YNC 2013 Annual Report (of Adventures!)

Young Naturalists’ Club of BC 2013 Annual Report

of Advent ures!

O ur Mission: o t le p o e p g n ou y t is s s a d n To enc ourage a g n li e e f a d n a , re u t a n of e v develo p a lo e h t or f y it il ib s on p s re of respect and of a n u a f d n a ra lo f , s m e t s y s unique ec o Br it ish C o lumbia.

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YNC is for kids w ho are curious about nature and..

. . for those waiting to discover nearby nature with family, friends and volunteer nature mentors..

Young Naturalists’ Club of BC

photo by: K. Webb

s s le e im t n e e r g e r o M screen t ime. e h t t a h t w o n k u o y Did h t u o y n ia d a n a C e g a r e v a s r u o h 8 o t e s lo c s d n spe per day on screens. . young nat uralists are ! e g a r e v a t o n ly e it in f e d

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YNC is an exciting nature discovery and environmental action program that invites young people ages 5-12 and their families to discover nearby nature. Members go on outdoor Explorer Day Adventures, learn about native wildlife and plants in NatureWILD Magazine and step up for nature with Stewardship Projects, Citizen Science activities and an Action Awards Quest.

ar y Bay Wet lands expl or ing at B ound

. . e r u t a n in g in e b y b Lear ning about nat ure Through our network of 48 volunteer-led nature clubs in communities and schools around BC, the YNC provides fun hands-on outdoor activities for children and their families to explore and learn about the natural world. We call these Explorer Days.

I real ly enjoyed hiking and expl oring new places.

Lear ning about nature on the hikes - YNC member

“ photo by: Nelso

n YNC 2013

“

Making bird nests with Nelson

YNC

“It was amazing when we went to Francis-King Park to learngabbiroudts in m m u h e h t of e on ld o h o t ot g Hummingbirds. My daughter orgettable exper ience! f n u n a f of w le f it e or f e b - YNC parent

“

photo by: Jackie Hildering

. s e r u t n e v d a r o o d t u o e r a s y a D r e r o l Exp

Nature mentors are volunteers who share their knowledge and passion for the natural world with young naturalists.

Kayaking in the Salish Sea

s ay D er lor xp E 7 29 ed er liv de C YN 3 01 2 In ! es ur nt ve ad r oo td ou al du vi di in 0 94 5 representing Some of those advent ures included:

Explorer Days are low cost or no-c ost and are delivered by local experts called nature ment ors; they take place ar ound the pr ovince and in al l seasons.

Lear ning how to use binocula rs

, Carlin Elementary YNC C

Astronomy Night

Snow Shoe Adventures!

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Showshoeing to Celebrate World Snow Day!

Musqueam Salmon Stream Exploration Searching Out BC’s Amphibians Geo-Cache Hiking Adventure Seashore Sleuths

Family Fishing Day Our Earth Rocks!

Annual Camp Arbuckle Map, Compass & Outdoor Skills

With the YNC, children have fun outdoors exp for nature with Stewardship Projects, Citiz : s r e b m e M C N Y In 2013 ,400m2 of habitat d 1,272

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Cowichan Home Lear ners’ Club members removing invasive plant species.

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“ People in our society are too far removed from nature in general. W

activities affect nature and many people do not have any idea h By participating in stewardship activities we can start to see t actions in a way that will help nature thrive and therefore

Thr ough Act ivites Like:

Beach and shoreline clean up Christmas Bird Count for Kids Wildlife Watch Trail building

We tend to not think about how our actions and how closely tied to nature our own existence is. the connection and maybe start to change our help us thrive.

- YNC Parent

BioBlitz

Bird banding

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B uilding t ur C ar lin Eletmlee nest pr otect ors wit h ntar y Schoo l C lub

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ploring nearby nature and also have a chance to step up zen Science Activities and the Action Awards Quest.

Nat ureW ILD Magazine NatureWILD Magazine for Young Naturalists in British Columbia

The Marine Issue

No Mother Could Give More

Volume 14 Issue 2 2013

Bioluminescence LISTENING DOWN DEEP

A Humpback Whale.

Photo by Max Bakken.

Poop Piles, Jelly Blobs and More!

ROCK ‘N’ POOL

www.ync.ca

“Young Naturalists Observe and Conserve”

NatureWILD is BC’s only home grown nature magazine for children, it is produced by the YNC with contributions from some of BC’s leading naturalists and biologists.

NatureWILD is full of articles on BC’s wildlife and ecosystems as well as stories about children taking action for the environment, activities, games and contests.

In 2013 more than 5000 copies of NatureWILD were mailed to family members, school clubs and distributed to the public at community events.

Passport to Nature By recording their Explorer Days and other outdoor adventures, YNC members can win certificates and prizes with the Passport to Nature. In fact, this is the only way to receive a coveted YNC Cap!

Members wit

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Dear YNC,

My name is Robyn, and I have been in the Young Naturalists Club for about 4 years now. I really like it, because it is something we can do together as a family, and with other families that share the same interests.

My first activity was looking for marine life under the pier at White Rock beach‌ Another time we went snow shoeing at Cypress Mountain. Did you know that snow fleas, or spring tails, are not actually fleas at all? They are tiny bugs that have a protein that acts like an antifreeze in them, allowing them to live in the snow. That is just one of the things we learned at Cypress.

Other things we learn in YNC are the names of different kinds of plants, about many types of insects, amazing fungi, and animals that we see around us. But what is awesome is how this carries over to our everyday life. It is not uncommon for me to quiz my brother on the plants we see nearby when we go on a bike ride, or for me to find that I know the names of various plants near my school, so other students know what they should or should not remove for invasive plant removal.

The thing I look forward to most in YNC, is the camp at the end of the summer.

Not every group does it, but it is super fun. We get to spend more time learning about the ecosystem near where we are camping, and also get to know each other.

Whether it is at camp or at another activity, there have been places that we have enjoyed so much that we go back and sometimes even take other families to experience and enjoy as much as we did. Being part of this group has given me some great outdoor memories, and for that I’d like to thank our group leaders Lynn and Anthea, as well as all the other great people who come out to help out with meetings and camps.

Robyn, Nicomekl YNC

photo by: Gloria Rogers

Robyn hiking with her YNC club.

Thank you to the 99 club leaders who volunteered more than 6000 hours last year to share the wonders of nature with a new generation of naturalists and outdoor enthusiasts.

Bat Box Building with Eastern Fraser Valley YNC

Club Leaders Doris Anderson, Alison Bakker, Sadie Bartrum, Karen Beggs, Cynthia Berg, Palma Bjarnason, Sherry Bowlby, Tanya Boyd, Nancy Brown, Danielle Burkett, Dos Burman, Elizabeth Chapman, Lesley Chapman, Heather Chatwin, Connie Chen, Shelley Cherkowski, Diane Chisholm, Coralee Coe, Mary Coll, Andrea Dam, Satya Danu, Carmen Dawkins, Aaron Deans, Kathy de Grace, Jannis Delisle, Richard Doucette, Michael Dunn, Tricia Edgar, Sheena Falconer, Anthea Farr, Tawnie Fehr, Fiona Flook, Mary Forbes, Marleen Gallagher, Johanna Gordon-Walker, Sue Hemphill, Cathy Higginson, Jackie Hildering, Linda Homeniuk, Andrea Ingram, Benita Kayter, Tatiana Knol, Julie and Chris Kovach, Kevin Laarman, Jason Lapenskie, Dionne Lapointe-Bakota, Victoria Loh, Angela Jean Louise, Marilyn Lovejoy, Karen McAllister, Kristyn McIntosh, Wendy Ma, Maritza Matheson, Jana Milligan, Fiona Morrison, Eva Nagy, Noriko Nakaya, Helen O’Brian, Jan Penner, Janne Perrin, Kestrel Piche, Lynn Pollard, Krystal Pyke, Yasmin Quinn-Young, Boleyn Relova, Jen Richter, Gisella Rino, Paula Rodriguez de la Vega, Airiane and Douglas Rogers, Melissa Rolfson, Dawn Roumieu, Gail Ross, Marlee St. Pierre, Lorrie Schrader, Katelyn Short, Michelle Sims, Alyson Skinner, Kathy Smith, Celina Starnes, Val Tinney, Melodie Towers, Julianne Trelenberg, Trish Wallensteen, Stephanie Weinstein, Jan Weiten, Pat Westheuser, Jenny White, Marnie Williamson, Lisa Wilson, Elke Wind, Sharon Wong, Lisa Zervakis.

48 YNC Family and School Nature Clubs

Reaching more than 1500 children across BC Carlin Elementary Middle School Hastings Elementary James Kennedy Elementary North Shuswap Elementary School, Bugs R Us University Hill Elementary Ecole Jules Quesnel Bella Bella Community School John Robson Elementary Queen Margaret’s School Grandview/?uuqinak”uuh School Head of the Lake School Nightingale Elementary School Basic Education Department, VCC, Broadway Campus Cowichan Valley Home Learners Fort St. John Home Learners Lower Mainland Home Learners Victoria Home Learners Kimberley Home Learners Burke Mountain Naturalists’ Comox Valley Denman Island Denny Island Eastern Fraser Valley

Cowichan Valley Saturday Club Kamloops Kelowna Lillooet Mayne Island Nanaimo +10 Nelson Nicomekl North Okanagan Oceanside/Nanaimo North Shore North Vancouver Island Port Alberni Prince George Quesnel Quadra Island Rocky Mountain Salmon Arm South Okanagan Sunshine Coast Stanley Park Vancouver TriCities Victoria Williams Lake

Financial Snapshot

Revenue: $113,989 Other 1%

Grants 67%

Expenses: $116,734 General and Admin 12%

Membership 10%

Donations 22%

Program Expenses- (Nature Clubs and NatureW ILD) 88%

a c . nc y . w w w at e lin on e bl la ai av ts en m te C omplete Financial Sta

Funders & Donors

Rhonda Anderson, Andrew Appleton, Barbara Atkins, George Bangham, Suzanne Betuzzi, Vivian Birch Jones, Rob Butler, Betty Davison, Laurie de Jong, Fiona Flook, Ruth Foster, Louise Irwin, Alix Jackson, Tammy Keetch, Ross McKeachie, Ian McKeachie, Fred McMechan, Holly Middleton, Sylvia Pincott, Bob Peart, Barry Price, Peter Robinson, Gail Ross, Olga & Colin Sawatzky, Scott Sinclair, Daphne Solecki, Susanna Solecki, Nicholas Swindale, Kristine Webber, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Greenest City Fund City of Vancouver, Vancouver Foundation, Province of British Columbia (Community Gaming Grant), Environment Canada EcoAction, BC Parks Parks Enhancement Fund, TD Friends of the Environment, BC Nature, Nature Vancouver, Free Geek, Copies Plus, Tech Soup, Elders Council for Parks

Thank you for support ing the YNC and connect ing children across BC with nature!

Nature Club Supporters & Friends

Burke Mountain Naturalists’, Comox Valley Naturalists’ Society , Cowichan Valley Naturalists’ Society and the Cowichan Land Trust, Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve Society & the Chilliwack Field Naturalists, Kamloops Naturalists Club, Central Okanagan Naturalist Club, Rocky Mountain Naturalists, White Rock & Surrey Naturalists and Langley Field Naturalists, North Okanagan Naturalists’ Club, Quesnel Naturalists and Baker Creek Enhancement Society, Shuswap Naturalist Club, South Okanagan Naturalists’ Club, Nature Vancouver, Victoria Natural History Society, Williams Lake Field Naturalists’ Society and Scout Island Nature Centre, Arrowsmith Naturalists, Nanoose Naturalists, Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre, Stanley Park Ecology Society

Design by Azalea Moen

Board of Directors

Ian McKeachie, President Mick Stobart, Treasurer Eva Nagy, Director Ruth Foster, Director Heather Chatwin, Director Vanessa Lee , Director Daphne Solecki, Honorary President John Keller, Director Victor Elderton, Director Sandra Bicego , Director

Staff

Kristine Webber, Executive Director Tammy Keetch, Nature Clubs Coordinator Rebecca Baker, Membership and Office Coordinator Monica Belko, NatureWILD Design Editor Betty Davison, Bookkeeper

Young Naturalists’ Club of BC

www.ync.ca

connecting children with nature since 2000 BC Society: S. 50849 Charity: 84961 1926 RR0001 t: 604.985.3059 | e: info@ync.ca 1620 Mt. Seymour Rd. North Vancouver, BC V7G 2R9