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!
Tag Archive for: things to do
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
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.
Okanagan Okie’s Groundhog Day Celebration
Winter is almost over! Or is it? Do we pack up the winter coats, and boots or keep them out for another 6 weeks?
We invite you to join us at the centre for Okanagan Okie’s Groundhog Day Celebration on February 2nd at 10:00 am. Will we see if our very own Okanagan Okie, the newest Canadian weather seer joins the likes of Balzac Billie and Manitoba Merv in bidding “adieu” to winter? Beach Radio’s Rebecca Barton will emcee as Okie musters the courage to test the weather outside the burrow around 10:15 am. Together, let’s hopefully say goodbye to winter, have a hot chocolate, share some laughs and enjoy the outdoors while looking forward to spring!
Bat Week at ABNC ends Oct 29th
Media release promotes Bat Week and awareness.
The following is from the BC Community Bat Program in honor of Bat Week–Oct 24 – 29.
ABNC still has the Bat Exhibit until Oct 29. If you haven’t seen it, come up and check it out.
Photo: Long-eared Myotis in Burdock. M-Anion
Trick or … a weed pull? Bat-friendly landscaping can help bats at Halloween
As Halloween approaches, images of scary bats become commonplace. This is the perfect time of year to counter bat myths and do something to help bats, by taking part in International Bat Week (October 24-31). Bat Week is all about appreciating these amazing animals and their benefits, including eating insects, pollinating flowers, and spreading seeds and nutrients. Maybe try landscaping that helps bats at Halloween.
This BatWeek, consider bat-friendly gardening to help bats! Planting native trees, shrubs, or flowers in your yard, as well as light-coloured and night-blooming flowers, will support the insects that our BC bats like to eat. Controlling invasive plant species also helps insects and bats thrive, so consider a weed-pull in your yard, laneway, or local park or wetland. You can find more information on bat-friendly gardening through the Community Bat Program’s Bat-friendly Communities Guide at www.bcbats.ca or contact [email protected].
Why BatWeek? “Bats in BC help control agricultural and forest pests, as well as mosquitoes in our yards – but now bats need our help” says Mandy Kellner, Coordinator for the BC Community Bat Program. “Providing safe and healthy habitat for bats has always been important, since over half the species in this province are considered at risk. With the continuing spread of White-nose Syndrome in Washington State, bat conservation is more important than ever as we expect to see impacts in BC in the near future. ”
BatWeek also marks the time of year when bats disappear from our neighbourhoods, until the return of warmer weather in spring. As insect-eaters, our BC bats must leave their summer roost sites and migrate or hibernate to survive the winter. This absence means that this is the time of year to do home renovations that you have delayed due to bat presence. You can clean out and repair a bat box, or do bat-friendly exclusion work, without disturbing or injuring bats.
If you do see a bat in winter, please report it. Monitoring for white-nose syndrome in BC will continue this winter, with Community Bat Programs requesting reports of dead bats or sightings of winter bat activity.
In partnership with the BC Ministry of Environment, and funded by the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Forest Enhancement Society of BC, Habitat Stewardship Program, and local funders, the BC Community Bat Program provides information and promotes local stewardship and citizen science. You can report winter bat sightings, find out more about the BC Community Bat Program, BatWeek activities, and options for helping local bat populations, at www.bcbats.ca, [email protected], or 1-855-922-2287.
Photos:
Long-eared Myotis in Burdock – Removing invasive plants such as burdock allows native plants to thrive and reduces hazards for bats. Photo: M Anion
Bats in a bat box: Bat boxes can provide a secure roost site for bats if properly installed and maintained. Photo: Sunshine Coast Wildlife Project
BATS: Out of the Darkness
Do you love bats or have a bat nerd in your life? Join us at Allan Brooks Nature Centre for a month-long travelling exhibit! BATS: Out of the Darkness is an exhibit all about BC bat species, with an aim to “bring the bats of British Columbia out of the darkness and into our consciousness.” The exhibition serves as a reminder of how essential bats are to the environment. It also provides a chance to celebrate these amazing creatures and foster stewardship within BC.
Though they face some stigma for seeming spooky or scary, bats are integral to keeping our ecosystems healthy! Many bat species have seen a rapid decline in recent decades, and need our help and awareness to grow their populations again. If you want to learn more about what these wonderful mammals do for us, and what we can do to support them, visit the centre during our open hours from October 1st – 29th.
The exhibit is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00-3:30. Admission is by a suggested donation of $5 per person.
BATS: Out of the Darkness
Do you love bats or have a bat nerd in your life? Join us at Allan Brooks Nature Centre for a month-long travelling exhibit! BATS: Out of the Darkness is an exhibit all about BC bat species, with an aim to “bring the bats of British Columbia out of the darkness and into our consciousness.” The exhibition serves as a reminder of how essential bats are to the environment. It also provides a chance to celebrate these amazing creatures and foster stewardship within BC.
Though they face some stigma for seeming spooky or scary, bats are integral to keeping our ecosystems healthy! Many bat species have seen a rapid decline in recent decades, and need our help and awareness to grow their populations again. If you want to learn more about what these wonderful mammals do for us, and what we can do to support them, visit the centre during our open hours from October 1st – 29th.
The exhibit is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00-3:30. Admission is by a suggested donation of $5 per person.
BATS: Out of the Darkness
Do you love bats or have a bat nerd in your life? Join us at Allan Brooks Nature Centre for a month-long travelling exhibit! BATS: Out of the Darkness is an exhibit all about BC bat species, with an aim to “bring the bats of British Columbia out of the darkness and into our consciousness.” The exhibition serves as a reminder of how essential bats are to the environment. It also provides a chance to celebrate these amazing creatures and foster stewardship within BC.
Though they face some stigma for seeming spooky or scary, bats are integral to keeping our ecosystems healthy! Many bat species have seen a rapid decline in recent decades, and need our help and awareness to grow their populations again. If you want to learn more about what these wonderful mammals do for us, and what we can do to support them, visit the centre during our open hours from October 1st – 29th.
The exhibit is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00-3:30. Admission is by a suggested donation of $5 per person.
BATS: Out of the Darkness
Do you love bats or have a bat nerd in your life? Join us at Allan Brooks Nature Centre for a month-long travelling exhibit! BATS: Out of the Darkness is an exhibit all about BC bat species, with an aim to “bring the bats of British Columbia out of the darkness and into our consciousness.” The exhibition serves as a reminder of how essential bats are to the environment. It also provides a chance to celebrate these amazing creatures and foster stewardship within BC.
Though they face some stigma for seeming spooky or scary, bats are integral to keeping our ecosystems healthy! Many bat species have seen a rapid decline in recent decades, and need our help and awareness to grow their populations again. If you want to learn more about what these wonderful mammals do for us, and what we can do to support them, visit the centre during our open hours from October 1st – 29th.
The exhibit is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00-3:30. Admission is by a suggested donation of $5 per person.
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.
Bat Basics Class
Join us at Allan Brooks Nature Centre for a one hour class on “Bat Basics” with our lead nature interpreter, Alexis Olynyk. Learn more about what makes these nocturnal mammals so fascinating and important! You will also have access to our limited time exhibit “Bats: Out of the Darkness.”
As this is a seated (lecture style) presentation, we recommend participants be 12+ years of age.
Please check in at the front desk of the interpretive centre when you arrive.
Tag Archive for: things to do
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