The future of local conservation projects and nature activities are on the discussion table next Wednesday.
"Please join us for an interactive evening for members as we discuss and share ideas about how to strengthen the Naturalists Club for the future," said Shanelle Marshall, a club spokesman. "What type of trips would you love to go on? What would you love to learn more about with guest speakers and presentations? What projects do you want to see the club involved with? Bring your ideas and your passion for nature."
The meeting happens at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30) at the Spruce City Wildlife Resource Centre at 1384 River Road.
The meeting will begin with some topical entertainment. "To set the scene, Clive Keen will give a short presentation on his recent adventures in Arizona with a naturalist perspective," Marshall said.
The group is the main advocate for better trails and information amenities around the Hudson's Bay Wetlands area. The members also lead the region's annual bird count initiatives, do regular hikes at environmental hot spots, and are a leading participant in the movement to establish a nature centre in the city.
Anyone interested can contact Marshall at [email protected] or come to the meeting.
The group is also a local host for the BC Wildlife Federation's regular Wetlandkeepers courses. The next one happens June 20 to 22. Its 25 seats are currently full, "which is extremely encouraging for the future of the Hudson's Bay Wetland," said Keen, who urged anyone else interested to sign up for the wait list (click the links on the club's website). It would help in case spaces become available, and to gauge future interest.
Wetlandkeepers is a course with hands-on field study that gives participants technical skills for stewardship of wetlands. It teaches skills like mapping; hydrology; amphibian, plant and animal identification; and soil sampling in the context of places like swamps, bogs, ponds, and sloughs.
