Young Naturalist Events
Hello,
Events take place every season so look below for details on the next event happening in Powell River. All events take place on a Saturday from 10 am – 12 noon, and although participation is by donation, we do ask you register so we know you are coming! Ask your parents to call Janet at 604 485-0077.
UPCOMING
April 14, 2012 10 am to approximately noon – Mason Bees and more
The Young Naturalists have been invited to visit a gentleman south of town who has looked after mason bees for a long time. He will teach us about mason bee lifecycles and we will have the opportunity to put together some mason bee houses. Also, he has a large property with lots of other things to interest young minds, so please contact Janet 485-0077 to register and find out more…such as important details relating to the exact address, what to bring, etc.
IN THE RECENT PAST
November 2011 – Sea Lion, seals and shoreline birds
We went down to the Hulks, at the south end of Catalyst Paper Corporation mill and looked at the Californian and Steller Sea Lions in the log-sorting area. We were lucky to see both species together as it was easy to tell them apart. We also saw shoreline birds such as Barrow’s goldeneye and bufflehead, plus cormorants and common loons.
June 2011 – Shoreline Critters
For the second time since the club was created, we ventured down to the shoreline below the Sea Walk on an extremely low tide to look in the tidal pools and find some fantastic creatures that show nature has fun with colours and shapes. We found fish, sculpins, in jazzy colours and crabs both dead and alive, big and tiny. There was lots to see and explore.
April 2011 – Geocaching
We went on a hike through the woods around Powell River Recreation Complex, led by Bonnie Kent. This was an introduction to geocaching and the children used GPSs to find caches then created and hid their own. It was a lot of fun and we saw many more things as we explored the forest.
January 2011 -Whales, dolphins and porpoises!
Susan MacKay has worked with local whale, dolphin and porpoise populations for years. She has collected lots of fabulous pictures and sounds and information about them that she wishes to share. This will be an indoor event, and the information you will learn can be used as soon as you see something really big swimming in the ocean along our coast. As usual, indoor events are held at the Trinity Hall of United Church, on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Duncan Street in Westview. Make sure you arrive on time. We hope to see you there!
February 2010 – Worms!
WOW! What a great time we had playing in the dirt and learning all about worms. We met at the Community Resource Centre on Joyce Avenue across from the First Credit Union, where there is a worm farm in the backyard. The folks there have been raising earthworms for their kitchen garden and compost bins and it was time to see how many worms had been raised so they invited our members to come and help with the counting, measuring and weighing of the wrigglers. Worms are incredible and often overlooked little creatures that serve a purpose by mixing and adding air to the soil. Here’s some photos.
March 2010 – Lichens
Ann Clements explained the seven types of lichens to members and supervised as young naturalists found examples in the woods. The specimens were identified before being replaced where found.
August 2010 – Purple Martins
We have the northernmost nesting area for these little swallows. They have been given wooden nests on pilings that stretch out into the water around Myrtle Rocks. Every year the birds are counted and banded so that they can be tracked when they migrate.
Young Naturalists were invited to participate and a total of 59 birds were banded in 15 nests. This was a great year for the purple martins. They feed on flying insects and can be seen swooping round and around their nesting area. Thanks to Bruce Cousens and his researchers from the BC Purple Martin Recovery Program for coming over from the Island and inviting us to participate.
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