Abbotsford Mission Nature Club

Feb 8, 2023 Monthly Meeting - Member Slideshow night
2022-12-27 00:00 (America/Vancouver)
This is an opportunity for you to share your photos of a favourite park, a recent trip, your backyard, or any other nature related theme.
No photos from Willband please as we will have a different group presenting photos of this area during our March meeting. Please email your photos to Quirien at qmuldertenkate@gmail.com by December 28, 2022. She will sequence them in a power-point presentation. As your set of photos appears on the screen, we would like you to say a few words about them. Please indicate if any text needs to be added to any of the photos. I will add your name to each photo. We would like you to send enough photos so you can present for about five minutes.

Jan 11, 2023 Monthly Meeting - Raingardens to the Rescue
2022-12-27 00:00
Raingardens to the Rescue
A presentation about raingardens presented by Quirien Mulder ten Kate, on behalf of Deborah Jones (Raingarden Coordinator for Delta). This presentation will describe the what, how and why of raingardens in preparation for a possible field trip on March 22.

March 8, 2023 Monthly Meeting - Willband Walkers and Photographers
2022-12-27 00:00
Willband Walkers and Photographers
Willband walkers and photographers will present some of their photos of this area. More information to follow.

April meeting
2023-02-05 00:00
Regular monthly meeting, topic to be determined.

Annual Picnic/Social
2023-02-05 00:00
Annual Picnic and Social. Neilson Regional Park, Mission, BC, 6:30pm
Bring your own picnic food. Dessert will be provided.

May monthly meeting
2023-02-05 00:00
Sandhill Cranes – to be confirmed.

January meeting
2023-12-01 00:00
Bob Dhaliwal from Ocean Wise will be presenting “Marine Mammal Conservation: Non-invasive Research and Community-based Science”

February meeting
2023-12-01 00:00
Derek Matthews (VARC) “For the Love of Birds” (via Zoom)
Email for Zoom meeting credentials.

March meeting
2023-12-01 00:00
Three mini-presentations!
Unfortunately, our March speaker had to cancel for personal reasons.
Quirien will show us how to use the iNaturalist app. in preparation for the City of Abbotsford’s participation in the worldwide City Nature Challenge Bioblitz from April 26 to 29th. Install the iNaturalist app on your phone at home prior to the meeting. It is helpful to have some photos of fungi, animals and plants stored on your phone ahead of time, too. Make sure you have enough data as there is no wifi in the hatchery. We probably will not be able to go outside as, despite the time change, it will still be too dark outside.
In memory of the recent passing of Al Grass, a well known naturalist and activist in B.C., we will share a short presentation to recognize his contributions to our province.
Lastly, we will share a PowerPoint that highlights the arrival of an early spring, the Reiffel Island field trip and the work parties at Willband.

April meeting
2023-12-01 00:00
“Ravine Park Hatchery Presentation and Tour”
by Dale Taylor and Rob Moynahan
They will give a History of the Abbotsford Ravine Park Salmon Enhancement Society (ARPSES),, Hatchery Operations, Stream Walks, Future Directions, and Hatchery Tour.

September meeting - Mosses & Lichens
2024-07-29 00:00
Regular meeting.
Phil Henderson will be speaking.
Mosses and Lichens: Beauty and Beyond
“…mosses, like love, make even the ugliest objects beautiful, for they hid all defects within their own loveliness.” – Day, Helen Evelyn. (fide: Russell (1908) (in Edwards, S.R. 1995. Mosses in English Literature. Supplement Three. Bull. Brit. Bryol. Soc. 65:45-47.)
Imagine a Monet with color; a forest without trees. Imagine a world without mosses. To do this you must appreciate the world without mosses. This talk will attempt to sharpen your focus on these ubiquitous, beautiful and fascinating plants.

October meeting - Identify mushrooms
2024-09-11 00:00
“Learning to Identify Mushrooms” by Willoughby Arevalo, mycologist, artist, kitchen wizard, father, and educator
Fungus enthusiast Willoughby Arevalo will share his principles of mushroom identification based on features visible with the naked eye. This program will help you develop your field ID skills to be able to recognize most mushrooms to form group and learn skills to work towards quickly recognizing important genera and species. Learning the basics of fungal biology and ecology will help you know where and when to look. Learn how to collect specimens for ID and how to harvest honourably and safely. Connect with local, print and online resources for further study. Special attention will be given to some of our most common edible, medicinal and toxic species.

November Meeting - Bats
2024-09-11 00:00
“Bats, Sounds and Sonograms” by Keith Chrystall
Recordings acquired with the Langley Field Naturalist’s Bat Echometer will be presented, along with some details regarding bats and bat species found in the lower mainland. Audio samples of the calls made by several types of bats will be played to illustrate the differences between species and also the use of echolocation for hunting.

February meeting - Wolves in the Yukon
2024-09-11 00:00
Bernie Walter will be speaking on Wolves in the Yukon.
Details to follow.

March meeting - Conservation Collaboration
2024-09-11 00:00
Andrea Gielens – Conservation Collaboration: A Tale of three species
Explore the biology and reintroduction efforts at The Greater Vancouver Zoo to save three small but iconic BC species and the science and advancements that have led to challenges and successes over the past 20 years. Andrea manages the Zoo’s captive breeding and release programs for the Oregon spotted frog, the Coastal Western Painted turtle, and the Taylors Checkerspot butterfly.

Homegrown National Park - Dr. James Scott
2024-09-11 00:00
The Homegrown National Park project encourages people to turn their yards into wildlife-friendly habitats, creating interconnected corridors that are like a park. By planting native species and promoting richness and variety, individuals can support native wildlife and healthy air quality, reduce their water usage, and lessen flood risk. The homegrownnationalpark.org website offers resources and tools to help people get started on their conservation journey. By being part of the HNP movement, the Abbotsford-Mission Nature Club can be a leader in the community, modelling how their neighbours, too, can become better stewards of the earth we all love. The David Suzuki Foundation has partnered with the HNP movement

May meeting - Garter Snakes
2024-09-11 00:00
Carmen Sprang will share her three years of experiences and observations of the garter snakes and the hibernaculum area along a Delta dyke. The Spring emerge this year has been quite a contrast to last year’s. We are going to hear the reasons.

January meeting
2024-09-11 00:00
Zoom meeting with Christine Thuring Pollinators in the City: How urban environments can support native bees.
Pollinator gardens are gradually becoming common features in the urban landscape, which is great for biodiversity, for human well-being and for the biosphere. There is always room for improvement, of course, and this talk offers resources to help enhance pollinator garden design and maintenance. After introducing the diversity of BC’s native bees, this presentation explores a range of tools that can help and guide well-informed plant selections and provisions for healthy forage and safe nesting.

February Meeting - Stories of Arctic Birds, Bernie Walter
2025-12-03 00:00
Bernie was stationed for 10 years in Alert, Nunavut, the most northern military station on planet Earth. While in Alert, Bernie observed and photographed a variety of wildlife, including Arctic birds. Join Bernie as he tells stories of Arctic birds in their unforgettable landscape.

January Meeting - Antarctica, Falklands, South Georgia
2025-12-03 00:00
Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica
Spectacular scenery, flourishing wildlife and the experience of a lifetime. Join naturalist/photographer John Gordon as he shares his recent trip to the Southern Ocean.
Click here for more information.

Northern Flickers - Dr. Karen Wiebe
2025-12-12 00:00
BEHAVIOR & ECOLOGY OF NORTHERN FLICKERS, A KEYSTONE SPECIES IN FOREST ECOSYSTEMS
Dr. Karen Wiebe, Professor Emeritus, University of Saskatchewan
Northern Flickers are common woodpeckers that many people recognize from their backyards and bird feeders. Dr. Karen Wiebe studied a population of Northern Flickers in central British Columbia from 1997-2014. She will discuss some of the fascinating behaviors of these woodpeckers, including patterns of parental care, as well as the important role they play in maintaining biodiversity on the landscape.
Biography:
Karen grew up in Langley and has enjoyed watching birds from early childhood. She did her BSc. at Simon Fraser University, and then Ph.D. on American Kestrels at the University of Saskatchewan where she was hired as biology faculty in 1996. She has published over 140 peer reviewed journal articles on birds, many on the Northern Flicker. After retiring in 2022, she moved back to Langley to be closer to family and to once again enjoy birding on the west coast.

March meeting - Michael Seear - Bald Eagles
2026-03-04 00:00
Michael Seear will be talking about Bald Eagles and tagging research.

May meeting - Joe Foy, Spotted Owls
2026-03-04 00:00
Joe Foy will be speaking about Spotted Owls and the importance of old growth rainforests.

Winter Songbirds - Dilan Praat
2026-09-09 19:30 - 21:30 | Ravine Park Hatchery, 2395 Crescent Way, Abbotsford, BC
Investigating Winter Songbird Movement and Survival along an Urbanization Gradient – Dilan Praat, M.Sc Candidate, SFU.
Description:
Urbanization involves the modification of natural habitats but also creates novel urban habitats which are full of both opportunities and perils for birds. As global urban landcover is expected to double over the next 30 years, it is critical to learn how birds interact with and survive in these novel habitats. While past research projects have investigated how breeding songbirds navigate city life during the summer, there is very little research into how wintering songbirds are using cities. My ongoing thesis investigates how the survival and movement of Golden-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia atricapilla) vary across an urbanization gradient in the Vancouver area. During this talk, I will discuss techniques used to study urban songbirds including radio-tagging and colour-banding, findings from my research so far, and share some steps both people and communities can take to make cities safer for our feathered friends.
Biography:
Dilan Praat completed his BSc, with honours at the University of the Fraser Valley. He has also worked as an environmental technician at the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve and as a laboratory technician at the University of the Fraser Valley’s Biology Department. He is currently completing his M.Sc. in Biological Sciences at Simon Fraser University where he is supervised by Dr. David Green and Dr. Elizabeth Gow.

Oct meeting - Remarkable Trees Around the World, Susan Murray
2026-10-14 19:30 - 21:30 | Ravine Park Hatchery, 2395 Crescent Way, Abbotsford, BC
Remarkable Trees Around the World – Susan Murray
Please join nature photographer and arborist Susan M. Murray as she takes you on a colourful journey around the world to view some of the most amazing trees on earth! Some of these wonderful trees are giants, a few are dwarves but all are important to the world’s biological diversity. Some are so old or growing in conditions so severe that their resilience is truly remarkable. Several outstanding local trees will be highlighted in this talk.
Ms. Murray taught horticulture and arboriculture at the post-secondary level from 1979 to 2013 at both BCIT and KPU and is now enjoying her retirement activities. Passionate about plants and photography, Susan has collected thousands of images of plants from around the world, both in their native habitats and in garden settings. Recently, she visited and photographed gardens in Japan and the United Kingdom.
Locally, the Rhododendron and Magnolia collections in Darts Hill Garden Park (DHGP) are favorite photography subjects. Since first touring the garden with Francisca Darts in 1991, Susan has had a keen interest in the plants in the garden and is currently the chair of the DHGP Collection Committee. Susan is also the author of Our Sylvan Heritage, a Guide to the Magnificent Trees of the South Fraser, a full- colour book describing 350 tree species growing along the streets, in the parks and other public spaces of the South Fraser region.
Her most recent publication (2025), available for purchase from the author, is Rhododendron Hybrids and the Trees that Shade Them: A Guide to Darts Hill Garden Park. This easy to use and beautifully illustrated guide features over 200 rhododendron hybrids found in Darts Hill Garden Park and includes over 250 full-colour photographs.

Invasive Species, A Threat to Biodiversity
2026-11-11 19:30 - 21:30 | Ravine Park Hatchery, 2395 Crescent Way, Abbotsford, BC
Erica Mulder will be speaking on invasive species and their threat to biodiversity.
Invasive species are considered to be one of the greatest threats to biodiversity world-wide, second only to habitat loss. Join us for an introduction to invasive species, what they are, how they came to be here and what impacts they have on our local ecology. Learn about some of the highest priority species for the Fraser Valley, including new and emerging species, as well as information on decision making and management practices.
Erica Mulder is the Outreach Coordinator for the Fraser Valley Invasive Species Society (FVISS). She is currently working on a diploma in Restoration of Natural Systems out of the University of Victoria and is involved in a variety of community stewardship projects.
