In this issue:
A new look at the SPWC
Conditions on the Plateau
August Schedule of Events
Brief Report on July Events
BC Parks Visitor Satisfaction Survey
SWI Mycology Workshop, September 21 and 22
A NEW LOOK AT THE SPWC
As mentioned in an earlier Enewsletter, we have been refurbishing the interior of the SPWC, with fresh paint, a new layout, a spruced up 3-d map of the Plateau and now the addition of Interpretive Panels introducing the visitor to Strathcona Provincial Park and to its amazing ecosystems.The overall concept has been the work of former director Glenn Gustafson with the help of director Debbi Sundberg, and Jaron Piercy, our Outreach and Volunteer, Coordinator took on the task of refreshing our old 3-D map. Still to come is a 3-D map of the whole park to hang on the west wall.
Photos of the Panels
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- new Park signs
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- new park sign #2
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- New park sign #3
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- New park sign #4
These splendid panels have been funded by the generous donations that were made in memory of long-time supporter of Strathcona Park and SWI volunteer, Chris Carter, who passed away last summer at the age of 90. Members of his family have said that he would have been thrilled with the panels – reflecting his passion for ensuring that the public fully appreciated Strathcona Park’s Wilderness.
Conditions on the Plateau
At the outset of August the Park is enjoying greater moisture than it has in previous summers. The meadows are lush with displays of mid-summer flowers, including the scented white orchid and the king gentian. But the dominant perfume at the moment is that of the three species of burnet which are blooming I profusion throughout Paradise Meadows – the tall white Sitka burnet (Sanguisorba stipulata) and the burgundy coloured great burnet and Menzies’ burnet ( S. officinalis and S. menziesii) providing lots of food for bees.
The abundance of midges, mosquitoes and blackflies, a nuisance to hikers provide plenty of food for night hawks and other insectivorous birds, as well as dragonflies , as the one depicted at the head of the Enewsletter. There has been sufficient rainfall to encourage a variety of slime-molds e.g Wolf’s milk – Lycogala epidendrum or Pretzel slime-mold – Hemitrichi serpula illustrated below. One of our summer research assistants, Zeke Gilmore, has chose the study of slime molds in the Park as his Project, so you will be hearing more about them at the end of the summer.
Fungi have also been appearing, and so we are hopeful that this coming September will see a greater number of species than we have for our past two or three Mycology Workshops. A somewhat unusual fungus observed in the Meadows recently is an Exobasidium on the the white mountain heather. (In the photo below the true heather bloom is already over.) This fungus imitates a flower colour to attract insects, who will then carry the fungus’ reproductive spores to another location.
August Schedule of Events
Our Schedule of August Walks and Hikes is now posted at the SPWC and on our Website: https://strathconapark.org/
Here is is below (although you will need a hand lens to magnify the image!)
Brief Report on July Events
July was a busy month for us, with three workshops in the “Discovering our Biodiversity” series, several interpretive walks in the Paradise Meadows area and six guided hikes, two of them in the Buttle area.
Here are a few photos to illustrate:
Dan Strickland’s “The Whiskyjack – 8th wonder of the World”
with the aid of post-doc researcher Andie and her assistant Zoe out in the Meadows identifying the individual Jays and their “pecking order” at the food source. July 6.
Claire Gordon’s “Inspired by Wilderness” , July 14
Loys Maingon’s “Lichens of Strathcona Provincial Park”
Hike along the Elk River Trail, June 22- Leaders Mandy V. and Kathryn L.
Hike to Arnica Lake , July 13. Leaders Mandy V. and Kathryn L.
Hike up Mt Elma, July 28. Leader Loys M.
BC Parks Visitor Satisfaction Survey
The 2024 BC Parks Visitor Satisfaction Survey will be open from May 17 to September 16. The survey is open to all park visitors. The goal is to better understand the experiences of residents and visitors who use parks across the province. Through this survey, we hope to learn more about who is visiting parks, what activities they enjoy while visiting, what they like about parks, and where there is room for improvement. This information will be used to support future decision-making, training, and funding for facilities, trails, and other initiatives.”
This survey, in spite of the accompanying blurb, is geared towards external visitors to BC Parks, and not local users of Parks such as Strathcona Provincial Park. What is important is to add in comments that would reflect the opinions of many of us who access the back-country of Strathcona Park on a regular basis to hike, climb and explore the diversity of it environments. So far there has apparently been little response from back-country users. So please submit your thoughts if you have concerns.
THE 6th ANNUAL SWI MYCOLOGY WORKSHOP SEPT 21-22, 2024
Our schedule for the workshop should be finalized soon, but if you wish to see photos of previous Mycology Workshops check the Events Page tab on our Website under Past Events.
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For more information or to contact Strathcona Wilderness Institute (SWI) please email: strathconawilderness@gmail.com
