outdoors Archives - Allan Brooks Nature Centre

Blossoms and Berries — Uses of wild Sunflowers and Saskatoon berries.

Check out Roseanne Van Ee’s recent nature column in the Vernon MorningStar! Learn about different uses of some of our local plants and how to make an Saskatoon Pie!

Spring up to help local bats

BC Community Bat Program’s Okanagan Coordinator asking for help with bats.

With bats waking from hibernation and many returning to the area from long migrations, Paula Rodriguez de la Vega provided ABNC with some great information on helping these little eco champions. Here are some things we can do as we head into spring.

If you find a dead bat, please hold on to it if possible. We would like to collect dead bats for testing. If possible, double bag the dead bat in a Ziploc bag and put it in the freezer. We will be in contact with you to collect it.
If you have been bitten or scratched by a bat, please call your physician or public health office.
If your pet has been in contact with a bat, please call your veterinarian.
If you found a bat roosting outside, please leave it alone. It might be slowly waking up from hibernation.
If you need assistance with removing a single live bat from inside your house, please go to: http://www.batcon.org/resources/for-specific-issues/bats-in-buildings/removing-a-single-bat
If you are wondering how to evict bats, please see our website:
https://www.bcbats.ca/index.php/got-bats/excluding-bats-from-a-building and if you have questions about the bats roosting on your house or building, see https://www.bcbats.ca/attachments/Bats%20in%20buildings20%20pages_2017_web.pdf.Fall is a good time to do exclusions, be sure to install a one-way exit device when sealing up the building, to be sure all bats can get out if they are still in there.

Bat boxes and contacts

If you want information about bat boxes, please see our website: https://www.bcbats.ca/index.php/bat-houses. The Okanagan Community Bat Program sells 4-chamber bat boxes for $150 each, with all proceeds going to bat conservation.

Alternatively, you can buy them at the Peachland Visitor Centre or at the Vernon Allan Brooks Nature Centre. Or build your own as per this link: https://www.bcbats.ca/attachments/Bat_houses_in_BC_2015.pdf

Our program depends on various grants and donations. If you feel so inclined to support the Okanagan Community Bat Program, please go to: https://www.bcbats.ca/index.php/get-involved/support-the-bat-program.

Sincerely,

Paula Rodriguez de la Vega

Okanagan Region Coordinator, BC Community Bat Program

www.bcbats.ca

Toll free: 1-855-922-BATS (2287) ext.13

Help us detect white-nose syndrome in B.C. Please report dead bats and unusual bat activity in winter. Call our toll free line: 1.855.922.2287, ext.13. For more information see www.bcbats.ca.

Disease threatens BC’s Bats – Need your help

Sleeping bat – a healthy Myotis bat found hibernating in a woodpile – reporting sleeping bats helps researchers learn what is normal. Photo: C Buick

OKANAGAN AREA, BC – B.C.’s bats, including the well-known Little Brown Bat, are threatened by a fungal disease headed towards the province from Alberta and Washington State. The Okanagan Community Bat Program, in collaboration with the Province of BC, is asking the public for help in the effort to detect and prevent the spread of White-Nose Syndrome (WNS). Residents are urged to report any bat activity observed in winter and any sick or dead bats found before May 31^st.

What is White Nose Syndrome?

White-Nose Syndrome is a fungal disease that is harmless to humans and pets, but has devastated North American bat populations. The fungus attacks bats while they are hibernating, growing on their faces to give an appearance of a white nose. Bats often wake to clean the fungus from their skin. This uses valuable energy, and finally the bats die from starvation. Across North America, millions of bats have been killed, and two BC species are now listed as Endangered due to the disease.

First detected in New York State in 2006, the disease continues to spread, with detections on the west coast close to Seattle and in south-central Alberta. Biologists say the arrival of WNS in BC is imminent. Increasing the number of reports from the public is the best chance to understand how WNS might spread and affect local bat populations. Though there is not yet a proven cure for WNS, several promising treatment options are being developed, and it may be possible to mitigate the effects of this wildlife health crisis.

White-nose syndrome occurrence map – by year (2023). Downloaded 2023-02-07. Available at https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/where-is-wns

What you can do

If you find a dead bat or have sightings of winter bat activity, please report to the B.C. Community Bat Program online at www.bcbats.ca , via email at [email protected] or by calling 1-855-922-2287 ext.13. All live bats should be left alone — keep your distance, snap a photo and report it to the B.C. Community Bat Program. If you must move a bat, visit www.bcbats.ca for advice and never touch a bat with your bare hands. Please note that if you or your pet has been in direct contact with the bat you will need further information regarding the risk of rabies to you and your pet. Please contact the BC Community Bat Program for more information.

Bats – OUR Buddies

The bats of BC are key predators of many night-flying insects. They are essential parts of BC’s ecosystems and provide billions of dollars of economic benefit by helping control agricultural, forest, and urban pests. In partnership with the BC Ministry of Environment, the BC Community Bat Program provides information and promotes local stewardship and citizen science.

Okanagan Resources

The BC Community Bat Program Okanagan Region extends its gratitude to partners involved in bat conservation including the Bat Education and Environmental Protection Society (Peachland), Environmental Education Centre Okanagan (Kelowna), Allan Brooks Nature Centre (Vernon), Osoyoos Desert Society (Osoyoos), BC Parks (Penticton), Grist Mill (Keremeos), The Nature Trust (Twin Lakes), Granby Wilderness Society (Grand Forks) and several Okanagan naturalist and outdoor clubs The program runs thanks to funding from the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Forest Enhancement Society of BC, and the Habitat Stewardship Program. You can find out more about the BC Community Bat Program and options for helping local bat populations at www.bcbats.ca, [email protected], or 1-855-922-2287 ext.13.

Abundant Autumn- Edible Plant Class

Mikaela Cannon is a wilderness guide with a passion for plants and sharing her knowledge! In this class you will walk the Grasslands Trail at ABNC to learn about the various edible plants and their uses. To finish off the experience you will have an opportunity to sample edible treats made from wild plants. This tasting will be held at the covered picnic area, which provides scenic views of Okanagan Lake! You can expect to taste seasonal jams and other goodies that incorporate an element of local flora.

Sampling these treats will be done at your own risk and no dietary substitutions will be made. Due to the nature of this class, we recommend participants are 19+

This class will operate rain or shine, so please ensure you are dressed for the weather and wearing closed toe shoes. Meet at the covered picnic area around 9:50am.

Guided Trail Tour

Join us on a short walk through our rare and delicate grassland ecosystem! Learn about grassland plants and animals, their special traits that allow them to live in this hot, dry habitat and how they interact. Touch, smell, and feel as we explore the wilderness all around us! This tour starts at the trailhead and follows an easy gravel path loop around the centre.

Fee: $5.00 per person (youth under 16 + ABNC members are FREE!). Registration is required.