by Andrew Bryant, 22 Oct 2015. Susan Mackay is a long-time club member, founder of Whales and Dolphins BC and President of the non-profit Wild Ocean Whale Society (WOWs).  She’s also a member of the Marine Mammal Response Network, a group that responds to reports of injured, distressed or dead marine mammals. Susan spoke to us about the … Continue reading Susan MacKay – “Whales”

by Andrew Bryant, 22 Sept 2015 Dr. Luc Simard wears several hats.  He’s an astronomer with the Herzberg Astrophysics group of the National Research Council of Canada, an Adjunct Professor of Physics and Astronomy  at the University of Victoria, and a key member of the Thirty Metre Telescope Project. He took time out from his research to … Continue reading Luc Simard – “From backyard astronomy to Extremely Large Telescopes”

by Andrew Bryant, 21 May 2015.  Dr. Stephen Johnston, professor of geology at the University of Victoria, took us on a lively and all-encompassing journey to Spain. Based on his extensive knowledge of Pangea, that supercontinent formed by wandering tectonic plates some 350 million years ago, Stephen gave a wonderful example of how everything is … Continue reading Stephen Johnston – “Spain: Rocks, Romans and Rioja”

by Andrew Bryant, 21 Apr 2015.  Neil is a Powell River-based forester during regular business hours, and a keen birder and globe-trotter at all other times.  In 2010 he travelled to the Greek island of Lesvos (or Lesbos) to experience spring migration there. And what an experience it was!  After the difficulty of getting there … Continue reading Neil Hughes – “Spring migration on the Isle of Lesvos”

by Andrew Bryant, 19 Mar 2015.  Tom Koleszar, geologist and vice-president of our club, took us on a sweeping, half-billion year-old exploration of the Burgess Shale. This extraordinary rock formation, located in Yoho and Kootenay National Parks in the Canadian Rockies, contains one of the world’s richest deposits of fossils.  It is renowned for the quality of … Continue reading Tom Koleszar – “Exploring the Burgess Shale”

by Andrew Bryant, 26 Feb 2015.  Tamsin Baker holds degrees in Animal Ecology (from UBC) and Environmental Management (from Royal Roads).   She presently serves as Stewardship Coordinator with the South Coast Conservation Program, which is a portal that connects small, local, project-oriented groups with governments and scientific researchers.  Yes, and they arrange to talk to naturalist … Continue reading Tamsin Baker – “Herons and Dunes”

by Andrew Bryant, 22 Jan 2015.  Bill Merilees of Nanaimo is a prominent British Columbian naturalist, educator, activist, conservationist and author of books such as Attracting Backyard Wildlife and (with co-author C.P. Lyons) the updated version of Trees, Shrubs and Flowers to Know in Washington and British Columbia. He recently visited Powell River to share some of … Continue reading Bill Merilees – “Madagascar”

by Andrew Bryant, 20 Nov 2014.  Professional forester Rod Tysdal, who works for the Powell River Community Forest, and Chris Laing, a forestry consultant and owner of Results Based Forest Management Limited, teamed up to provide a fascinating glimpse into the use of modern technology in order to manage our forests in a sustainable way. While … Continue reading Rod Tysdal & Chris Laing – “Sustainable forests”

by Andrew Bryant, 16 Oct 2014.  Brian Lee is a local resident, a member of the Sechelt Mycological Society, and all-around woodsman and master of bushcraft.  He gave a lively talk about our local mushrooms, including tips for field identification, potential pitfalls for the unwary, and interesting culinary tips. His talk was ably assisted by some … Continue reading Brian Lee – “Mushrooms”

by Andrew Bryant, 25 Sep 2014.  Dr. Watson is Professor of Biology at Vancouver Island University, and is based in Nanaimo.  For over 25 years she has been actively studying the ecology of sea otters, those iconic mammals that also have the amazing ability to create and shape the environments in which they live! Sea otters … Continue reading Jane Watson – “Sea otters”

by Andrew Bryant, 15 May 2014.  Dr. Barbara Sherriff spoke from her long experience as a Professor of Geology at the University of Manitoba.  Now re-located to Powell River, Barbara serves as our current Club President and reminds us that geological processes have not stopped. She spoke about the causes and some solutions for environmental … Continue reading Barbara Sherriff – “Arsenic and old waste”

by Andrew Bryant, 23 Apr 2014.  Cedwyn is from London, England but now calls Powell River home. In 2010 he and his wife Peggy spent 18 nights aboard the M.V. Ocean Nova as it traveled from Ushuaia, Argentina to the Falklands Islands. From there they cruised south, touring several spots on South Georgia, before going even … Continue reading Cedwyn Phillips – “South Georgia and Antarctica”

by Andrew Bryant, 28 March 2014.  David Atkinson, a professor of Geography at the University of Victoria, provided an overview of storm activity in the North Pacific Ocean – types of storms, where they form, why they grow, where and how they travel, where they die, impacts they can exert, and particular features of the Pacific … Continue reading David Atkinson – “Pacific Storms”

by Andrew Bryant, 20 Feb 2013.  Heather, Claudia Boelke  and Janet Southcott shared images and anecdotes of lovely Mitlenatch island and its rich wildlife.  The club has run day trips there aboard Misty Isles for several years, including another successful visit in May 2013. We learned what it was like to live on the island … Continue reading Heather Harbord – “Mitlenatch Island”

by Sherri Wretham, 16 January 2014.  Sabina, who’s a self-employed biologist from Cortez Island, astounded us with her extraordinary depth of knowledge about all things intertidal.

by Sherri Wretham, 21 November 2013.  Dan Blower, who is a retired B.C. Wildlife Branch ungulate specialist, spoke on the natural history of mountain goats and their distribution and abundance in the province.   His talk was illustrated with numerous maps and slides of Mountain goat habitat types in the province.   We were captivated by the power … Continue reading Dan Blower – “Mountain Goats”

by Heather Harbord, 24 October 2013.  Susan MacKay is the founder of Whales and Dolphins BC and President of the non-profit Wild Ocean Whale Society (WOWs).  She is also a member of the Marine Mammal Response Network, a group that responds to reports of injured, distressed or dead marine mammals. Susan spoke about Pinnipeds, the group of marine mammals that … Continue reading Susan MacKay – “Pinnipeds: Seals and Sea-lions”

by Sherri Wretham, 25 September 2013.  Rob Hope is the senior rehabilitator at Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society in Delta.  O.W.L. is one of the premier raptor rehab centres in North America and has featured on the television program Hope for Wildlife. Specializing in raptors, the facility cares for injured and orphaned birds of prey ranging from … Continue reading Rob Hope – “Raptors”

by Andrew Bryant, 18 April 2013.  Doug Corrin is Professor of Forestry at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo.  He spoke about the biological adaptations of the mountain pine beetle, and how they enabled it to become the largest insect epidemic in North American history. Doug also discussed how recent weather patterns, and past firefighting efforts, have contributed to this … Continue reading Doug Corrin – “Mountain pine beetles”

by Andrew Bryant, 21 March 2013 Dr. Eileen Van Der Flier-Keller is a geologist from the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria, and the author of A Field Guide to the Identification of Pebbles.   She really likes rocks!   Her talk illustrated how time and enormous pressures have combined to produce the unusual geology of … Continue reading Eileen Van Der Flier-Keller – “The rock story”

by Sherri Wretham, 28 February 2013.  Terry Thormin spoke to us about the Dragonflies of Vancouver Island.   Did you know that there are 41 species of dragonflies on Vancouver Island?  We didn’t. Terry spoke on the biology, behavior and habitat of Dragonflies.   He illustrated his talk with some of his excellent photographs, many more … Continue reading Terry Thormin – “Dragonflies of Vancouver Island”

by Sherri Wretham, 31 January 2013.  Rob Crookshank, a resident of Powell River and an Air Attack Officer for the Ministry of Forests, spoke about current trends in fire activity in B.C., and about how the Ministry is trying to manage the situation. He described new approaches to wildfire control using Power Point and video.  He’s been … Continue reading Rob Crookshank – “Forest Fire!”

by Sherri Wretham, 29 November 2012.  David gave a presentation on nature photography.  As his presentation was sure to wet the appetite of many in the audience to dust off their own cameras, David followed up by leading a subsequent field trip. David covered many of the basics that we often forget about, including the relationship between f-stops … Continue reading David Bedry – “Nature Photography”

by Andrew Bryant, 25 October 2012.  Rob Southcott, Bob Perry and Murray Jones presented “In the footsteps of the greats”, a tale of their impressive hiking adventure along the North Powell Divide.  They, together with Murray’s son Kevin, spent eight days route-finding and hiking the 50 kilometres from just south of the top of Toba Inlet, all the … Continue reading Rob Southcott, Bob Perry and Murray Jones – “Hiking the North Powell Divide”

by Andrew Bryant, 27 September 2012.  Derek Kyostia is a full-time interpretive naturalist who divides his time between the grizzlies of coastal BC, polar bears in the Arctic, and penguins in Antarctica.  Rough life! Subscribing to the philosophy of conservation through co-existence, Derek strives to educate the public on bears, and bear safety.  His goal is to benefit bears … Continue reading Derek Kyostia – “Coastal grizzlies”

by Sherri Wretham, 30 May 2012 Georges is an entomologist who has lived in Powell River since 2008.   He was born in Belgium and has spent most of his life there.  He published his first paper about beetles when he was 18 and worked for several non-government organizations before joining the Royal Belgium Institute of Natural Sciences in … Continue reading Georges Coulon – “Beetles”

by Sherri Wretham, 8 March 2012.  Christina Carrieres is the Senior Wildlife Rehabilitator for the BC SPCA Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (Wild ARC) in Metchosin, near Victoria.  She’s also the president of the Wildlife Rehabilitators Network (WRN) of BC. In addition to her hands-on work with wildlife, Christina has developed specific protocols, including diet, housing and … Continue reading Christina Carrieres – “Wildlife Rehabilitation”

by Sherri Wretham, 23 February 2012.  Dave Lacelle has been involved with environmental issues for most of his life, starting from childhood camping in a cedar lean-to, progressing to a BES at U of Waterloo, and 27 years with Environment Canada.  At the time of his talk, Dave was President of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society. When … Continue reading David Lacelle – “Hiking and Beachcombing in Haida Gwaii”

by Andrew Bryant, 19 Jan 2012. I had the great good fortune to spend over twenty years working with what used to be the most critically endangered mammal in North America, the Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis). Mine was a detective story, for that is what science is.  How do we know what we think … Continue reading Andrew Bryant – “Recovery of Vancouver Island marmots”

by Sherri Wretham, 24 November 2011.  Michael presented a lovely slide show of her seven day tour of some of the archipelago’s inhabited islands and surrounding waters.  The emphasis, of course, was on the fauna and flora.  We all wanted to go!