three places: theplanning department of your municipality, the Ministry ofEnvironment, Lands and Parks (Wildlife Branch), and theConservation Data Centre (CDC). We have included thesethree destinations for the following reasons. First, munici-pal planners are well equipped to manage developmentplans in areas that contain eagle nest sites. This isespecially true in areas that are to be subject to futuredevelopment. Many municipalities are, at present, in theprocess of accumulating habitat inventory data of criticalhabitat that should be protected. As a result manymunicipalities are in need of reliable data in order to makecomprehensive management plans regarding critical habi-tats. Second, the profile of Bald Eagles could be raised inthe eyes of municipal planners if nest records begin toarrive at their offices from citizens in their community.Third, it is essential that the MOELP receive any new dataso that habitat protection personnel have as up to dateinformation as possible. Finally, the CDC represents atremendous resource that has been largely ignored bymunicipal planners throughout the Lower Mainland. TheCDC can act as repository for natural history informationthat could be used to shape future development.

To obtain copies of the two page recording form or formore information please contact the Ministry of Environ-ment office in Surrey at tel: 604 582 5200.

Barry BoothPAW Research Services

Vancouver

BC HYDRO'S BALD EAGLE STUDY

BC Hydro, in conjunction with the Ministry of Environ-ment, is conducting a study on the use of power poles byeagles. The objective of this study is to determine thelocation and hardware configurations of poles frequentlyused by eagles and the behaviour of eagles around thesestructures. This information will assist BC Hydro indevelopment an appropriate mitigation program A sim-ple data form is available from: Environmental Affairs,BC Hydro, E-16 6911 Southpoint Drive, Bumaby, B.C.V3N 4X8. Completed forms can be dropped of at any BCHydro or BC Environment office.

LOWER MAINLAND REGIONBALD EAGLE COUNTS

The Annual Bald Eagle Counts that have taken place inrecent years in the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast, andGulf Islands will not be coordinated by the Ministry ofEnvironment - Wildlife Branch in January 1996. Afterreviewing past counts it has been determined that countsdo not need to be done yearly. Individuals or clubs thatdo decide to continue with the counts in their areas areasked to submit results to Dave Dunbar at the WildlifeBranch office in Surrey at tel: 604 582 5200. Data willbe forwarded to the Conservation Data Centre.

SQUAMISH BIRD COUNTSThe Squamish Estuary Conservation Society is pleasedto announce the dates for its fifth year of monthly birdcounts in the Squamish Estuary. All counts now meet atMcDonald's restaurant, except for the Christmas BirdCount (CBC) which meets at the Brackendale Art Gallery.All levels of birders are welcome. Call Jim Wisnia at tel:604 898 2000 for more information. (Date and time listedbelow.)

Sunday, November 19Saturday, December 16 (CBC)Sunday, January 21Sunday, February 18Sunday, March 10Sunday, April 14Sunday, May 12Sunday, June 16Sunday, July 14Sunday, August 18Sunday, September 15Sunday, October 20Sunday, November 17Saturday, December 21 (CBC)

08000700080008000800070007000700080008000800080008000700

B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995 PAGE?

FBCN AWARDSfor presentation at the

1996 Annual General Meeting

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS1 MARCH 1996

FBCN RESOLUTIONSfor presentation at the

1996 Annual General Meeting

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS1 MARCH 1996

The Federation of British Columbia Naturalist gives anumber of awards each year, to recognize the hard workand accomplishments of the individuals or groups in thearea of natural history. Please help us to recognize thesepeople - take a few minutes to consider who you think isdeserving and nominate them!

Nominations may be made by any member of the FBCN orits member clubs. Each nomination must be accompa-nied by an outline or resume giving the reasons why thecandidate is being proposed. Nominations must bereceived by 1 March 1996.

The awards will be presented at the FBCN's AnnualGeneral Meeting.

The Elton Anderson AwardThe purpose of this award is to recognize the service of amember of the FBCN who has served the Federation withenergy, dedication and devotion in order to further itsaims. This award is given in the name of a formerPresident of the FBCN.

Club Service AwardThe purpose of this award is to recognize outstandingservice at a local level by a person or persons belonging toan federated or affiliated club of the Federation.

Recognition AwardPresented to a person or persons from outside the Federa-tion, or its member clubs, who has made an outstandingcontribution to the understanding and appreciation of thenatural history of B.C. (e.g. authors, teachers, adminis-trators, or media personalities).

Barbara Chapman AwardThis award is made to a young naturalist under the age of18 years who has shown an interest in, and has made acontribution to, the appreciation and understanding ofthe natural environment. This award was established inmemory a Victoria Natural History Society member whowas killed by a bear while working in Glacier NationalPark.

The "Knowing Nature" AwardThis award is given to a club or an individual who hascompleted a project that had added to the awareness ofthe natural history within the Province. The award ispresented at the Fall General Meeting. The deadline fornominations is September 1st each year.

Please send nominations to the Awards Chair: MikeChappell, 2050 Fisher Road, Kelowna, B.C.V1W2H2 Tel:604 763 1437.

All resolutions received by 1 MARCH 1996 will be circu-lated in mid-March to federated and affiliate clubs and allFBCN Directors, (and individual members on request). Allresolutions will be dated and numbered by the Adminis-trative Officer and will be discussed in numbered order.

Resolutions received after 1 MARCH 1996 will be treatedas resolutions from the floor.

Resolutions from the floor at the Annual General Meetingwill be handled ONLY if time allows and providing thereare two copies available for the Resolutions Chairpersonand the Recording Secretary. If there is not time fordiscussion they will be presented at the first regularDirector's Meeting following the AGM.

Resolution Format

An attempt should be made to follow this format:

1. To whom is it addressed? (This can be more thanonce agency, person etc.)

2. Body of Resolution - clear and concise.

3. Comments - information to provide backgrounddata. (Additional news items, briefs, etc. may beattached.)

4. Club name - if applicable, individual membersmay submit - but needs a seconder.

5. Mover/Seconder - these people need not neces-sarily be at the Annual General Meeting BUTthere should be someone delegated to speak tothe resolution at the AGM.

The Resolutions Committee consists of Chair Dick Stace-Smith and two assistants.

The Resolutions Committee will screen the resolutionsupon arrival at the Federation office and then give themback to the Administrative Officer for distribution. Thosereturned to the originator for more information, rewriting,etc., must be re-submitted - and will be renumbered.They must still meet the 1 MARCH deadline.

Please note that the 1996 Annual General Meetingdetails will appear in the January 1996 edition ofBC Naturalist.

PAGE 8 B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995

BIRDWATCHERS> copywrlte by Roger Ashton 1994

"OhI you gaudily garbedgaggle of busilyb i n o c u l a r e dbirdwatchers with cheekschilled by the wild seawinds over the clammyflats of mud, has one ofyou ever pondered, in themidst of wolfing down aheartlessly cold saladbun, over the birdness ofa bird?

Like hunters with hoardsof trophies hung on theiroverweight walls, you in-satiably stalk quaintnames and cold numbersfor your niggling note-books, to the great satis-faction of the birds towhom this means noth-ing, because it meansnothing!

Staring at half of the worldthrough one beadily glint-ing eye that seems to seeall with bemused criticalquery, that charminglydotty bird expression isas serene as it is simple,as eternal as it is empty,as directed and demonicas it is diligent and dainty,and as spasmodic as it is specific, and is a boon to theillustrator who in a vain attempt to portray the birdnessof a bird, has only one eye to depictl

IllustratorCharmaine Malet-Veale

The winged and beakeddenizens of the alienatedland of frivolous fads thatimpersonate art haveboth of their eyes on thesame sides of their heads,and can be hunted bywolves who must turn tothem always the sides oftheir own heads on whichboth eyes are put, just asif wolves too could havefaces like flatfish,throughout whichbirdwatchers each withboth eyes on the samesides of their heads watchthrough twisted binocu-lars in an unseen mirrorthe birds with both eyeson the same sides of theirheads, buthownicelythisobliges the apers of art-ists who never show theeyeless profiles of birdsor wolves orbirdwatchers!

On the distant purpleplanet called ElegantlyImperial Slug, having leftbehind at home theirdoted dogs with eyes onstalks, birdwatchers witheyes on stalks and carry-

ing binoculars with lenses on stalks stalk birds with eyeson stalks amid the great stalks of great plants with eyeson stalks, and at night, all of these eyes glow like softlysparkling stars!"

Roger AshtonVancouver 13/V/1994

FRONT COVERWhite-winged Crossbills

Regular readers of BC JVaturoZists should immediatelyrecognize the work Dr. Karen Wiebe. Her beautifuldrawings have graced our cover five times with detaileddrawing of BC birds: American Kestrel (March 92), HawkOwl (September 92), Song Sparrow (March 93), Bald Eagle

(November 94) and Winter Wren (May 95). It should benoted I still have several drawings on file for future use.Karen is presently working in the Forest Sciences Depart-ment of the Faculty of Forestry at the University of BritishColumbia. JFG

B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995 PAGE 9

RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST To NATURALISTS

British Columbia's Heritage Rivers: Inaugural Candi-dates for a Provincial System. A Report of the BCHeritage Rivers Board, September, 1995, 31 pages.

On May 2,1995, the provincial government announced thecreation of a BC Heritage River System and established anAdvisory Board to support the program. The Board wasmandated to link with the Canadian Heritage River Sys-tem (CHRS) and to advance recommendations to theprovincial government with respect to BC candidate riversfor the national system. The rivers identified in this reportrepresent the Board's first assessment based on pastdocumentation and public input. It was recommended bythe Board that the following rivers be recognized as theinaugural components of the BC Heritage River System:Adams, Babine, Blackwater, Cowichan, Fraser,Similkameen, Skagit, and Stikine. It was further recom-mended that the Fraser River be put forward as a BritishColumbia nomination to the CHRS.

Forest Practices Code of British Columbia: RangeManagement Guidebook. BC Ministry of Forests and BCMinistry of Environment, June, 1995, 34 pages.

This guidebook has been prepared to help forest resourcemanagers plan, prescribe, and implement sound forestpractices that comply with the Forest Practices Code.Guidebooks are developed to support the regulations butare not part of the legislation. This guidebook describesprocedures, practices and results that are consistent withthe legislated requirements of the Code. The document isintended to provide guidance to forest and range manag-ers in the development of range use plans, constructionand planning Crown range fences and limiting the spreadof noxious weeds.

Sea to Sea to Sea: Canada's National Marine Conser-vation Areas System Plan. Parks Canada, July, 1995,106 pages.

Parks Canada is committed to establishing a network ofnational marine conservation areas which will protect andconserve marine areas that represent the full range ofCanada's Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific Oceans, and theGreat Lakes. To achieve this system, a regional samplingapproach has been adopted. This involves subdividing themarine environment into distinct geographic units or"marine regions" based on oceanographic and biologicalcharacteristics, and setting aside a representative sampleof each region. The Pacific marine regions examined indetail include Hecate Strait, Queen Charlotte IslandsShelf, Queen Charlotte Sound, Vancouver Island Shelf,and the Strait of Georgia. If you include islands, thecoastline stretches 27300 kilometers from the Washing-ton State border to the Alaska Panhandle, representing11% of Canada's ocean shoreline. There are steep-sided

fjords and inlets extending up to 110 kilometers inland,low-lying rocky shores, island groups and wide intertidalplatforms inundated with offshore shoals and isolatedrocks. It is one of the most heavily populated coastalregions in the country, creating water pollution problems.Heavy marine traffic has led to numerous accidental oiland chemical spills. Development in major estuaries anddeltas has altered and reduced critical habitats, whileover-fishing has seriously impaired a variety of fish andshellfish populations.

Skagit Valley to Become a Provincial Park. Newsrelease (plus two background statements), Ministry ofEnvironment, Lands and Parks, Ministry of Energy, Minesand Petroleum Resources, September 21, 5 pages.

The provincial government is designating almost 30000hectares of the Skagit Valley as a Class A provincial parkand has allowed for mineral exploration in 2500 hectareson Crown land outside the new park boundaries. The newprovincial park will include and protect key features of thevalley such as the rare wild rhododendron, the SkagitRiver and Spotted Owl habitat. A management plan forthe area will be developed to balance resource and envi-ronmental needs.

Report of the Cypress Park Special Planning Commis-sion. Bryan Williams, Special Commissioner, August,1995, 74 pages (plus 7 appendices).

This commission was established on May 25, 1995 as apublic process to deal with the BC Parks and CypressBowl Recreation issues on land-use, to ascertain whatcommon ground might be found and to submit recom-mendations to a special Cabinet Committee to assist withthe preparation of a Park Master Plan. The reportcontains 77 recommendations, covering a wide range ofissues. Probably the most important recommendationwas that expansion of the equipment and facilities toinclude the southwest slopes of Hollybum Mountain andthe south slope of Black Mountain should not be permit-ted. The Commissioner notes that in a process such asthis where there are so many sincere but divergent pointsof view on the vision for Cypress Provincial Park, it is notpossible to satisfy everyone. That does not mean thatcompromise should be made for the sake of compromisebut only if that compromise represents a sensible solutionin the pursuit of that vision and only if it is feasible andcapable of implementation. He expresses the hope thatthe various parties involved will find it possible to acceptthe package recommended, allow it to be implemented,and permit peace to prevail in Cypress Provincial Park.(Ed. note; See page 15 for an update of the process.)

Compiled by Dick Stace-Smith

PAGE 10 B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995

CordilleraIt hatched two years ago

% v

\e you missing the big event?

Cordillera is a magazine rich in informationabout British Columbia's lavish natural

history. Don't miss more.Join us in knowing B.C.

Subscription Order Form

Name: . _ _._-_:_;_ :_'2:_ _ ̂ :^:_ '̂ [i-.. • • . ' : • ' . • "'' - ':. . . " - . " . : . " " " . " .. !'•' " . " • . . - - "' - ':'.".;: "

Address:. _ _^:^'L':_-_ __ _/!-_2lii'^k

Club:

FBCN Members: $15 ; -

: or Direct Member CD

y ;: Others /Institutions: $20

Amount Enclosed: "''.-:" - '

Mail to: ' , :

Cordillera Subscription DeptBox 473Vernon/B.CVlT6M4

Make cheques payable to "FBCN: Cordillera".

KNOWING NATURE AWARD - 1995SCOUT ISLAND NATURE CENTRE

WILLIAMS LAKE

The FBCN's Awards Committee was pleased to present theWilliams Lake Field Naturalists with a cheque for $200 atthe Fall General Meeting of the FBCN at Quesnel as therecipient of the KNOWING NATURE AWARD for 1995.

The award was given for the excellent work that membersof the club have done in the administration of the ScoutIsland Nature Centre since its beginnings in 1977. Theaim of the centre has been to help children discover thejoy, excitement, and the mystery of the world we live in.Without a doubt, this has been achieved through thededication and hard work of members of the WilliamsLake Field Naturalists.

Mike ChappellAwards Chair

NEW BOOKS

Two books which might be of interest to naturalists. Bothhave been authoritively and favourably reviewed in sev-eral periodicals. I obtained and read copies of both.

Animal Architects: how animals weave* tunnel andbuild their remarkable homes by Wanda Shipman,illustrated by Marna Grove (1994) Stackpole Books, 5067Ritter Road, Machanicsbury PA. 17055. ISBN 0-8117-24042 QL 756.552 primarily for young teens but to beread with profit by adults.

Bugs in the System (Insects and Their Impact inHuman Affairs) May R. Berenbaum (1995) Helix Books(Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.)-Don Mills, ON. ISBN 0-201-62499-0 QL463.B46. For the general but thought-ful reader; very well written (and very interesting to read);illustrations black and white with much new information.

BC NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995 PAGE 11

BIRD CANADA

Point Pelee MigrationMay 8-19,1996with AUaramillo & Peter Burke

BC Pelagic ExtensionMay 14-21,1996with Al & Jude Grass

Super Natural BCMay 20-June 2 ,1996with Al Jaramillo & Marian Porter

Alberta & the Canadian RockiesJune 15-26,1996with Marian Porter

For further information contact:

Eagle-Eye Tours Inc.

P.O. Box 94672, Richmond, BC Canada V6Y 4A4Tel: 604/231-9661 Fax: 604/231-9482

E-mail: birdtours@eagle-eye.comInternet Home Page: http://eagle-eye.com/birdtours/

PURCELLLODQFI A ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH \J

Cross country, Powderand Telemark Skiingat Canada'sBest Backcountry Lodge.Spectacular Summer HikingCall us for details

Phone (604) 344-2639Fax (604) 344-5520

BOX 1829 GOLDEN B.C.

CANADA VOA 1HO

PLANNING A MALLOR LIBRARY DISPLAY?

Tlie FBCN would be pleased to supply your club withFBCN brochures and copies of the B.C. Naturalist toassist you with displays, educational workshops etc. Theoffice also has posters and other publications for sale. TheFBCN display is also available but should be bookedearly. Please write or phone the office well in advance ofyour event to allow time for mailing or delivery.PAGE 12 B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995

HEY THERE/// I'VE MOVED...

Please help us keep the mailing list up-to-date so thatyou get your B.C. .Naturalist on time. Fill in your oldand new address and return to the office. Thank youfor your prompt notification.

NAME

OLD ADDRESS.

CFIY POSTAL CODE

NEW ADDRESS.

CFIY POSTAL CODE

TELEPHONE

CLUB AFFILIATION

(Please list all FBCN clubs you are a member of)

Date that you moved

mail to:PBCN - Address Change

321-1367 West Broadway,Vancouver, B.C. V6H 4A9

UP AND COMING. . .NOVEMBER25 Deadline for copy and ads for January 1996

B.C. Naturalist.

DECEMBER2 FBCN Director's Meeting, 10:00 a.m. 1365

West Broadway, Vancouver. Bring lunch.16 to Jan. 1 Christmas Bird Counts - see your club

for counts in your area.

JANUARY8 FBCN Executive Meeting. 6: 15 p.m. Vancou-

ver.25 Deadline for copy and ads for the March BC

Naturalist.

FEBRUARY3 FBCN Director's Meeting, 10:00 a.m. 1365

West Broadway, Vancouver. Bring lunch.24 Conservation & Education Day and FBCN

Land for Nature Auction (see pages 1 4 and 2 1respectively), (tentative date)

RAVENTALKYour Federation in Action: information, committee reports, projects and concerns

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

I was looking through our History booklet the other dayand wondered how many members know how the Federa-tion came into being. It may be stretching the pointsomewhat to say that the Federation of British ColumbiaNaturalists (or FBCN as we are affectionately known), hadits roots in the 19th century; but the Natural HistorySociety of British Columbia was bom in 1890 to "encour-age a more organized approach to the study of the naturalfeatures of the province and [provide] an independentauxiliary to the Provincial Museum, Department of Agri-culture, Department of Mines and the Library of theLegislative Assembly." This first group dissolved with thecorning of World War 1, and the concept was not reviveduntil the late 1950's.

With increasing awareness of the march of progressacross the province, a group of eminent naturalists formedthe BC Nature Council in 1963, including CentralOkanagan Naturalists, Cowichan Valley Naturalists, NorthOkanagan Naturalists, South Okanagan Naturalists,Thetis Park Nature Sanctuary Association, VancouverNatural History Society, Victoria Natural History Society,with 1555 members. The big issue of the day was Parks,both National and Provincial, and the need for not only aPark Act but also legal definitions of Park boundaries. Theformer was proclaimed in 1965, but the latter has still notbeen done for most Parks..

In 1966 it was decided that the Council should formalizeitself by incorporating as a Society. As usual with thesethings, some time passed before all the Ts were dottedand Ts crossed. In the process the Council was told it hadto change its name because "Council" was not allowedunder the Societies Act. And so the Federation of BCNaturalists was born on 3 June, 1969 - using the best ofa number of compromise names presented by the govern-ment.

Since then FBCN has evolved into a vibrant organizationof 49 Federated and 7 Affiliated Clubs, with a totalmembership of about 5,000 members. The Clubs rangefrom small groups who meet to exchange ideas andinformation, go on walks and hikes, have regular speakersand generally enjoy the natural world around their hometown. Others are fully involved in a pro-active way withissues of conservation, pollution, access, planning, toname only a few. Many are very active in helping to protectspecial areas in their communities, while others actuallyoperate natural history facilities.

The strength of our Federation lies in the fact that itprovides a unified voice for naturalist Clubs and has doneso since 1969. The input of the Federation and its mem-bers is valued and respected throughout the province asreasoned, informed and non-confrontational. Member-ship in the Federation gives certain tangible benefits, butalso the knowledge that there is a respected organizationbehind Clubs' efforts in their own corner of the province.

The tangible benefits include the following:• a unified voice for the establishment, and proper

management of, protected natural areas;• a Board of Directors consisting of Directors from each

member Club that conducts the business of theFederation according to the wishes of the memberClubs;

• an office open year-round five days a week to answeryour queries, provide support services to the Board ofDirectors and run the operations of the Federation;

• support for Club projects and activities by the parentprovincial organization, including the ability to ac-cept funds as a Registered Charitable Organization tobe passed on to a Club;

• educational conservation activities to complementAnnual and Fall General Meetings;

• a major conservation project, Land For Nature, thathelps Clubs identify and protect habitat increasinglythreatened by rapid urban growth;

• involvement in the development and promotion ofNoturescape British Columbia, a new provincial pro-gram to promote caring for wildlife habitat around thehome;

• sponsorship of Club Resolutions on any number oftopics to government agencies, with follow-up whennecessary;

• support for Clubs involved in local and regionalplanning processes;

• representation of your interests on a number ofprovincial-level Committees, Commissions, fundingagencies;

• BC Naturalist delivered to your door six times a year;• special subscription price for the new magazine

Cordillera: A Journal of British Columbia NaturalHistory published by FBCN twice a year; and

• the opportunity to attend Federation-sponsoredCamps with like-minded naturalists.

We are committed to providing a Third Party LiabilityInsurance package for our member Clubs and hope to

___ cont. on page 1̂B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995 PAGE 13

cont. from page 13

have it in place very soon. We are also developing a YoungNaturalists Program. It will be designed to provide Clubswith the materials and training to attract and work withthe young people in their community to increase theirawareness and' appreciation of natural history.

The Lower Mainland Nature Legacy and other lowermainland Parks announced over the summer are testi-mony to the value of naturalist-led initiatives towardsprotection of critical habitat. The Federation and localClubs should give ourselves a collective pat on the back forsticking at it for so many years and for keeping thoseplaces in the minds and ears of government. Congratula-tions.

Give me a call at 372-8607 if you have any questions,comments, suggestions about Federation affairs, or justwant to shoot the breeze - but please try to avoid 7-8 pm.

Frances Vyse

CLUB CHATCLUB CHAT will return in the January edition. Duanne isis enjoying a well deserved vacation.

NOTICE OF MOTIONTo be presented at the 1996 Annual General Meeting.

BE FT RESOLVED that the F. B. C. N. bylaws par. 6b beamended to read:

6b Where two or more Federated Clubs exist in a regionalarea of the Province as approved by the F.B.C.N.Board of Directors, the Federated Clubs of that areamay elect one of the members from that area to beRegional Coordinator. In the event that the FederatedClubs in an area do not designate a coordinator, theBoard of Directors may name a coordinator fromamong the members of that area.

BE FT FURTHER RESOLVED that a new par. 6c beinserted, said paragraph to read:

6c Elected or designated regional coordinators who arenot F.B.C.N. Directors shall have the same rights andprivileges as the elected or designated F.B.C.N. Direc-tors.

BE FT FURTHER RESOLVED that the current par. 6c nowbe numbered par. 6d.

Nils HoegConstitution Committee Chair

CONSERVATION REPORTThere is no Conservation Report as such in this issue. Ihave invited others to report on Jumbo Glacier Proposal,Cypress Provincial Park, Lower Mainland Protected AreasStrategy, Grizzly Bears, and responses to the FBCN's1995 Resolutions. These reports follow.

Daphne Solecki

1996 Conservation/Education DaySATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1996 *

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Vancouver Aquarium Auditorium

Theme for day will be announced In the January 1996BC Naturalist. This workshop will be followed by theFBCN gala dinner and auction fundraiser (see Land forNature Report on Page 20-21).

• Ed. Note: at press time the date was not confirmed.

JUMBO GLACIER ALPINERESORT PROPOSAL

Ed. Note: The following letter was sentby the Vancou-ver Natural History Society to Raymond L. Crook,Chair of the Jumbo Glacier Project Committee. VanNHSwould like to encourage letters of support from othergroups. Address at end of letter.

The Conservation Committee and the camping membersof the Vancouver Natural History Society oppose thisproposal on the following grounds:

• location adjacent to the Purcell Wilderness Area;• location within a semi-pristine wilderness area vital

for grizzly bear conservation;• location within sensitive alpine and sub-alpine habi-

tats vulnerable to mass human use;• location within a rural community likely to be nega-

tively impacted by a large-scale development; and• location within a potential East/West transportation

corridor that may further fragment habitat.

The impact that this proposal would have on its wilder-ness location runs in the face of and counter to the spiritfor the recognition of the high habitat values of this areathrough establishment of the Purcell Wilderness Area. Noamount of mitigation or compensation could reduce thebasic spatial displacement or conflict which the shearpresence of large numbers of people would inflict uponresident grizzly bear populations. Displaced wildlife

PAGE 14 B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995

would be dead wildlife while problem wildlife would besubject to control measures such as killing or transport.

The botanical impacts of this proposal will be great in thefragile alpine communities on mountain peaks and ridges.The flora would suffer terribly from the increased humantraffic which this proposal would bring.

Please give top priority to conservation in your review ofthis unnecessarily intrusive proposal.

Stephen N. Partington

Correspondence should be sent to: Environment Assess-ment Office, 3rd Floor, 1810 Blanshard Street Victoria,B.C. V8V 1X4

CYPRESS PROVINCIAL PARKUPDATE

The lengthy and contentious master planning process forCypress Provincial Park will probably be concluded byOctober 31, 1995, on which date government is expectedto "sign off the new-master plan for the park, just in timefor the start of the ski season on November 1st. OnSeptember 20 Environment, Lands and Parks MinisterMoe Sihota and Employment and Investment MinisterGlen Clark announced government acceptance of all 77 ofSpecial Commissioner Bryan Williams' recommendationson the park and ski hill master plans. Clark stated thatthe recommendations "provide an important balancebetween employment and investment and the preserva-tion of environmental values".

The good news is that the Special Commissioner recom-mended against expansion of Cypress Bowl Recreations'permit area, thus protecting Hollyburn Mountain's excep-tional old-growth forest from ski development. The YewLake wetlands will be removed from the permit area, andconsiderable re-vegetation is planned for parkland previ-ously damaged by logging and other development. Freewinter public access through the permit area will also berestored. However, although development within thepermit area will be down-scaled, an undetermined amountof old-growth will be cut on Mount Strachan and onHollyburn Ridge for more ski development, new buildingswill be placed adjacent to Cypress Bowl wetlands, and afour-season 100 seat restaurant will be built on Mt.Strachan.

Of concern to the conservation community is the SpecialCommissioner's opinion that, in regard to Class A park, itmay not be necessary be the intent of the Park Act to giveprecedence to conservation over recreation when there isa conflict. The precedence of conservation over recreationis a key statement in BC Parks' current private sectormanagement principles. The Special Commissioner'sviews, combined with the strong involvement of the Min-

istry of Employment and Investment in the Cypressplanning process may set precedents for other park plansthat will diminish the conservation mandate for BC'sprovincial parks. Naturalists may need to become evenmore vigilant in order to protect the natural environmentsof our parks.

The Vancouver Natural History Society and the Federa-tion of BC Naturalists joined with the Friends of CypressProvincial Park and other groups in sponsoring a publicmeeting on October 12 with the objectives of providinginformation on the details and implications of Mr. Williams'recommendations. BC Parks held a public forum onOctober 23 for last comments on the draft plan.

Katharine Steig, ChairFriends of Cypress Provincial Park

LOWER MAINLANDPROTECTED AREAS STRATEGY

UPDATE

At a press conference last June, Premier Harcourt madea series of announcements under the Protected AreasStrategy (PAS). These included the creation of PineconeBurke Provincial Park and the re-activation of a PublicAdvisory Committee to assist the government in choosingwhich additional areas in the Lower Mainland Regionshould be declared as new parks. Approximately 100,000hectares in this region remains to be set aside in order toachieve the government's stated objective of protecting12% of the land base plus an additional 1 % to allow for theincorporation of some Spotted Owl conservation areasinto the PAS process (Lower Mainland Region only).

The Lower Mainland Region is comprised of a vast areawhich stretches from Manning Provincial Park up to ButeInlet on to northern coast. Under PAS criteria, naturalareas suitable for protection must meet both conservationand recreation goals. This region of the province containssome of the finest remaining examples of ancient temper-ate rainforest in the world and also provides habitat for anumber of Canadian endemic species such as the SpottedOwl and the pacific water shrew. Choosingwhich 100,000hectares out of the roughly four million in the region thatare most worthy of protection is a decision which wouldchallenge the wisdom of even King Solomon himself.Given that the Public Advisory Committee is composed ofrepresentatives from both the forest industry and conser-vation/recreation groups, reaching a consensus on tosites which best merit protection by the year-end deadlinewill be a formidable challenge.

Groups represented of the Advisory Committee includethe IWA, Truck Loggers Association, Interior, BC & YukonChamber of Mines, Forestry Committee of the BC Cham-

cont. on page 16B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995 PAGE 15

cont. from page 15

ber of Commerce, BC Wildlife Federation, Outdoor Rec-reation Council of BC, Canadian Parks and WildernessSociety, BC Wild, and the FBCN (represented by ElaineGolds of the Burke Mountain Naturalists and Bob Phillipsfrom the FBCN's Land for Nature Initiative). More so than,perhaps, someof the conservation/recreation groups, themandate of the FBCN is directed to the protection ofcritical and vanishing wildlife habitat in all areas fromwetland to wilderness.

A list of priority wetland sites in the Fraser Valley wascompiled by the FBCN and presented to the governmentlast May. In mid-September, a meeting was called ofconservation representatives from the FBCN Lower Main-land Region clubs to identify other significant sites. Eachgroup represented on the Advisory Committee has beenencouraged to submit maps outlining their areas ofinterest by the end of September. Areas recommended bythe Federation include the priority wetland sites listed inthe May report, a number of areas identified at theSeptember meeting including the Caren Range, ChilliwackLake, Mt. Eiphinstone, Brackendale Eagle Reserve, westside of the Squamish River, and some larger areas iden-tified by BC Wild as being intact, low elevation, old-growthforest contiguous with some form of river/wetland. Theconservation/recreation groups represented on the Advi-sory Committee are working towards developing a con-sensus map and the publication of anewsletter describingthese areas.

All sites recommended to the government for protectionmust be Crown lands. This was disappointing news forthe naturalists groups since many vital wetland areas areprivately owned. Clearly, some other parallel strategymust be developed to protect these sites which may, in anycase, be more suited for designation as wildlife manage-ment areas rather than as provincial parks.

Under the PAS mandate, the 13% of the land basedestined to become parks should be representative of allecosystem types. In our present park system, alpine andsub-alpine areas tend to be over-represented. In contrast,the amount of protected low elevation, intact, old-growthcoastal forest is abysmally small. Yet, it is this type offorest that supports the richest biodiversity in the prov-ince. These ancient forests also hold great potential forpublic enjoyment, tourism and recreation. Agap analysiscompiled by BC Wild indicates that an astounding 137,430hectares of coastal western hemlock forest in the LowerMainland Region would have to be declared as new parksin order to achieve the required 3% protection of thisecosystem type.

We are confronted with, not only this apparently insur-mountable gap in the forest system, but also tremendousgaps in our knowledge of exactly where critical habitatsexist. For example, nesting sites for Marbled Murreletshave been identified in the Caren Range but we can hardlyclaim to know where all such sites are in the LowerMainland region. Over this spring and summer, biologists

have discovered new areas inhabited by Spotted Owls -but these newly identified owls are apparently ineligible toreceive protection under the Spotted Owl Recovery Planbecause they were found after the report was written.

While, at least, we do have limited information about mostlarge vertebrate species, data on invertebrates is exceed-ingly scant. For example, it has been estimated thatapproximately half of the insect species in BC have yet tobe identified. Yet old-growth forests, where many of theseinsects are assumed to live, will be logged in the next fewyears unless the forests can be given some form ofprotective status. The thought that these remainingintact forests will be converted into clearcuts within thenext generation is somewhat akin to condoning the shred-ding of untranslated medieval manuscripts to make toiletpaper.

It is clear that, as your representative to this PublicAdvisory Committee, we face a challenging task over thenext few weeks. We continue to welcome your input intothis process.

Bob Phillips604 878 0825

Elaine Golds604 937 3483

COMMENTS ON THE PROVINCIALGRIZZLY BEAR STRATEGY

I have made a careful and full review of the Grizzly BearStrategy materials and have been most favourably im-pressed by both the Conservation of Grizzly Bears inBritish Columbia Background Report and the BritishColumbia Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy.

These publications present an up to date analysis of theGrizzly Bear situation in our Province and utilizes the bestinformation and expertise available. The Federationshould strongly support the main points in the strategy of:

1. establishment of Bear Management Areas where allhunting will be prohibited;

2. increased enforcement; and3. preventing problem bears through regulation of

garbage and waste disposal.

These reports represent an excellent effort by Provincial,Federal and International scientists to identify problemsin maintaining in perpetuity the diversity and abundanceof grizzly bears and the ecosystem on which they dependin our province. In addition they propose specific steps toresolve these problems.

While the strategy would allow strictly regulated huntingin some areas this should in no way lessen our support forthe strategy.

Wallace G. MacgregorVictoria

PAGE 16 B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995

95-01. Aboriginal TreatiesBe it resolved that the FBCN urge the negotiating partiesto affirm that such management is a delegation of controlfrom all Canadians, which stays in effect as long asaccepted environmental protection standards are met.

Letter sent to Mr. Ron Irwin, Minister of Indian Affairs(25-05-95). Response received September 20. Mr. Irwinstates that environmental management will be a topic fornegotiation among Canada, British Columbia and FirstNations. Canada favours a regional approach to negoti-ating First Nation participation in environmental man-agement. Specific management authorities in treatiescould include area co-management regimes, wildlife har-vesting, training and employment opportunities as well aseconomic opportunities. This approach will take intoconsideration the impact of treaty settlements on ecologi-cal systems such as watersheds. Canada intends toensure that the management of inland water resourcesgoverned by treaties is harmonized with the managementpractices in adjacent areas.

9S-O2. Coquitlam River Wildlife Management AreaBe it resolved that the FBCN congratulate the Governmentof BC on the designation of the Coquitlam River WildlifeManagement Area as one of only 14 wildlife managementareas now established within the province, and Be itfurther resolved that the FBCN urges the Government ofBC to complete the designation process by amending theacts and passing the regulations necessary to legallyprotect this important wildlife area.

Letter written to Premier Harcourt and Cabinet (26-05-95). Response (August 2) notes that in addition to theprotection provided by BC Environment's managementauthority over the area, a WMA allows regulations to beenacted to provide control over public uses. These regu-lations will be made under the Act and therefore have thepower and enforce ability of law.

95-O3. Habitat Protection for the Pacific Water ShrewBe it resolved that the FBCN urge the Ministry of Environ-ment, Lands and Parks to immediately establish a recov-ery program for the Pacific Water Shrew and to work withthe Ministry of Municipal Affairs to establish regulationsfor urban development which will protect and ensureconnectivity of the remaining Pacific Water Shrew habitatin the Lower Mainland.

Letter sent to Premier Harcourt and Cabinet (26-05-95).Response (August 2) states that the Ministry of Environ-ment, Lands and Parks will be establishing a recoveryteam for the Pacific Water Shrew and other species at riskin the Lower Mainland as part of their commitment to thenational Recovery of Nationally Endangered Wildlife strat-egy.

95-04. Spotted Owl Conservation AreasBe it resolved that the FBCN urge the Greater VancouverRegional District to protect 100% of suitable Spotted Owlhabitat identified in Vancouver's watersheds, and tocease all road-building and logging activities in thesespecified areas of the watersheds.

Letter sent to Members of the Water Committee, GVRD(29-05-95). Response received on June 19th from JohnNorthey, Chairperson, Water Committee, in which hestated that the letter was reviewed by the members of theCommittee on June 16 and a resolution was passedagreeing to receive the letter for information only.

95-05. Mt. Dufferin Wildlife HabitatBe it resolved that the FBCN request that the governmentof BC, acting through the cabinet, include the BC BuildingCorporation lands and the Crown lands at Mt. Dufferin asan urban wildlife habitat park for the Province of BC.

Letter sent to Premier Harcourt and Cabinet (29-05-95)Response received June 22 from Dennis Truss, President,BC Building Corporation, stating that the City of Kam-loops is leading a public planning process that is intendedto establish boundaries of the proposed Mt. Dufferin Park.Tlie members of the working committee understand thatthe area's natural values are a key consideration, and thatany proposal arising from the planning process will besubject to input by the public, the Fish and WildlifeBranch and other regulatory agencies.

95-O6. New Mining ClaimsBe it resolved that the FBCN petition the Minister ofEnergy Mines and Petroleum to prohibit the staking ofnew mining claims in areas that have been designated as"Areas of Interest" by the Regional Protected Areas Teamsuntil such time as their status is determined.

Letter sent to Hon. Anne Edwards (25-05-95). Response(June 28) noted that Cabinet made a commitment thatthere would be interim management guidelines on PASstudy areas, but that these guidelines would not take theform of blanket moratoria on resource development activi-ties. The province's various tenures and activities wouldbe managed under Level A and Level B interim manage-ment guidelines. While no staking reserves have beenplaced on Level A study areas, they will continue to beconsidered for site specific areas within Level B studyareas. Areas of interest identified by Regional ProtectedAreas Teams must be approved as study areas beforeformal interim management guidelines are applied tothem. Placing no staking reserves on areas of interest,before the areas have been approved as study areas,would be Inconsistent with Cabinet's "no moratoria"commitment made under the Protected Areas Strategy.

cont. on page 18

B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995 PAGE 17

RAVEN TALKcont. from page 17

95-07. Okanagan Mountain (Provincial) ParkBe it resolved that a five-year moratorium on hunting inOkanagan Mountain Park be imposed to allow for a studyto determine the appropriateness of hunting in that area,its impact on the safety of other recreational users, and itsimpact on wildlife populations.

Letter sent to Hon. Elizabeth Cull (29-05-95). No responseto date.

95-08. Hunakwa Lake EcosystemBe it resolved that the FBCN request the Government ofBC in its land and resource management plan to establisha Class A Provincial Park to include the Hunakwa Lakearea.

Letter sent to Premier Harcourt and Cabinet (06-05-95).Response (August 2) states that Hunakwa Lake and thesurrounding uplands are included in a Cabinet approvedAnstey-Hunakwa Study Area. This designation rigor-ously controls further forest harvesting and the establish-ment of any new mineral claims until the future status ofthe area is considered and decided upon through a sub-regional land-use planning process. These controls en-sure that existing protected area values are not compro-mised in the interim.

95-09. Creston Valley Wildlife Management AreaBe it resolved that the FBCN strongly urge both govern-ments to reinstate adequate funding to ensure that theCreston Valley Wildlife Management Area will remain aWetland of International and National Importance.

Letter sent to Sheila Copps (25-05-95), with copy toElizabeth Cull. Response received from Jean Boutet,Special Assistant to Sheila Copps, dated July 13, notingthat, as part of the federal government's initiative tocontrol and eliminate the deficit, the federal financialcontribution to the area has ended. The management oflands set aside for wildlife is primarily the responsibilityof the province. While Environment Canada has beenpleased to be a contributor to the management of this areafor many years, they must now concentrate on areas offederal responsibility. The area was originally establishedto deal, in part, with the effects of the development of theColumbia River for hydro power and flood control. Com-pensation and downstream benefit funds should be avail-able to BC for the continued operation of this manage-ment area.

95-10. Income and Capital Gains TaxBe it resolved that the FBCN write to the Federal Ministerof Environment and the Federal Minister of Finance to: (1)congratulate them on the legislative initiative, (2) askthem also to include changes to the Act that would freedonors of ecologically sensitive lands from taxation ofcapital gains attributed to such lands, and (3) urge themto seek swift passage of the proposed legislation.Letter sent to Paul Martin, with a copy to Sheila Copps (29-05-95). Detailed response, dated September 21, received

from Paul Martin, Minister of Finance. He notes that theCanadian tax treatment of gifts is based on the principlethat donors should have fair and equitable access to taxassistance whether their donations are gifts of cash orgifts of capital property. Individuals who make cashdonations do so out of income that has already beensubject to tax. Therefore, capital gains in respect of aparticular property needs to be recognized for tax pur-poses at the time property is donated in order to maintainfairness among various types of gifts. Eliminating thetaxation of capital gains for donations would create a verycostly and inefficient tax subsidy. If capital gains waseliminated, the cost of the donation to federal and provin-cial governments in terms of lost tax revenues could bealmost as great as the total cost of purchasing a particularproperty outright.

95-11. Donations of Ecologically Sensitive Land(Provincial)Be it resolved that the FBCN write to the Minister ofMunicipal Affairs to request that the system of propertytaxation be reviewed and modified so that it encouragesrather than discourages protection of ecological values ofland.

Letter sent to Hon. Darlene Marzari, with copies to thePremier, Elizabeth Cull, BC Assessment Authority, Agri-culture Land Commission (21-07-95). Response fromDarlene Marzari (September 27) stating that the govern-ment is open to policy changes in a variety of areas,including property taxes, which support conservationmeasures on private land. Under Bill 28, property ownerscan now make secure long term commitments to thepreservation of land and where they do this, the impact onproperty values will be recognized in the property taxassessment. In addition, CORE is undertaking a reportentitled "Making Room for Nature: Private Land Conser-vation" which will discuss alternative means of encourag-ing the protection of important natural values on privateland.

Compiled by Dick Stace-Smith

"CURLY" CHITTENDENLong-time conservationist, naturalist, logger, and histo-rian Wilfred "Curly" Chittenden passed away on Septem-ber 26, 1995 in North Vancouver. Curly was generallycredited as one of the leading forces in the preservation ofthe Skagit Valley where the Chittenden Meadows Inter-pretive Trail is named in his honour. Curly passed awaywithin days of the Skagit Valley Provincial Park an-nouncement although the area had been set aside as arecreation area for a number of years. As a logger Curlywas a leader in developing new logging practices that wereenvironmental sound. He co-authored several books onlogging in the Fraser Valley, was instrumental in theestablishing of the Abbotsford Air Show and was a long-time member of the West Coast Railway Association andthe FBCN.

PAGE 18 B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995

RAVEN TALK

CANADIAN NATURE FEDERATIONAGM

At the CNF, 1995 is an unusual year. In the spring, theboard took the action that had been obvious in thefinancial statements for some time: it reduced the size ofthe office staff. At the same meeting, the board said thatone of the CNF's larger expenses was board meetings. So,the board decided to reduce its own size from 21 membersto about a dozen. To save more money, it also announcedthat there would be no board meeting associated with theAnnual General Meeting (AGM) in Whitehorse. Boardmembers who wanted to attend would have to pay fortravel costs themselves. As spring melted into summer,we discovered that several thousand new members hadsuddenly joined the CNF. Nevertheless, the organizers ofthe AGM in Whitehorse expressed the concern that pre-conference registration was low. Nothing about 1995 was'business as usual1.

The host of Whitehorse Annual General Meeting (June 16- 18) was the Yukon Conservation Society (YCS). In theYukon, the conservation issues are razor sharp. This isone of Canada's last great frontiers. The natural resourcesfor mining, logging, and tourism are staggering. Thepopulation is small,'and the people who depend on theresources are families and neighbours of the conserva-tionists. In the Yukon, it is not enough to stand on aprinciple and be blind to the interests of people. YCSmembers have become skilled negotiators.

This was my first trip to the Yukon. Let me tell you whatit is like to be a CNF board member at an AGM. Whileeveryone else is attending stimulating talks and going onfield trips, we are sequestered in a meeting room doingbusiness. Three or four days is barely enough time towork through our agendas. Normally, we show up only forthe official functions. With no board meetings, Whitehorsewould be different.

It was easy to find the office of the YCS. They have theirown building, and it is well known around Whitehorse. Tofind my way there, all I had to do was ask people. I arrivedabout noon on Thursday, and from the office found thatthere were no meetings planned that day. Using the freetime, I decided to go for a hike. Skeeter Wright remindedme that I did not have to worry about returning beforedark — it does not become dark in the Yukon at this timeof the year! I was able to make it to the summit of a nearbymountain, and delight in a vast blooming garden of tinyalpine flowers. I was still amazed to find daylight when Ireturned to town at 11 PM.

I think that many CNF members read Nature Canada, butnever think of going to one of the AGMs. Attending theYukon conference — I mean really participating like amember instead of a board member — showed me theworth of these events. First, you can count on the

organizers to arrange for talks by the finest naturalists inthe area. And many are good photographers. So, at thesessions I found that I was learning the things that I wantto know about the Yukon, presented in a way that willappeal to readers of Nature Canada

In one illustrated talk, (who was it?, the name does notseem to be in the program!) the speaker found a way toplace minuscule transmitters on newborn arctic hares.They are born furred, and ready to hop about. It seemsthat all day, while mom is foraging, the babies scatter andfind a hiding place; and then return to nurse at night.While some are found by predators, this strategy seems toprotect most of the babies. A surprising part of thisresearch revealed that red squirrels are a principal preda-tor of the babiesl I had not thought of them as carnivores.

Dave Mossop presented an intriguing talk, 'Sex & SinglePtarmigan in the Yukon'. One aspect of the talk referredto the almost suicidal aggressiveness of the male when apredator approaches the nest. This spring, near Vancou-ver while back country skiing, my daughter and I wereactually attacked by a male blue grouse (relative of theptarmigan), and now I felt I understood this peculiarbehaviour.

One issue received considerable discussion. The Porcu-pine Caribou herd has a fairly well protected range; butnot in the so-called '10-02' lands of the Arctic NationalWildlife Refuge in Alaska. This is a subject of considerabledebate in the United States and it seriously affects the fatethis trans-national herd. The AGM approved a resolutionthan instructs the CNF to 'urge the Prime Minister ofCanada, and the President of the United States to ensurethe protection of the calving grounds of the PorcupineCaribou herd in the 10-02 Lands...1 Watch Nature Alertfor developments.

In the spirit of having fun, on the day after the conference,I joined a field trip to spend a day rafting on the TatshenshiniRiver. I heard later that the organizers expected that theCNF group would want a 'quiet' trip down the river. Itturned out that there were six rafts, and most werepeopled by high school students from Whitehorse. Inaddition to plunging through white water, there were riverwars all the way. At one point, the CNF raft even took astudent prisoner. The day was clear and the scenery wasthe verge of Kluane National park, which contains some ofthe most awesome and the highest mountains in Canada.One day in this region was not enough for me. I have toldmy family that we will return for an extended stay.

Bob van Dijken, Conference Chair, Jennifer Ellis, YCSExecutive Director, former CNF Board Member, SkeeterWright, and all the volunteers did a fine job of hosting thisconference. I have since heard that enough people showedup so that the conference actually made a little money. Besure to make your plans for next year in Winnipeg. It willbe during Folklorama, on August 15 - 18.

Bob BallantynePresident, CNF

B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995 PAGE 19

LAND FOR NATUREAn Initiative By The Federationof British Columbia Naturalists

New Publicity for Our Projects

Land for Nature has developed a new folder with publicityinformation on some of our programs. A full colourbrochure entitled Natural Areas of the Fraser River Low-lands has been printed for our private land stewardshipprogram and this information has been sent out to all theclubs. This information package highlights all our pro-grams and is designed to keep you informed of ouractivities. As part of this package Daphne Solecki, Con-servation Chair for the FBCN, has enclosed a letter askingfor information on your club's activities. This is to help uslearn what the various clubs are doing throughout theprovince. If you have activities that Land for Nature andthe FBCN can help you with let us know.

Land for Nature Awards

Land for Nature and the FBCN are in the process of callingfor nominations for the first annual Land for NatureAwards. The awards will be given out next February andwe are looking for some good suggestions from you. Youcan nominate an individual or company that has donesomething extra to protect urban habitat or perhapscontributed in a special way to promote sustainability orhelped to create a special park; We are looking for peopleboth in and outside the FBCN and the clubs. This is yourchance to help us recognize the contribution of the peoplethat are helping us make a difference in your community.The nomination package for our awards is being devel-oped and will be sent out to all the clubs in the next month.

Southwest BC Wildlands AllianceCome and See the Slide Show

Land for Nature and the FBCN have joined several otherconservation organizations in the Southwest BC WildlandsAlliance. These organizations include the Alpine Club ofCanada, Burke Mountain Naturalists, BC Spaces forNature, Sierra Club of BC, Federation of Mountain Clubsof BC and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.The objective of the group is to ensure the protection ofremaining intact wilderness and critical habitat areasthat support high wildlife and recreation values. Ourgoals are to develop a coordinated campaign to educate

the population of southwestern BC on the need and valueof protecting critical habitat, and to develop an effectivemedia strategy to address issues involving protected areaproposals.

As part of our media campaign we are having a series ofslideshows throughout the lower mainland. If you missedthe Parks in Your Backyard presentation at the VancouverMuseum on October 25, make sure you join John Clarke,the coast mountain explorer, when he puts on a slideshowpresentation of the various areas that are been consideredfor protection. This will be an educational and funevening. Recently I spent a week with John Clarke, andPaul Senez of the Sierra Club on an interesting trip on theElaho Glacier and the Upper Lillooet. John knows how tomake this country come alive and I'm sure you will gain anew appreciation for the need to protect more of the lowermainland.

The Land for Nature Collection

We are proud to announce that we have a new fund raisinginitiative that everyone can join to help us raise somemoney for our activities. If you look on the next page youwill find the Land for Nature Collection just in time forChristmas gift giving. There are sweat suits, rugger shirts,t-shlrts, polo shirts, caps and backpacks. I have person-ally picked out these items and can guarantee that youwill appreciate their quality and will wear them proudly.This will help promote Land for Nature and the FBCN. Allitems have both the FBCN and the Land for Natureincorporated In a logo and 25% of all proceeds go towardsthe work that you like to support. And don't forget to getsomething for yourself when you are calling the toll freenumber.

Bob Phillips

PAGE 20 B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995

RAVENTALK

ANNOUNCING THE LAND FOR NATURE COLLECTIONv T Land forNature Your purchases support programs and services of Land for Nature, FBCN

SWEATS: 18 oz fleece 80/20 blend with lycra in cuffsand waistband.A-1 Crew Neck Sweatshirt, with drop shoulder$46.00A-2 Hooded Sweatshirt, drop shoulder, withdrawstring hood and pouch $55.00A-3 Sweatpant, drawstring pant with elastic bottomsand 1/8 top pockets $46.00Colours: white, red, forest, navy; black, purple(Sweatpant: red, forest)Sizes: M-L-XL

B. CAP: 100% cotton, one size fits all, embroidered onfront,leather adjustable back strap.Colours: red, forest, navy, purple, black$18.00

C. RUGGER SHIRT: 100% Heavy-weight cotton, specialalumni design with vertical stripes, white collar andspecial rubber buttons.S^s.-M-L-XL-XXL$70.00

D. POLO SHIRT: Main River 100% cotton interlock,3 button placket with ribbed collar and cuffs, long tuck-in tail.Colours: White, red, forest, navy black, purpleSizes: Generous fit (medium size 42) M-L-XL-XXL$39.00

E. COTTON T-SHIRT: 100% pre-shrunk heavyweightcotton with taped neck and shoulder seams, generous fit.Colours: White, red, forest, ash, navy, black, purpleSizes: M-L-XL-XXL$18.00

F. SPORTS BAG: Multi pocket nylon sports bag.Colours: Black, navy, forestStze;27"xirxl3"$40.00* Back pack also available.All products are embroidered withthe Land for Nature logo.

TO ORDER ITEMS FROM THE LAND FORNATURE COLLECTION PLEASE CALL

1-800-771OR Please fax order including item, size &colour, Visa or Mastercard number and expiiydate, plus daytime contact telephone numberto (604) 683.3181.

B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995 PAGE 21

Rafting with Eagleswith Syd Cannings and Jim Wisnia — Sat, January 13

Spring Birds of Eastern Washingtonwith Dick Cannings — April 12-14

Rafting the Tatshenshiniwith Dave Eraser—July 15-26

Advance NoticeSouth Africawith 5yd Canntiigs ~ Fall 1996

For information on these natural history programs orprograms with a cultural focus - including RomanTunisia, Israel, Jordan and Syria, China and the QueenCharlotte Islands - please call (604) 822-1466 or write to:

Educational TravelUBC Continuing Studies5997 lona DriveVancouver, B.C., V6T1Z1Fax: (604) 822-1499

New Titles You Can't Live Without

Alberta Butterflies, $44,95Trees, Shrubs and Flowers to Know in Washington

and British Columbia, $18.95Plants of the Western Boreal Forest and Aspen

Parkland, $24.95Plants of the Dry Interior, Southern British

Columbia and Northern Washington, $19.95Medicinal Mushrooms You Can Grow, $29.95A Natural History of Amphibians, $29.95

the field-naturalistBooks and supplies for naturalists1126 Blanshard Street, VictoriaTelephone (604) 388-4174

PAGE 22 B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995

..1 am a 50+ Vancouver woman seeding com-panions for rambles on §a(iano or otherisland's for two (fays to two weed trets.

needed'.

flfthis idea appeals to you, please contact'Barbara.

604 688 9084 - evenings Best.

RAINFORESTGARDENS

We offer a good selectionof nursery propagated andgrown Pacific NorthwestNatives and North Ameri-can Native perennials andshrubs.

13139 224th ST.Maple Ridge, B.C

467-4218 10:00 am to 4:30 pm

Wednesday to Saturday

YOURB.C. NATURALIST

IS LOOKING FOR ...

articles on BC's;• natural history

sightings, observations• educational projects

surveys, books, activities• conservation issues

share experiences or opinions

ontributions of:• poems, short stories• drawings• photographs

items for, about and by:• youth

Please send material to theEditor Jude Grass,

103-7065 Stride AvenueBurnaby. B.C. V3N 1T3

r

PERSPECTIVES with Eric Darner

The place: a parking lot at the trailhead of a nature walkIn one of B.C.'s fine provincial parks. The time: mid-dayafewyears back. Topic of conversation: I can't remember,but probably something to do with interpretive programsfor school groups.

As the two of us chatted, swatting Unidentified FlyingObjects that buzzed about, a mild but distinctly unpleas-ant odour wafted under my nose. Sheesh—someoneneeds fresh socks! But who was I to bring up the topic?I had once had an unpleasant row with a room-mate overthe topic of dirty socks, and did not wish to strain thecollegial relationship here.

So on we chatted, until 1 realized that my partner wasshowing distressed signs of olfactory assault. Uh—do yousmell something? she asked. Well, I did. That meant itwas neither of us; now it was okay to find the source. Timeto sniff out the culprit—literally. Sniff sniff; sniff sniffsniff. The eyes may lie, but the nose knows. The sense ofsmell is one of those sometimes unappreciated but verypowerful senses. How is your sense of scents?

It became apparent that the source of the arresting aromawas the batch of UFOs that swirled benignly about ourbods. They seemed to release a foul odour when weswatted them. Some sort of defense tactic we supposed.On closer inspection, these flying beasts appeared assmall copper coloured beetles. But what were they? Wedidn't have a good technical—or even popular—name forthem, so I dubbed them "copper stinker beetles" (beetlusodenfems}. It worked for me!

Entomologists or more experienced naturalists might bebetter able to identify these charming beasts. Such peoplemight point to more detailed characteristics: body parts,behaviour, or even genetic codes. They might be classifiedas to species, genus, and family, and set into an evolution-ary framework. But to me they would still be copperstinker beetles.

I have heard that some west coast First Nations peopleused the categories "useful" and "not useful" as a basicdistinction between plants. From such a utilitarian pointof view, what difference would it make to be an insect oran arachnid? Does the world change at all when ourdescriptive framework changes? Will the copper stinkerbeetle change If or when I find a better name for it and seehow it fits in with other insects? I doubt it.

There comes a time, however, when how we understandthe world does make a difference. In the United States, theEndangered Species Act has raised numerous questionsover the years as to what constitutes a species. The snaildarter became famous (Infamous to some!) when it wasshown to be a distinct species; if it had merely been the"silver swimmer fish" its fate may have been different.Today, we are all aware of the role species-definition playsIn battles for natural spaces.

If knowledge is justfor our own private enjoyment, itreallydoesn't matter how we understand the world as long as weare happy with it. If, however, we want to demonstrate toothers that something is rare and unique, we had betterbe able to point to very particular evidence as to whatmakes it rare and unique.

A classical distinction is often made between knowledge ofsomething, and knowledge of how to do something ("knowthat" and "know how"). If knowledge stayed in the "knowthat," it would only be up to our curiosity and intellectualtastes what the world is like, which is okay in itself.Debates between splitters and lumpers would be merelyacademic. But "know that" invariably leads to "knowhow": if we didn't know that exploding gas vapours sent apiston down a cylinder we wouldn't know how to make theengines that both bless and curse our lives. That doesn'tmean that our "know that" is perfect, but something aboutit works. Knowledge isn't power, but it can be usedpowerfully.

"Copper stinker beetles" satisfies my knowledge of a smallpart of the world to the extent I need it: I no longer accusefriends of poor hygiene when I am roused by thesecharismatic coleopterae. My "know that" is adequate forits use in facilitating social relationships. But I'm not sureit would be useful for other things. Others might have adifferent sort of knowledge, one that can be used power-fully for purposes that I may not support. In such cases,I might want to question the knowledge that supportedthose purposes. Then it becomes important what thatknowledge is, how good it is, and who has it; it ceases tobe merely academic.

My knowledge of copper stinker beetles might eventuallybecome a little more precise. But for now, I am satisfied.One day though, I'm sure they will become transformedinto something else. Perhaps, I dunno, small copperstinker beetles?

B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995 PAGE 23

NOW IN OUR 18TH YEAR

BINOCULARSandSPOTTING SCOPESforBIRDING andNATURE STUDY

by

BUSHNELLBAUSCH & LOMBCELESTRONKOWANIKONLEUPOLDSTEINERSWAROVSKIZEISS

Vancouver Telescope Centre102-2220 West Broadway at YewVancouver, V6K 2E3 7385717

AMEX VISA MASTERCARD

GULF ISLANDS INSTITUTEGALIANO ISLAND B.C.

It is the goal of the Gulf Islands Institute tointerpret the natural history of these magnificentislands in an ecologically sensitive way, in orderto enhance their appreciation and awareness forthe benefit of all."

Marine Birds & Mammals

All trips Include transportation on Galiano Islandfrom and to ferry and field trip sites, picnic lunch, andtea each afternoon at Sutil Lodge. Birding day tripsinclude Nature Sail and picnic on Great White Cloud.Overnight trips also include Nature Sail and picnic,dinner, slide presentation, interpretation and accom-modation at Sutil Lodge. Room price based on doubleoccupancy.Your hosts at Sutil Lodge are Tom and Ann Hennessy.Tom is also the Skipper of The Great White Cloud.Naturalist Guides: Al and Judc Grass.

For information and registration please contact:Sutil Lodge

637 Southwinds Road, Montague HarbourGaliano Island, B.C. VON IPO

telephone: 539 2930 fax: 539 5390

NATURE VENTURE1996 EDUCATIONAL TOURS

Southwest Archaeological ""RuinsApril 1st to 15th, April

Dinosaurs of the AlbeitaMay 27th to June

adlands

Hiking Utah's CanyoplandsApril 22nd -May 5th, May ftth to 24th

Carmanah Valley JE,-/June 21si^o 23rd, 28&io 30th

Long Beaett Nature RetreatApril 7thJy6 llth / / i ;

Cross Country Skiing at 108 HillsFebruary 5th to 8$, 26th to 29thOlympic Natiorial ParkJune 13th to 169m 20ft W9 23rdNature Venture Tours and our experiern:̂ guides are commited to providinghigh quality programs through^ sniajl groufcexperience.We focus on those looking^or^n "introduction to nature and provide localexperts for insight into little known areas.

NATURE VENTURE TOURS Ltd.8260 Amberwood PI., Burnaby, B.C.,

V5A 3V2Tel. 444-3311

HELP THE FBCNwith every fill up...

/MOHAWKMother Nature's Gas Station.

Mohawk is 100% Canadian, employee owned.M - An official mark of Environment Canada

The Mohawk CharityRebate Card

When you purchase Mohawk gasoline, merchan-dise or oil products and use your Mohawk CharityRebate Card, a percentage of the sale will berebated back to the FBCN (e.g. a $30 fill up will givethe FBCN approximately $3.60).

Contact the FBCN office for your special applica-tion form.

PAGE 24 B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995

CLOSE-UP ON NATURE with Al Grass

SIMPLE BEAUTY - SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL

Maple leaves in transi-tion from summergreens to autumngolds, oranges andreds, are one of thesignatures of the fallseason. They are allthe more beautiful withsunlight shiningthrough them, a con-dition known asbacklighting; in theway the full richnessof the pigments standout, especially if thereis a clear blue sky for abackground. Otherleaf details stand outtoo, such as the veinpatterns and the gen-eral palmate shape. Palmate simple means that the leafresembles a hand with the fingers out and spread open.The leave lobes (finger tips) end in 'drip points', a commonfeature of many leaves; including maple.

Leaves are the factories of plants, using sunlight, air and

water to produce food,with the aid of chloro-phyll - the green pig-ment. In autumn thechlorophyll absorbedinto the tree, thus, theleaves appears to"change" colour. Thecolours are there allalong.

Once on the ground,the fallen leaves arerecycled by an army ofworkers - fungi, in-sects, bacteria, etc. sothat new life is nur-tured by the remainsof the discarded.

We can and should appreciate leaves not only for theirfunctions, but also for their shapes and colours, for theyinspire and comfort us all. Fall is a fine time to do this.

GEORGE WHITEHEADHONOURED BY NATURALISTS

On August 9th, a large group of West Kootenay Natural-ists gathered near the entrance to the Alamo Trail on Mt.Idaho to honour the memory of a former member, the lateGeorge Whitehead.

"Genial George" was a valued botanist and passed onmuch of his knowledge to many of the naturalists, parkemployees, museum collectors and the general public. Hewas well known throughout BC, Alberta, and Saskatch-ewan in the Provincial and National Parks and Museums.

George led the naturalist on many enjoyable campingtrips from Pacific Rim Park to Manning Park, SlocanValley, East Kootenays, Kananaskas Valley and PlateauMountain, from Waterton Lakes to Writing-on-Stone insouthern Alberta, to the Cypress Hills in Saskatchewan.He knew where the rare plants grew, where the prairiesloughs were located and bird life which inhabited them,

and the fauna native to those areas. He also knew thehistory of the First Nations and White Settlers in the areasvisited.

Those who travelled with him will never forget his boomingvoice greeting at dawn with "Wakey Wakey", and thedelicious aroma of boiling coffee on his stove.

During his active years in the naturalists club Georgeserved as president, newsletter editor, programme organ-izer, and leader of many day trips and camping expedi-tions.

He also received the Club Service Award from the Federa-tion of BC Naturalists, a Certificate of Appreciation fromBC Parks and a Certificate of Appreciation from Katimavikfor his work with youth who he involved in some clubprojects.

Ed. Note: From a local newspaper name and date un-known.

Submitted by Margaret Barwis

B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995 PAGE 25

Discoverthe hidden

world in yourbackyard

At the Wild Bird Centerwe help you enjoy beautifulbackyard birds by providing

top quality bird seed,feeders, bird houses, bird

baths, and binoculars pluspractical, expert advice.

•Wild Bird CenterThe ultimate bird feeding specialty shop™

19925 Willowbrook Drive (just off 200th St.)Langley, B.C. V2Y 1A7

Monday to Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.Sunday Noon to 5:00 p.m.

(604) 533 3640

Wew -LocationLougheed Mall Shopping Centre

235-9855 Austin Road,Burnaby, B.C.(604) 421 7579

Natural History Expeditions

M ore than a river trip! Our 11-day Chilcotin-Fraserexpedition has an outstanding array of B.C.'s

seldom-seen landscapes: coastal f j o r d , HomathkoIcefields, Chilko Lake, Chilcotin-Fraser junction,Bighorns, giant koodoos of the remotest Fraser.

• explore Discovery Islands and Bute Inlet by boat• floatplane from fjord past Mt, Waddington to Chilko Lake

* two days on Chilko Lake in Tk'yl-os* Chilko, Chilcotin & Fraser rivers by raft

• LUlooet to Vancouver by train.

ERIVER

NATURE TOURS TO S1KKIM & THE HIDDEN HIMALAYA

BIRDS OF SIKKIM - Led by bird expert and international tour guide BillMerilees. Sandwiched between Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, Sikkim duringspringtime sees entire slopes ablaze with rhodo, azalea and magnoliablooms. Over 600 species each of birds, butterflies and orchidsrecorded here within view of Everest and 5 of the worlds highestpeaks. DEPARTS 6 APRIL 1996 FOR 18 DAYS.

WILDFLOWERS OF THE HIDDEN HIMALAYA - Led by VNHSmember and experienced B.C. naturalist Kelly Sekhon. The Buddhistvalleys of Kinnaur and Spiti immediately south of Tibet have only beenopen to visitors since late 1992. On a '93 exploration with the BritishAlpine Club, we found abundant wildflowers and birds apart from richlydecorated monasteries. Be amongst the first to explore the flora ofthese unknown valleys DEPARTS 3 AUGUST 1996 FOR 3 WEEKS.

GREAT EXPEDITIONS INC.5915 West Boulevard, Vancouver. B.C. V6M 3X1

Telephone: 257-2040 Toll Free B.C.: 800-663-3364

Suite #315,9571 Emerald Drive,Whistler, B.C.,Canada VON 1B9

1-800-898-7238 (604)938-6651Select wilderness and natural history expeditions to Canada's

finest rivers and coastlines since 1972.• KLuane National Park: Tatshenshini & Alsek Riven

• Northern Yukon National Park: Firth River* British Columbia: Babine & Skeena Rivers

MURRAY NEWMAN AWARDSFOR EXCELLENCE INAQUATIC SCIENCES

The Murray A. Newman Awards wereestablished in recognition of the out-standing contribution that Dr. Newmanmade to public awareness through hiscommitted development of the Vancou-ver Aquarium, Canada's Pacific NationalAquarium. Murray Newman, foundingdirector of the Vancouver Aquarium, ledits efforts from 1956 until his retirementin 1993.

In 1996, the second Murray A. NewmanAward Dinner will be held to announcerecipients of the Annual Ward for Excel-lence in Aquatic Sciences. Every year,two awards in the field of aquatic biologywill be available, one in Aquatic Conser-vation and the other in Aquatic Research.Eligible individuals or organizationswould normally be involved in projects inBC, or a BC resident could be consideredfor international activities in aquatic sci-ences. Nominations are now being soughtfor the 1996 awards.

Nominations In the form of a businessletter with a brief statement of justifica-tion are due December 31. 1995. Pleasesubmit nominations to the MurrayNewman Awards committee c/o Vancou-ver Aquarium, P.O. Box 3232, Vancou-ver, B.C. V6B 3X8

PAGE 26 B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995

AUTUMN IN BC PARKSThe autumn dandelion

Beside the roadway burns;Above the lichened boulders

Quiver the plumed ferns."

Mary C. Ames inThe Handbook of Nature Study

Fail is fun in BC Parks: leaves change from summergreens, to yellow, orange and even fiery red. High in theautumn sky, lines of honking geese pass overhead, some-times barely visible. Most blooming plants have longfinished flowering and now lay out a banquet of seeds andfruits for grouse, robins, waxwings and chipmunks. Eve-rywhere, mushrooms in all their wonderful shapes andcolours, pop up from out of the forest floor. Yes - Fall isa wonderful time to visit BC Parks; here are some sugges-tions for things to do.

• Some BC Parks (e.g. Goldstream, Porpoise Bay)feature salmon runs, where you can watch fishspawning. Does a salmon make a "nest"?

• Using a simple camera take pictures of fall col-ours, including scenics and close-ups of leaves.Make an album or poster with your photographs.

• Look for different kinds of seeds and fruits; howmany can you find? What birds or mammals eatthem?

• Make a list of the birds that you find on youroutings - keep this in a field note book. Tryestimating numbers.

• Keep track of the weather, including tempera-ture, rain, snow, frost and wind. This informationshould go into you note book. Soon you will beable to predict the weather. Draw pictures ofdifferent cloud types - what do they mean?

Most importantly, enjoy the beautiful days of fall - it is avery special time of year.

Make sure however that you always follow the safetyrules:

• NEVER GO ALONE

• TELL SOMEONE WHERE YOU'RE GOING ANDWHEN YOU'RE COMING BACK

If you need some information about good places to visit,please send a note to the BC Naturalist.

Al Grassfor Jerry tde 'Moose

Duck the Halls, and Other Fowl Carols

Imagination took wing as the Fender Harbour and DistrictWildlife Society munched on pizza after their last Christ-mas Bird Count.

Mavis Jones had been on the bird count in Vancouver afew days before. She told how some Vancouver teams,when they hadn't located an owl, showed their disappoint-ment. Theyjust adapted the carol "Noel, Noel" and sang"No Owl, No Owl" Instead.

The Pender Harbour group felt in the mood to carry thisbirdbrained idea a little feather. They hatched out somecarols of their own; these are classified below for yourprotection.

WARNING: if you cannot stand unpleasant excitement,skip Class X. In fact it might be safest if everybody skippedthis whole item!

Class A - these could be worseDuck the Halls with Boughs of HollyJay to the WorldHawk, the Herald Angels Sing

Class B - these a r e worse—need Christmas spiritRudolph the Red-winged BlackbirdGod Rest Ye Merry, Gentle WrenWe Three Kinglets of Orient AreRing-billed Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls, Ring-billed all the way

Class X - truly fowlSilent Snipe, Holy SnipeI Saw Three Scaups Go Sailing ByYou Better Not Grouse, You Better Not CryWe Towhee Kings of Orient Are

Class By ItselfDid you Saw-whet I Saw?

BC NATURALISTSpecial Thanks to Iris Griffith

NOVEMBER 1995 PAGE 27

MEMORIES PROM THE PAST

FOUND GRANDEUR IN GARIBALDI DISTRICTVANCOUVER MOUNTAINEERS SPENT WEEK

CLIMBING PEAKS IN PARK

The party of hardy mountaineers which returned to thecity on Monday evening after a week's climbing in theGaribaldi district, now set aside as a provincial park,probably made a record for similar parties. The groupconsisted of Rev. H. H. Sovereign, Messrs. C. Hodgkiss,Herbert O. Frind, Geoffrey Bullen, Orchard Bayliss, IvanMiller, Stanley Wright, Don McKay, Miss. P. Van Horn andMiss R. Parker, and as no horses were available the tenmembers carried four tents, provisions for a week, cook-Ing utensils, sleeping bags, two climbing ropes, ice axes,medical kit and all the necessary accessories for campingand climbing in packs on their backs.

The trail from Daisy Lake is twelve miles long and thecamping ground was on BlackTusk meadows, by MimulusCreek, at a height of 5,400 feet. The snow still lay on themeadow and a bank of it, ten feet from the fire, served asthe camp refrigerator, while at night there was a heavyfrost andf ice formed on the mountain tarns, one quarterof an inch in thickness. The chief peaks climbed were theBlackTusk, with its perpendicular sides of black basalt,the Helmet, with its crumbling walls, affording scarcelyroom for two people on its peak and Castle Towers, whichrises high above Gentian Ridge and the hanging glacierson its slopes.

Some of the slopes, through the mass of colour of the verybeautiful flowers, looked like Persian rugs and over sixtyvarieties of flowers were identified by members of theparty. Remarkable cloud effects were observed on theSaturday, the clouds below forming a-vast, fleecy floor asthe climbers rose above the misty valleys. Tne scene hasthe appearance of a prairie cpvered with snow, from which

rose only the highest peaks of Garibaldi. Far away to thesouth stood, sphinx-like, distant Mount Baker and MountRainier.

The little know fact to the people of the city and provincethat just at the door of Vancouver, lies an Alpine region asbeautiful, grand and majestic as the Rockies and Selkirksand not suffering even in comparison with Zermatt or theVale of Chamonix in Switzerland, was brought home tothe appreciative mountaineers.

Within twelve hours of Vancouver are towering peaks,wide snow fields and magnificent glaciers, with rollingAlplands and cliff-encircled meadows, veritable gardensfilled with flowers which, for beauty and colouring, viewith anything on the continent. The fact, however, thatthe people of B.C. and the present government have setaside this Alpine region for its citizens and world travellersfor all time was a matter that afforded the greatestgratification to those who had the pleasure of witnessingthe grandeur of the scene.

From a VancouverAugust 10, 1921.

newspaper (not identified) dated

Editor's Note; If you have an article or story about earlyBC natural history field trips, camps, or explorations sendthem in to the Editor. We would like to start a series onthis topic.

TRAILS SOCIETY OF BCLOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS

JOHN WOODWORTH RECEIVESTHE GABRIELLE LEGER AWARD

John Appleby, of Trails BC, is heading up the drive tocomplete the BC segment of the Trans Canada Trail. Heis asking for volunteers for sections along the southern BCroute. Work has already started as group in Delta, forexample, is developing a group of satellite trails to hookinto the Trans-Canada Trail, while another group hasbeen set up in Mission/Kent Municipality area. Theobjective of Trails BC is to tie in parks, conservation,heritage trails, heritage building and natural features.Trails BC has a federal grant (but it is not large) to helpfund this project. If you are interested please contactJohn at tel: 604 946 9618 or fax: 946 2317.

Bert Brink

PAGE 28 B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995

The Heritage Canada Foundation announced September18, 1995 that John Woodworth of Kelowna has receivedthe Gabrielle Leger Award, Heritage Canada's highestaward. The Award is presented to individuals who havemade an outstanding contribution to the conservation ofCanada's heritage.

Mr. Woodworth was recognized by the Heritage CanadaAwards Jury for "his genuine and life-long commitment toheritage" and for his role as "a catalyst for heritage inCanada".

FBCN CAMP NEWS

FBCN FIELD CAMP AxMCQUEEN LAKE

IN THE LAC DU BOIS GRASSLANDSThe Kamloops Naturalist Club was very please to be ableto host one of the 1995 FBCN Camps. We made plans toa maximum of 50 people. By mid-June, there was sucha low level of interest that we had to reconsider whether ornot to go ahead. After much humming and hawing wedecided to modify our plans and continue with a smallergroup. That left us approximately three weeks to finalizethe details and finish the preparations. Thanks to theeffort of many members the Club was actually able to beready for opening day.

Our camp went ahead with an elite group of fifteenparticipants. They were all keen, experienced campers;their combined total number of past FBCN camps wouldprobably be over 1001 As you might well imagine we feltintimidated by this. On we went regardless, with a line-up of programs and activities meant to be both educa-tional and enjoyable (not to mention exhausting, withsuch a full schedule).

Various club and local experts took campers to places asvaried as the Dewdrop Range, Lac du Bois Grasslands,Forest Service Research Forest, Weyrhauser's Tree FarmLicense, Valleyview Silt Cliffs, and the North ThompsonRiver on the Wanda Sue Paddle wheeler. We talked aboutlocal Native and European History and human influencesupon the local area, the stars in the sky, animals, plants,the heat and the mosquitoes.

We looked at the invertebrates, birds, mammals, amphib-ians, flowers, and trees. By the end of the week mostpeople has seen some of the areas special animals includ-ing: Burrowing Owl, Virginia Rail, White-winged Crossbill,salamander, coyote and deer. I don't think anyone saw arattlesnake, although everyone was warned to watch outl

All together, the camp was an incredible learning experi-ence for me personally, and a success financially. Wecame out ahead by about $940. Our Club has decided todonate $500 to the FBCN and keep the rest for clubprojects. Many thanks to a great group of participants,who managed to cope with the heat (+30 degrees Celsiusmost days) and the mosquitoes that just wouldn't give usa break. I would like to thank Budget Car Rentals forloaning us a vehicle. Overwaitea for giving us a discounton many loads of food, and MMMuffins for (what else?)muffins and cookies. On behalf of the Kamloops Natural-ists Club and myself, I would like to thank everyone in theClub and the Kamloops community who gave their timeand energy to help make this camp the success that it was.

Susan HammondKamloops

FBCNATLIN EXPLORATORY CAMP

The 1995 Altin Exploratory Camp was a trip of discovery.For many in the group, the was a first-time visit to thearea, and even the drive into Atlin provided revelations.Who would have expected to travel past a desert innorthern B.C.? Atlin Mountain rises like a sentinel duringthe final miles of the drive, but the real beauty of the areais revealed on the last curve of the road when the littletown comes into view with Atlin Lake and Atlin Mountainas its backdrop.

Atlin provides a wonderful opportunity for visitors to gaina sense of the Gold Rush Days. The town combinescharm, history and beauty. The gardens and roadsidesare ablaze with wildflowers and barley grass, more colour-fully known as foxtail grass. Flreweed reigns supreme.Residents take pride in their history and in the restorationwork being done on the buildings. Many of us were ableto take part in the walking tour of Atlin, and visit theMuseum and the recently restored AT. V. Tarahne, whichwas the famous lake boat built in 1916.

The official start of the first camp was Saturday, July22nd, but those travelling by plan arrived in Whitehorseon Friday morning to make the van connection to Atlin.They had the good fortune to share the van with one of thearea's old-timers. By the time the driver dropped Erwinat a ranch near Carcross, he had spun many stories aboutthe history of the area since he had arrived in 1954 to workon a youth camp organized by the Presbyterian Church.His parting advice: eat raw potatoes to keep the doctorawayl

Thanks to the friendly van driver, the group was depositedat the ball park in Atlin where they set up camp. Thislocation turned out to be several miles from the desig-nated camp at Pine Creek, but Ruth and Paul Guimondcame to the rescue and provided most of the transporta-tion for the Walking Wonders. Everyone worked tocoordinated hikes and social times between the twocampsites.

The campsite in Atlin proved to be a good spot for thosewithout a vehicle because of its proximity to the all-nightlaundromat (community meeting place) and the deliciouscinnamon buns provided by the Pine Tree Cafe.

Leaders Ted and Pat Stubbs hosted the welcome sessionon Saturday evening at Pine Creek and outlined plans forthe coming week. The major decision was the selection ofthree captains to operate the houseboat during the fiveday trip on Atlin Lake. Alex Murray, Jim Murphy and Ted

cont. on page 30B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995 PAGE 29

FBCN CAMP NEWS cent.

cont. from page 29

were cajoled/conscripted to great applause from thegroup.

The Sunday hike to Monarch Mountain gave us a broadpicture of the area in which we would be sailing andhiking. There were superb views of the Atlin Valley and therock glacier on Atlin Mountain which flows into the forestareas at it toe. This is one of the most active rock glaciersin North America.

The wild raspberries were a tasty diversion on the steeptrail to the peak. Lesley Bohm led the wildflower identi-fication, and introduced us to the beautiful mertensia.Unfortunately, the white gentian discovered on the trailwas declared an "oddball".

The afternoon was spent at Warm Springs on Warm BayRoad where some watched, some waded, and some swamin the pool fed by warm underwater springs. We enjoyedmeandering in the natural meadow near the springs withBert Brink who guided us through the lush vegetation,including beds of watercress. Many visited the famousGrotto nearby where ice water gushed from the rockformations.'

On Monday morning, we saw the mining scene, past andpresent. Our journey began twelve miles from Atlin atSurprise Lake, which is the headwaters of Pine Creek. Thefirst claims were filed at Pine Creek in 1989, and duringthe Gold rush a town called Discovery grew up near theseclaims. At the height of the gold fever, a small settlementhad also been established at Surprise Lake. Gold is stillmined in the area, and in 1981, a nugget worth $46,000was found on McKee Creek.

On the road from Surprise Lake, we passed several siteswhere the topsoil had been removed by recent miningoperations. The cabins on the increasingly rough roadwere unique. Some of there windows were decorated withtattered lace curtains, and one bore the sign: "Beware ofproperty protector - 7 mm". No one lingered. Thewildflowers gave a roadside show in the rain, and addedthe only beauty to the placer mining site. Ashort distancefrom an old wooden sluice in the river, a huge piece ofmodern machinery stood amidst the rubble of its work-ings.

On Monday afternoon, our houseboat adventure began.Following a shake-down cruise, we motored up Torreschannel to Halfway Beach. During the evening, we visitedone another at the campfire, and investigated the smallbeach. The big discovery was patches of beautiful butter-wort and marsh violet. We also became acquainted withSitka Brunette (Canadensis], Some people studied it andsome people sampled it in their salad!

The next day we cruised through Torres Channel, pastTeresa Island and Cathedral Mountain to Second Nar-rows. The views of the mountains and glaciers werespectacular and we experienced a full range of conditionsfrom calm waters to waves that splashed onto the topdeck.

Many of us sat on the top deck, switching clothes to suitthe sun and the wind. Our guide books listed Atlin Lakeas B.C.'s largest lake (85 miles long and 2 to 5 miles wide).While we came nowhere near to the northern tip in theYukon, the vastness of the lake gave us the feeling we wereon an ocean cruise. Another statistic pointed out that itis among the province's purest bodies of water. It wasrefreshing for the Lower Mainlanders to learn that Atlin'swater supply is still drawn from the lake (right in front ofthe town) without the benefit of chlorine or other chemicaladditives.

As we approached the end of Llewellyn Inlet, the outflowingglacial silt contrasted dramatically with the deep greencolour of the lake. We tied up at Llewellyn Landing andbegan our hike over the moraine to the edge of LlewellynGlacier which is one of the largest icefields on the conti-nent. It stretches from the southern tip of Atlin Lake to theAlaskan coast near Juneau. When we arrived at the toeof the glacier, the cold wind forced us to don jackets andhats to view the icebergs floating in front of the glacier.

Touring the lake on the houseboats allowed everyone thechoice of hiking a trail, relaxing on the boat or exploringthe nearby area at each destination. Wednesday's morn-ing hike on Sloko Island was well worth the bushwhacktrip to the ridge. As the hikers returned from the ridge,they met those who had opted for walking on the beachand watching the loons in the cove. Our destination forthe afternoon was Copper Island where some of the groupexperienced another bushwhack/hike. That evening asthe boats slipped into the beach at Connelly Island, amoose on the opposite shore acknowledge our presence bya long stare before continuing her meal.

Birch Mountain Peak became the hike of the week as thenext say some of the group scrambled up the slash onTeresa Island for the 4500 foot climb. The view of Atlin,the Llewellyn Glacier and surrounding mountains wasmagnificent. Some of us recalled being stopped in Atlin bya passing motorist who proudly pointed out that BirchMountain is the highest point of land on an island in afreshwater lake in the world. Both the lengthy statisticand the lengthy hike were superlative. There were alsosome superlative comments about or return hike downthe slash to the beach as we swung through willows andvines. However, we were rewarded with a feast of wildraspberries while waiting for the houseboat to pick us up.

PAGE 3O B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995

Friday was a special event day. Pat and Ted hosted apancake breakfast on their houseboat before we enjoyedmusical commentary by Carol Monaghan on some of thehumourous highlights of the trip.

Saturday was the close of the first camp, and hikes wereorganized for the Pine Creek and Scotia Bay areas. It hadbeen a great week of discovery of a charming historic townand of a lake which held everyone spellbound with itsbeauty.

Carol MonaghanWhite Rock

(E'DI'T'O'R'S DlESOC

PERSPECTIVE ARTICLE DRAWS A RAVEN RESPONSE

Thanks to Eric for the fine article on crows and ravens (BCNaturalist - September 1995). I wish I could help you onthe brains/mind problem, but even after struggling throughRoger Penrose's The Emperor's New Mind and articlesby some of the A.L (for the uninitiated "Artificial Intelli-gence") boys I feel to humble to try to speak with authority.

However, I too have an anecdote involving ravens. I offerit to you and other naturalists as grist to grind in thephilosophic mill.

During the war I was stationed at the air base Bella Bella(not the Indian village) , bravely defending Canada againsta terrible Japanese invasion. One day when I had sometime off from bravely defending I was lying on my back onthe moss watching a flock of ravens performing thrillingaerial displays. One raven has a prize that the otherscoveted and did their damdest to steal. In the contesttheir manoeuvres were incredible. I would like to say theyeven looped the loop, but after more that fifty yearsperhaps that detail has got added. But they certainlymade awesome dives, and I swear they made rolls!

Finally the prize got dropped and landed beside me. It wasstick five inches long!

Now, how did that game get organized? As they werecircling did one raven say to the others . "Aren't these greatthermals? Wouldn't this be a great day for some aerobat-ics? Whats ya say we play snatch the stick?"

And did Squawk reply, "Neat ideal I'll be "it". You guyskeep circling here and I'll go down and get a prize."

Now, if that wasn't the scenario will some learnedcorvusologist please give us his/her hypothesis.

In any case it certainly required brains to organize thegame, to devise brilliant attack and defense strategies andcontrol dazzling manoeuvres.

But what was the motivation? Their zest, their exuber-ance was obvious. They were having a ball! They wereexperiencing pleasure. But where were they experiencingit?

I say, if they were not experiencing it in their minds, thensomewhere in their anatomy ravens sure must have fun-loving gizzards.

Gordon B. McLeanNanaimo

THE BARRY LEACHMEMORIAL FUND

To commemorate the enormous contributions made byone of our longtime members, the late Dr. Barry Leach, towildlife preservation and habitat protection, the membersof the White Rock and Surrey Naturalists' approved at theGeneral Meeting of September 7th, 1995, the setting up ofa memorial fund. Since that meeting The Barry LeachMemorial Fund has been established as a separateaccount to be administered by two trustees from the club.The trustees are John Harris, Past President and TomBates, Treasurer.

The use to which the fund will be put has not yet beendecided. Suggestions so far have included the erection ofa wildlife viewing tower, the awarding of an annualscholarship to a student who is pursuing studies perti-nent to wildlife and conservation, and the establishmentof an annual conservation lecture by some suitably emi-nent speaker. To a large extent, of course, the use will begoverned by the total of the funds we are able to raise.

Donations are being sought from our own club members,from members of like-minded organizations in our areaand from the public at large. Any amount will be wel-comed, large or small, and receipts for income tax pur-poses will be issued if required. Cheques should be madepayable to:

The Barry Leach Memorial Fund

and mailed to:

White Rock and Surrey Naturalists' SocietyBox 75044

White Rock, B.C. V4A 9M4

i&^ •I . m c<.. -1

B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995 PAGE 31

NATURAL HISTORY EDUCATIONAL TRAVEL TOURSJoin us lor one of our varied wilderness programmes, all of which are escorted by well-known, experienced naturalists.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO -VCC - led by NANCY BARON

January 26-February 5,1996 — Cost $3,075

TATSHENSHINI RAFTING -UBC - led by DAVID FRASER

July 15-26,1996 — Cost $3,330

WILDFLOWERS OF N.E. BC -UBC - led by WILF NICHOLLS

July 25-30,1996 — Cost TBA

QUEEN CHARLOTTES -VCC - led by NANCY BARON

August 1-8,1996 — Cost TBA

ARIZONA - VCC - led by DICK CANNINGSSeptember 10-20,1996 — Cost TBA

SOUTH AFRICA -UBC - led by SYD CANNINGSNovember, 1996 — Dates & Cost TBA

GALAPAGOS & ECUADOR -VCC - led by DAVID STIRLINGNov. 24-Dec. 13, 1996 —Cost TBA

FLORIDA - VCC - led by DAVID STIRLINGFebruary, 1997 — Dates & Cost TBA

NEPAL & INDIA -VCC - led by NANCY BARONSeptember/October, 1997 — Dates &Cost TBA

GREAT EXPEDITIONS INC.5915 West Boulevard, Vancouver, B.C. V6M 3X1 Telephone: 257-2040 Toll free B.C. 800-663-3364

EXPEDITIONS

FBCN DIRECT MEMBERSHIPIZl REGULAR (Direct)** $ 15.D LIFE $400.CH SUBSCRIPTION (organizations) $ 15.

Name

**This is for Direct membership to FBCN only.

Address.

City Prov.

Code. Tele. No_

Amount enclosed-

A charitable tax receipt will be issued fordonations over the direct membership fee.

New Membership Renewal FBCN Direct

Send to:Membership SecretaryFederation of B.C. Naturalists321- 1367 West BroadwayVancouver, B.C. V6H 4A9

11/95

B.C. Naturalist is published six times a year byThe Federation <321- 1367 West:Vancouver, B.C.

Return Postage

MAIL>POSTE

•ft

Pan MM

Nbra0448607299

Vancouver, B.C.

PAGE 32 B C NATURALIST NOVEMBER 1995