Join Us On Our Next Field Trip or Event.
Due to the ongoing COVID and respiratory illnesses, outings are limited to members only. Group sizes are limited, and the Club is not facilitating carpooling.
Listed below are upcoming and recent field trips and events of the Rocky Mountain Naturalists. Members welcome. Please let us know if you are interested.
Listed below are upcoming and recent field trips and events of the Rocky Mountain Naturalists. Members welcome. Please let us know if you are interested.
Early Morning Birding (Daryl)
Wednesday, January 25, 2023 - 9:00 am
This week, we have an opportunity to visit the lower section of the St Mary River, near the St Eugene Mission. Please park in a spot immediately north of aqamnic elementary school, on the west side of Mission Road. At 9:00, we will set out on foot, walking along trails which serve the golf course on the south bank of the St Mary River. These trails may be slippery at times, so take precautions. Following the walk, we'll work our way east to Prairie Bridge, and continue north into Wycliffe on quiet, paved, rural byways.
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Annual General Meeting and Bi-Monthly Meeting - COTR Rm #KC190
Wednesday, January 18, 2023 - 7:00 pm
The Annual General Meeting will take place commencing at 7:00 pm followed by the Bi-Monthly meeting.
New Year's Day Snowshoe (Daryl/Marianne)
Sunday, January 1, 2023 - 11:00 am
On New Year's Day, join Daryl and Marianne on a 5 km snowshoe on a primitive, packed trail through mixed woods and terrain. Trip rating is 'Moderate Plus' in terms of length and difficulty, and we'll be back to the vehicles in about 4 hours. The weather is forecast to be partly sunny with temperatures of -6c to -3c. Participants must wear snowshoes because snow is deep and the trail is fragile. This loop trail has an elevation gain of 200m with several steeper sections up and down, with more-or-less level sidehill traverses. At about the halfway point, at the top of a significant climb, we'll get a fire going fairly quickly for a wiener roast. Bring your own wiener, buns or lunch. We will bring sticks and condiments. Drive along King Street to a point about 5 kms NW of Cranbrook. Here, Wilks Road, a right hand turn, intersects King Street at the group mailboxes. Drive 1 km up the well marked Wilks Road to the turnaround at its end. Arrive early enough to be ready to start snowshoeing at 11:00. Dress in layers; there is a moderate uphill at the beginning. In addition to snowshoes, bring poles, your lunch, water and consider a camera and binoculars. There are 3 good viewpoints, with the warming fire at the 1st one. We'll stop from time to time to listen and watch for birds, and interpret some forest attributes. This outing is limited to 10 participants.
Christmas Bird Counts
You do not need to be an experienced birder to join the fun and challenge. Birders are always learning and teams will have a variety of birding levels and expertise. Once teams are formed, with their leader, they will decide when and where to meet to begin the count of their quadrant. Each team will submit their data to Emma, our Jaffray-Wardner count compiler. The Cranbrook and Kimberley counts are organized by Dianne in a similar way. Please RSVP to the following people if you are interested. Once we have a list of participants, teams will be formed and final details sent out. If you are interested in a specific quadrant and have a buddy (ies) you plan to go out with, please include that information in your RSVP.
Jaffray-Wardner CBC – Thursday, December 15, reply to Daryl by Dec. 11
Cranbrook CBC – Wednesday, December 28, reply to Dianne
Kimberley CBC – Wednesday, January 4, reply to Dianne
Windermere– Saturday, December 17 Gareth
Fernie – Sunday, December 18 Kate
Creston – Tuesday, December 27
Bi-Monthly Meeting - COTR Rm #KC190
Wednesday, November 16, 2022 - 7:00 pm
Presenter: Chris Bosman. Kootenay Conservation Land Manager with the Nature Trust of BC. Chris will be talking about some of the Trust's local properties and their attributes.
The Bi-Monthly meeting will follow the presentation.
Drop of Doom Outing (Paula)
Thursday, October 27, 2022 - 1:30 pm
This 5 km loop walk will take us along the escarpment of the St. Mary River which will afford views of the river valley, towering hoodoos and the drop of doom (this is a name only known to a select few!). We will be joined by Doug who has agreed to explain the geological wonders of this area. There is a possibility of spotting eagles as well as enjoying the fall colours. According to the RMN Trail Rating Guide this would be considered an easy/plus walk. Dress for the weather, bring poles if you need them and binoculars.
From Cranbrook head towards Kimberley. Just south of Porteous Road there is a small parking area located on your left between the highway and the paved Rails to Trails where we will park. From Kimberley obviously the parking area will be on your right. I have attached a map to give you the general area. If you wish to follow the leader, we will meet at the Tamarack Mall in the parking area east of Boston Pizza near the Husky station. We will leave the Mall parking lot at 1:10 pm sharp. Please RSVP to Paula. Limit of 10 people.
Moe's Canyon Outing in Kimberley Nature Park (Judy)
Saturday, October 8, 2022 - 10:00 am
Join Judy for a hike up Magic Line and through Moe's Canyon to enjoy fall colours. This is rated as a Moderate hike. Meet at the Nordic Trail Parking Lot in Kimberley ready for a 10:00 am departure. This is a 3 to 4 hour outing so we will return by 2:00 pm at the latest. Wear sturdy footwear, dress for the weather, bring a lunch and water. Optional - camera, binoculars. There is a limit of 10 participants. Please RSVP to Judy.
Kootenay River Paddle to celebrate BC Rivers Day
Sunday, September 25, 2022 - 2:00 pm
Put-in at Bummers Flat, the mid-section road, to paddle upriver for 5 km to Bechtel's Ferry where we will take out for a wiener roast before paddling back. The river paddle, heading north, will take about an hour and a half and about an hour back. This is flat water but is against the current so good paddling skills and strength needed along with safety gear (life jacket, bailer, tow rope). Dress for the weather in layers. Bring your own wiener roast dinner and beverage. We will bring firewood and condiments along with a few wiener sticks. Optional - chair, binoculars, camera. At present, the forecast is for favourable conditions. We will start to paddle from the put-in at 2:00 pm so time your arrival in order to have plenty of time to park, unload and have your vessel ready for a 2:00 pm start. Bechtel's Ferry has a very interesting story. Here is the link to the story, well worth reading. https://www.kimberleybulletin.com/community/the-shootout-at-the...
This trip will be limited to 10 boats and RSVP is required.
Elizabeth Lake Restoration Project - Volunteer Celebration Event. Thank you for prepping beds, planting, fencing and watering hundreds of native shrubs.
Sunday, September 18, 2022 - 4:30 pm
Park and meet in the parking lot off Wattsville Road behind Elizabeth Lake Lodge at 4:30 pm. Your partner is welcome. We will walk and tour the planted areas of the Environment Ministry and Confederation Park properties. We will also share the plan for the City of Cranbrook's imminent upgrades to the area. Bring your binoculars.
After the walkabout, we will have a potluck dinner at Elizabeth Lake Lodge. Please bring a dish to share, your own plate, cutlery, beverage and lawn chair. The barbeque will be on if you would like to barbeque your own food item. You could also play mini golf after dinner. Thank you to George and Rachel for hosting us.
Ram Creek Outing (Marianne)
Saturday, August 6, 2022 - 6:30 am
Daryl and I are going to visit Ram Creek Warm Springs Ecological Reserve. The RMNats are wardens for this Reserve. We will be leaving Cranbrook at 6:30 am and meeting at the Wasa Rest Area at 7:00 am. From there it is a 30 minute drive on pavement and then 30 minutes (9 km) on a rough, likely very dusty, Forest Service Rd. A high clearance 2 or all wheel drive vehicle is needed. After parking it is a 2 km hike to the springs and then 0.7 km to check on the east entrance before returning to the parking lot. We should be back at the vehicles in the early afternoon. This is rated as a moderate outing on a trail with limited elevation gain. We will be pulling some invasive plants such as knapweed, collecting litter, identifying plants and birds, and looking for the Blue Darner. Bring gloves for pulling weeds. Dress for the weather. There could be mosquitoes. Wear sturdy footwear, bring lunch, water, bear spray, insect repellent, camera, binoculars, gloves. This will be limited to 10 people.
Fill in the form below for more field trip info. [We do not share your contact info)
The fossil box at Nature Bob's Interpretive Centre at Mount Fernie Alpine Resort.
Photo - Greg
