Friends of Ecological Reserves Newsletter Victoria, B.C. Spring 1996 Getting to know our Grasslands hile one can't help but In the Cariboo-Chilcotin, the noticeable, and after 40 years the Wnotice a forest of 700-year- grasslands complex may be sepa• grassland is still improving in old trees or the bouquest of flow• rated into three zones, based on diversity and vigour. ers that greets summer, the Big Sky the plants that are dominant at the country we call grassland seems time of climax vegetation. Lower unvegetated and urunhabited, and grasslands (BGxh3, in the NOTE POST 7 appears to go on forever. Not so. biogeoclimatic scheme) occur on The Friends Annual There is great diversity of both benches along the Fraser and General Meeting fauna (scorpions, bats, owls) and Chilcotin rivers and climax to big flora — bitterroot, Mariposa lilies sage. Middle grasslands (BGxw2) 3 pm., Saturday, June 15,1996 and porcupine grass, to name a are characterized by bluebunch Mary Rannie's home: few. Study of the host of lichens wheat grass. Upper grassland 6 Woodville Place, View Royal and invertebrates has only begun. (IDFxm), dominated by porcupine Sooke FTills field trip 10 am. Different grassland communities grass, are more extensive. Pot-luck supper 5 pm — appear in four regions of British Until recently, very little grass• Columbia: the Southern Interior land in the Interior Douglas Fir see the Calendar section. (Nicola, Okanagan and Thompson zone was protected. And it's no valleys), East Kootenay, Cariboo- surprise that, given the history of Many of us are beginning to Chilcotin and Peace River. resource use in the Cariboo- notice the life that thrives under The Friends want to support Chilcotin, "protection" seldom the Big Sky — a necessary first research and stewardship of the means excluding an area from step of awareness. grasslands. We are investigating cattle grazing. There are several Those studyin' up will find the those in the Cariboo-Chilcotin and small enclosures where a section of Problem Analysis for Chilcotin- East Kootenay regions. grassland has been fenced to keep Cariboo Grassland Biodiversity, cattle out, and one larger area, the published in 1995 by the Ministry IN THIS ISSUE 4,700-ha. Junction Sheep Range, of Environment, Lands and Parks, with grassland in the Bunchgrass especially pertinent. Lone Pine Friends' Business 2 zone not under pressure or recov• Press is about to publish the Calendar 3 ering from grazing. definitive Guide to Plants of the Threatened Grasslands 4 Southern Interior, edited by Parrish, Gap analysis 6 Recovery requires a good seed Coupe and Lloyd. Marbled Murrelet news 8 year followed by a good germina• Mara Meadows threat, part 2 10 tion year, with sufficient moisture Add vigilance and good will, Salal Picking on Galiano 11 and sunlight for good growth. and we can surely conserve some New ERs on Vancouver Island 12 Research scientist Alastair McLean of the original diversity of B.C.'s Salt Spring Id. protection ppl 13 suggested that at least 10 to 15 wonderful grasslands! Nimpkish Island visited 16 years pass before real change is Peggy Frank The Log FRIENDS' BUSINESS Ecological Reserve, the redesigna- Garry Oak Meadow (Vancouver Annual Report for 1995 tion of several ecological reserves, Island) Plants Placemat, a sparkling and the Vancouver Island Goal 2 rainbow display of common ere are the highlights of an protected area process. understorey species, both indica• interesting year; full report H Management Bristol and Trudy tive and introduced. and accounts at the Friends' led "broom pulls" at Brackman Id. annual meeting. Produced in a run of 3000, the Finances Revenues totalled 11" by 17" placemats should $13,171, including generous Our Board of Directors generate meaningful funds to invest in research, starting once we donations from several individuals he Friends' board of directors recover costs, which will happen and a sustaining grant from the meet about every quarter to T around placemat number 1000. Eden Conservation Trust. Our guide the society's operation. expenses came to $18,858: $3800 Any member in good standing Friends' Treasurer Lynne Milnes went to field research (sea otters, may stand for director in the vote submitted the assessment, adopted killer whales, marbled murrelets) at the annual meeting. by the board, that placemats should henceforth wholesale for $5 and education (Ocean News), The 12 incumbents are: each, $4 each in orders of 20 or $2000 toward the Jedediah pur• Pen Brown, Victoria more, for retail in the $5 - $6 range. chase, $5708 for placemat printing (membership secretary) and laminating, $6617 for adminis• Syd Cannings, Victoria Vendors with public service to tration (office management, two Sue Carr, Victoria donate have the option of selling newsletters, executive expenses, Trudy Chatwin, Nanaimo the attractive objets de table at market value and ploughing the bookkeeping and auditing serv• (vice president) added bucks back into our coffers. ices) and GST of $733. We ended Bristol Foster, Salt Spring Island 1995 with $11,879 in the bank. Peggy Frank, Salt Spring Island How popular are the 'mats? Carried over: a commitment to Evelyn Hamilton, Victoria Lynne took a bundle to her In a seed and support a landowner Vicky Husband, Victoria Victoria Garden table at the Native contact program. Kaaren Lewis, Victoria Plant Symposium at the University Membership 144 members paid Lynne Milnes, Victoria (treasurer) of Victoria on March 9 and sold up at year end, plus the wardens Briony Penn, Salt Spring Island close to 100, netting the Friends who number 80. Mary Rannie, Victoria (secretary) $445. (Lynne takes no profit.) Executive The Friends lacked a The board chooses the society's More recently, Evelyn and Peter president at year's end, and so it officers for the year at its first taped an eight-minute spot on continues. Lynne Milnes took over meeting following. Shaw Cable's Community Update. the job of treasurer, while Kaaren To order the Douglas Fir or Lewis stood for a vacated direc• Garry Oak placemats contact the tor's position and was acclaimed Please renew (or begin) office manager at 595-4813. at the annual meeting. your membership! Terms are flexible: prepaid, Office The Friends produced and e value our members' invoiced or on consignment. distributed two newsletters. support! Still only $15 a Shipping charges (tube + 1st class W postage) added to mail orders. Josette Wier stepped down as the year; $20 for families; $60 for a Friends' mail-list manager, and the sustaining membership. Handy database migrated to the office. form enclosed. Landowner Contact Field trips in 1995 included his project, conceived a year Jedediah / Lasqueti islands, Placemats a hit, already! Tago with the intent of Ragged Mountain, Caren Range, ouglas fir forests are selling funneling resources to places the Highlands and Nimpkish Dlike hotcakes out there, but where protection of ecosystems is Island. Field trips continue to be these sales will help save forests, urgent but advocates are lacking, is planned from the office. because we're selling Douglas Fir gaining focus and support. The The Friends maintained commu• Forests: The Plants Placemat — advice of several potential partners nication with our supporters and created by a cabal of artistic was to establish a community basis co-operators, with Government, Friends; handed on to the compu• for the project. The directors other NGOs and the enquiring ter graphics expertise of Raymond discussed the Friends' interests in public. In 1995 we intervened "Thumbprints" Ractliffe; thence to the project and proposed as an regarding the Greater Victoria Manning Press for printing and initial focus the grasslands in the Water Supply Area, the Hornby laminating. All gave service plus, Cariboo-Chilcotin region — the Island 1000 Oaks, Mt. Tuam and the result is, like its sib the area centred on the junction of the Spring 1996 2 The Log Fraser and Chilcotin rivers; ranch• CALENDAR Highlands ing country many of us know. Only notice to members Saturday, June 29 Grasslands of the Columbia Lake Your attendance is requested! A tour of the "Western Forest - Kootenay River area in the Rocky Friends of Ecological Reserves Products (WFP) North" property, Mountain Trench are, if anything, 1996 General Meeting lots 58 and 59, northeast of Jocelyn less available for protection than in 3 pm, Saturday, June 15 Hill, with Highlands resident and other regions. The East Kootenay at Mary Rannie's home preservationist Elliott Gose. Land Use Plan protected no Conservation covenants will grasslands. 6 Woodville Place, View Royal We'll review the past year's ensure that this subdivision retains The tools of gap analysis are its natural qualities. We'll also tour accomplishments and chart the useful for "zeroing in" on endan• the Highlands' beautiful Cal society's course for 1996-97. gered ecosystems. Friends' director Revelle Nature Sanctuary, donated Members, wardens and guests Kaaren Lewis, who is a senior by WFP's Herb Doman. policy analyst with the Land-Use are cordially invited to the pot luck buffet supper in Mary's gorgeous Meet at 10 am in the WFP North Co-ordination Office (LUCO), site. If driving from the West recently co-authored the Provincial waterfront garden (weather permitting!) Please RSVP (595¬ Saanich Highway, take Willis Point Overview and Status Report for the Road and turn left onto Durrance Protected Areas Strategy, a key 4813) if you can come and will bring a dish. For directions to Road, which becomes Ross document in land-use study and Ehirrance Road. If driving from the the source of much data in this Mary's, see the field trip note following. Trans-Canada Highway via Mill- issue's grasslands articles. stream Road, take the right fork, The next step is to publicise our then the left fork, so as to stay on search in regional and environ• Spring and Summer Millstream Lake Road.