A very belated Happy New Year from SWI and a big thank-you to all our supporters who packed the Stan Hagen for the VIMFF this past Friday. It was a spell-binding show with the usual adrenalin-pumping performances in spectacular landscapes, but balanced by the presentation of the tension between outdoor recreation and environmental issues in our own back yard in the two longer Canadian films “Beyond the Green Veil” and VIMFF’s World Premiere of the “Return of the Bear”.
IN THIS ISSUE
- CONDITIONS IN THE PARK
- 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
- NATURE NOTE FROM BUTTLE LAKE
CONDITIONS IN THE PARK
For the ski and snowshoe enthusiasts who love the Park in winter, this year has not been disappointing for the depth of snow. Since the New Year there has been a far greater accumulation of snow on the Plateau than last year’s years meagre amount. There has consistently been over 2 metres in Paradise Meadows, with more beyond. As a measure, only the peak of the roof of the SPWC has been visible over the past two weeks and many of the Parks Signs in the Meadows are almost totally covered.
The bridge over Piggott Creek once again has its challenging gang-plank track high above the railings.
Fresh snowfalls always produce intriguing tree sculptures that last while the temperatures remain below zero, so this early January scene inspired Tim’s appropriate caption “A few snow Meerkats on the lookout” … for intruders on snowshoes?
As we near the end of March, the weather patterns, with precipitation, wind and warmer temperatures, have created less than ideal ski conditions and have destabilized the snowpack, so that the avalanche risk level has reached into the red zone ( Therefore, please watch for AC’s bulletins before venturing above the treeline.) On the plus side, the freeze-thaw alternations have created the stunning ice-fall on the rock-face above the Helen MacKenzie trail.
Over in the Buttle area, the snow line lies at about 800 m and as on the east side of the Park there is a greater snow Pack than last year.
Until the snowpack melts the level of the Lake is very low – with the many tiny “islands” standing “high and dry”. At the Kart Creek boat ramp the creek-bed is dry – although there was heavy flow in the past two winters, it seems that this year the creek has found a sinkhole to vanish into the underground karst system just below the waterfall. Blowdown has obscured the exact location of the sinkhole at present, and it remains to be seen whether the spring snowmelt will produce enough volume to find its way into the creek-bed above ground.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday April 23rd 7 – 9:00 pm.
SWI AGM and Presentation on Climbing in Sichuan Province
Evergreen Lounge, Filberg Centre, Courtenay.
SWI will hold its Annual General Meeting on April 23th in the Evergreen Lounge of the Filberg Centre starting 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 Strathcona Provincial Park at our two “huts” each summer, 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).
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 openly 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 will be announced in the coming weeks on our Website https://strathconapark.org/
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.
Here is Rod’s introduction to his presentation:
“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 by Les Disher:
“The View from My Backyard”
Stan Hagen Theatre, North Island College.
Ticket purchase information coming soon.
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. Precise details for ticket purchase will be available soon on our Website.
VOLUNTEER WITH US
Although the summer season on the Plateau is still about three 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. or have been presenters at the Workshops in our overarching series “Discovering our Biodiversity”; and volunteers who help out with our day-long workshops based at the SPWC attend for free.
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 Park and enjoy meeting visitors from near and far, staffing the Wilderness Centre or the Buttle Hut can be a rewarding experience. We hope to have again two students at the Centre through the Canada Summer Jobs program for July and August, who will cover weekends and most weekdays, but on the busiest days at the height of summer, when 200+ people may pass through the Centre, we do always need extra hands. 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 how you can contribute to our goals as an SWI volunteer.
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For more information or to contact Strathcona Wilderness Institute (SWI) please email: strathconawilderness@gmail.com
