Blog - Nature Vancouver

MOUNT SEYMOUR PROVINCIAL PARK: GOLDIE AND FLOWER LAKES NATURE WALK / BIOBLITZ JULY 4, 2026

Monday, July 6, 2026 Denis Laplante

Trip report by Bev Ramey Our nature walk around Goldie and Flower Lakes was a rich experience with beautiful, close-up observations of plants, mosses, lichens, birds and generally the nature of this wetland habitat within old growth forest. Also wonderful was the sharing of knowledge amongst the participants. Our walk was slated for three hours, but we took four hours as there were many observation stops along the three km of trails. We’d even had plans to stop for sketching,…

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NATURE VANCOUVER SKETCH GROUP AT TERRA NOVA, JUNE 28, 2026

Saturday, July 4, 2026 Wendy Cutler

Trip report by Vicky Earle Seven nature journalers joined trip leaders Vicky and Noriko at Terra Nova Nature Park in Richmond. Gusty winds greeted us at the meeting spot beside the Fraser River, but once we headed onto the trails, we found several sheltered areas to explore. After an introduction and land acknowledgement, Vicky took a quick moment to share journaling prompts and discussed how using three different “languages” on the page (i.e. words, pictures and numbers) is beneficial because…

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ACTION ALERT: BURRARD INLET DREDGING AND INCREASED OIL TANKER CAPACITY

Monday, June 29, 2026 Wendy Cutler

Written by Joanna Chin The Wild Bird Trust has asked conservation organizations to help share information about the recent federal approval for dredging beneath the Second Narrows Bridge in Burrard Inlet. The project will deepen portions of the inlet to allow larger oil tankers to carry increased loads. The proposal has raised concerns about the potential impacts of dredging and increased tanker traffic on the Salish Sea, including marine habitats, fish, seabirds, shorebirds, marine mammals, and the cumulative effects on…

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CYPRESS BIRD BLITZ, YEW LAKE TRAIL, JUNE 14, 2026 TRIP REPORT

Sunday, June 21, 2026 Wendy Cutler

Trip Report by Joanna Chin The 2026 Cypress Bird Blitz, jointly hosted by Nature Vancouver and Friends of Cypress Provincial Park, marked my second year participating in this annual celebration of birds and biodiversity and my first as a trip leader. Last year, I joined the Yew Lake and Old Growth Forest Trail walk as a participant; this year, Gail Ross invited me to lead the same route. I was delighted to share guiding duties with my friend Catherine Po,…

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WALKING AND TREE-IDENTIFICATION IN NORTH VANCOUVER DISTRICT – MAY 23, 2026

Saturday, June 13, 2026 Wendy Cutler

Trip report by Nina Shoroplova If you drive along Dollarton Highway to Dollarton, a neighbourhood in North Vancouver District, and take Dollar Road to its end, you will reach part of Burrard Inlet, with Belcarra across the water to the east and Simon Fraser University campus across the water in the southeast. Little Cates Park is just south of the end of Dollar Road and that is where some of us Nature Vancouver amateur botanists met on May 23 for…

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MOUNT SEYMOUR’S FUTURE: PUBLIC INPUT NEEDED BY JULY 24

Sunday, June 7, 2026 Wendy Cutler

Co-authored by Bev Ramey and Joanna Chin Mount Seymour Resort has released a proposed 60-year Ski Resort Development Plan that is currently open for public comment. The proposal includes a wide range of new recreational infrastructure and activities, including infrastructure for summer use such as: expanded trails, mountain biking facilities, an aerial adventure park, ziplines, a skywalk, disc golf, cabins, glamping accommodations, and potential ski lift and transportation expansions. According to the proposal, the Controlled Recreation Area associated with the…

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TREE-IDENTIFICATION WALK IN QUEEN ELIZABETH PARK, MAY 9, 2026

Wednesday, June 3, 2026 Wendy Cutler

Trip report by Nina Shoroplova We tree-identifying botanists met at the Grace McCarthy Plaza in Queen Elizabeth Park, opposite the Bloedel Conservatory, early on Saturday May 9. First we looked at a couple of flowering dogwoods, Cornus florida. They are the ones whose white (or sometimes pink) bracts show the notch at the top, where they pulled apart after protecting the tiny green true flowers. The green leaves have a central vein and arcuate subveins. We set off northeast to…

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TRIP REPORT – DAWN CHORUS AT PIPER SPIT BURNABY LAKE, MAY 30, 2026

Wednesday, June 3, 2026 Neill Vanhinsberg

The sky was getting brighter by the second as we gathered just before 5am to listen to the dawn chorus. We were just in front of the Nature House at Piper Spit and the birds were in full song. Circling us, three American Robins sang loudly. So loud in fact, it was hard to hear the other birds. Through the din we could hear a Western Warbling Vireo behind us and at least one, perhaps two Song Sparrows and a…

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IN MEMORIAM – TERRY SLACK

Wednesday, June 3, 2026 Kelly Sekhon

Submitted by Rosemary Taylor Terry Slack was a rare character. He grew up with next to nothing, when his family emigrated to Canada when he was a kid. They lived by the Fraser in more ways than one, recovering wood from its banks and harvesting fish from its waters, which thus provided for many of the family’s needs, collecting driftwood to provide shelter, firewood and more. He played with the Musqueam kids who also lived in that area, and everyone got on well…

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TRIP REPORT – SOUTH SHORE BURNABY LAKE MAY 31ST

Monday, June 1, 2026 Michelle Baudais

The south-west corner of Burnaby Lake is a favourite low-key birding spot for Harvey and Michelle in late May to early June. The paths near the Burnaby Lake Rowing club attract a good selection of late migrants like Cedar Waxwings, and the boggy ground and resulting open forest means that you have a better chance of seeing birds that you might otherwise only hear. This Saturday was no exception. After picking up a couple of participants from 29th Street Station,…

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