UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS AND ACTIVITIES
We have no more field trips scheduled for 2024. If you are interested in leading a club trip or have suggestions for a late fall/winter trip, please contact the club executive at info@bvnaturalists.ca.
Saturday October 5, 2024 – Fall Colour Walk at the Community Forest Nature Trail
Fall colours have been outstanding in the Bulkley Valley this month, but we’ve also had a lot of much-needed rain. Luckily, there were only a few drops of rain and even a bit of sunshine on our Saturday excursion to the Nature Trail located among the BV Nordic Centre cross-country ski trails in Wetzin’Kwa Community Forest.
The Community Forest Nature Trail was built in the early 1990s under the leadership of Bulkley Valley Naturalist founder Rosamund Pojar with help from community members associated with the then-Smithers Community Forest (now absorbed within the larger Wetzin’Kwa Community Forest). The 3.5 km loop trail allows visitors a close-up look at a typical mid-elevation (900 m) southern boreal (or sub-boreal) conifer-dominated forest. The major trees are lodgepole pine, hybrid (white x Engelmann) spruce, with scattered stems of trembling aspen, black cottonwood and upland willows (mainly Scouler’s willow and Bebb’s willow). The trail traverses a range of topographically distinct ecosystems from semi-open rocky ridgetops to mesic mossy forest to moist draws full of mountain alder, devil’s-club and ferns. Its centrepiece is a wetland fen-bog complex that forms a floating mat around the margins of Goldeneye Lake.
We began our walk by discussing the developmental history of the forest and changes that have taken place since the trail was first established. For many centuries, the mid-elevation pass between where the ski hill road now lies has provided access to Cel Winïts in Likhsilyu territory (McDonell and Dennis Lakes area) where Witsuwit’en and other nations (Tsimshian, Gitksan, Nadut’en) gathered to trade, pick berries, and fish the first salmon of the season – as commemorated at the Gathering Place near Dennis Lake. A wildfire swept through the Nature Trail area in the 1930s and blackened moss-covered logs and tree stubs can still be viewed along the trail. We’re not certain whether the fire was started by a lightning strike or was a consequence of the mining and tie-hacking activities taking place along the road to the Duthie Mine during that time.
Prominent annual rings on this recently cut subalpine fir tree indicate that it was 91 years old in 2024 (D. Coates photo).
We stopped to examine the rings on this subalpine fir tree stump, recently cut to make way for a new adventure ski trail. This 91-year old tree had no periods of slow growth, suggesting that it established shortly after the wildfire, in 1933.
Evi Coulson captured the highlights of the day in a stunning series of photos. Unfortunately this webpage has frozen and I can’t post the photos but you can view them on our Bulkley Valley Naturalists Facebook page. REPAIR IN PROGRESS
Tuesday evening birding: May – June 2024
New and experienced birders met weekly during the breeding season at local birding hotspots to improve their visual and auditory birding skills.
Sunday, May 25: Malkow Lookout Joint Hike with BV Backpackers
Mel and Evi Coulson led a joint outing of keen hikers and naturalists on a bird and bloom exploration of Malkow Lookout.
Enroute to Malkow Lookout (older photo)
Clare Gordon has posted a splendid photo-essay on our Facebook Group Page and Mel Coulson has prepared a complete list of bird species seen. 31 bird species in all, and an amazing variety of flowers in bloom, but the highlight for everyone was Mother Bear and her 3 cubs in the meadow –check out Clare’s video complete with improvised rap accompaniment.
Note: you probably need to join the BV Naturalists Facebook group to see Clare’s photos and videos.
Saturday, May 25, 2024, Birding BioBlitz at Vallee Lake Trail
Bird blitzing at the Vallee Lake wildlife viewing platform (2022) C. Verbeek photo
both photos from 2023 (Mel and Evi Coulson)
Saturday, February 10, 2024 – Wildlife Tracking on the Vallee Lake Trail with Frank McDonald
Saturday, October 7 Boreal Forest Walk on the Community Forest Harvest Demonstration Trail
The weather was perfect and 14 of us gathered for a lovely afternoon walk around the loop trail with many stops along the way to observe wildlife activity, fall colours and discuss the recovery process, 30 years after partial logging. Thanks to Clare Gordon for a splendid and informative photo-essay on the BV Naturalists Facebook page and to Bob Mitchell for his many years of caretaking this trail. And here are a few of Evi Coulson’s photos:
Golden hues of autumn devil’s club (Oplopanax horridus) foliage – Evi Coulson photo
Witches’ hair lichen (Alectoria sarmentosa) glowing in an autumn sunbeam – Evi Coulson photo
Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) goes brilliant while twinflower (Linnaea borealis) stays green – Evi Coulson photo
A black bear making sure we know this trail is their territory in the spring time -Evi Coulson photo.
“Big lonely Pop” (black cottonwood – Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa) in a forest gap -Evi Coulson photo
Saturday, August 12.
W Diamond Ranch, Regenerative Agriculture Tour with Eugen Wittwer (Lawson Road, Telkwa)
As a follow-up to his well-attended evening presentation in March, Eugen hosted a tour of his family farm to share new insights from his research on working with nature to reduce harm and increase benefits to pollinators, wildlife and local economy through regenerative agriculture.
Sunday, July 23
Awesome Creek, Dungate Community Forest, near Houston
Frank Macdonald led our group a on an all-day excursion up the aptly-named Awesome Creek. The trail follows the tiny, wildflower-line creek through a boulder field to cliff and hilltop views of Houston and surrounding country-side. We spotted one mountain goat at a distance and plenty of mountain goat tracks and signs close-up.
Sunday, July 16
Montane Wildflower Meadow exploration at Passby Creek Meadow McDonell Lake Road
Due to the wildfire smoke & thunderstorm forecast, we shifted our fieldtrip from the Telkwa Microwave area to Passby Creek meadow, closer to home and last visited in July 2021. Unsurprisingly, the flower show was less than spectacular due to the drought but we had a fun day that included a brief stop and walk in to Aldrich Lake on the return trip. An unexpected benefit of the warm weather was this unusual display of the white water buttercup:
White water buttercup (Ranunculus aquatilis) in the tranquil waters of the upper Zymoetz/Copper River. E. Coulson photo
Tuesday Evening Birding: May 9 to June 27
This popular annual event welcomed many new birders to birding hotspots around the valley throughout the birding season.
Ross Lake Birding with Hazelton Birders Ray Sturney & Ezekiel Goerke
Saturday, May 27 Birding Blitz at Vallee Lake led by Frank McDonald.
This event was part of the annual BioBlitz hosted by the Houston Nature Centre. Our group recorded 41 bird species on a trek around the lake and adjacent wetlands.
Vallee Lake viewing platform. S. Haeussler photo
Sunday, May 7, 2023: Malkow Lookout Hike
Despite impending rain we had an excellent turn-out for this joint field-trip between the BV Naturalists and BV Backpackers. The Naturalists’ pace (ve-ery, ve-ery slowly) won out over the Backpackers’ race to the summit. Then the sun came out and the muddy sections weren’t bad at all. While it was early for spring wildflowers (northern gooseberry, soopalallie and Rocky Mountain maple were in bloom), the birds were calling (Dusky Flycatcher, Wilson’s Snipe, Orange-crowned Warbler, Ruby- and Golden-crowned Kinglets, to name a few) and there was plenty to see and discuss. The rock ferns were especially lovely at this time of year.
A great hike for all ages! A. Hetherington photo
A profusion of fresh fern fronds. A. Hetherington photo
April 22, 2023 – Earth Day Sandhill Crane Excursion
Our group saw over 300 cranes on the ground, plus lots of duck species, Snow Geese, and Northern Harrier. There was a steady drizzle most of the morning so it wasn’t a good day for photography. Timing was everything this year and the birds were later than usual due to the unseasonably cold April: Several people went a day earlier so as not to miss them and only saw 3 cranes on the ground. A day after our visit there were between 3,000 and 3,500 there! They didn’t take off at their usual time of 10 am, probably also due to the poor weather. Small flocks of cranes were still observed passing over Smithers on May 1 this year.
photo from a previous trip
March 12, 2023 – Skeena River Eulachon Run (overnight trip)
Skeena River eulachon run (Mel and Evi Coulson photo)
A stretch of unseasonably cold and snowy weather, and heavy river ice interfered with our club members’ enjoyment of this year’s run. Mel and Evi made the trip as scheduled but encountered snow enroute. Those who travelled on the March 18 weekend in the sunshine fared better.
Read more about the Skeena River Eulachon Run here.
Sunday, February 26: Wildlife Tracking by Snowshoe: Frank Macdonald led us to the top of Barrett Hat and across Hawthorn Spring trail a few days after a big dump of fresh powder. There was less wildlife sign than on our 2021 excursion -notably the snowshoe hare, lynx and marten activity has greatly subsided (Coincidence? I think not!). It was a splendid day to explore the Barrett Hat Trail improvements and to soak up more local natural and human history along with the sunshine. Several other parties were also out on the trails enjoying the weather and helping to beat down the deep snowpack.
Lynx tracks near Barrett Hat on our 2021 excursion. S Haeussler photo
Read more about our 2021 snowshoe excursion here
February 12,2023 – Winter Wildlife Tracking at Ganokwa Creek
Ron Vanderstar and Anne Hetherington led a enthusiastic group of snowshoed trackers into Ganokwa Creek canyon to search for signs of wildlife. Highlights included crawling into a vacated bear den.
Alice and Tara checking out a bear den on the Vanderstar property near Ganokwa Creek (A Hetherington photo)
National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count – Tuesday, December 27, 2022
Great Grey Owl (Wendy Perry photo)
The bird count took place on a foggy and somewhat snowy day, limiting visibility, but the 55 participants appreciated the warm temperatures after an extreme cold snap the previous week. The total count tallied 42 species and 5,461 individual birds.
Of special note were the unusual number of Short-eared Owls seen hunting over hayfields, huge flocks of Bohemian Waxwings feasting on this year’s exceptional crop of mountain ash berries, surprising numbers of Varied Thrushes still remaining in the valley, and a Spotted Towhee seen at feeders during count week.
Read detailed results from the 2022 Bird Count here
Review past Bird Count results here
Sat Aug 22, 2022
Telkwa Microwave Ridge – wildflower meadow exploration
August 4, Hidden Lake Canoe Trip
Anne Hetherington led a canoe trip to the Hidden Lake bog ecosystem to examine sundews and other wetland wildlife. Read more about Hidden Lake from our 2020 post.
July 16, 2022 China Knows (Tse Zhul) Mountain
photos by Mel and Evi Coulson
This fantastic outing near Houston took us through the 2014 wildfire and culminated with sightings at the summit of some 20 mountain goats and a panoramic view of the surrounding lakes, hills and dales.
Read more about China Knows here.
June 18, 2022 Malkow Lookout –
Mel and Evi Coulson led our group on an exploration of the bird, plant and insect life of this popular Bulkley Valley hiking trail.
May 21, 2022: Wetland Exploration at Vallee Lake
Frank Macdonald led a birding and general natural history exploration on the Wetland trail and boardwalk at Vallee Lake (off Barrett Hat Road).
February 27 2022, Wildlife Tracking near Barrett Hat
Frank Macdonald led a snowshoe and wildlife tracking trip at Barrett Hat on Sunday, February 27.
Read all about it here
Map of Barrett Hat trail network available here.
December 27, 2021 Christmas Bird Count
Dawn to dusk. To participate please contact Rosamund Pojar (rpojar@gmail.com)
More birders still needed. Beginners welcome to apply.
This important event has taken place in Smithers each year since 1977.
Held in conjunction with the Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada, North America’s Christmas Bird Count is one of the world’s largest and longest-lasting citizen science projects. Read more here.
Unfortunately, there won’t be a potluck again this year
Sunday, August 29. Forest & Field Biodiversity Walk
at Ron & Diane Vanderstar’s place on old Babine Lake Road.
A hugely informative and enjoyable hike through their beautiful property, intensively managed for wildlife and as a woodlot. Top notch refreshments in the late summer sunshine.
Ron Vanderstar with moose- and bear-scarred aspen. S. Haeussler photo
Ant Hill Whitebark Pine Exploration, Sunday, August 15
Frank MacDonald led us on an exciting (windy!) excursion to the top of a small peak (the Ant Hill) north of Houston that has an outlier population of endangered whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) mixed with Rocky Mountain Juniper. Great views, amazing botany and windsurfing ravens
Sunday, July 25. Nature Journaling Workshop at Tyhee Lake Park
Led by Tina Portman and Evi Coulson
The art of a quick sketch and journaling.
Saturday July 18, Passby Creek Meadow wildflower excursion
Northern blue geranium and other wildflowers at Passby Meadow. S. Haeussler photo
Passby Creek Meadow (between Dennis and MacDonell Lakes)
Leader: Sybille Haeussler (643-9054).
This is a level walk of less than 1 km to a beautiful wildflower meadow next to the Upper Copper (Zymoetz) River, usually with abundant butterflies.
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Leader Frank MacDonald (845-7030)
Vallee Lake (also known as Johnson Lake) is a new BC Recreation Sites & Trails location with a flat trail and a boardwalk. Marsh and forest birds and vegetation. Old growth features and culturally modified trees.
Sunday, May 9, 2021 Mother’s Day. In place of our usual Brunch we opted for less formal, socially-distanced birding at Tyhee Lake Provincial Park. Read all about it here.
December 27, 2020: Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count
Held annually for 40-odd years, this year’s event did not feature a potluck, but involved 57 participants and over 6500 birds of 52 species were sighted. Read more about it in this Smithers Interior News article.
Great Grey Owl (Wendy Perry photo)
A Great Blue Heron (not listed in the article) was also spotted on the Bulkley River during Count Week.
Read more about the Christmas Bird Counts in the Bulkley Valley here.
Sunday, August 30, 2020. Nature photography with Renata Neftin
The weather didn’t cooperate for an alpine hike, but Renata and Evi captured some stunning macro-images along the Smithers perimeter trail (check it out here)
Saturday, August 8, 2020: Alpine wildflowers field trip to Telkwa Microwave Ridge
fascinated by the flowers Evi Coulson photo
Sunday, August 2, 2020: Hidden Lake Canoe Trip
Sundews (Drosera anglica) at Hidden Lake (E. Coulson photo)
Malkow Lookout – Late Spring Birds & Plants – Saturday, June 20, 2020
Schibli and Saffarek children hiking to Malkow Lookout with splendid views of Hudson Bay Mountain (early 1940s) – photo by A.W. Lenser, courtesy of Bulkley Valley Museum
Saturday, August 24, 2019 – Alpine Botany on Hudson Bay Mountain
- Saturday, August 24, 2019.
- Location: Hudson Bay Mountain Prairie. Meet at Safeway parking lot near the big Smithers Mall sign (10 am) or at the Prairie T-bar parking lot (10:30 am).
A slow, and very satisfying ramble up to the Prairie provided plenty of opportunities and helpful tips for nature photography. Several participants commented on how much they enjoyed taking the extra time to stop and observe carefully, rather than focussing on getting up to Crater Lake. See our photos and more in the blog post.
July 6, 2019 – Houston Nature Centre Bioblitz – Bugs, Bats and Blooms
Houston Nature Centre and Salmon Hatchery (arocha.ca)
- Time: 10 am to 6 pm (potluck), Saturday, July 6. Contact Cindy Verbeek (cindy.verbeek@arocha.ca) for meeting place.
- Learn more about the conservation work of arocha and the Houston Nature Centre
June 5, 2019 – Wednesday Evening Spring Birding, for new and experienced birders
- Ruby-Crowned Kinglet (Wikimedia Commons)
Call Ridge aspen forest from a mobility-friendly deck (with 6 steps). Option to come early and walk in Call Lake Park. Leader: Anne Hetherington (250-847-4618)
June 1, 2019 – Old Growth Forest Walk
Little Joe Creek old growth forest
The third in our series of guided Bulkley Valley old growth forest walks, led by Sybille Haeussler and Anne Hetherington. This walk examined the special features of the common, subalpine fir old growth found on mountain slopes in our area, along the lower, easy hiking section of the Little Joe Lakes trail, leading into Babine Mountains Provincial Park.
May 15, Frederick Lake wetland, Jollymore Rd. Led by Jay Gilden. Contact Anne Hetherington (250-847-4618).
May 22,Willowvale wetland, Leader: Anne Hetherington (250-847-4618)
Mother’s Day Birding and Brunch – May 12, 2019
photo: BC Parks
Our traditional celebration of spring. An easy walk along the shoreline trails at Tyhee Lake Provincial Park, enjoying spring birds. See you next year?
Old Growth Forest Walk – October 27, 2018
With the continued fair weather, the Bulkley Valley Naturalists hosted the second in its series of guided walks in local old growth forests. This walk took place in the alluvial cottonwood forest on the Toboggan Creek fan.