Comox Lake Bluffs ER Presentation

The Wilderness Centre opens on Friday, and the first of a series of Parks 100 Centennial Events at the Centre will be on Monday July 4.

Helen Robinson, naturalist & volunteer warden of Comox Lake Bluffs Ecological Reserve, will give a slide show at 1 pm. on the importance of the Comox Lake Bluffs ER,  showing the beautiful flora & fauna of the site and highlighting many of the rare species found there.

Ecological Reserves are protected areas, created to provide areas for research into natural ecological processes, preserve genetic 'banks', provide benchmark areas, and provide outdoor classrooms - they are not created for outdoor recreation, therefore different from parks and other recreational areas.

Comox Lake Bluffs ER was created to protect unusual dry-site plant communities in the Coastal Western Hemlock zone.

hooded ladies' tresses (Spiranthes romanzoffiana) with a guest - a white crab spider

As indoor seating is limited, pre-registration is recommended : coordinator@strathconapark.org

The Comox Valley newspapers  have featured the SPWC programs this week - check out articles in the CV Record here,  CV Echo here , and the July programs here.

Fog!

Another volunteer meeting at the Centre this morning - however not a sunny day this time, but fog so thick on the road up, that at times we couldn't see more than a few metres ahead! Please take care & drive slowly when going up the mountain at such times. However by about 900 m elevation, the thick fog lifted & the skies were merely overcast.

It looks like the Centre will be staffed almost every day in July, and hopefully August & September will fill up as the season progresses! Check the calendar below for the dates. Thanks volunteers!

2011 Strathcona Bird Search

A beautiful day for the 20th annual Strathcona Park Bird Search - a couple of us, members of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society, went up to Paradise Meadows this a.m. to count for a couple of hours.

There is still about 2 m. of snow in the meadows, covering practically all the trails.  A few visitors were exploring but not venturing too far. So far it's not too bad walking on top of the snow, but as things warm up it will actually get more tricky, as the snowbanks melt from underneath.  At one area  the boardwalk was exposed, showing some damage due to the weight of the record amount of snow over the winter.

16 species of birds counted today:
Pileated woodpeaker: 1 (above - to my mind, the bird of the day - had a great view of it making quite a racket excavating a tree cavity)
Red-breasted sapsucker: 1
Hairy woodpecker: 1
Northern flicker: 1
Olive-sided flycatcher: 2
Common raven: 1
Gray jay: 9 (always great to see these guys!)
Chestnut-backed chickadee: 6
Red-breasted nuthatch: 3
American robin: 4
Varied thrush: 6
Hermit thrush: 4
Dark-eyed junco: 16
Chestnut-backed chickadee: 6
White-crowned sparrow: 4
Pine siskin: 12

A few marsh marigold are appearing in the wettest areas. Along the road up the mountain, pink heather, lupins and swamp lantern (skunk cabbage) were blooming. In a roadside pond, we saw a female goldeneye - unfortunately not within the park boundary, so we didn't add it to the count.  Also on the roadside -  a pile of recent bear scat - so the bears are awake!

A Winter Trip in Summer

Members of the Comox District Mountaineering Club just spent a couple of days going up Mount Albert Edward, camping one night at Circlet Lake. A great trip report & photos here.

Sunny Day at the Centre

A good volunteers meeting at the Centre this morning - sunny & warmer than expected! However compared to exactly one year ago, more snow lingering - even at the trailhead.

Heather & Rolf, who stayed on the mountain last night, reported nighthawks late in the evening - these birds likely won't be counted on this weekend's Strathcona Bird Search though, as they are only active late in the day. The bird count will probably be done on Saturday or Sunday morning, depending on which day looks more promising for weather.

A few visitors already wanting to hike in the meadows - a couple from England reported that they made an attempt, but kept 'postholing' through the snow - not easy going!

Happy First Day of Summer

On the first day of summer,  Paradise Meadows still has a lot of snow, and a mixture of sun & cloud. The temperature at the meadows elevation of 1100 m. is usually about 5-6 degrees cooler than down in the Valley.

Last year the snow disappeared off the boardwalk by about the first week of July. This year, the guided nature walk programs start a bit later than last year, in the hopes of avoiding the snow. Here is a link to the poster showing the summer schedule of programs - print a copy & keep it handy, or check this blog for regular reminders & updates.

Volunteers Welcome!

As you can see on the calendar at the bottom of the page, the Strathcona Wilderness Institute has a great program of nature walks, hikes & Strathcona Park Centennial events lined up for the summer of 2011 - thanks to the help of many volunteer guides & presenters.

Volunteers to staff the Wilderness Centre are still welcome , FMI please contact coordinator (at) strathconapark (dot) org .

Trek to Ball Lake

The Comox District Mountaineering Club had a trek through  Paradise Meadows to Ball Lake on the weekend - see the trip report, map & photos here.
A lot of snow has to melt before summer arrives!

Report from Buttle Hut

The Buttle Lake Information Hut operated by Strathcona Wilderness Institute will be opening this coming weekend - starting Friday at 3 pm. Gerry Roberts who staffs the hut has already received a report of hiking conditions from the Crest Mountain Trail.

"I received a report this afternoon from a neighbour who tried to go up Crest Mountain (Thursday 9, 2011) that he found snow at about 1,000 metre level; it was not soft but like hard ice so he could go no farther as he did not have crampons."

If you plan on hiking around the Buttle Lake area of Strathcona Park, stop in & see Gerry for information. (On the Westmin Rd: go 200m past the bridge where Hwy. 28 to Gold River turns west). See map here.

Events Calendar

A new feature on the blog ! Scroll to the bottom of this page where you will find a calendar showing the dates this summer that the Wilderness Centre will be staffed, as well as dates of nature walks, hikes and special 'BC Parks 100' Centennial Events.

The summer program is now posted here on the Strathcona Wilderness Institute website -  check the list on-line or download a pdf poster.

Legendary Flowers

Paradise Meadows and Forbidden Plateau are in the news - but in a rather unusual way!
Here is a link to the story.

The 'native legend' mentioned is actually a story invented back in the 1920's by local newspaper publisher Ben Hughes. The occurrence of pink snow is due to an algae -  a fascinating phenomenon of nature.

The rhododendrons in the article sound wonderful -  all gardeners are no doubt looking forward to seeing them. The Plateau area has its own native wild white rhododendrons, which should be blooming by mid July.