Late April News

Easter Greetings from SWI

In this Issue:

CONDITIONS IN THE PARK
REMINDER UPCOMING EVENTS
- Wed. April 23 – SWI AGM & Presentation on Climbing in Southwestern China.
- Fri. May 9 – The Universe from my Backyard – Deep-sky Images of Celestial Wonders.
VOLUNTEER WITH US
BIRDS RECENTLY OBSERVED IN THE BUTTLE AREA

CONDITIONS IN THE PARK

With sunshine and warming temperatures over the past week or so, the snowpack has been shrinking. Mt Washington now posts a level of 175 cm at 1100 m. With soft snow on the Plateau bringing a pause to treks until the trails are clearer, we will look to the west side of the Park for more signs of spring. The snow line there on south and west facing slopes appears to be between 900 and 1000 m. The creeks running into Buttle are filling with meltwater and visibly running into the lake (except for Karst Creek) so that lake levels are beginning to rise. Our benchmark islet near the boat-launch is no longer has a causeway above water.

At lower elevations in the Buttle area spring is already marked by the bright yellow of the evergreen violets (viola sempervivens) , stunning pinks of the flowering currant, as well as the diminutive flowers of the Oregon boxwood (Paxistima myrsinites). Last Wednesday a Western Fairy slipper (Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis) in bloom on the Lupin Falls trail was uploaded onto iNaturalist. The earliest butterflies – Green Comma ( Polygonia faunus) and Echo Azure (Celastrina echo) – are enjoying the sunshine in the forests and one can hear the distinctive drumming of the male Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus).

At the end of the Newsletter can be found photos of some recently observed birds in the forest and on the water now ready for the nesting season, some year-round residents, others who have made their way north.

REMINDER OF UPCOMING EVENTS

April 23rd 7;00 pm. SWI AGM
plus Guest Presentation on a first ascent in SW China.
Evergreen Lounge, Filberg Centre, Courtenay.

SWI will hold its Annual General Meeting on April 23th in the Evergreen Lounge of the Filberg Centre at 7:00 pm in conjunction with a presentation by Rob Szasz on exploring a remote mountain area of Sichuan Province in southwestern China.

Strathcona Wilderness Institute is a not-for-profit organization whose essential role is, in partnership with BC Parks, to serve as an interface between the Strathcona Wilderness and the general public. We are a non-membership society, and so we invite members of the public with an interest in Strathcona Provincial Park to attend our AGM, since its purpose is to present our Annual Report to the public, as well as to elect the Board of Directors for the coming year.

With our mission to inspire awareness, appreciation and stewardship of the Natural World through research, education and participation, we schedule interpretive hikes and workshops, and oversee research projects in the Park, including the SWI Data Collection Project on iNaturalist. We also provide the Public with information about the Park at our two “huts” each summer in Strathcona Provincial Park, at the Paradise Meadows Trailhead and at Buttle Lake. All our activities are carried out by VOLUNTEERS and SUMMER STUDENTS (funded through the Canada Summer Jobs program).

So we invite former and potential volunteers to attend the AGM and learn more about SWI’s work, accomplishments and plans for the upcoming year. We always welcome volunteers to staff our visitor centres and participate in our educational programs, thus ensuring the continuation of what we have achieved in the past. Please put your names forward! Anyone who loves Strathcona Park and would like to contribute a little of their time to the organization of SWI’s many activities should consider becoming a director. Nominations can be made from the “floor”.

For more information about the AGM please contact us at: strathconawilderness@gmail.com
More information and details on the event is to be found on our Website events page and on our Facebook page.

Our guest speaker, Rod Szasz, is a Nanaimo-based inventor and entrepreneur with a love for adventure and climbing. He grew up in Ladysmith and was educated at Malaspina University-College (now Vancouver Island University) and the London School of Economics. After travelling the world, he then spent most of his adult life working in Japan, during which time he climbed extensively in Asia. He returned to Vancouver Island about 13 years ago, where he continues to climb remote peaks but periodically travels overseas to climb and explore out-of-the-way places.

According to Rod:
“China has long been a destination for Western explorers, and its vast southern border encompasses the entire Himalayas along with the lesser-known foothills of some of the most remote regions on Earth. While rapid modernization has transformed China from a former colonial backwater into one of the world’s largest economies, adventure and exploration still thrive in its untamed landscapes. For those with the time, determination, and willingness to navigate Chinese bureaucracy and law enforcement, countless Himalayan peaks remain unclimbed. In 2017, a group of four of us from Vancouver Island spotted an uncharted range in Sichuan Province, with peaks soaring above 5,000 metres—absent from maps, with no recorded history, and little information in any language. Armed only with Google Earth downloads, we embarked on a two-week trek into the unknown. We climbed San Dui, a 5,200-metre peak, lost our mules for a time, dodged police roadblocks, endured gut-wrenching illness, and found warmth in Tibetan hospitality. It was an expedition into the raw, untamed China—where adventure is not just possible but inevitable. China’s wild landscapes and rich cultural heritage are waiting to be explored.”

Friday May 9th – 7pm – 9pm
Astrophotography Presentation – The Universe from My Backyard: Deep Sky Images of Celestial Wonders.
Tickets: $15 Adults, $10 Students (Valid ID), $5 Youth (16 and Under)
Stan Hagen Theatre, North Island College, Courtenay.

We are delighted to announce that, by popular request, Les Disher will return to dazzle us with more celestial images taken through his “backyard” telescope – stunning photos of galaxies and nebulae beyond our ken. Full details about the presentation are to be found on our Website’s Events page https://strathconapark.org/swi-events/ complete with images from last year’s show. Note too that there will be a raffle for a print of one of Les’s photos of the Andromeda Galaxy (the image used on our Poster).

Ticket purchase can be made through the Simpli Events platform: https://simpli.events/e/swiTheUniverseFromMyBackyard .

CONSIDER VOLUNTEERING WITH SWI

Although the summer season on the Plateau is still 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.

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.