(Dne csederation c. woritisn (Columbia fLaturallsts

newsletterJune, 1973Volume 11, Number 2

General Correspondence to:P.O. Box 34246, Station D, Vancouver 9, B.C.

Newsletter Correspondence to the Editor,Elton A. Anderson, 3904 Benson Road, Victoria, B.C.

A Landmark Reversal of Repressive Policy

After many years of filing meritorious park proposals awayin steel cabinets because of an unstated but firm limit on park

acreage the lid has at last been lifted. Amendments to the

Parks Act put through by Resource Minister Williams not onlyincrease parks area by 1.5 M. acres to 8.4 M. but provide somereal security for them as well. Specifically, the amendments

provide for the following:

• Except for additions, ends boundary alterations byorder-in-council in a long list of selected parks thus vesting

this power exclusively in the Legislature.• Gives the Parks Branch power to effectively control

industrial operations within Recreation Areas. (These arepermitted but have not been well controlled.)

• Established nine major new parks. Nearly 90% of theacreage is in the north thus giving effect to the efforts ofthe Branch to achieve a balance before alienations madethis too difficult. Here are the new ones:

Atiin - 575,000 acres. N.W. corner of B.C.Largest of the new parks. Takes in the southern part of

AtMn Lake with 80 islands, also vast rolling uplands and glacier

areas southwest to the Alaska Panhandle. Lots of wildlife and

g o o d r e c r e a t iona Iopportunities.

Kwadacha Wilderness -414,130 ac. N. ofWiliiston Lake.

Essentially the drain-

ages of the Warneford andNorth Kwadacha Rivers inthe Rockies, part of the

much larger Kechika pro-posal. Contains the LloydGeorge Icefield.

Tatiatui - 261,540 acres.On Spatsizi Plateau.

An elevated (4000' to

7700'} flowery wildernesswith interesting geology

and abundant wildlife. In-cluded are Tatlatui, Kit-chener and a number ofsmaller lakes.

Naikoon - 179,500 ac. N.E. tip of Queen Charlottes.

A wide chunk of

spruce-cedar-hemlock for-est, meadows, lakes, estu-

aries, dunes plus 60 miles of sandy beaches. These

interesting Islands have a magnificent park at last,

Carp Lake - 47,800 ac. West of McLeod Lake.Carp Lake with its many arms and islands plus a lot of

smaller lakes cover a third of this park, a consequence ofglacial action which has left thousands of drumlins and grooves

on a plain of till deposits. Logging roads lead to War Lake andthe Fort St. James trail traverses the park.

Cape Scott - 37,239 ac. N. end of Vancouver Island.History, rain and controversy are all part of this one. We

gain 40 miles of ocean frontage and sandy beaches here.

Desolation Sound — 14,100 acres. North of Lund.

One for the boaters — 40 miles of shoreline, 25 islands andislets plus the famous Prideaux Haven anchorages.

St. Mary's Alpine - 22,600 ac. N.W. of Kimberley.Most of this park is an atpine upland over 7000' in height

with many small lakes and waterfalls.

Elk Lakes - 13,900 ac. Rockies S. of Kootenay Park.Being accessible by roads up the Elk River valley from

Sparwood this headwaters area has already received consider-able use. Lakes and small glaciers are contained.

Totem Lake in new St. Mary's Atpine Park Parks Branch Photo

The Shape Of Policies To Come

Those Forest Service guidelines seemed too ambiguous tous to be useful but they have been enforced closely enough tobring squeals of pain. Now announcement of the newsecretariat to the Land Use Committee to provide overallplanning should mean they will be largely superseded.

But problems on upper Vancouver Island can hardly waitfor the new setup so an integrated resource-use study for mostof the area has been announced. Logging is suspended in theTsitika watershed and restricted south of there.

As the last unlogged river on the Island the Tsitika thusbecomes the scene of a showdown between industry and theconservationists. No hearings seem likely but the wholecommunity will watch to see what comes of this.

Kamloops Annual Meeting The Biggest Yet

Advantages of Kamloops as a central meeting point wereshown by an attendance of 66 including delegates from 18 ofthe 22 clubs. The fine new Cariboo College building was themeeting site and a welcoming address was presented by StuNanson, president of the Kamloops club.

After committee reports hard working Dick Stace-Smith asResolutions Committee chairman piloted his long list of thesethrough. A request for support on conservation issues in theeastern Rockies was sent to the executive for action arid,subject to confirmation, it was decided to hold the fallmeeting in Golden. A motion to formally commend ResourcesMinister Williams for his amendments to the Parks Act passedas did another reviving the policy of assisting member clubs toproduce natural history publications.

New faces after election of officers were those of J.A.Bailey, Victoria, as Treasurer, Arnold Greenius, Vancouver andJoe Garner, Parksville, as Regional Vice-Presidents while Mrs.Rickie Fleming, Kamloops, and Mrs. Chris Schiesser, Golden,were added as new directors.

The day concluded with a cocktail hour and dinner at theCanadian Inn after which Richard Wright spoke onconservation while presenting his fine film, "Across Canada".

The final touch was no less than three field trips next daywhich attracted almost all the visitors. The Kamioops club ratecongratulations for putting on such a good show.

Some Committee Reports From The Annual Meeting

Dr. Bert Brink, reporting for the 21-member ConservationCommittee, said it now seemed certain the Skagit would notbe flooded but would instead be settled financially. FraserValley wetlands continue to be of major concern.Amendments suggested to Bill 42 were later incorporated.(The executive had earlier given the bill support by letter.) Hesaid the Committee had spent much time on park matters,submitted a brief on disposition of the U.B.C. endowmentlands, examined the impact of energy production andsupported the production by Peter Hatfield of his booklet"Pull the Plug". Several of the resolutions reflect theseactivities.

Copies of a study by Dr. Milton McClaren for thedevelopment of an educational program for the Federationwere distributed and will be considered later by the executive.The Education Committee is now being reconsititued.

Reporting for the Threatened Species Committee, DaveStirling moved for the continued complete protection ofraptors and said a brief on these was being prepared.

The Federation is in a much better position now, thefinancial report showed. This was due to an increase in thenumber of direct members, many in the premium forms, plus anumber of generous donations. Demands were heard for theopening of a central office: this may be possible next year ifgrowth is maintained. Meanwhile, the gratitude of theFederation goes to alt who have donated or helped.

Yorke Edwards, with us again after some years in the East,said it did not appear a good time to try to launch anaturalists' magazine for B.C. Richard Wright, Public Relationschairman, again asked that news of outdoors interest be sentto him at 2048 Highview Place, Port Moody. Elton Andersonreported formation of two more clubs and said the nextNewsletter run would be 8000 copies. Reporting on the NestRecord Scheme Mrs. Vi Gibbard said its future was in doubt.(Financing has been found now, however.)

Notes On Parks Around B.C.

B.C. will have a Parks ranger in Hamber Park this year, welearn, and a joint study is to be made of it and the Wood R iverarea now that the Pacific Rim (pfui) boundaries are set. (Setwhere, we wonder?) This means we may yet see the Fortressand Athabasca Trails maintained for hikers.

The 19,800-acre Top of the World proposal has at last beenmade a park. The Mt. Assiniboine addition, much reduced at83,600 acres but adding fine values, also has gone through.Conkle Lake Park has been increased to 1450 acres.

A generous donation by Geoff and Olga Haszard gives us a36-acre park on Christina Lake. It will be named Ole JohnsonPark after Mrs. Haszard's father, a pioneer there.

Surveys for several more small marine parks in the upperGulf Islands are proceeding. And East Sooke Regional Park hashad 110 acres at Iron Mine Bay added to it.

New Clubs Springing Up In The Spring

Three new clubs appear in the listing this time. Due to theinitiative of Doug Fraser of Osoyoos the Oliver-OsoyoosNaturalist Club with Rene Liboton as President is now areality. Just about their first act was to get out a useful coursein basic botany for the members.

The White Rock Naturalists is the name of the club formedby Madelon Schouten from a group she has had there for someyears. Birds, botany and the preservation of Blacky Spit - MudBay - Serpentine Fen areas are their main interests.

Newest of the clubs is the Langley Field Naturalists withwell known naturalist Al Grass as Acting President. They havea strong link with a photography club and help to fill the biggap we have in coverage of the Fraser Valley.

Our warmest congratulations go to these newest of ourfamily of clubs. May their shadows never grow less.

Birds From Large To Rather Small

A rare White Wagtail at Essondale and a Black-billed Magpieat the Reifel Refuge were seen by the Vancouver club. WhiteRock had a Lapland Longspur, a Ruddy Turnstone and 30Whimbrels. The Campbell River club's brant survey had a highday of 834 birds while Kitimat reported many flocks ofCanada Geese resting. At Kamtoops an apparent partial albinoWhite-crowned Sparrow was spotted.

Finally, on April 20 Victoria noted a 15-mile wide flightsouth across Juan de Fuca Strait of Nymphalis californica -the California tortoiseshell butterfly, that is.

Wildlife On The MoveThe giant (to 30 Ibs.) rainbow trout of the Lardeau will

have spawned before this appears and 15,000 visitors wereexpected by Fish & Wildlife men. Introductions elsewherefrom these have been tried but results are in doubt.

Wild turkeys have been released in the Enderby area by ahopeful sportsmen's club. The birds have succeeded inWashington and a few have crossed over to the West Kootenay.

Forty elk from Jasper released south of the Thompson nearLytton in habitat certified as good for elk by F. & W.biologists seem to be doing well. Two didn't believe the reportand swam to the north side where they still are.

Part Of Earlier Hamber Park Sought As New Park

Restoration of 60,000 acres in the Blaeberry-Howse Passarea to provincial park status is sought by the Golden club in abrief adopted as Federation policy at the Kamloops meeting.A magnificent area, it is threatened now by logging and, of allthings, another highway across the Rockies.

Ecology Works - It Isnt't Just A Longhaired WordIn 1969 a Borneo village had huts, malaria mosquitos,

cockroaches, caterpillars, geckos, rats and cats. Then WHOmoved in to eliminate the mosquitos with DDT.

But the more resistant roaches usually survived and theirDDT-laden bodies slowed down the geckos so much that thecats caught them. The cats died and in came the rats. Thecaterpillars, with no geckos to control them, then feasted onthe roofs of the huts till many collapsed.

It's all true. They fixed things eventually by flying in morecats — but by then the mosquitos were back too.

Adapted from Conservation News

Shuswap Ornithologist Passes Away

It is with deep regret that we record the death of Mr. DerekBeecham, past president of the Shuswap Naturalists' club. Anexpert on birds, Mr. Beecham came to B.C. from Alberta andleaves a wife in Sorrento near Salmon Arm.

Two Viewpoints On The Water Export Question

Continental Waterboy, by Donald Waterfield. Clarke Irwin, 1970.$7.95. Canada's Water: For Sale?, by Richard C. Booking. James Lewis& Samuel, $6.95.

Both these competent books enter strong protests against the exportof Canadian water to the U.S. and both regard the airy assumptions ofthe NAWAPA scheme as an environmental nightmare but after this theypart company. Where Waterfield's book stays in Canada and makesuncommonly entertaining reading of the Columbia hearings and all therest of the events which led to the environmental crime of High Arrow,Bocking goes to the U.S. to show, not always fairly, perhaps, that theU.S. doesn't really need the water. Two points are well made: theywaste far too much and if users had to pay the true cost of Canadianwater they often could not afford to use it at all.

In short, while Waterfield's book sparkles as history and anindictment of our own foolishness, Bocking's presents a great mass ofevidence against the idea that the U.S. should seek our water.

Logging Road Travel, by Alec & Taffy Merriman. Saltaire Publishing,S2.95. P. 117, many photos and sketch maps.

This most useful pocket book covers Vancouver Island to CampbellRiver — the upper Island will be covered by Vol. 2. Not the least part ofits usefulness is a preface capsuling the fight for access and multiple useof our forest lands, a fight that is still far from won.

Both fisherman and newspaperman, Merriman well knows how towrite a guide. Brief area descriptions are given but most of the bookconsists of pithy mile-by-rnile logs of the roads keyed to plain sketchmaps. A practical and valuable book all the way, well worth having.

Clearing Is Well Advanced on Bear and Diversion Reservoirsnear Sooke, says the Forest Service Engineering Branch. Theyare also doing a study on debris in lakes.

Resolutions Passed At The Annual Meeting

Wolves (Victoria): Asks continued protection with no furtherpoisoning, compensation to ranchers for losses, and fullprotection for the Vancouver Island subspecies. {Passedafter much discussion.)

Cosens Bay (NONC): Requests this part of the ColdstreamRanch on Kalamalka Lake be made a nature conservancy.{Three other NONC resolutions were either withdrawn orreferred to the Conservation Committee for action.)

All -Terrain Vehicles {Kamloops): Urges these be excludedfrom alpine areas except under special permit. {This accordsclosely with a previous FBCN submission.)

Greater Sandhill Crane (Alouette): Asks the 3000-acre PittLake Marsh area be set aside as a crane breeding ground.(Tabled — plans now pending for the area.)

Estuaries: Suggests environmental studies be made andhearings held before any commercial developments.

Abalones: Asks that federal authorities study and protectGeorgia Strait abalones, ban commercial harvesting of themin Pacific Rim Park and extend protection to other shellfishspecies such as sea urchins. (A more detailed FBCNresolution replacing one sent in by Mitlenatch.)

Orchids (Comox-Strathcona): Requests that Calypso Bulbosa{the lady's slipper) and Cypripedium spp. be protected bylaw. (Resolution was rephrased and extended.)

H.B. C. Brigade Trail (Vancouver): Supports an Okanagan-Similkameen Parks Society protection proposal.

Farm Land (Vancouver: Withdrawn as now being redundant.

Oil Spills (Vancouver): Urges the federal authorities establishlimitations and controls on tankers plus varied means fordealing with spills. Also urges the Province plan to deal withoil and chemical spills on land.

Forest Management: Requests that long-term managementplans incorporating all socio-economic resource values berequired in all forest areas irrespective of tenure.

Forest Inventory: Asks that forest lands be more closelyclassified with soils, landforms, water bodies, plantcommunities, animal populations and climate atl taken intoaccount as a basis for improved management decisions.

Grazing: Seeks a review of the Grazing Act and aninvestigation into the condition and usage of grazing landsin B.C. to improve them and better provide for wildlife.

The Clubs Start Another Summer

Conservation, as the resolutions show, holds the attentionof many clubs. Alouette and Langley are working to save thecrane nesting ground at Pitt Lake and report the birds are backthere now. Comox continues to slug it out on a park proposaland Kitimat helped force an investigation when effluent wasblamed for making their oolichan run inedible.

Two clubs have week-long trips, Vancouver to theCharlottes and Vernon to Mt. Robson's Berg Lake. Kamloopshas a long weekender to Trophy Mtn. with a camp at 6800feet!!

Several clubs have donated money to the Federation tohelp out, the latest being Vancouver with proceeds left overfrom their Saltspring trip. Vernon is selling bird seed, takingtea and coffee donations and conducting a raffle. Arrowsmithpicked salal and some have held bottle drives. It alt helps andthe Federation is most grateful for it.

Officers And Directors Of The Federation

Honorary President: DR. RODERICK HAIG-BROWN, Campbell River

President: ELTON A. ANDERSON, 3904 Benson Road, Victoria(477 4849)

{Please note: we have bought the house so return to this address.)

Past President: DR. T.M.C. TAYLOR, R.R. 6, Millstream Road,Victoria

Vice-President: DR. V.C. BRINK, 4135 W. 16th Ave., Vancouver 8(224 7078)

Secretary: MRS. GEORGE DURAND, 619 Alpha St., Victoria

Treasurer: J.A. BAl LEY, R.R. 6, Millstream Road, Victoria

REGIONAL VICE-PRESIDENTS:Vancouver Island: JOE GARNER, R.R. 1, ParksvilleLower Mainland: ARNOLD GREENIUS, 2030 W. 45th Ave.,

Vancouver 13 (261-2O93)Okanagan: MRS. V. GIBBARD, 465 Ellis St., Penticton (496-5368)

DIRECTORS:MRS. NANCY ANDERSON, 2145 Lloyd Ave., North Vancouver

MRS. R1CKIE FLEMING, 833 Sudbury Ave., Kamloops

FRED A. GORNALL, 4064 W. 20th Ave., Vancouver 8

ROBERT F. HARRINGTON, Galena Bay, via Revelstoke

DAVID F. HATLER, 2744 Oyama Court, U.B.C., Vancouver 8

FRANK PAUL, 1804 - 30th Ave., VernonNORM PURSSELL, 2338 Ottawa Ave., West Vancouver

GARY RUNKA, R.R. 6, Kelowna

MRS. CHRiS SCHIESSER, Box 9, Golden

DAVID STIRLING, 3500 Salsbury Way, Victoria

RICHARD T. WRIGHT, 2048 Highview Place, Port Moody

Fire Is A Tiger In A Cardboard Cage

A logger, if he is permitted to smoke at all in the woods, istaught to sit on a stump or rock until his smoke is done andthen butt it out there. How many of you campers and hikersdo that? How many realize you have to be that careful to besafe? Will YOU be as careful this summer?

We Need More Direct Members - Will You Help?

We have been asked what additional privileges the premiumforms of membership carry. The answer is — none. Except thespecial sense of satisfaction one derives from lending a bitmore support to an organization one believes in.

But our Regular members are our bread-and-butter. If evenhalf of those to whom we send courtesy copies were to send intheir five dollars it would give us a good boost along towardbeing able to open the central office we so badly need. Howabout it, all you good people?

REGULAR: $5.00 CONTRIBUTING: $50.00SUSTAINING: $10.00 PATRON: $100.00ACTIVE: $25.00 LIFE: $200.00AFFILIATE: $5.00 and up. (Non-profit organizations)ASSOCIATE: $5.00 and up. (Profit organizations)(Bulk mailings available — write for details.)Send to: F.B.C.N., Mr. J.A. Bailey, Trsr., R.R. 6, MillstreamRoad, Victoria, B.C. Use your own paper if you wish to keepNewsletter intact. PLEASE WRITE AS LEGIBLY AS THIS.

Name

Address

Membership Class. Amount enclosed

Are newsletter mailings desired?.

FEES IN EXCESS OF $5.00 ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE

Federated Member Clubs Now Number 24VANCOUVER ISLANDARROWSMITH NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY - ParksvilleA.G. Tranfield, Sr., Pres., Allsbrook Road, Parksville.Mrs. H. Farrell, Secy., 138 S. Moilliet St., Parksville (248-6789)

COMOX STRATHCONA NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETYMiss Phil Capes, Pres., R.R. 1, Comos (339-2708)Sid & Betty Belsom, R.R. 1, Back Road, Comox (334-2802)

COWICHAN VALLEY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY - Duncan

Mrs. G.M. Berry, Pres., 751 Castle St., Duncen (746-5759)Miss Lela Long, Secy., Crofton.

MITLENATCH FIELD NATURALIST SOCIETY - Campbell RiverMrs. Ruth Barnett. Pres. (287-8097)Howard Telosky, Vice-Pres. (923-4477)

NANAIMO DISTRICT NATURALISTS CLUBDavid Kerridge, 3397 Stephenson Pt. Rd., Nanairno (758-9727)Peter van Kerkoerle, Cassidy (245-2530)

SALTSPR1NG TRAIL & NATURE CLUBMrs. Ruby Alton, Pres., Fulford Harbor (653-4202)G.V. Holland, Secy., R.R. 1, Ganges (537-2078)

THETIS PARK NATURE SANCTUARY ASSOCIATION - VictoriaH.R. Matthews, Pres., 1145 Victoria Ave., VictoriaMrs. K. Sherman, Secy., 2168 Guernsey St., Victoria (598-3237)

VICTORIA NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Box 1747, VictoriaDr. Jeremy Tatum, Pres., 1680 Poplar Ave., Victoria (477-1089)Mrs. J.L. Rimmington, 3372 Henderson Road, Victoria

LOWER MAINLAND

ALOUETTE FIELD NATURALISTS - Haney-Pitt Meadows

W.A. Pickens, Pres., 22011 - 132nd Ave., Maple Ridge (467-2274)Mrs, J. Barber, Secy., 11300 - 240th St., Maple Ridge (463-4060)

CHILLIWACK FIELD NATURALISTS CLUB

John Sargeant, Actng. Chmn., 45466 Crescent Drive, Chilliwack

LANGLEY FIELD NATURALISTSAl Grass, Acting Pres., 5666 Rumble St., Burnaby 1Mrs. Adeline Nicol, Secy.

VANCOUVER NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Box 3021, Vancr. 3Norman Purssell, Pres., 2338 Ottawa Ave., West VancouverMiss Peg Briault, Rcdg. Secy., A-2250 York Ave., Vancouver 9

WHITE ROCK NATURALISTSMiss D. Smith, Secy.Miss M.A. Schouten, Pres., 14916 Thrift Ave., White Rock (536-6018)

SOUTHERN INTERIORKAMLOOPS NATURALIST CLUBSlim Kemp, 2008 Valleyview Drive, Kamloops (374-1792)Mr. & Mrs. A. Bawtree, 31 W. Nicola St., Kamloops

SHUSWAP NATURALISTS CLUB, Box 1076, Salmon ArmMrs. Ronald W. Burt, Secy., R.R. 1, Chase (679-3152)Guy Graham, Pres., Lakeview Drive, Salmon Arm (832-2284)

NORTH OKANAGAN NATURALISTS CLUB, Box 473 VernonDavid J. Laidman, Pres., R.R, 4, Vernon (545-5871)

Miss Kay M. Bartholomew, Secy., Box 473, Vernon (542-3977)

CENTRAL OKANAGAN NATURALISTS CLUB - KelownaMrs. Lily Palmer, Secy., 925 Bernard Ave., Kelowna

SOUTH OKANAGAN NATURALISTS CLUB - PentictonMiss Joan Poulsom, Chmn., 5 - 301 Scott Ave., Pntctn (492-7037)Mrs. L.A. Gibbard, 465 Ellis St., Pntctn (Naramata 496-5368)

OLIVER-OSOYOOS NATURALISTS CLUBRene Liboton, Pres., R.R. 2, Oliver (498-2710)Mrs. Marie Pushak, Secy., R.R. 1, Osoyoos (495-7764)

WEST KOOTENAY NATURALISTS ASSOCIATIONDave Webber, Secy., Box 121, Castlegar (365-6733)Jim Street, South Slocan (359-7426)

COLUMBIA VALLEY NATURALISTS - GoldenMrs. Chris Schiesser, Pres., Box 9, Golden (344-6131)

CENTRAL AND NORTHERN

WILLIAMS LAKE FIELD NATURALISTSMrs. Anna Roberts, Pres., Box 1268, Williams Lake (392-5000)

PRINCE GEORGE NATURALISTS CLUBJim Caldwell, Pres., (563-4063)Mrs. Jean Staniland, Secy., 5420 Dalhousie St., P.G. (964-7132)

PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATURALIST CLUB - KitimatMrs. Phyllis LeBlanc, Secy., 71 Wedeene St., Kitimat