BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO TWO GREAT DAVIDS, CHAMPIONS FIGHTING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AGAINST MANY GOLIATHS
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH -100 (MAY 8, 1926)
DAVID SUZUKI -90 (MARCH 24, 1936)
In this issue:
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GENERAL NEWS
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CONDITIONS IN THE PARK
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NOTICE OF UPCOMING EVENTS IN JUNE
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Smartphone Photography Workshop – Sunday June 7
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Annual Strathcona Bird Count (Buttle) – Sunday June 7
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Volunteer Appreciation Tea – Sunday June 14
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Guided Hike_Elk River Trail – Saturday June 20
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Backcountry Safety Workshop – Sunday June 21
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VOLUNTEERING WITH SWI
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TWO TINY SPRINGTIME GEMS
GENERAL NEWS
We are delighted to announce that SWI has been awarded a Canada Summer Jobs grant to cover seven positions for our summer activities in July and August – one programme coordinator, two research assistants/naturalist interpreters , two visitor counsellors who will staff the Wilderness Centre and two visitor centre Assistants, one for the Wilderness Centre at Paradise Meadows and one for the Buttle Hut, located at Park HQ, Buttle Lake. Four of the five students who held CSJ positions last summer will be returning to work with us for another year, and three new students have joined the team. In addition to this federal funding, a grant from the BC Parks Foundation will support the operation of the SPWC and our educational activities for visitors to the Park. We have also received grants from the Comox Valley Regional District and the Strathcona Regional District for our summer programmes at both Paradise Meadows and in the Buttle area.
CONDITIONS IN THE PARK
With the meagre snowpack disappearing fast on the Plateau, not only are the Centennial and Paradise Meadows loops now completely clear of snow, but also the popular Battleship-Helen MacKenzie Lakes loop trail is 98% clear, with only a few small patches of soft mucky snow left. The two photos below, taken by Tim Penney of the same area from the Piggott Creek Bridge, the left May 20 2022 and the right May 2 2026, illustrate the contrast in snow pack. In 2022 there was still snow in the Meadows in early July.
Lake Helen MacKenzie and Battleship are both open; the latter can be clearly seen in the panorama at the top of this section (left side, centre of photo). Beyond Battleship and Helen MacKenzie there is still enough soft snow on the trails to make hiking unpleasant – not quite enough to warrant snowshoes, but enough to make the going slow with the potential hazard of post-holing – another week with some rain and warm temperatures will open up access to the next level of the Plateau. In the Meadows the white marsh marigolds have been blooming since the week of April 20th, with the pink western bog-laurel just opening this past week.
In the Buttle area, the snowline is creeping up to the 1200 m mark especially on southern and western slopes. The lower elevation short trails are clear, with spring flowers (Fairy slipper) and mosses (common apple moss) gracing the woodlands.
As of April 16 Upper Myra Falls is generally clear of blow-down, but the platform for viewing the Falls at the end of the trail had been damaged.
The Elk River Trail, popular for the May Weekend) is most certainly clear of snow to the two campsites. A report on the removal of blowdown is not available.
NOTICE OF UPCOMING EVENTS IN JUNE
Sunday June 7th
Workshop: Smartphone Photography for Nature Walks
Time: 10.00 am – 1.00 pm
Place: the Ruth Masters Nature Hall,
lower floor of the SPWC, Paradise Meadows Trailhead.
Limit: 10 participants ; pre-registration would be appreciated.
Registration Fee: $10
Leader: Darrell Tomkins
Short Description of workshop Darrell will talk about the opportunities that cellphone cameras bring to observing and recording nature. She will provide tips on using a cellphone to capture images that show what interests you on your nature walks. She will talk about resources to bring with you for identification of plants, birds, butterflies, such as iNaturalist and SWI publications. She will suggest some apps that can expand your ability to create engaging images, applying principles of design and composition.
We will start with a classroom lecture for an hour with some examples of what she has done with an iPhone 12 Max, followed by an hour to do a self directed nature walk in Paradise Meadows with your cell phone. There will be a follow-up discussion about what people found interesting and what challenges photographing nature with a cell phone were encountered.
Darrell did her Ph. D. thesis in 1975 on the effects of roadside clearing with. herbicides on plant communities. She pursued a career in environmental mutagenesis and medical cytogenetics. Always interested in patterns and details, she retired early and earned a Diploma in Fine Arts at North Island College in 2010. She is an active member of the Comox Valley Photographic Society, Pearl Ellis Gallery, the Filberg Lodge and Park Association and the Strathcona Wilderness Institute. Curiosity and love of beauty inspire her photography.
Note – this workshop was postponed from last fall.
FMI and to Register, email strathconwilderness@
Sunday June 7th : 8:30 onwards, Buttle Lake Area
Annual Strathcona Park Bird Search.
Jocie Brooks and Mandy Vaughan are organizing the count this year, with the main focus on the Buttle Area on Sunday June 7th. One can stay at the Ralph River or Buttle Lake Campgrounds or drive over to Buttle for the day. Please meet at the Buttle Lake Campground Boat Launch at 8:30 am (reconvening in the later afternoon for an optional short wrap-up).
The areas of the count are listed below. Let us know if you would like to lead an area, or if you have an area preference. Mandy Vaughan will be organizing the teams.
If you would like to participate please contact Mandy at mandyjv@telus.net
Southwest area (Thelwood Narrows bridge to Myra Falls)
Southeast area (Augerpoint to Ralph River campsite)
Northeast area (Strathcona Park Lodge to Lupin Falls)
Northwest area (Buttle Narrows to Crest Creek)
Choose a trail! Take a hike and record birds as you go. There are many trails in the Buttle Lake corridor (the lower elevation trails are all now free of snow, including the Elk River Trail and Upper Myra Falls. The snow line will be above 1100m asl).
If you prefer the Plateau there is the Paradise Meadows Area – the trails up to Battleship Lake and Lake Helen MacKenzie are already clear of snow.
These American pipits were spotted beside the big pond in Paradise Meadows on April 20th. They would be on their way north to their breeding grounds in Northern BC and Alaska.
Sunday June 14th. Annual Volunteer Appreciation Tea Ruth Masters Nature Hall, SPWC, Paradise Meadows, 2:30-4:30 pm
On this annual occasion at the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre, SWI would like to thank all of our amazing volunteers – staffers, walk and hike leaders, all those helpers at our winter events – who have contributed to the successes of SWI’s programmes in 2025 and in previous years. Please join us on the afternoon of JUNE 14 as we recognize our volunteers and mark the return of spring in the Subalpine. There will be refreshments, including the usual decorated carrot cake, a short presentation, tokens of our appreciation for our 2025 cohort, and the opportunity to meet and socialize with your fellow volunteers. New volunteers are especially welcome to attend to learn more about SWI, its mission and the volunteering opportunities available.
Saturday June 20th
Guided hike – Elk River Trail to Volcano Creek
Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Place: the ERT Trailhead on Highway 28 (approx. 25 k west of
the Buttle Narrows Bridge)
Distance: approx 11k round trip; elevation gain ~ 200 m.
Limit: 10
Pre-registration would be appreciated.
Leaders: Mandy Vaughan and Kathryn Landry
Experienced naturalists Mandy and Kathryn will lead this easy-moderate hike 5.5 k one way along the Elk River valley as far as Volcano Creek, following the river through a magnificent lower elevation old growth forest, with its lush early summer vegetation.
Meet at 10 am at the Trailhead on Highway 28 which lies approx. 25 k west of the junction at the Buttle Narrows Bridge. Pack water and lunch, have sturdy footwear and be prepared for changeable weather.
FMI and to Register, email strathconwilderness@gmail.com
Sunday June 21st
Workshop on Backcountry Safety and First Aid
Time: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Place: Ruth Masters Nature Hall, SPWC, Paradise Meadows
Limit 12. Pre-registration would be appreciated.
Registration Fee: $10
Leaders: Margaret Symon and team of Paramedics
This day-long workshop in two parts ( with a break for lunch) is designed to prepare you for a safe summer on single-day hikes or multi-day trips into the Backcountry. The morning session will include in presentations and demonstrations focusing on:
First Aid kit – essentials
typical mountain medical scenarios:
– diabetic shock
– hypothermia / heat stroke
– stroke
– cardiac issues
overview and questions
The afternoon session will focus on the use of the AED now installed up a the SPWC and is designed to instruct SWI volunteers and others in the proper use of such a device in emergency situations that can arise in the Park.
FMI and to Register, email strathconwilderness@gmail.com
Consider Volunteering with SWI this summer
The summer season on the Plateau less than a couple of months away we are updating our lists of volunteers who have staffed the Wilderness Centre at Paradise Meadows or the Buttle Hut. We are also reaching out to those who have led hikes and interpretive walks in past years. We will continue to hold Workshops in our overarching series “Discovering our Biodiversity”; volunteers who help out with our day-long workshops based at the SPWC will of course not pay registration fees.
Those who have volunteered for us before will be pestered shortly by our Outreach and Volunteer coordinator, Jaron Piercy. Your help in past years has been greatly appreciated. Please consider volunteering again. We will also contact those who have recently signed up through our online Volunteer Application Form and of course welcome any of you who would like to join the team for the first time. Even though we have students working for us through July and August, we always welcome your assistance as well, especially in June, September and even October.
If you are familiar with the area and enjoy meeting visitors from near and far, staffing the Wilderness Centre can be a rewarding experience. We may or may not have two students at the Centre through the Canada Summer Jobs program for July and August, who will cover weekends and most weekdays. On the busiest days at the height of summer, when 200+ people may pass through the Centre, we do always need extra hands. This summer promises to be a busy one, as Canadians vacation at home. And for those of you who prefer the Park in the Fall, we continue to open the Visitor Centre through September until Thanksgiving. September brings many visitors to the Park, avoiding the heat or crowds of summer – at that point we no longer have our summer students and so rely entirely on volunteers to staff the Wilderness Centre.
Please take a moment to think about what you can contribute to SWI as a volunteer and contact Jaron at coordinator.swi@gmail.com or us in general at strathconawilderness@gmail.com.
Two tiny gems to note in springtime in the PARK.
Plectania melastoma (no common name) is a diminutive black cup fungus that appears in spring just after the snows have gone. Red granules cover its rim and outer surface, almost resembling an ancient Greek black and red vase. The size of a thumbnail, growing on the gravel of a trail, it can easily be missed.
Coptis asplenifolia ( fern-leaved gold thread ) again appears in the Meadows as the snow melts, with its delicate thread-like petals hard to detect, particularly amid the previous year’s dead foliage. It is easier to pick out the fern-like green leaves than the flower.