Nature Vancouver

A BORN NATURALIST July 19, 1940 – 18 June, 2025  by Margaret Bear Bill was among Nature Vancouver’s most distinguished naturalists, constantly adding to our knowledge of the natural world. He was also among our most prolific writers contributing many articles to the Discovery Journal, for various newsletters, as well as writing several reference books published for a wider audience. He wrote about a great variety of subjects including mammals, botany, marine biology – and of course birds – where it ostensibly…

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Submitted by Jennifer Swanston Richard Swanston, of Tsawwassen, passed away unexpectedly on April 3. He was born in Vancouver in 1955 to parents Doug and Ella Swanston. A loving brother, uncle and friend, Rick will be dearly missed. He kept connected to his elementary school and high school friends with strong bonds that in some cases crossed date lines and equators. Rick was destined for life on the sea – in a letter home written from Sea Cadets camp he…

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Submitted by Peter Ward and Ken Hall  It is with great sadness we report the loss of our lifelong birding friend John. John passed away on February 27th, 2025 at the age of 91. John joined the Nature Vancouver (Vancouver Natural History Society) in 1959 and was a Lifetime member. He contributed a great deal to the Birding Section of Nature Vancouver in the sixties and seventies. He led field trips to most of the key birding locations in the lower…

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It is with sadness that we learn of the passing of David Boyd (1933-2024), a long time member of Nature Vancouver. David joined Nature Vancouver in 1997, and was member of the Birding Section Committee. He coordinated several ongoing bird surveys, including Christmas bird counts since the 1980s. These included the Ladner Area ‘E’ of the Ladner Christmas Bird Count and where the birders warmly remember the gatherings at Sharkey’s to share their tallies with David and the cheerful atmosphere…

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Submitted by Bev Ramey Dr. Michael Feller died peacefully and unexpectedly in his sleep on January 20, 2024, just shy of his 78th birthday. He is remembered as a keen birder with Nature Vancouver, for his work to revegetate habitat, as an outdoor enthusiast and historian with the BC Mountaineering Club, as well as an associate professor emeritus at UBC’s Faculty of Forestry. Michael received the BC Achievement Community Award (2014) which commended his initiatives regarding land use policies along the Sea…

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A long-time member of Nature Vancouver, Al Grass, passed away on February 14, 2024. He is survived by his wife, Jude Grass. Al was an all-round naturalist. The depth of his natural history knowledge was unsurpassed. Al worked for three decades as a BC Parks Naturalist in Manning, Wells Gray, Mt Seymour, Cypress, Golden Ears and Rolley Lake Provincial Parks. He’s remembered for readily filling an interpretive amphitheatre and with kids on nature walks, he was the ‘pied piper’. Al…

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by Sheila Byers Bernie Hanby was a wonderful, knowledgeable, fun-loving, quick-witted and energetic man. He befriended many people who, like himself, enjoyed fishing, SCUBA-diving, photography and those who strived for better conservation efforts to protect fish and their habitats in the ocean. We need action to ensure the long-term sustainability of a marine food source on which we greatly depend. From fisherman to informed activist, Bernie was a driving force for MLSS, Vancouver Aquarium, Pacific Salmon Foundation and many other…

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Nature Vancouver members are saddened to learn the loss of a long time member. Katharine Steig joined Nature Vancouver in 1991. She was member of the Board of Directors and served as the Chair of the Conservation Section for many years. The following obituary is submitted by Katharine’s family. Katharine Steig of West Vancouver, British Columbia, passed away peacefully on the evening of August 12, 2022. She was in her 86th year. Katharine was predeceased by her husband, Michael Steig….

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It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Catherine (Cathy) Aitchison on February 17th 2022. Cathy was the only child of Matthew and Marjorie Aitchison of Winchester, Ontario. At the age of eighteen, Cathy left Winchester and studied Fashion Design in Chicago. Later she moved to London, England where she worked in Graphic Design. She also worked for Thomas Cook, and travelled for five years. Cathy then moved to Vancouver and worked for the Australian Consulate. She…

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July 2, 1927 – January 6, 2022  Louise Irwin passed away at UBC Hospital at the age of 94 years. Born in Vancouver to Stan and Elsie Irwin, she grew up in Barnet, where she developed a great love for the outdoors, bringing home lots of “pets” from the woods and swimming across Port Moody Arm. Later the family built a house in Point Grey and Louise graduated from Magee Secondary School. She attended UBC and was granted a BSc…

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