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    The newsletter summarizes the activities of the Sargeant Bay Society over the past year, including their annual general meeting, invasive plant control efforts, and nature sightings. It discusses the election of the society's directors, control of invasive plants at Sargeant Bay Provincial Park through contracted workers and volunteers, nature events held in the spring and summer, and sightings of birds like wood ducks and a gray whale that visited the bay multiple times between July and September.

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    ENwsltr 83

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    The newsletter summarizes the activities of the Sargeant Bay Society over the past year, including their annual general meeting, invasive plant control efforts, and nature sightings. It discusses the election of the society's directors, control of invasive plants at Sargeant Bay Provincial Park through contracted workers and volunteers, nature events held in the spring and summer, and sightings of birds like wood ducks and a gray whale that visited the bay multiple times between July and September.

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    ENwsltr83

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    The newsletter summarizes the activities of the Sargeant Bay Society over the past year, including their annual general meeting, invasive plant control efforts, and nature sightings. It discusses the election of the society's directors, control of invasive plants at Sargeant Bay Provincial Park through contracted workers and volunteers, nature events held in the spring and summer, and sightings of birds like wood ducks and a gray whale that visited the bay multiple times between July and September.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    26 views2 pages

    ENwsltr 83

    Uploaded by

    vanea
    The newsletter summarizes the activities of the Sargeant Bay Society over the past year, including their annual general meeting, invasive plant control efforts, and nature sightings. It discusses the election of the society's directors, control of invasive plants at Sargeant Bay Provincial Park through contracted workers and volunteers, nature events held in the spring and summer, and sightings of birds like wood ducks and a gray whale that visited the bay multiple times between July and September.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 2

    Newsletter #83

    Editor: Joop Burgerjon


    September 27, 2010

    Annual General Meeting

    Invasive Plant control at Sargeant Bay

    The AGM of the Society was held on April 14.


    The directors for this year were all re-elected and their
    functions decided in a subsequent directors meeting as
    follows:
    Tony Greenfield:
    Joop Burgerjon:
    Maggie Marsh:
    Katie Caple:
    Elise Rudland:
    Ron Dinsdale:
    Annette Clarke:
    Lexi Harrington:

    President
    Secretary / Editor
    Treasurer
    Membership Secretary
    Summer Program Organizer
    Director at Large
    Director at Large
    Director at Large

    After the meeting we visited the Frog Lane Park on Coopers


    Road to listen to the chorus of mating frogs.

    Summer Events
    April 30, 2010, was Save-the-Frogs-Day and was
    celebrated by a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the
    interpretive Frog Lane Sign, donated by the Sargeant Bay
    Society in partnership with the HMB Citizens Association.
    This original and successful project is located on a public
    right-of-way and has the status of a Regional Park under the
    jurisdiction of the SCRD

    When the Provincial Park was established in 1991,


    Himalayan Blackberries were widely distributed over the
    beach area, the wetland, between the wetland and Redrooffs
    Road and at the Trail Head on Redrooffs Road. There was a
    large patch of Scotch Broom near where now the double
    bench is and a smaller one at the Trail Head.
    The first clearing was done by volunteers in 1993:
    blackberries at the Trail Head, to clear the way for what
    became the Colvin Creek Trail and the patch of broom on
    the berm near the double-sided bench. In subsequent years
    we employed summer students, UFAWU workers, and the
    Environmental Youth Team. In 2000 we hired a team of
    workers, supported by a grant from EcoAction Canada.
    Yellow Flag on the shores of the lake and Evergreen
    Blackberry on the island were also eliminated.
    At this time the park is essentially free of these invasive
    plants. Himalayan Blackberry keeps appearing here and
    there, Scotch Broom keeps sprouting up every year near the
    bench and Evergreen Blackberry is tenacious on the island.
    We maintain our Invasive Plant Control program by way of
    contracts with Kye Goodwin. We encourage other
    organizations and private individuals to follow our example
    and clear invasive plants wherever they can.
    The Greenways Group, who built and maintain a trail system
    in Halfmoon Bay, recently acquired an effective tool, that
    makes uprooting broom and blackberries a breeze. The
    group intends to make it available to others as well. The
    Extractigator is pictured below, applied to Scotch Broom:

    Photo: Joop Burgerjon

    The Birding-by-the-Bay event on May 16 with Tony


    Greenfield and the Nature Interpretation walk around
    Triangle Lake with Kye Goodwin, were both well attended
    and favoured by good weather.

    1 of 2

    Photos: Rand Rudland

    In 2003 the Society published a 30-page report: Invasive


    Plant Control in Sargeant Bay Provincial Park. It shows a
    map of the invasive plant infestations at the start of the
    project. It is available on our website. Click:
    http://www.sargbay.ca/IPC.pdf

    At Sargeant Bay the whale came quite close to the shore,


    where it was feeding. The Gray Whale is the only bottomfeeding baleen whale. The following photo shows the
    whales vapor plume close to the beach.

    Birds
    On June 30 Penny Hall saw a Virginia Rail running on the
    road to the beach: a totally unnatural habitat for this
    secretive marsh bird. She jumped out of her car and was
    quick enough on the draw to get this unusual photo.

    Photo: Joop Burgerjon

    The next photo shows the whale near Eureka Point.

    Photo: Penny Hall

    On August 14 and 15 Sue Hayer and Tony Greenfield saw a


    very tame Yellow-headed Blackbird near the double bench
    on the berm.
    There were several sightings of Wood Ducks this year,
    mostly juveniles, some females. Tony saw 9 on August 15,
    Joop saw 3 on August 18, 3, on August 26/31,1 and on
    September 5, 2, all at the fish ladder. The conclusion is that
    they probably bred here. There was no evidence of nesting in
    the duck boxes.
    Turkey Vultures were feasting for several weeks in
    September on the smelly carcass of a big dog that washed up
    on the beach at a high tide.

    Photo: Joop Burgerjon

    Grey whales are making a remarkable come-back in the


    North Pacific. Early this year there was even one seen in the
    Mediterranean near Israel. The Atlantic population was
    extirpated about 100 years ago. A full record of whale
    observations can be found on our website:
    http://www.sargbay.ca/GreyWhale.pdf
    The file is rather large, because it has photos attached, so let
    us know if you have difficulty downloading it.

    Salmon

    Photo: Joop Burgerjon

    Grey Whale
    A Grey Whale visited Sargeant Bay on July 4, 5,7,8,10,11,
    27 and August 6. By way of announcements in the local
    newspapers we have invited the public to email us the date,
    time and location of their observations, so we could keep
    track of the whales movements.
    By the end of September we had received 170 sightings; 11
    were of 2 whales; five were of 2 whales seen together.
    The whale was first sighted at Welcome Beach on April 27
    and the latest sighting to-date was at Roberts Creek on
    September 11.

    The spawning season will soon be here again. We expect


    some Coho and Chum to climb the fish ladder between
    November 15 and December 15. This spring again there
    were Coho fry in Colvin Creek. Therefore, it is important to
    keep the beaver dam at the fish ladder cleared during that
    time.
    There is a potato rake under the bridge which makes the job
    relatively easy. Please use it as needed.

    Feedback
    We welcome your comments, suggestions and
    questions. As you received this newsletter by email, it is easy for you to let us have your
    comments: Just click the reply button, or
    [email protected].

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