A Walk in the woods with Frank Ritcey and Hugh Marshall

Early mushrooms – B. Sherriff

Rule #1 is simple. Most disturbance to wildlife can be minimized by using binoculars, or sporting scopes – A. Bryant

Frank and the Kamloops Naturalists, cleaning up the Dewdrop area. – CBC News

A nurse-stump– B. Sherriff

Black slug on tree mushroom – B. Sherriff

Frank explaining that a bear has pulled up the stump to get at the bugs in the dead wood – B. Sherriff

Frank Ritcey – B. Sherriff

Group discussion – B. Sherriff

Holes drilled by sapsuckers – B. Sherriff

Frank describing the new classification of indian pipes– B. Sherriff

A Walk in the woods with Frank Ritcey and Hugh Marshall
by Barbara Sherriff, 16 September 2016.

Sixteen members of the Malaspina Naturalists joined Frank Ritcey (Wildsafe BC coordinator) and Hugh Marshall (forester) for an interesting and educational walk along the Millennium Trails at the rear of the Recreation Complex.

Things we learnt included:

Bear bells attract bears rather than repel them (a.k.a. dinner bells)
Whistles can sound like distressed small animals and attract bears
Bear spray deters bears, cougars and wolves even if you don’t hit the animal. Do not walk in the woods without a can
Bears dig up rotting stumps or mud wasp nests to look for larvae leaving holes in the ground
Bears drag garbage bags into a “staging area” in the woods to enjoy it in peace
Conifer species vary in their light requirements, which influence the structure of the forest. Hemlock and cedar, for example, tolerate shade and commonly come in under the more light-demanding Douglas fir and broadleaved species.
If a bear is huffing and puffing, it is being defensive
If a bear is coming towards you quietly (stalking like a cat), it could be considering eating you
Cougars only attack weak prey so always fight back if attacked
spit bugs should be called fart bugs as the air inside the bubbles does not come from their mouths
Slugs have just one asymmetric breathing hole on the right side of their head
Trees can control the local water table aggressively pulling up water from a wide area.
Cutting down trees will change the water table considerably
Sapsuckers feed on both the sap and the bugs that come to feed on the sap oozing out of holes that they have drilled in a tree

Frank Ritcey – “Staying safe on both sides of the glass”

Ah…the dry interior – Frank’s native habitat – A. Bryant

Bear-bells are not thought to be very effective – Coolamericanproducts.com

By far and away, garbage is the major cause of “problem bears” – Wildsafe BC

The idea is to have lots of glass between you – and the animal you’re interested in – A. Bryant

Apart from safety, you’ll get a better sense of wild behavior that way – A. Bryant

Here’s Frank installing a trail-cam , which is another really useful tool.. because it records data when you’re not there – CTV News

We need always remember that wild animals are just that – and aggression can occur unexpectedly. Perhaps this fellow is merely yawning…but I wouldn’t care to be close enough to find out – A. Vernon [Getty Images]

This photo is a hoax – a frozen deer has been cleverly posed by the hunter… but I do think it makes the point – Tattoo.com

Any large mammal that jumps at you is no joke – CBC News

WARP is a really cool tool

This is NOT recommended – D. Martin [AP]

With fruit trees coming in as the #2 culprit – L. Williams

Something we’re more familiar with – a black bear in mountain ash – Wildsafe BC

Pepper spray is effective – against bears, cougars and other creatures. But it needs to be used properly – Wildsmart.ca

I think I prefer the “long lens” approach… – Motifake.com

Frank Ritcey – “Staying safe on both sides of the glass”
by Andrew Bryant, 15 September 2016.

Frank Ritcey was raised in the wilds of Wells Gray Provincial Park, and like his parents became a lifelong naturalist and conservationist. He works for WildSafe BC, is heavily involved with the Kamloops Naturalists Club, and spends much of his time filming, teaching and guiding.

Frank began with a beautiful film of grassland wildlife to introduce his topic: how can we minimize impacts on the wildlife we observe, and keep ourselves safe at the same time? He discussed things like how to avoid being bitten by a rattlesnake (“for starters, don’t poke it with a stick”) or eaten by a cougar (“stand tall and fight back”).

He also highlighted the Wildlife Alert Reporting Program (WARP) , which logs wildlife-human encounters in BC. Data reveal that Powell River is home to black bears and, as Pogo said, “we have met the enemy and he is us“. Poor garbage management, unpicked fruit, and attractants such as bird feeders are at the root of most bear problems – and all too often it is the bear that pays.

And what if you’re out in the woods? Bear-bells and bear-bangers are now considered passé, it seems. Pepper spray is recommended. But experts also recommend that you ensure that your can of pepper-spray is not past its expiry date, that you know how to use it – and that it’s not buried in the bottom of your pack when you need it!

We’ve have some good speakers over the years, and some talented photographers. But in what must be a first for our club, we ended the evening with a rousing chorus of moose-calling…seriously.

Not to be missed.

But if you did, Frank has posted an appropriate YouTube video.

https://youtu.be/36q8sHC6Kg4

Orford River grizzlies

Doin’ what bears do! – B. Rogers

The Homolka I awaits – B. Rogers

Travelling up Bute Inlet – B. Rogers

Our ex-club-president Barbara grooving in the stern – B. Rogers

Arriving – B. Rogers

Orford River – B. Rogers

A model of collaborative resource management – B. Rogers

Our transport up-river – B. Rogers

The gang’s all here – B. Rogers

This is starting to look like bear habitat…– B. Rogers

Yippee! – B. Rogers

– B. Rogers

En route home– B. Rogers

What a great day! – B. Rogers

And now to start thinking about upcoming trips! – B. Rogers

Orford River grizzlies
by Barbara Sherriff, 26 September 2015.

Seven Malaspina Naturalists met with 3 other intrepid adventurers and boatman John at Lund. We had a fast 2 hour boat trip on Homolka 1 to Bute Inlet. We just missed seeing a humpback whale as it headed up the Hole in the Wall channel just before we arrived there.

Our Homolka guides were waiting for us with a bus to take us to their beautiful tourist centre for a picnic lunch before heading off to find grizzlies. Our first siting of a grizzly was one walking along the road in front of the bus. We then enjoyed a couple of hours watching groups a grizzlies cavorting in a river. Young cubs were trying to catch their own salmon but kept sneaking back to eat Mum’s.

After another pit stop at the centre we had another exhilarating trip back to Lund.

Derek Kyostia – “Coastal grizzlies”

Coastal grizzly with salmon
– J. Scarrow

Derek Kyostia – “Coastal grizzlies”
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 and humans alike.

His presentation focused on the natural history of grizzly bears, with emphasis on what distinguishes coastal and interior populations. Derek also included a discussion of seasonal behaviour, brought along some small skulls and other tactile props, and happily answered our questions.

Bute Inlet grizzly tour

– H. Harbord

Bute Inlet grizzly tour
by Heather Harbord, 27-29 September 2008.

Bute Inlet BearTour. This was our second tour to see the Grizzly Bears. Aboard Misty Isles, we departed Lund at 9:00am and sailed up to Orford River in Bute Inlet. We dropped our gear at the Homalco logging camp and hopped on their bus for a wild ride to where two crystal clear rivers met. The native guides who drove the bus wouldn’t let us out of it until they had checked the area to see where the bears were.

Cameras at the ready, we walked a short distance onto a gravel bar where we had a prime view of the bears catching and eating salmon and the little Bonaparte’s and Mew gulls eating the leavings. We spoke in whispers if at all and watched carefully for signals from the guides to back off. As dusk began to fall, we returned to the camp where we ate a huge delicious loggers’ supper and fell into bed. Next morning we were up in darkness for a big breakfast and then drove to the viewing platforms from which we watched the dawn and the bears but did not see as many as last year.

By mid morning we were back at the boat and sailed back down to Toba Wildernest Lodge on Pryce Channel where we spent the night. In the morning we visited the Lucey graves again but still have not been able to find out much about them except that there was a small mine on the mountain above for a very short time. Unfortunately, we were never able to arrange this trip again.