Vancouver Naturalist_March 2012.pdf - Nature Vancouver

YNC Provincial Report
by Daphne Solecki
22 Vancouver Naturalist March 2012
YOUNG NATURALISTS’ CLUB of British Columbia
2012 is going to see a change at the YNC. In May, at the AGM,
I shall step down as President of the Young Naturalists’ Club of
BC, having completed the maximum 5 year term, which was set
when the YNC finally left the protection of Nature Vancouver
and became an independent charitable organization.
Of course, I will remain on the Board and very involved in its
work, but it will be different. Happily, we have an energetic
young president-elect and a talented, diverse Board of Directors,
so YNC can look forward to a good future with new ideas and
new vigour.
We have wonderful volunteers leading local Young Naturalist
Clubs all around the province, and new clubs starting up
regularly (see the website www.ync.ca for all clubs). The
number of nature clubs in Elementary schools is slowly growing
as we learn how these clubs are best served – a bit of a trial and
error process but we are getting there.
As you may know, there are three other provincial YNCs which
are modelled after YNC BC, and we will be working with them
and Nature Canada to create a cross-Canada network of young
naturalist clubs.
We are also fortunate in having three amazing staff – Kristine
Webber, Executive Director; Tammy Keetch – Clubs
Coordinator; Membership Assistant - Leslie Ritchey. All are
part-time and stretch their limited hours so the hours apparently
consist of 120 minutes instead of the usual 60.
Finally, talented Monica Belko remains as production editor
for the quarterly YNC publication NatureWILD, which I shall
continue to edit.
This terrific team of Directors, YNC Leaders and staff allow
me to feel that this is a good time to step away and reduce my
involvement in day to day affairs. I am confident that the YNC is
now in a position to do just as well without me as with me.
None of all this would have come about if it were not for the
essential support of Nature Vancouver during the first 6 – 7
years. I want to thank all Nature Vancouver members past and
present and all the successive Boards of Directors (especially
all the Treasurers who kept the YNC books balanced!) for their
encouragement and their belief that the YNC is and will be an
essential part of protecting nature and the environment in B.C. in
the years to come.
President: Daphne Solecki Executive Director: Kristine Webber
604-985-3057 www.ync.ca
YNC Vancouver Trip Report
by Eva Nagy
This year in January we had the great fortune to have Dr. Robert
Butler, who is not only an ornithologist and author of several
books, but also a great educator, to give us the most interesting
talk on crows. He is a fellow of The Explorers Club and the
American Ornithologists Union, and an Outstanding Alumnus of
two universities. Presently he is an adjunct professor of biology
at Simon Fraser University, and president of Pacific Wildlife
Foundation, which he co-founded. He is also a co-founder of the
YNC. We are grateful that in his busy schedule he was able to
come to the Young Naturalists Club. Dr. Butler has a lifetime
of stories from expeditions and travels while studying and
conserving birds.
After an informative talk and slide show we had a lively
question and answer period; I was amazed how much experience
our young members already had with these fascinating birds. Dr.
Butler also donated a book to our club which we had raffled off
and it was very much appreciated by the member who received
it.
My sincere thanks go to the Stanley Park Ecology Society who
provided the room and equipment for this occasion free of
charge. The meeting was very well attended by 30 children and
their parents.
In February we revisited the laboratory at the UBC Department
of Botany. Shona Ellis, Associate Head of Biology presented
our group with a very special program called The Little
Things in Life. She had several of her students helped out as
our members learned how to use dissecting and compound
microscopes.
Shona divided us into five study groups: Mosses, Pond Life,
What the heck is that?, Flowers, and Carnivorous Plants. Each
children had the opportunity to look at organisms in great
detail and received a little scrap book where they took notes
by drawing what they had seen. We also took turns to visit the
greenhouse where everyone planted a bean and took it home to
watch it grow. Again, the program was well attended with the
maximum number of members the lab could hold. It was great
to see how interested everyone was with what they were doing.
It was amazing how absorbed all the children were, looking at
the beautiful images in the microscopes. It’s a great privilege
to be able to visit this lab and have such an informative session
with several assistants. Thank you Shona, it was a marvellous
experience.
For upcoming trips please visit our website.
www.ync.ca
Please consider a donation to YNC – you may mail a cheque
to 1620 Mt. Seymour Road, North Vancouver, BC, V7G 2R9
or give through our website.