Fun With Fungi & a Fun Guy

An excellent Centennial Event today up at Paradise Meadows - the day included the talk & walk  by Andy MacKinnon, Research Ecologist & co-author of Plants of Coastal BC; socializing before & after; along with some audience participation, numerous questions & stories, and book-signing. Andy MacKinnon is one of the top botanists in BC, and along with his tremendous depth & breadth of knowledge, is also an extremely engaging nature interpreter.

The audience happily participated in some creative enactments of symbiotic natural relationships.

After the social, Andy signed several books and answered numerous questions.

Refreshments provided as part of the Parks 100 Conservation Events were supplemented by some home-made muffins & greatly appreciated strawberry tarts. Participants came from as far afield as Qualicum, Merville & Toronto! (a visitor with the Merville contingent)

Among the trees, lichens & fungi highlighted on the outing were many of the spring flowers of the meadows.

Western bog-laurel

Alpine white marsh marigold

Jeffrey's shootingstar

Hike to Helen Mackenzie

A great hike to Lake Helen Mackenzie today, with a small but intrepid group! Starting around the boardwalk Centennial loop, there were still a few persistent patches of snow - but many flowers are rapidly emerging:  great quantities of marsh marigold, patches of Jeffrey's shooting star, scatterings of violets, accents of bog-laurel, false azalea, pink mountain heather and bunchberry.

round-leaved yellow violet

false azalea

pink mountain heather with bunchberry (sometimes called dwarf dogwood)

Without the plant signs installed by Strathcona Wilderness Institute, we would have missed this tiny spider-like flower: the fern-leaved goldthread.

After the choruses of Pacific tree frogs in the meadows,  heading to Battleship Lake, the patches of snow increased - have to take care to find the sections of path & boardwalk between the snow cover. The lake is now quite open after the slushy surface of a week ago. At least nine Common Goldeneye, females and juveniles, were on the lake.

Water levels are high everywhere - Pigott Creek flowing out from Lake Helen Mackenzie sounded like a torrent. The weather which had started as overcast  became  misty by the lunch spot at the lake. The slope down through the woods after the lake was again a bit tricky for route-finding due to snow cover, but the trail soon became easier to find as it was mostly free of snow on this side.

Along the way we heard varied thrush, hermit thrush, juncos and chickadees. A flicker was near the Centre - but no gray jays today!

A bear was seen in the meadows from the Centennial trail - possible a young adult, which showed no interest in any hikers.

Battleship Lake Hike

Kate Pierce, the guide for the Monday Aug. 1 Level 1 Hike to Battleship Lake, has some advice for participants, having just checked out the conditions. "It is quite doable... but really important that people have boots with good tread and a hiking pole . The snow is wet and slushy as well as hard packed and icy in places so one could be sinking in at least 6 inches ... it's probably still 50% snow and quite deep in places. "

The Centre has a few hiking poles available to borrow. Kate adds: "It will be SLOW PACE ... 3 hours is a good estimate. People should have water and possibly a snack." Perhaps the most important note: "The biffy is open and there is toilet paper!"

Mount Elma Hike

The Comox District Mountaineering Club had a great trek on Sunday, up Mt Elma and around Lake Helen Mackenzie - here is a link to the trip report & photos.

A good preview of conditions for the Strathcona Wildernesss Institute guided hike up Mt Elma, on Sat. Aug. 6 with Heather & Rolf Kellerhalls, members of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society and the Alpine Club of Canada. Heather & Rolf will be volunteering at the Centre on Fri. Aug. 5, so you can stop in & ask them any details beforehand.

Summer in the Air

Summer was definitely in the air yesterday at the Centre! It was a hot sunny day although hikers report that trails beyond the meadows boardwalk are still snow-covered in most places.  Campers at Lake Helen Mackenzie reported many of the tent platforms have been cleared of snow, either by themselves or by the Parks Facility Operator, who is being kept extremely busy this year with all the maintenance & repairs required after the winter.

Botanists looking for the goldthread -thanks to Isabella for the photo!

The talk on 'Plantlife in Paradise Meadows' was standing room only for the indoor slide show -participants came from as far afield as Qualicum. Most went on the walk around the boardwalk after, and many participants spent a couple of hours doing the entire boardwalk loop. New plants blooming include fern-leaved goldthread , round-leaved yellow violet and trailing yellow violet. Many plant signs have now been placed around the meadows & boardwalk trails.

Venturing beyond the meadows requires hiking boots with good tread, and hiking poles are advisable - even a good idea on the boardwalk trails. Route finding is still difficult for those not familiar with the terrain - a day hiker on Friday lost his way when fog descended, and had to spend the night outdoors. Search & Rescue crews  were out on Saturday & luckily the hiker made it out on his own in the morning. A good reminder to always leave a trip plan with friends or family - info brochures about trip planning are available at the Centre.

Yesterday's wildlife sightings include a mama black bear & cub by the road below the last hairpin turn. A black-tailed deer had been hit & was lying by the roadside in the morning - by the afternoon, turkey vultures were there. Please drive carefully & watch out for all creatures! Another deer was happily grazing near the road higher up. Biting insects have awakened - some debate as to whether they are deer flies or horseflies.

Far-away visitors yesterday came from Germany, Holland, Switzerland, England, France, Australia, Thailand & Kenya!

A car key was turned into the Centre's lost & found, however a missing Tilley hat was not - though the owner could check at Mt. Washington Alpine Resort's lost & found.

Today's volunteer at the Centre is Linda - tomorrow, Helen & Robbie. Helen is an expert botanist while Robbie photographs the rare plants they find.

Like Lichens?

If you like lichens, how about having one named after you?

Naming rights to  two new species found by botanical researcher Trevor Goward will be auctioned off as fundraisers for two B.C. environmental groups: the Ancient Forest Alliance and The Land Conservancy.

Two top BC botanists are already in on the bidding: Wade Davis and Andy MacKinnon.

You may find how the bidding is going at Andy MacKinnon's presentation on "Plants & Fungi with a Fun-Guy" at the Wilderness Centre on Sunday July 31 at 1 p.m. Pre-registration before July 29 is necessary for this Centennial event - contact coordinator (at) strathconapark.org

Plantlife of Paradise Meadows

More details on the Sunday July 24 nature talk & walk at 1 pm:
The guide for this talk & walk is Alison Maingon, member of the CVNS & retired archaeologist, who has hiked in Strathcona Park for over 25 years.

Her talk & walk “Plantlife in Paradise Meadows” will be an introduction to the flora of a sub-alpine ecosystem and some of their uses.

Indian Hellebore- called "skookum" root, very well respected by all indigenous people

"There will be a brief slide show to illustrate the blooms and fruits that should appear later in the summer, before we walk around to see what is actually emerging from the snow pack!” says Alison. “My passion for plants, cultivated and wild, has been lifelong, and I am especially interested in how cultures, ancient and modern, have made use of them.”

Tomorrow's volunteer at the Centre is Michelle, member of the Comox District Mountaineering Club & the Comox Valley Naturalists Society.

Nature Walk Updates

A couple of changes to the program of nature walks: the guide for the 1 p.m. Sunday July 24 nature walk on Ethnobotany will be naturalist & archaeologist Alison Maingon of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society.

On Sunday August 7, the guide for the 1 p.m. nature walk will be Frank Hovenden, with "The Snow Forest: Trees of the Mountain Hemlock Zone." Frank is a long-time member of the Comox Valley Naturalists and well-known for his forest walks.

The Paradise Meadows boardwalk trails are mostly free of snow, though some slippery sections still might be encountered, and some repairs to railings need to be done. The trail to Battleship Lake might be hard to find past the junction from the Paradise Meadows boardwalk. Beyond the ponds area on the way to Lake  Helen Mackenzie the trail may also be tricky to find due to the snow.
Some great pictures of the Parks Day event on Saturday are on the CDMC website.  Thanks to Tim for his excellent photos of the day!

Ptarmigan Day

A great presentation today by Dr. Kathy Martin of the Centre for Alpine Studies at UBC, on the Vancouver Island White-tailed Ptarmigan. This event was another in the series of Parks 100 Conservation Events in honour of Strathcona Park's Centennial. Participants came from as far afield as Bowser & Quadra Island. Several had heard about the event from the BCVI Birds  group on Yahoo  and  re-discovered some birding connections with Kathy. The social was appreciated and the weather was even  sociable with partial sun & views of Mt. Albert Edward.

Tomorrow's volunteer at the Centre is Linda, who is multi-lingual & with multiple interests as a member of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society and the Comox District Mountaineering Club.

Great Parks Day

Mist, fog, showers & eventually rain couldn't dampen the overall enthusiasm for Parks Day, celebrated at the Wilderness Centre today. An amazing show by Seeds & Salt Theatre, with four very energetic performers: Denise Baughan, Ming Hudson, Lindsay Detta & David Gingerich; bringing to life four great stories of Vancouver Island's history. Thanks to these creative talents for adapting on the fly to the site & weather conditions. Don't miss this show if it comes to your community - just a week or so to go.

The Comox Valley Naturalists Society, Comox District Mountaineering Club, and Friends of Strathcona Park provided displays & all around support. Once again Thrifty's provided an excellent cake, and volunteer Marin kept everyone supplied with coffee, tea & hot chocolate. Volunteers Pam & Don pitched in to staff the Centre while Frank, Dave & Loys helped with set-up - all greatly appreciated.

Dave Nagorsen's presentation on 'Mice, Marmots & Mammoths: Mammals of Strathcona Park' ended up with a full capacity audience with  standing room only. Dave left some of his information material at the Centre for reference, and hikers in the park are encouraged to report any mammal sightings (except perhaps the Sasquatch!)

If you attended & enjoyed these presentations, please consider making a donation to Strathcona Wilderness Institute. The continuing programs & operations of the Wilderness Centre depend on your support!

Parks Day was part of a series celebrating Strathcona Park's Centennial with funding from BC Parks 100 Conservation Events . Tomorrow's talk on 'Alpine Ecology & the Vancouver Island White-tailed Ptarmigan' by Kathy Martin at 1 p.m. is the next in the series.  The presentation is free & refreshments will be served.

The Show Must Go On!

In spite of the last few days of rain, the shows at the Wilderness Centre for Parks Day tomorrow will go on as scheduled!

The theatre performance by Seeds & Salt Theatre at 10:30 will go on rain or shine - if there only a few sprinkles, the show will be held in the outdoor amphitheatre, with tents & umbrellas available for the performers & for the audience. If there is more of a deluge we will move indoors although seating will be limited there , so it will be first come first served.

The 3 pm. presentation 'Mice, Marmots & Mammoths' will be indoors as previously arranged  - so  all will go as scheduled. Those that have already pre-registered for this presentation will have seating priority.

There will be  refreshments  all day & cake at noon for all the stalwart Strathcona Wilderness supporters!

Walk & Trail Updates

A couple of updates: the walk & talk scheduled for Sunday July 24 at 1 p.m. on 'Interesting & Useful Plants of Paradise Meadows' will have a new guide TBA - more info to follow.

BC Parks has posted up-to-date trail conditions on the Paradise Meadows area as well as some of the Buttle Lake trails - check out their report.

Tree ID

The Spring Flora & Fauna outing yesterday, led by expert naturalist Betty Brooks, started with tree identification -  a basic element of our ecosystems which  are valuable to learn.

Several emerging plants were found where the snow is melting - Sitka valerian, bunchberry, common horsetail, bog-laurel, and round-leaved yellow violet. You know you are with an expert when they can identify a plant from just the leaves!

hint: round leaves...

Oval-leaved blueberry is flowering - an  interesting plant, because the blooms emerge before the leaves. A sprig is on the windowsill of the Centre.

A new bird on the outing, not previously seen yet this season, was the hairy woodpecker, now added to the list  to date.

Lichens and algae were also noted - in particular, the red algae that causes 'watermelon snow' - a great article on this in the latest BC Nature newsletter (link to follow) .

A mama bear & two healthy cubs were seen by the road, below the final hairpin turn of the Strathcona Parkway. At this time of year the bears are likely to be eating shoots & leaves of young plants. Visitors are more likely to see bears while driving than while hiking. Here is a link to BC Parks bear safety info.

Today's volunteer at the Centre is Mandy, a knowledgeable naturalist & member of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society. Tomorrow will be fellow CVNS member Isabella, who took these photos!

Flora, Fauna & Photos

A sunny day at Paradise Meadows, so the snow is melting!  Tomorrow's nature outing on 'Spring Flora & Fauna' at 1 pm. will start with an indoor presentation, and a short walkabout outdoors, depending on conditions.

BC Parks Rangers Gemma & Geoff were on site today preparing to install a spectacular sign showing the mountains that can be seen from the upper deck of the Centre, with names & historical info. Photographer Chris Carter created the panorama background - his prints can be purchased at the Centre.

Vancouver Island Marmot - photo by Don  Munroe

As part of Parks Day, next Saturday July 16 at 3 pm.  special guest speaker Dave Nagorsen will continue the Parks Centennial events. Dave was mammal curator at the Royal BC Museum for many years.  His presentation “Mice, Marmots & Mammoths” will start 25,000 years in the past and take you into the future, highlighting Strathcona Park’s mammals.

This free presentation will be downstairs at the Centre, and refreshments will be served. Indoor seating is limited so please pre-register with the Coordinator at coordinator(at)strathconapark.org. Transportation up the mountain can be arranged for those who pre-register for this event.

Seeds & Salt Theatre

An exciting event is coming up next weekend - Seeds & Salt Theatre, a travelling historical theatre company from down island, is coming to Paradise Meadows for a performance in the outdoor amphitheatre. The show happens on Saturday July 16 at 10:30 a.m.

Four talented actors will present four fascinating true stories from Vancouver Island's history: "Bedtime Stories: Dreaming of Vancouver Island" will feature 'Strathcona Park 100' , the story of the creation of Strathcona Park.

“This is not the way you remember history from your school days, this is live. These unforgettable stories capture your emotions in a way the written word cannot,” says Maureen Alexander of the Bamberton Historical Society. “The brilliance of this show is the creation of a lot from a little. The stories are hilariously and movingly told, using minimal props and agile acting that will challenge your imagination.”

Bring the whole family for this entertaining, free performance! The show is part of a series of 'Parks 100' Centennial Events celebrating the 100th anniversary of BC Parks.

By the way, today's volunteer at the Centre is Darrell, who is a member of the Comox District Mountaineering Club - an experienced hiker familiar with Strathcona Park, as well as a talented nature photographer - check out her work here.

Report from Circlet Lake

Hikers that camped at Circlet Lake a couple of days ago left this report at the Centre:

"We managed to make it to Circlet Lake. There is still more than 10 ft. of snow at the camp site. We also managed to make it up the hill towards Mt. Albert Edward (summer route) but it is very slippery and getting down that way can be tricky. (signed: two guys from Victoria)"

Thanks guys for the report! and sorry about the disappearing ink in the pen :)

Monday's presentation on the Comox Lake Bluffs Ecological Reserve was well attended - practically a full house, and all enjoyed the informative talk & photos of the rare plants found there. Afterwards participants enjoyed the display & social thanks to BC Parks who funded this Parks Centennial Event.

Socializing after the presentation

Tomorrow's volunteer at the Centre is Jenny, who is with the Comox District Mountaineering Club, and not only familiar with the Paradise Meadows area but also very knowledgeable about the winter season up at Mount Washington.

Volunteer Days

Just a quick report that the dates the Centre is staffed may change on a day-to-day basis, depending on the availability of volunteers. Please check the calendar at the bottom of the page for the latest info.

More trail reports & nature notes later this week!

Morning Sun, Afternoon Cloud

A sunny start to the day, though the clouds moved in later in the afternoon. The snow is melting, though the boardwalk is still mostly covered with about 1m of snow. Hikers are reporting the wet areas around the meadows are quite soft. One hiker successfully camped at Circlet Lake for two nights, and another group should come out today.Several are venturing out with snowshoes. Those familiar with the terrain are managing to explore, although for visitors it is more difficult as the trails are not yet visible.

Far-away visitors today came from Sweden, Germany, and Connecticut - rather than hiking, they contributed some interesting conversations!
 
A bear was reported near Mt. Washington's biathlon range to the west. Other wildlife is mainly birds - new birds heard lately include olive-sided flycatcher, white-crowned sparrow, and sooty grouse (formerly blue grouse).

Flowers are emerging in spite of the snow: marsh marigold, swamp lantern, as well as a few mystery plants - now identified as wood betony and Indian hellebore. Thanks to Isabella for the photos.

Indian hellebore emerging

Wood betony fronds

Happy Canada Day!

Paradise Meadows did look a bit like the 'Great White North' on the opening day of the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre - still about 1.5 m of snow on the meadows, though it is melting steadily. The forecast is for several sunny days in a row coming up however.

In spite of the snow, marsh marigolds and swamp lantern are blooming in the wet areas where the snow has melted. Birds seen around the Centre include gray jays (whiskey jacks) , juncos, and a red-breasted sapsucker which visited the building. Hermit thrush & varied thrush were heard singing nearby.

Many people are eager to start hiking, though possibly only one hiker today may reach his camping destination -  he was prepared with GPS tracks to follow. A good familiarity with the terrain, and knowledge of GPS or map & compass, are advisable beyond the meadows, since the summer trails are all still completely covered, and even signposts are not yet fully visible.

Visitors today came from Belgium, Australia, and the lower mainland, as well as many  from the Comox Valley or down Island. Lots of questions about the record snow levels. Thanks to Isabella for helping out today!