IN THIS ISSUE
- Fall in the Subalpine
- SPWC and Buttle now closed for the Season
- Upcoming events – Back Country Film Fest, Nov. 15
FALL IN THE SUBALPINE
Since mid September the Sandhill Cranes had been flying high above the Plateau, with their haunting calls -always a sign that summer is drawing to an end. Tim Penney took the photo that heads this Newsletter – one of 6 flocks spotted on his hike on Sept 20th. The changing colours in the Meadows has been slower this year as a result of more precipitation in August and into September. The colours, though still brilliant have not been as outstanding as in the past three years. On the other hand the extra moisture has brought out a wealth of mushrooms – as if the fungal organisms, deprived of ideal conditions for the past three seasons, are making up for lost time in producing their reproductive fruiting bodies. The range of species has been spectacular, mushrooms large and small, all colours of the rainbow in profusion. Moreover, a large number of slime moulds have been recorded, as have more than the usual instances of hypomyces, that is fungi growing on or parasitizing other fungi, such as the hypomyces that transforms the white Russula brevipes into the well know red “lobster” mushroom.
Two stunning slime moulds ( sorry no common names)
Left – Colloderma oculatum in its fruiting stage with an inridescent purple sphere supported by a translucent jelly stalk – found by our summer student Zeke in the Paradise Meadows area.
Right – Physarum rubiginosum, which typically colonizes the stalks of terrestrial mosses, found in lower elevation sites around Buttle Lake.
Fungus and Hypomyces
Below left is a photo pf Ramaria araiospora -red coral, with on the right an example of a white Hypomyces parasitizing a red Ramaria.
So the 6th Annual SWI Mycology Workshop held on the weekend of Sept 21st /22nd had ample specimens for the ID sessions and forays into the Meadows – a good measure of how much there was for our experts to show the participants is the fact that neither in the morning nor the afternoon did the groups go more than 400-500 m from the trailhead. The weather may not have been perfect, but a little rain never deters a dedicated mycologist.
[For more fungi from the Park see the end of the Newsletter.]
Fall is always the best season for hiking in the Park, whether on the Plateau or in the Buttle area. No one can complain about the cooler temperatures, the colours of the grasses and shrubs, the absence of insects and the variety of atmospheric effects. Below are a few representative photos submitted by our “photographer in residence” Tim Penney, from a couple of his recent mid-October Hikes, one on Mt Elma, the other on Mt Drabble.
Snow has now fallen up in the Subalpine and is permanent above 1500m on peaks both on the Plateau (as seen in the photo above of Castlecrag and beyond) and in the west side of the Park which receives more precipitation than the Plateau (see the photo of Kings Peak and Elkhorn below). So please be aware that with the subzero temperatures one expects there to be ice on the Boardwalks around Paradise Meadows early in the day.
SPWC AND BUTTLE HUT NOW CLOSED
Our two information “Huts”, at Paradise Meadows and at Buttle Lake, are now closed for the season. Summer 2024 was another busy season for SWI. Our final report and retrospect will appear in November, but at this point we should note that, as always, the SWI’s success was due in large part to the time and energy contributed by our summer students and some 40 dedicated volunteers who staffed the SPWC and Buttle Hut, led walks, hikes and workshops or helped out with events up at the SPWC. A big thank-you to all of you. You will receive a thank-you note from the directors, together with invitations to our winter events, and a special appreciation gathering up at the SPWC next June.
Upcoming Event
Backcountry Film Festival (BCFF)
Date: Nov 15th, 2024
Time: 7pm – 9:30pm (Doors Open 6:30pm)
Location: Stan Hagen Theatre, North Island College
Tickets: Adults $25 ($22 if Purchased Online),
Youth $10 (16 & Under) – Eventbrite Ticket Link
Strathcona Wilderness Institute (SWI) is delighted to announce that we will be hosting our 3rd Annual 2024 Backcountry Film Festival presented by Winter Wildlands Alliance of Boise, Idaho.
The Festival offers a collage of human-powered stories, snowsports, and backcountry-inspired experiences with both athletic and environmental focus. Winter Wildlands Alliance is a US nonprofit organization working to inspire and empower people to protect America’s wild snowscapes. The Alliance includes 100 grassroots environmental organizations and backcountry partners. Their Snowschool program engages over 33,000 kids in science-based field trips and education across 72 active sites nationwide. For more information on the films and the Winter Wildlands Alliance go to the BCFF Website: https://winterwildlands.org.
Proceeds from our ticket sales will be supporting SWI in its mission to inspire awareness, appreciation and stewardship of the natural world through research, education and participation within Strathcona Provincial Park. We are so grateful for your support.
Purchase tickets on Eventbrite ahead of time for $22 Adults and $10 for youth (16 and under); remaining tickets will also be for sale at the door based on availability ($25 Adults, $10 Youth), CASH or CARD at the door. Printed tickets are not required, simply an e-ticket or your name will work. For the Eventbrite Tickets Link click here: or go to the events page on our Website.
A FEW INTRIGUING STRATHCONA FUNGI
HAPPY THANKSGIVING BELATEDLY FROM SWI
Sign Up for Email Mailing List Below!
If you would like to receive our E-Newsletter automatically to your email please fill enter your email address below.
For more information or to contact Strathcona Wilderness Institute (SWI) please email: strathconawilderness@gmail.com
