2014 NatureWILD Issue 4

NatureWILD Magazine for Young Naturalists in British Columbia

Skunk

Volume 15 Issue 4 2014

NURSE LOGS

O N S W The Passenger Pigeon www.ync.ca

“Young Naturalists Observe and Conserve”

“Striped skunk Pepe”

by Kevin Collins

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ kevincollins/125022918/. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons. wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Striped_skunk_ Pepe.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Striped_ skunk_Pepe.jpg

Inside...

3 Conifer-Search 4 SNOW 6 Skunk 8 Passenger Pigeon 10 Evergreen Trees 12 Nurse LOGs 14 Ask Al 15 NEWS 16 Squirrel Maze NatureWILD

Dear Young Naturalists Because I personally sign the certificates and send out your pins, caps and T-shirts I can see that more and more of you are sending in your Action Awards and your Passports to Nature. It makes me very proud to know that you are out there learning about nature in your neighbourhood on Explorer Days and taking part in activities like building bat boxes and planting native trees. The motto for YNC is ‘Young Naturalists Observe and Conserve’ and that is exactly what you are doing. Terrific work, everyone!

Daphne Solecki, Honorary President

Find the YNC on Facebook! www.facebook.com/youngnaturalistsclubbc YNC is an exciting nature discovery and environmental action

Questions? Comments?

Vanessa Lee, President info@ync.ca Kristine Webber, Executive Director kristinewebber@ync.ca

program that invites young people ages 5-12 years to have fun discovering nearby nature on Explorer Days with local experts, learn about native wildlife and plants in NatureWILD Magazine and take part in environmental actions to protect their habitat with the Action Awards program. For more information: www.ync.ca.

Tammy Keetch, Clubs Coordinator coordinator@ync.ca

Thank you to our sponsors and

Karina Russell, Membership and Office Coordinator info@ync.ca

supporters who share our vision that all children be connected with nature.

NatureWILD Editorial Committee Content Editor: Daphne Solecki Production Editor: Monica Belko Editorial Assistants: Ruth Foster, Tricia Edgar Contributor: Al Grass NATURE

1620 Mt. Seymour Rd. North Vancouver, BC V7G 2R9

www.ync.ca 2

VANCOUVER

RR Donnelley We acknowledge the financial assistance of the Province of British Columbia

ISSN: 1492-7241 NatureWILD is printed on SFI certified paper by Benwell Atkins an RR Donnelley Company,Vancouver.

Conifer-Search Conifers are trees that produce cones.

Find some of BC’s conifers in this Conifer-Search.

COMMON JUNIPER CREEPING JUNIPER ROCKY MOUNTAIN JUNIPER WESTERN RED CEDAR YELLOW CEDAR LODGEPOLE PINE PONDEROSA PINE WHITEBARK PINE ENGELMANN’S SPRUCE SITKA SPRUCE BLACK SPRUCE GRAND FIR SUBALPINE FIR WESTERN HEMLOCK MOUNTAIN HEMLOCK WESTERN LARCH TAMARACK PACIFIC YEW DOUGLAS-FIR

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It’s that time of year again - when the temperature drops and those white flakes start falling. This is your chance to explore that wintery phenomenon of -

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F O N S W W D GV

SNOWFLAKES are

by Monica Belko

a collection of individual snow or ice crystals stuck together in a ‘puffball’ type arrangement.

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HOW ARE SNOW CRYSTALS MADE?

“Schneeflocken in Deutschland 20100102” by Sara2.

Snow crystals form in the clouds from water vapour changing into ice.

A snow crystal usually forms around a tiny piece of material like dust or volcanic ash.

Own work. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schneeflocken_in_ Deutschland_-_20100102.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Schneeflocken_in_ Deutschland_-_20100102.jpg

SNOW CRYSTAL PHYSICS

Snow or ice crystals are usually sixsided and symmetrical.

TEMPERATURE and HUMIDITY (amount of water vapour in the air) affect the characteristics of a snowflake:

Some basic shapes include plates, prisms, needles and stars.

High humidity + warmer temperatures = large, fluffy snowflakes

Prism

Star

Low humidity + cold temperatures = smaller, icy snowflakes Plate Needle

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DENSITY (amount of snow crystals in a given area) also affects snow qualities: Dense, moister snow is better for making snowballs and snowmen because it packs better.

Less dense, dry and powdery type snow is a better sliding surface for skiing, snowboarding and sledding.

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SNOW FACT:

A snowy surface can reflect up to 95% of the sunlight shining on it.

Remember to wear your sunglasses!

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MAKE YOUR OWN SNOWFLAKES...

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SNOW FACT:

Ever noticed how quiet it is after a snowfall? Freshly fallen snow absorbs sound. The deeper the snow, the greater the effect.

1. Get a square piece of paper.

2. Fold the paper diagonally to make a triangle.

3. Fold (dotted line) a corner under.

4. Fold the other corner under.

SNOW FACT:

When snow crunches beneath your boots - that’s the sound of thousands of ice crystals being crushed!

5. Cut out shapes from the sides (try to make them the same on either side).

SNOW FACT:

SUPER SNOW RECORDS

(Records may change this winter!)

An estimated 10% of the Earth’s surface is covered by glaciers made of hardened snow and ice.

An area of snow about one metre square and 25 cm deep can contain more than a million ice crystals!

6. Unfold and enjoy!

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SNOW FACT:

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World’s Highest Snowfall in One Season Mount Baker Ski Area, near Bellingham, Washington, USA (1998–1999) - 2,896 cm World’s Snowiest City (with a population over one million people) Sapporo, Japan (average yearly snowfall) - 595 cm North American Record - Highest Average Yearly Snowfall Mount Rainier, Washington, USA - 1,630 cm (Source: Wikipedia, 2014)

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Have you seen (or smelled!) a

“Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) DSC 0030” by Dan & Lin Dzurisin - originally posted to Flickr as Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) DSC_0030.

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons. wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Striped_ Skunk_(Mephitis_mephitis)_ DSC_0030.jpg#mediaviewer/ File:Striped_Skunk_ (Mephitis_mephitis)_ DSC_0030.jpg

Skunk ?

If you have, chances are it was a Striped Skunk, with its thick black fur and two white stripes down its back. This handsome mammal is actually a most useful friend to farmers and gardeners because it eats a lot of harmful bugs and grubs.

Unlike most other animals Striped Skunks are not afraid of humans and have adapted well to living with people (like coyotes have) which is why we do see them in towns and cities. In fact there are more skunks around now than there were in the past.

“A Striped Skunk swimming”

by Seney Natural History Association [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Striped Skunk usually makes its home in the abandoned dens of other animals. Sometimes it digs out its own den and sometimes it chooses a spot under a porch or garden shed. In May the skunk builds a comfy nest of leaves where its kits will be born. It gathers leaves by scooping them under its body and then shuffles along to its den with the leaves held between its legs.

“Baby skunk” by AnimalPhotos

- Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/ wiki/File:Baby_skunk.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Baby_skunk.jpg

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Over the summer skunks build up a heavy layer of fat and in November they choose a deep den where they gather together to hibernate for the winter. As many as 20 skunks have been found in one den but usually there aren’t that many. In late February they begin to awaken from their winter sleep and are fully up and about by the end of March.

The skunk is not an aggressive animal and will always run away from a human or other large enemy, but - because of its short legs - it can’t run fast. It will growl or hiss and stamp its front feet rapidly, but if that doesn’t work it will use its ‘secret weapon’ – its scent glands! It humps its back and turns so its head and tail both face the enemy.

Then it squirts a terrible smelling stream of thick, yellow, oily fluid. The spray of a skunk can travel up to six metres and the horrible smell is strong enough to be carried almost one kilometre by the wind. It is certainly strong enough to repel any attacker!

“Striped Skunk” by http://www. birdphotos.com

- Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Striped_ Skunk.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Striped_Skunk.jpg

If you find that you are sharing your garden with a skunk family, don’t worry – if you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you. They are usually active at night, so you will rarely see them but sometimes the baby skunks will come out at dusk or in the early morning to play, tumbling around like kittens and so much fun to watch. (PS: Skunks know how bad the spray smells and will not spray near their dens.)

“A Striped Skunk” By RyanHodnett

(Own work) [CC-BY-SA-4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Spotted Skunk There is another skunk in BC which most of us, unless we are very lucky, will probably not see – the Spotted Skunk. It is very different in its looks and also its habits. The Spotted Skunk is about half the size of the Striped Skunk, not as chunky looking and has six stripes along its back, which turn into spots on the rear half of its body. It also has a bushy white tip on the end of its tail.

This skunk is a real omnivore (eats everything) - it eats insects and other invertebrates, also small mammals like shrews, bird eggs, nestlings, amphibians, reptiles and fruit.

The Spotted Skunk also makes a den to raise its young but in the fall it does not hibernate. It may sleep or remain inactive for periods of time during the winter, but will come out to feed quite often.

“A Spotted Skunk”

The Spotted Skunk also sprays to defend itself, but more acrobatically - it does a handstand, arches its back and turns so the spray is aimed directly at the target. And the spray of the Spotted Skunk smells even more horrible than the spray of the Striped Skunk!

Sources: Hinterland Who’s Who; E-Fauna BC; Wikipedia

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The Passenger Pigeon A Sad Story

Martha the last Passenger Pigeon in 1912. Photo by Enno Meyer.

By Daphne Solecki Have you heard of the Passenger Pigeon which used to live in North America?

“Ectopistes migratorius”

by Louis Agassiz Fuertes

- Birds of New York (New York State Museum. Memoir 12), Albany: University of the State of New York. Plates by Fuertes later reproduced in Birds of America (1917?) by Thomas Gilbert Pearson (1873-1943) et al.. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Ectopistes_migratoriusAAP042CA.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Ectopistes_ migratoriusAAP042CA.jpg

The very last Passenger Pigeon on Earth died a hundred years ago, in 1914 - yet once upon a time there may have been more Passenger Pigeons than any other species of bird in the whole world – as many as 3 to 5 billion. Flocks of Passenger Pigeons were so huge that when they flew they darkened the sky for hours or days at a time. The beats of their wings created drafts that chilled people when they flew over! How difficult that is to imagine.

What were Passenger Pigeons like? And how did it happen that once upon a time there were such huge numbers of them and now they are extinct?

The Passenger Pigeons existed for about 100,000 years and lived only in eastern North America, making their home in the deciduous forests. They were a bit bigger than the Rock Pigeons we see around us now. They were beautiful birds, with long tails and pinkish breasts; they had red eyes and their feet and legs were also red. They were fast flyers, going about 100 km/h on average.

They lived and travelled in huge flocks, moving around from season to season looking for the best places to feed and make their nests. The famous naturalist, John James Audubon, wrote about what he saw one day...

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“I dismounted from my horse and settled myself on a small hill. I began to mark with a pencil, making a dot for every flock that passed” He counted the dots he had put down (each dot = one flock) and found that 163 flocks had passed in 21 minutes.

“I travelled on, and still met more the farther I proceeded.

The air was literally filled with Pigeons; the light of noon-day was obscured as by an eclipse ; the dung fell in spots, not unlike melting flakes of snow; and the continued buzz of wings had a tendency to lull my senses to repose... Before sunset I reached Louisville, distance of 55 miles from Hardensburgh.

The pigeons were still passing in undiminished numbers, and continued to do so for three more days.”

Passenger Pigeons lived in colonies with up to a hundred nests in a single tree. Their nests were made of small sticks and twigs and about 30 cm wide. A single egg was laid per nest and took from 12 to 14 days to hatch. Both parents shared the duties of incubating the egg and feeding the young bird.

For most of the year Passenger Pigeons ate the beechnuts, acorns and chestnuts that grew in the eastern forests. Because they liked to live in such huge flocks, they needed large forests for their existence. When “Acorns small to large” by David Hill early settlers cleared these forests for farmland, the birds were forced to move and, as forest areas grew smaller and smaller, the birds began to feed on the grain fields of the farmers.

The large flocks of passenger pigeons often caused serious damage to the crops and the farmers started shooting the birds.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dehill/7891890620/. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Acorns_small_to_large.jpg#mediaviewer/ File:Acorns_small_to_large.jpg

The shooting of pigeons by farmers did not really make much difference to the number of birds. However these pigeons made good eating and in the 1800’s professional hunters began netting and shooting the birds to sell in the city markets.

The pigeons had not learned to fear people so they were very easy to trap, and there were no laws to control the number of pigeons killed. For 50 years the destruction of pigeons continued.

There were plenty of people who spoke out against this mass killing but nobody listened to them.

“Passenger pigeon shoot” by The Illustrated Shooting and Dramatic News http://www.wpclipart.com/animals/extinct/passenger_pigeon/passenger_pigeon_hunting. png.html. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Passenger_pigeon_shoot. png#mediaviewer/File:Passenger_pigeon_shoot.png

Finally some laws were passed to protect the pigeons but by then it was too late. It turned out that Passenger Pigeons could only be successful if they lived in large flocks where their huge numbers protected them from native predators like hawks and weasels. In the smaller flocks that were left, the pigeons did not feel safe and they did not breed. Some were brought to zoos to try and rebuild the species, but this was unsuccessful.

There was one good result from this sad story – people realized there was a need for strong laws to protect wildlife. Because these laws were made, many other wildlife species have been saved.

There is always more to be done to protect the amazing animals and plants that share the world with us. I hope that you Young Naturalists will always work to protect wildlife, now and when you grow up.

A Passenger Pigeon nest.

Sources: Smithsonian Institute; Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Wikipedia and others.

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Long, long ago, before there were books, and even before there was reading and writing, there was storytime. The children in that long ago time loved stories just as much as they do today. So their mothers and their fathers made their own stories to tell the children. They particularly liked to make stories about what they saw in the world around them. Here is one of those stories.

Why Evergreen Trees Keep Their Leaves in Winter One time when it was getting cold and the birds knew that winter was coming, they all flew away to the warm south to wait for spring, just as they did every year. All the birds flew away except one, who had a broken wing and couldn’t fly. He did not know what to do. He looked all round to see if there was any place where he could keep warm. And he saw the trees of the great forest.

“Perhaps the trees will keep me warm through the winter,” he said.

So he went to the edge of the forest, hopping and fluttering with his broken wing. The first tree he came to was a Birch tree. “Lovely Birch tree,” he said, “will you let me live in your warm branches until spring comes?”

“Dear me!” said the Birch,“what a thing to ask! I have to take care of my beautiful leaves through the winter, that’s enough for me. Go away!”

So the little bird hopped and fluttered with his broken wing until he came to a great big Maple tree.

“Oh, big Maple tree,” said the little bird, “will you let me live in your warm branches until springtime comes?”

“Good gracious!” said the Maple “What a thing to ask! I don’t take lodgers. Go away!”

So the little bird hopped and fluttered with his broken wing until he came to the Willow tree by the river.

“Oh, lovely Willow tree, will you let me live in your warm branches until the springtime comes?”

“No indeed!” said the Willow, “I never speak to strangers. Go away!”

The poor little bird did not know where to go, as he hopped and fluttered along with his broken wing. Presently the Spruce tree saw him and said, “Where are you going, little bird?”

“I don’t know,” said the bird, “the trees will not let me live with them, and my wing is broken so that I cannot fly.”

“You may live on one of my branches,” said the Spruce, “there’s an old nest for you to sit in.”

“But may I stay all winter?”

“Yes, said the Spruce, “I would like to have you.”

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The Pine tree stood beside the Spruce, and when he saw the little bird hopping and fluttering with his broken wing, he said, “My branches are not very warm, but I can keep the wind off because I am big and strong.”

So the little bird fluttered up into the warm branch of the Spruce, and the Pine kept the wind off his house. Then the Juniper tree saw what was going on, and said that she would give the little bird his dinner all the winter, from her branches. Juniper berries are very good for little birds.

The little bird was very comfortable in his warm nest sheltered from the wind, with juniper berries to eat.

The trees at the edge of the forest talked about it to each other. “I wouldn’t take care of a strange bird,” said the Birch. “I wouldn’t allow lodgers,” said the Oak. “I wouldn’t speak to strangers,” said the Willow. And the three trees stood up very tall and proud.

That night the young North Wind came to play. He puffed at the leaves with his icy breath and found that every leaf he touched fell to the ground. This was great fun and he wanted to touch every leaf in the forest to make it fall off the tree.

“May I touch every leaf?” he said to his father, the Frost King.

“No,” said the Frost King, “the trees which were kind to the bird with the broken wing may keep their leaves.”

So the North Wind had to leave them alone, and the Spruce, the Pine and the Juniper trees kept their leaves through all the winter. And they have done so ever since.

“Picea sitchensis Wild Pacific Trail, Ucluelet 1” by Roland Tanglao

from Vancouver, Canada - Wild-Pacific-Trail-20100606-IMG_1240.jpg. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Picea_sitchensis_Wild_Pacific_ Trail,_Ucluelet_1.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Picea_sitchensis_Wild_Pacific_Trail,_Ucluelet_1.jpg

Adapted from a story by Sarah Conan Bryant (1905)

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NURSE LOGS What are they?

Found in the wet coastal forests of British Columbia, nurse logs are part of nature’s ‘waste management’ system. Over hundreds of years, the trunks of great trees that have died and fallen to the ground, and the huge stumps left from early logging, slowly decompose until they become part of the earth they once grew in.

When the wood fibre of the stumps and fallen trees breaks down, it creates a wonderful habitat for many plants and small wildlife and a ‘nursery’ for new forests.

Winter is a great time to explore life in and on a fallen log as leaves from surrounding shrubs have fallen and the logs are easier to see. If it’s an old conifer log it will be red-brown and crumbly, while a deciduous log will likely be soft, white and stringy.

The difference in colour is due to the types of decay fungi that have been growing on the log.

Because they are in a rainforest, the logs remain damp so they decay from the bark inwards. Moss and lichen start to grow on them. Then, as the wood gets softer, insects move in and start excavating tunnels. Damp-wood termites, carpenter ants, sow bugs, spiny longhorn beetles, centipedes and millipedes are some of the critters that love an old log.

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“Nursery Log at Schooner Trail” by Wing-Chi Poon

- self-made; in Schooner Trail, Pacific Rim National Park, British Columbia, Canada.. Licensed under Creative Commons AttributionShare Alike 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons. wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nursery_Log_at_Schooner_Trail. jpg#mediaviewer/File:Nursery_Log_at_Schooner_Trail.jpg

White and stringy decomposing wood from a decidious log.

Photo by Monica Belko.

A mushroom, moss and lichen growing on a nurse log. Photo by Monica Belko.

Through the holes bored by insects water can seep into the wood, which allows fungi to take hold. Fungi are one of nature’s most effective recyclers. Through their tiny microscopic roots, they release chemicals which speed up decay.

Soon the outer layer of the log is soft enough for seeds to sprout.

Ferns, huckleberries and salal join the moss and lichens to make a beautiful natural garden. Wrens and other forest birds will work their way through this garden looking for bugs. Salamanders and banana slugs like to hide in the cool damp earth below the log.

Finally, new trees will start to grow on the old log. These tree seedlings have the advantage of being raised above the forest floor, so they get more light as well as better nutrients. Their roots will eventually grow right through the rotting wood and break it apart even further.

Sometimes you will see a few trees in a straight line – they started as seedlings along a log. In other cases the old tree keeps its shape for so long that when it does finally break down, the trees that have grown on it, now quite large, will look as though they are standing up on their roots.

Because decomposing takes so long and because so many plants and small creatures owe their life to a nurse log, it can be said that the centuries-old rainforest giant ’lives’ as long or longer after it has fallen as it did when it was alive and growing.

In the end, all that will remain is a pile of rich organic material for new trees and other plants to grow in.You are now looking at a complete circle of life in the forest. Nature has once again made sure that nothing is wasted.

Mushrooms growing out of a mossy conifer tree. Photo by Monica Belko.

A nurse log with Salal plants growing on it. Photo by Monica Belko.

Inspired by the writings of well-known naturalists Gail Ross and Al Grass (Wildlife Review) and Terry Taylor (BC Naturalist).

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Have a Nature Question?

ASK AL

What is the difference between horns and antlers?

There are several important differences between horns and antlers – here a few easy ones to remember.

First, what animals have antlers? Animals with antlers include deer, elk, moose and caribou. Antlers are shed each year and new ones are grown. In fall deer ‘rub’ their velvet covered antlers on trees, shredding the bark.You can look for ‘rubbing trees” in the woods.

California Bighorn Sheep. Photo by Al Grass.

Why do Robins and Varied Thrush like to dig around and turn over leaves?

Robins and Varied Thrush are not the only birds that flip over fallen leaves – crows, towhees, Fox Sparrows, Song Sparrows and Ruffed Grouse, to name a few more, also do ‘leaf tossing’ or simply scratch through the leaf litter. This is done to expose tasty treats like insects, spiders, worms An American and seeds. Leaf litter is a rich source of Robin. Photo by Al Grass. food for birds like American Robins and Varied Thrush and others, this is why gardeners are asked to leave some fallen leaves under trees and bushes – i.e. don’t rake them all up – leave some for birds to ‘turn over’.

Varied Thrush are very good at flipping leaves and it’s exciting to watch them to this. For birds however, it’s all in a day’s work!

Horns are found on cows, bison, goats, and mountain sheep. Horns are not shed.

Did you know? Antlers are bone; horns are made of the same material as your fingernails!

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EIs it true that no two

snowflakes are alike?

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Al Grass has worked as a career park naturalist and ranger throughout BC. Now he is a well-known nature tour leader and photographer. Al especially likes birds, insects and spiders.

A Varied Thrush.

Photo by Al Grass.

send me more Al says “Please ur question is questions. If yo win reWILD you will chosen for Natu il! nc tebook and pe a Rite-in-Rain no a .c nc @y fo tions to in Send your ques ad Ro r 1620 Mount Seymou V7G 2R9 North Vancouver, BC

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It’s great fun to be outside on a snowy day catching snowflakes on your coat sleeve, and then to look at them closely to discover their beautiful shapes like plates, stars, needles, columns or pellets, but is it possible to find two snowflakes exactly alike?

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Most scientists agree that the short answer is that it is very unlikely that two complex snowflakes will be exactly alike. But how do we really know, since we can’t compare all the millions of snowflakes that are falling from the sky? However, it was reported that Nancy Knight (National Center for Atmospheric Research) found two identical snowflakes of the ‘hollow column type’. Also, scientists can create snowflakes in special cold labs. So enjoy the snow – maybe you’ll be able to find two flakes alike! Hint, a good magnifying glass really helps to see the beautiful details. Stars are my favourite.

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“Snow Flakes” by Dakota Lynch.

Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Snow_Flakes.jpg#mediaviewer/ File:Snow_Flakes.jpg

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W r e I D u t a N NEWS Jeremiah with a banded Harlequin Duck off Hornby Island.

Photo by Willow English.

Congratulations to Jeremiah Kennedy, winner of the 2014 BC Nature Rene Savenye Scholarship.

Jeremiah was a member of YNC and also led some Explorer Days.

Birding is his passion and the scholarship will assist his education in conservation and research.

Jeremiah wrote about My Life with Birds for NatureWILD in December 2008.

Silver Level Action Award winner – Elissa Coe (YNC Nicomekl) Elissa’s biggest project was to host a “Green Party” where guests played an environmental trivia game, wore green, did crafts with recycled materials, ate green snacks, and made a presentation about an environmental issue. Elissa talked about saving water. Elissa is already working on her Gold Level Action Award! Congratulations, Elissa!

Passports to Nature Rebecca, Melissa and Rachel (YNC Williams Lake) sent in their 3rd passports - I hope we’ll be sending them T-shirts soon! Paige (YNC Eastern Fraser Valley) and Joshua (YNC Victoria) earned their YNC caps. Alexandra (YNC North Shore), Alida (YNC Vancouver) and Brynna, Owen and Caitlin (YNC Victoria) completed their 1st passports.

Well done everyone!

Bugs R Us school club (Shuswap) went to see the salmon spawning.

Madison and Valena reported “Jeremy, the Adams River interpreter, cut open a salmon and we got to see its heart. We looked for lungs (there weren’t any). Their brains are not very big because they don’t live long and don’t have to do much thinking. We saw and felt that their teeth are very sharp. We also got to feel the eggs after Jeremy squeezed them out of the fish. It was very interesting.”

YNC Victoria has been busy! “In

August we went on a ‘Dragon Hunt’ at Elk/Beaver Lake! We saw dragonfly and damselfly larvae. Darren and Claudia Copley showed us how to catch adult dragonflies with a net.”

Photo by Michele Hibbins.

“In September Birder Ann Nightingale taught us how to hold, measure and band a bird that was caught in a mist net.”

Photo by Skye Ladell and Shane Yakelashek.

Bronze Level Action Award winner - Lars Mapson (YNC Williams Lake) Daven (16), Candice-Rose (11), Lars (8), Lars joined his older Cory (13). Photo by Ingrid Mapson. siblings when he completed requirements for the Bronze Level. He really helped the birds with some of his Actions: he made an apple-hanger bird feeder, a netting bag with animal fur for nesting birds and a bird bath. Congratulations, Lars! And congratulations Mapson family!

Brynna also sent a picture and asks that everyone in YNC join in to save the whales

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Squirrel Maze

Squirrels love to stash food away to save for later. Help this squirrel find the acorn for his/her stash!

Next issue...

Vernal pools All about frogs, toads and salamanders

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