The members of the Prince George Naturalists Club don't just stop and smell the roses - they go out of their way to find them.
For the past year and half, the club - resuscitated by chair Clive Keen - has been focused on enjoying nature and keeping nature worth enjoying.
"I knew there was a naturalists club, but it had gone quiet," Keen explained. "There's a lot of people around here that really are incredibly knowledgeable about wildlife. I mean naturalists, my God, some of them are incredible, so I'm doing the organizing and making things happen these days."
One of the things Keen is making happen is organizing events such as regular bird counts. A group of enthusiasts gathered in the chill of the Jan. 15 morning to embark on a swan count.
The expedition turned up 36 swans, including seven juveniles as well as sightings of other species such as a bald eagle, kingfisher, beaver and rusty blackbird.
"Bird counts are rather marvelous for finding out what the heck's going on in the bird world," said Keen, adding the group also gets information from across North America.
"So you can figure out what species are spreading, what species are declining."
The information collected by the Prince George club is submitted to BC Nature (the federation of B.C. naturalists) and other ornithological organizations. But the club is not limited to those who fancy their feathered friends; rather there are avenues to explore all aspects of the natural world.
"It's varied," said Keen. "We've got a good solid bunch of birders in the midst of the club, but it's important we don't simply focus on birding. So we try to make it as broad based as we can, even covering such things as the sky at night."
But people don't have to go with a group or even join the club to enjoy what nature has to offer.
"I'm always stunned by people's inability to see what's around," said Keen, who recently spotted an eagle while walking by the Cameron Street Bridge.
"Whenever you drive anywhere, whenever you walk anywhere, whenever you do anything, if you're a naturalist you tend to keep your eye open for whatever it is you might be seeing," said the retiree, who now has more time for long walks and wildlife photography.
With more than 50 official club members and close to 150 who show interest in the club's activities, Keen said he would like to see the Prince George Naturalists Club involved in long-term projects, such as creating a wildlife area like the Scout Island spot in Williams Lake.
"We're putting up duck boxes and we're doing small projects, but it would be nice to be involved in a large-scale project and put some weight behind it," Keen said.
The club will host an animal track and snowshoeing trip this Saturday and will hold their annual general meeting Feb. 16 at 7 p.m.
For more information, visit the club's website at pgnc.wordpress.com.
