In this issue:
– SPWC and Buttle Hut are Open
– Conditions in the Park
– Upcoming events
– Nature Notes
WILDERNESS CENTRE & BUTTLE HUT OPEN
The SPWC opened on Thursday June 27th with CSJ student Jesse returning for a second year as staffer. We have been a little tardy in opening up, given that the Meadow have been clear for almost a month now. Our reason is that we have been redecorating and reorganizing the configuration of the upper floor. Gone are the bits of flaking plaster and paint; there is new shelving to display our merchandise, and eventually there will be new display panels and 3-D map. Bear with us; not everything is in its final place, but we will have two students, Jesse and Sable, along with volunteers, ready to answer all your questions about the flora&fauna and the state of the trails.
And over at Buttle we have volunteers covering most, but not all weekends, in July and August, so the hut is open Friday evening, when many visitors arrive for the weekend, then Saturday and Sunday. The “Hut” is rather spartan by comparison with the SPWC, but provides the same sort of information on trails and natural history, and the volunteers there usually meet a broad range of international travellers. ( I will put in a plea here, that if any one would like to spend the weekend at Buttle, with accommodation provided, please email us at strathconwilderness@gmail.com
CONDITIONS
The snow continues to recede up into the Alpine, but there is still snow above 1500m and in patches below that e.g. still visible on Mt Allan Brooks from the Wilderness Centre, or on Flower Ridge (as seen in the photo above taken across Buttle Lake). Back-country campsites on the Plateau should be clear, although some snow may still linger at Circlet.
To date, the latest report from BC Parks is still that of June 13th – one expects a more recent one just before July 1. (Check here.) In Paradise Meadows and the lower Plateau there has been sufficient precipitation and cloud to stimulate the insect populations – good news for the bird populations, less so for hikers – so be prepared for lots of “bugs” this weekend.
Just a quick note that there have been no further cougar sightings reported on the Elk River Trail. Our guided hike group on June 22nd went as far as Puzzle Creek with no sign even of bear activity.
UPCOMING EVENTS
An outline of our Walk, Hike and Workshop Schedule until mid-July (with some repeated information from the last E-newsletter)
Interpretive Walk around Paradise Meadows – Early Summer Blooms
Date: June 29th
Time: 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Place: Meet at the Wilderness Centre, Paradise Meadows Trailhead, Strathcona Provincial Park.
Distance: 2-3km around the Meadows
Limit : 15 participants; pre-registration would be appreciated.
A guided walk around the boardwalks of Paradise Meadows led by naturalists who will identify the abundant spring and early summer flowering plants that thrive in the moist environment of a subalpine meadow. We will also be putting out the plants signs in time for the long weekend visitors. We remove the signs every fall, before the snow comes — no, they were not eaten last year by a Sasquatch contrary to one rumour circulating.
FMI and to Register, email strathconawilderness@gmail.com
Guided Hike: Battleship/Helen MacKenzie Lakes loop.
Date: June 30th
Time: 10:00 am – 3:00pm
Place: Meet at the Wilderness Centre, Paradise Meadows Trailhead, Strathcona Provincial Park.
Distance: 8.6 k round trip; elevation gain approx. 125 m.
Limit : 15 participants; pre-registration would be appreciated.
Leader: Mateo Jaeckel
SWI Environmental Programme Coordinator Mateo Jaeckel will lead this early season hike at a leisurely pace around the 8.5 k loop, past Battleship Lake and stopping at Lake Helen MacKenzie for lunch. As always, have study footwear, and carry plenty water and be prepared for changeable weather in the subalpine.
FMI and to Register, email strathconawilderness@gmail.com
Workshop: "Introducing the Whiskyjack, the Eighth Wonder of the Universe!"
Date: July 6th
Time: 10am – 3pm
Location: Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre, Paradise Meadows
Cost: $25; Limit of 25 Participants
Registration: Email strathconawilderness@gmail.com
Instructor: Dan Strickland
Dan Strickland has been studying Canada Jays (Whiskyjacks) in Paradise Meadows since 2016, and for decades before that in Ontario and Quebec. In this SWI workshop Dan will first explain why these birds are so special, how west-coast Canada Jays are dramatically different from their eastern counterparts, and why, right across Canada, our unofficial national bird is threatened by climate change. Then we’ll head out on the trails where we can meet some of the local west coast Whiskyjacks and learn how, based on its coloured leg bands, each individual jay gets its own unique name. Once you know how the system works you, too, can make valuable contributions to the study!
For more information about Dan’s Canada Jay Project, see the Annual reports and articles on our website page under the Research Tab- https://strathconapark.org/
Here is a link to the 2023 Annual Interim Report.
This is the first of the SWI “Discovering our Biodiversity” 2024 Workshop Series – more to be announced soon.
Guided Hike to Croteau Lake
Date: July 7th
Time: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Place: Meet at the Wilderness Centre, Paradise Meadows Trailhead, Strathcona Provincial Park.
Distance: 12 k round trip; elevation gain approx. 270 m.
Limit: 15 participants; pre-registration would be appreciated.
Leader: Janet Beggs.
CDMC Vice President and passionate hiker, Janet Beggs, will lead this moderate hike past Battleship Lake and Mt Elma to scenic Croteau Lake, which offers splendid views of Mt Albert Edward and Castle Crag beyond the Lake. Pack water and a lunch, have sturdy footwear and be prepared for changeable weather in a mountain environment.
FMI and to Registe, email strathconawilderness@
Hike to Arnica Lake (Buttle Area)
Date: July 13th
Time: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Place: Meet at 8:00 am at the Trailhead parking lot, located beyond the mine at the end of Westmin Road (around 40km south from the Highway 28 junction.)
Distance: 13.6 k round trip; elevation gain approx. 800m with steep sections
Limit : 15 participants; pre-registration would be appreciated
Leaders: Mandy Vaughan & Kathryn Landry.
Naturalists Mandy Vaughan and Kathryn Landry will lead this intermediate hike in the Buttle area, up to Arnica Lake on the Phillips Ridge Trail. The trail follows a switchback route up from the mine area, with views of Mt Myra across the Myra Creek valley to Arnica Lake which boasts lush and colourful subalpine meadows. With an early start the group will avoid hiking in the heat, but pack plenty of water, and a lunch. As always, be prepared for sudden changes in weather in a mountain environment.
FMI and to Register, email strathconawilderness@
Workshop : "Inspired by Wilderness" Discover "wilderness" by sketching or painting in the Park
Date: July 14th
Time: 10:00 am – 3:00pm
Place: Meet at the Wilderness Centre, Paradise Meadows Trailhead, Strathcona Provincial Park.
Distance: 5-6km round trip elevation gain approx. 125 m.
Cost: $15; limit 10 participants;
Registration : email strathconawilderness@
Leader: Claire Gordon
Wilderness-lover and yoga practitioner, Claire will guide a hike out into the Park along the Battleship/Helen MacKenzie loop to select a suitable place where participants will discover how to translate the scene before them onto paper using pencil or brush, and so learn to appreciate the diversity of the natural world of the Park. Claire will bring the necessary materials and hep you – all you need is the curiosity to explore beyond the “postcard picture”.
Note- should the weather prove inclement we do have a Plan-B – we can use the shelter of the Wilderness Centre, overlooking Mt Allan Brooks and beyond to Mt Albert Edward.
NATURE NOTE
In Paradise Meadows the spring blooms are quickly being overtaken by the early summer sequence., but the waters running through the meadows are still too cool for the amphibians to emerge from their winter hibernacula. In the lower elevations of the Buttle area, however, the Western Toads have already produced the next generation. So the shallow waters at the edge of the lake, with gravel bars creating ponds as the lake waters recede, pride suitable habitat for the tadpoles to develop. Not all will survive, but in a few weeks the tiny froglets will be making their way inland and uphill for the summer and fall, before going underground for the winter. Through the summer you will find the toadlets on trails near water bodies and finding suitable “toadstools” ( an admirable boletus) as in the 4th photo below. And eventually one will grow into the big 15 cm long mama in the last photo, and so the cycle will continue.
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.
