Trip Report by Janet Snell Photos by Janet Snell, John Martin & Caroline Penn On 30 August and again on 9 September, 2021, two groups of hikers explored different routes to Blue Gentian Lake on Hollyburn Mountain this past month. The goal of both hikes was first and foremost to see the beautiful Blue Gentian flowers in bloom at the small lake of the same name. The first hike ascended from upper West Vancouver using the network of trails that…
Tuesday, September 14, 2021 – Text and photos by Kate H. Joint Hike with Friends of Cypress Provincial Park led by Anne Leathem (FCPP & NV) Map: North Shore Trail Map (Updated Second Edition) available at MEC We all readily agreed to postpone this hike to Thursday September 16th to avoid stormy weather. Five of us, including the leader, enjoyed a beautiful, calm and sunny day exploring the Arbutus Ridge area before continuing on the trail from the old helicopter pad…
Text and Photos by Doug Cooper With the coming and going of the PNE reminding me of the fact that summer has now officially departed, I thought it was time to summarize the nature happenings for the spring and summer of 2021 at the sanctuary at Hastings Park. The trend of more birders visiting the sanctuary has continued. I now frequently check eBird to see what goodies other folks have spotted. Since March, postings of note have included Green…
A past President and an Honorary Life Member of Nature Vancouver, Daphne Solecki, joined Vancouver Natural History Society in 1985. Soon after that she volunteered as Membership Secretary and was a member of Conservation Committee and the Board of Directors for many years. Daphne’s family has written an obituary for her and has given us permission to post it here. Daphne was a respected member of Nature Vancouver and a role model for all of us. Daphne Monica Morton Solecki,…
Trip report and photos by Caroline Penn Fifteen members of Nature Vancouver enjoyed a day hike to Echo Lake near Harrison Mills on 21 August 2021. Access was graciously granted by owners of this privately owned land which is in the traditional territory of the Sts’ailes First Nation. Echo lake is circled by old forests. On the South side, 60% were protected in a 2012 campaign by the Ancient Forest Alliance group as an Old Growth Management Area (see protectecholake.com), but the West…
Text and Photos by Caroline Penn On July 10th, 2021, I photographed a beautiful mallow flower that I found growing on a rocky area that extends out from the beach area on Southern Salt Spring Island. I was curious about what type of mallow it was and so did some searching and discovered it was a Henderson’s Checker-mallow (Sidalcea hendersonii), also known as Marsh Hollyhock. It is currently quite rare and is blue-listed. See species summary on BC Conservation Data Centre…
Thursday, May 27, 2021 at 7:30 pm The 103rd Annual General Meeting of Nature Vancouver was held on Thursday, May 27 at 7:30 via a Zoom video conferencing. At the business part of the meeting, the President’s and Treasurer’s reports were presented for approval. The proposed changes to Nature Vancouver Bylaws were approved. Election was held for the new Board of Directors for 2021-2022. The business session was followed by Annual Volunteer Awards and Scholarship presentations. The copies of the minutes of…
This year’s volunteer awards were announced on 27th May, 2021 at the AGM. The AGM was held via Zoom Video Conferencing. The award plaques will be presented later. Garibaldi Awards for Club Services The Garibaldi awards recognize members who have performed significant service to the Society over several years. Up to four Garibaldi awards are presented each year. These awards were established in 1993. Angela Bond Angela Bond has been a Member of Nature Vancouver since 2014. She joined the…
Jay Matsushiba – Hugh Hamilton Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship Jay Matsushiba is a 4th year student in Biological Sciences at Simon Fraser University and has recently completed a Geographic Information Systems Certificate (SFU). In Jay’s words, “My goal is to equip myself with the skills and experience to be able to make the study of ecology more powerful through the use of modern technology.” Jay has accumulated a great deal of volunteer experience in the past seven years with the Vancouver Aquarium and…
Ally Truscott – 2021 Nature Vancouver Undergraduate Scholarship Ally Truscott is in her first year of studies in the Fish, Wildlife and Recreation Diploma program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). She is from Pemberton and what really impressed us about Ally is how much experience she has already accomplished. She has been an active member of the Pemberton Wildlife Association since 2019 and is now on the Board of Directors. In the last few years, Ally has participated…