Saturday, June 11, 2011

Nature Walk at Roderick Haig Brown Provincial Park - Upper Trails

Our next nature club meeting is...

Saturday, June 25, 2011
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Roderick Haig Brown Provincial Park– Upper Trails

Directions: Traveling west on the Trans Canada Hwy, turn left onto Squilax-Angelmont Rd and drive about 3.5 km to just across the Adams River bridge. Park on the right hand side of the road. We will meet here and cross the road to follow the path along the north side of the river.


This is a nice and easy hike through the upper trails, along the Adams River. Remember to bring some trail-friendly snacks and plenty of water. I will have a first aid kit on hand.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Nature Walk and Birdwatching on the Salmon Arm Waterfront Trail (to Christmas Island)

Our next nature club meeting is:

Saturday, May 7, 2011
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Salmon Arm Waterfront Trail – Christmas Island

Directions: If you're heading toward the wharf in Salmon Arm, turn right after the railway tracks onto Harborfront Drive NE, and follow this road to the trail head. We will meet where the map says “Thank you for your contribution in our donation box at the beginning of this trail.”


Get ready to do some birdwatching! We'll be on the hunt to try and find as many different types of birds as we can, so bring your cameras and binoculars if you've got 'em! Some of you may also want to bring a journal for sketching or taking notes.

Remember to dress for the weather, and bring trail-friendly snacks and water; I will bring a first aid kit.

Please note that dogs are not allowed on this trail.

It's been a fun Winter, now onward with Spring!

Well, we've had a really great time over the past few months, and want to say thanks to everyone for coming out with us, even when the weather was a bit cold and dreary...

In December, we got to see how beautiful Margaret Falls looks in the wintertime, all covered in snow and icicles.

In January, we had lots of fun crazy carpeting at Dry Lake... it was a perfect day, warm and sunny, and we enjoyed sitting around the campfire afterwards with some hot food and drinks.  
And we had a great time last weekend at Sunnybrae Park, even though it was an incredibly windy day at the beach! Although we spent most of our time on the playground (sheltering ourselves from the wind), it was still good to get outside in the fresh air and see our friends. We did see at least one early sign of Spring while we were there... a tiny ladybug without any spots.

And now it is that time of year again, when the sun is shining more, the days are getting longer, and the first buds and shoots of Spring are just beginning to appear. I look forward to the many wilderness walks and adventures that are sure to come over the Spring and Summer months!

Happy trails everyone :)

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Walk at the Beach - Sunnybrae Park

Our next nature club meeting is:

Saturday, April 2, 2011
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Sunnybrae Provincial Park

Directions: 15 km west of Salmon Arm, turn right onto Sunnybrae Rd. The park is 6 km down the road, on the right hand side.

Time to get back in the swing of things with Spring! It is so nice to see the sun shining more and the weather getting warmer. We will be taking a stroll along the beach, followed by a picnic lunch in the park. There are picnic tables and a playground, but I am not sure if there are any bathrooms. Remember to bring your own snacks and drinks; I will bring the first aid kit.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Snow Day at Skimikin Lake (Dry Lake)

Our next nature club meeting is...

Saturday, January 29, 2011
11:00 am to 12:00/1:00 pm (depending on how cold it is!)
Skimikin Lake (Dry Lake)
Directions: 14 km west of Salmon Arm on the Trans Canada Hwy, turn left onto Tappen Valley Rd, just before the Tappen overpass. About 4 km further, turn left onto Skimikin Rd and travel 6 km to the lake.  
Our first meeting of the new year! Everyone bundle up warm and bring your crazy carpets out to Dry Lake for some fun in the snow! Hopefully there will be enough of the white stuff around by then for some sledding and/or snowman building. We will bring some firewood in case we decide to build a small campfire to keep warm. You may want to consider bringing a hot drink and a snack to help keep you going in the cold weather! As always, I will have a first aid kit on hand.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Nature Walk at Herald Park/Margaret Falls

Our next nature club meeting is...
Sunday, December 5 , 2010
1:00 pm – 2:00/3:00 pm (depending on the coldness factor!)

Meet at the Margaret Falls parking lot (marked ‘trail parking’ on the map):
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/herald/herald_brochure.pdf
Directions: 15 km west of Salmon Arm, turn right onto Sunnybrae Rd.  The parking lot is 12 km down the road, on the left hand side.
Herald Park has many great nature trails to choose from; we could walk up through the old growth forest to check out the waterfalls, or down to the lake for some exploring along the creek and the beach.
I am sure Jack Frost will have made his spectacular appearance by then!
A note about snow: the trail to the waterfall gets quite a bit of foot traffic, so the snow is usually fairly well-trampled. If there is a lot of snow, the trails will not be stroller-friendly.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

First Item in our Nature Log

Finally, we started our nature journal! 
Our first item is a: Mushroom
Date: October 17, 2010
Location: Isobel Lake (near Kamloops, BC)
Type of forest: Douglas Fir, Aspen, Birch
Description: About 6-8 inches tall. Cream, tan, cinnamon brown, some have an orangey-red tinge.



The cap has a domed peak at the top, and widens out at the bottom. Some of the bigger (older?) ones flatten out and curl up, showing the lovely gills underneath!
The cap is cream colored at the tip and gradually darkens to a rich cinnamon brown color. The smaller ones are mostly tan colored and the larger flat ones are mostly orangey brown.
There is a prominent ring (which I recently discovered is called a ‘veil’) around the stem, which is cinnamon brown on the top (inside) and creamy white on the bottom (outside).
There is a whitish-grey powder on the top of the mushrooms, particularly the smaller ones. There is also frost on the mushrooms which makes them sparkle in the sunshine, and this blends into the powdery look.
Some of the larger mushrooms have ripples and slits in their caps.
I have never seen this type of mushroom before, and I think it is absolutely beautiful, an autumn fairy’s paradise!
After doing some research at home, we think that this mushroom could be Rozites Caperata (Gypsy Mushroom) or Phaeolepiota Aurea (Alaskan Gold). Of course, we can’t be sure!