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, September 13, 2023 - 8:00 am
This week, Wardner and area observations are the goal. Meet at the 'old bridge abutment', on Wardner Road, which is located where the Kootenay River comes into close proximity with the pavement. For those birders who wish to carpool from Cranbrook, meet in the Tamarack Mall parking lot close to the Husky Truck Stop, beside the landscaped berm adjacent to the 'strip', and prepare to head out on the highway at 7:30. Travel south east on highway 3/95, and, before crossing the Kootenay River bridge, turn right onto Wardner Road and drive south 2 km.
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Bi-Monthly Meeting - Wycliffe Regional Park
Wednesday, September 20, 2023 - 5:30 pm
Meet at Wycliffe Regional Park at Site B which is right along Perry Creek where Kokanee can be seen spawning. Meet at 5:30 pm for a wiener roast followed by a short business meeting. Bring your own wieners, buns, sticks, plates, cutlery, beverage and a lawn chair. Condiments will be provided. There is a shelter available in case of rain.
Directions to Wycliffe Park.
From Cranbrook - take Highway 95A towards Kimberley, making a left turn onto Wycliffe Park Rd on the way to Shadow Mt. Golf Course and Wycliffe Exhibition Grounds. Travel 6.2 km and turn left onto Wycliffe Rd. Go 0.8 km, making a right turn onto Perry Creek Rd. Travel 1.1 km to the Wycliffe Regional Park entrance on the right. Drive 200 metres downhill and take a hard left to drive downhill to Site B on Perry Creek.
From Kimberley - turn right from Highway 95A onto Wycliffe Park Road at Forties Corners. Drive across the wood bridge and up the hill for 1.9 km. Turn right onto Wycliffe Rd. Drive 0.8 km turning right onto Perry Creek Rd. for 1.1 km to the Wycliffe Regional Park Entrance on the right. Drive 200 metres downhill and take a hard left to drive downhill to Site B on Perry Creek.
Ram Creek Warm Springs Ecological Reserve (Marianne)
Sunday, August 6, 2023 at 7:30 am
We will be leaving Cranbrook at 7:30 am and meeting any Kimberley members at the Wasa Rest Area at 8:00 am. From there it is a 30 minute drive on pavement and then 30 minutes (9 km) on a rough, could be dusty, Forest Service Road from the community of Sheep Creek. After parking, it is a 1 km hike to the springs and then 0.7 km to check on the east entrance before returning to the parking area, for a total distance of about 3.5 km. 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 any litter, identifying plants, birds, butterflies and looking for the Vivid Dancer, a type of damselfly often found in forested spring areas. Bring gloves for pulling weeds.
Dress for the weather. Right now the prediction is for a high of 27 with 60% chance of showers. Wear sturdy footwear, bring a lunch, water, bear spray, insect repellent, camera, binoculars, gloves.
This Outing will be limited to 10 people. RSVP to Marianne.
Bi-Monthly Meeting - Reade Lake, Wycliffe
Wednesday, July 19, 2023 - 7:00 pm
This is our traditional July meeting at Reade Lake. Meet at the end of Foster Rd for a 7:00 pm start to walk about 10 minutes to the lake. Wear sturdy footwear and dress for the weather conditions. Bring a sitting pad, mosquito repellent, binoculars and camera. This is a lovely private property overlooking Reade Lake, rich in bird life, that the Wallach Family graciously invites us to every July. Before, during and after the business meeting, there will be lots of opportunity for bird watching.
Elizabeth Lake Weeding (Marianne)
Tuesday, June 27 and Thursday, June 29, 2023 at 8:30 am
We are having two work party opportunities to complete this project to help with survivability and ease of a shrub count. Meet at the parking lot behind the Elizabeth Lake Lodge, just off Wattsville Rd. Wear long sleeves and pants, bring leather gloves for thistles and a pair of short handled clippers if you have some. The types of weeds vary from plot to plot.
Cactus Mountain Outing (Gretchen)
Monday, June 26, 2023 - 9:00 am
Join Gretchen on a hike to see the Brittle Prickly-pear (Opuntia fragilis). Parts of the hike are difficult - there is no trail over the grassy, rocky and sometimes steep terrain on a side hill. It is tricky walking which gives it a difficult rating even though it is not far. There are a few game trails and some old road that takes us to an old quarry. We will climb about 160 meters over the 4-5 kilometer loop. Estimated time includes stopping for views, flowers and birds will be 3 hours. Meet at Kootenay Trout Hatchery and Visitor Centre in Bull River at 9 AM. Bring a snack, beverage, bug dope, sun protection, walking poles, etc. Everyone will be asked to tread very carefully to avoid stepping on tiny cacti lurking on the hillside. Maximum of 10 (excluding leaders) RSVP to Gretchen.
Matthew Creek Hike (Dina/Daryl)
Tuesday, June 20, 2023 - 9:30 am
Meeting time: 9:30am. Duration is 2+hours. This is rated as a moderate hike.
Meeting location: Turn off highway onto St Mary’s Road. Drive 6.6 km/8 minutes and turn right at pink flagging onto Matthew Creek Road. Park on the left shortly after turning onto this road (which also leads to Horse Barn Valley). Bring a snack, beverage, bug dope, sun protection, etc. Maximum of 10 (excluding leaders). RSVP to Daryl or Dina.
Sustainable Cranbrook (Stewart)
Saturday, June 17, 2023 - 11:30 am - 5:00 pm
This is a great opportunity for Rocky Mountain Naturalists to publicize our club and some of the activities we offer, and how we are helping the environment in various ways. We will have a tent and table set up with our display and are looking for club members who enjoy talking to people to chat with the public about the RMNats and nature. If you could spare an hour or two, we would greatly appreciate your support in this exciting venture. The organizers are anticipating as many as 10,000 people could attend the first Spirit of the Rockies.
Elizabeth Lake Weeding (Marianne)
Thursday, June 15 at 10:00 am; Monday, June 19, 2023 at 8:30 am
We are having two work parties to do some weeding. Meet at the parking lot behind Elizabeth Lake Lodge, just off Wattsville Rd. Last year hundreds of little shrubs were planted at the Elizabeth Lake Restoration Project. The shrubs are growing amazingly well with a very good survival rate. However, the weeds are also thriving. We are hoping to do some weeding to increase shrub survivability. This would involve snipping off the weed growth with clippers so we do not disturb the roots by pulling. Seed heads would be bagged, especially the thistles while the rest of the plant would be laid down as mulch between the shrubs.
Wear long sleeves and pants, bring leather gloves for thistles and a pair of short handled clippers if you have some. The types of weeds vary from plot to plot. Thank you so much for your help with this project. Hope to see some members on June 15 or June 19.
RMNats Club Camp 2023 - Tuesday, May 30 to Friday, June 2
We are beginning to get our club camp organized for this year! We will be going to Fairmont. If you are a camper, please visit the website for Spruce Grove and decide what kind of a site you want. When you phone their number, you will get Fairmont Hot Springs as they are doing the bookings. Spruce Grove opens up the week before the May long weekend. For those who don’t camp you might want to consider Fairmont Mountain Bungalows as they have various accommodation choices. There are also other accommodations in Fairmont if that is not to your liking! If you don't want to stay 3 nights, 2 nights is fine.
Little Big Day (Greg/Ruth)
Saturday, May 27, 2023 - 6:00 am to 6:00 pm
Each team will consist of 3 to 5 participants travelling in one vehicle or on the ground. Each team will select its own name which will be submitted at the supper final. The registration fee will be $25.00 per team. All registration fee money will be donated to a conservation effort in the East Kootenay. Identification of bird species for the event will occur between 6am and 6pm on May 27th within the Southern half Rocky Mtn Naturalist East Kootenay Bird Checklist (2016). The Alberta border is the eastern boundary, the American border is the southern boundary, the town of Canal Flats the northern boundary, and Ryan rest stop the western boundary. The height of land west of St. Mary Lake is also the western boundary. Participants will meet at the Lucky Star Restaurant in Cranbrook (6:30 PM cocktails 6:45 PM dinner) to submit their checklists and share their day. Dinner is not provided with the registration fee.
Bi-Monthly Meeting - COTR Rm #KC190
Wednesday, May 17, 2023 - 7:00 pm
There will be a very short, half hour business meeting. Ian Adams, a club member and BC Coordinator for the Key Biodiversity Areas with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada will have a short audio visual presentation on using iNaturalist and then we will head outside to the college grounds to practice using iNaturalist in the field. Please have the app downloaded on your phone.
Global Big Day Skookumchuck Prairie KBA
Saturday, May 13, 2023 - All Day
Global Big Day https://ebird.org/news/global-big-day-2023 is on Saturday, 13 May this year and my plan is to cover as much of the KBA as possible. With enough teams, we could divide it up into subareas, somewhat like we do for the Christmas Bird Counts but with less rules/restrictions. You could blitz your KBA subarea in a short amount of time and still have time to bird other spots in the region for your personal GBD list.
Note, that unlike the CBCs, you are not restricted to your map subarea. All and any checklists from within the KBA can be included. Do not worry about double-counting birds. All I ask is that the eBird Location you use be completely within the KBA, more or less.
Contact Dianne if you are interested.
Memorial Walk at Wasa
Sunday, May 7, 2023 - 9:00 am
Mildred White was one of the founding members of our naturalist club back in the mid 1980’s. One naturalist activity she was particularly fond of was looking for wildflowers on the ridge behind the Wasa Provincial Campground each spring. When she passed in 2001, the club continued with this outing now called the Mildred White Memorial Hike. Over the years, as we lost a few more members of our group, this annual outing became the Memorial Walk at Wasa.
We will walk about 3km and climb about 100 metres on this leisurely hike. Along the trail, we will be looking for wildflowers such as Shooting Stars, Drummond’s Rockcress, and Narrow-leaved Desert
Parsley. If we’re lucky, we could see Mourning Cloak or Milbert’s Tortoiseshell butterflies! We will be listening for birdsong from Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hammond’s Flycatchers or Cassin's Vireos to name a few.
This activity will be about 2 hours, with two groups going in opposite directions and is limited to 10 participants per group. Bring your usual supplies - water, binoculars, etc.
Wednesday, September 13, 2023 - 8:00 am
This week, Wardner and area observations are the goal. Meet at the 'old bridge abutment', on Wardner Road, which is located where the Kootenay River comes into close proximity with the pavement. For those birders who wish to carpool from Cranbrook, meet in the Tamarack Mall parking lot close to the Husky Truck Stop, beside the landscaped berm adjacent to the 'strip', and prepare to head out on the highway at 7:30. Travel south east on highway 3/95, and, before crossing the Kootenay River bridge, turn right onto Wardner Road and drive south 2 km.
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Bi-Monthly Meeting - Wycliffe Regional Park
Wednesday, September 20, 2023 - 5:30 pm
Meet at Wycliffe Regional Park at Site B which is right along Perry Creek where Kokanee can be seen spawning. Meet at 5:30 pm for a wiener roast followed by a short business meeting. Bring your own wieners, buns, sticks, plates, cutlery, beverage and a lawn chair. Condiments will be provided. There is a shelter available in case of rain.
Directions to Wycliffe Park.
From Cranbrook - take Highway 95A towards Kimberley, making a left turn onto Wycliffe Park Rd on the way to Shadow Mt. Golf Course and Wycliffe Exhibition Grounds. Travel 6.2 km and turn left onto Wycliffe Rd. Go 0.8 km, making a right turn onto Perry Creek Rd. Travel 1.1 km to the Wycliffe Regional Park entrance on the right. Drive 200 metres downhill and take a hard left to drive downhill to Site B on Perry Creek.
From Kimberley - turn right from Highway 95A onto Wycliffe Park Road at Forties Corners. Drive across the wood bridge and up the hill for 1.9 km. Turn right onto Wycliffe Rd. Drive 0.8 km turning right onto Perry Creek Rd. for 1.1 km to the Wycliffe Regional Park Entrance on the right. Drive 200 metres downhill and take a hard left to drive downhill to Site B on Perry Creek.
Ram Creek Warm Springs Ecological Reserve (Marianne)
Sunday, August 6, 2023 at 7:30 am
We will be leaving Cranbrook at 7:30 am and meeting any Kimberley members at the Wasa Rest Area at 8:00 am. From there it is a 30 minute drive on pavement and then 30 minutes (9 km) on a rough, could be dusty, Forest Service Road from the community of Sheep Creek. After parking, it is a 1 km hike to the springs and then 0.7 km to check on the east entrance before returning to the parking area, for a total distance of about 3.5 km. 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 any litter, identifying plants, birds, butterflies and looking for the Vivid Dancer, a type of damselfly often found in forested spring areas. Bring gloves for pulling weeds.
Dress for the weather. Right now the prediction is for a high of 27 with 60% chance of showers. Wear sturdy footwear, bring a lunch, water, bear spray, insect repellent, camera, binoculars, gloves.
This Outing will be limited to 10 people. RSVP to Marianne.
Bi-Monthly Meeting - Reade Lake, Wycliffe
Wednesday, July 19, 2023 - 7:00 pm
This is our traditional July meeting at Reade Lake. Meet at the end of Foster Rd for a 7:00 pm start to walk about 10 minutes to the lake. Wear sturdy footwear and dress for the weather conditions. Bring a sitting pad, mosquito repellent, binoculars and camera. This is a lovely private property overlooking Reade Lake, rich in bird life, that the Wallach Family graciously invites us to every July. Before, during and after the business meeting, there will be lots of opportunity for bird watching.
Elizabeth Lake Weeding (Marianne)
Tuesday, June 27 and Thursday, June 29, 2023 at 8:30 am
We are having two work party opportunities to complete this project to help with survivability and ease of a shrub count. Meet at the parking lot behind the Elizabeth Lake Lodge, just off Wattsville Rd. Wear long sleeves and pants, bring leather gloves for thistles and a pair of short handled clippers if you have some. The types of weeds vary from plot to plot.
Cactus Mountain Outing (Gretchen)
Monday, June 26, 2023 - 9:00 am
Join Gretchen on a hike to see the Brittle Prickly-pear (Opuntia fragilis). Parts of the hike are difficult - there is no trail over the grassy, rocky and sometimes steep terrain on a side hill. It is tricky walking which gives it a difficult rating even though it is not far. There are a few game trails and some old road that takes us to an old quarry. We will climb about 160 meters over the 4-5 kilometer loop. Estimated time includes stopping for views, flowers and birds will be 3 hours. Meet at Kootenay Trout Hatchery and Visitor Centre in Bull River at 9 AM. Bring a snack, beverage, bug dope, sun protection, walking poles, etc. Everyone will be asked to tread very carefully to avoid stepping on tiny cacti lurking on the hillside. Maximum of 10 (excluding leaders) RSVP to Gretchen.
Matthew Creek Hike (Dina/Daryl)
Tuesday, June 20, 2023 - 9:30 am
Meeting time: 9:30am. Duration is 2+hours. This is rated as a moderate hike.
Meeting location: Turn off highway onto St Mary’s Road. Drive 6.6 km/8 minutes and turn right at pink flagging onto Matthew Creek Road. Park on the left shortly after turning onto this road (which also leads to Horse Barn Valley). Bring a snack, beverage, bug dope, sun protection, etc. Maximum of 10 (excluding leaders). RSVP to Daryl or Dina.
Sustainable Cranbrook (Stewart)
Saturday, June 17, 2023 - 11:30 am - 5:00 pm
This is a great opportunity for Rocky Mountain Naturalists to publicize our club and some of the activities we offer, and how we are helping the environment in various ways. We will have a tent and table set up with our display and are looking for club members who enjoy talking to people to chat with the public about the RMNats and nature. If you could spare an hour or two, we would greatly appreciate your support in this exciting venture. The organizers are anticipating as many as 10,000 people could attend the first Spirit of the Rockies.
Elizabeth Lake Weeding (Marianne)
Thursday, June 15 at 10:00 am; Monday, June 19, 2023 at 8:30 am
We are having two work parties to do some weeding. Meet at the parking lot behind Elizabeth Lake Lodge, just off Wattsville Rd. Last year hundreds of little shrubs were planted at the Elizabeth Lake Restoration Project. The shrubs are growing amazingly well with a very good survival rate. However, the weeds are also thriving. We are hoping to do some weeding to increase shrub survivability. This would involve snipping off the weed growth with clippers so we do not disturb the roots by pulling. Seed heads would be bagged, especially the thistles while the rest of the plant would be laid down as mulch between the shrubs.
Wear long sleeves and pants, bring leather gloves for thistles and a pair of short handled clippers if you have some. The types of weeds vary from plot to plot. Thank you so much for your help with this project. Hope to see some members on June 15 or June 19.
RMNats Club Camp 2023 - Tuesday, May 30 to Friday, June 2
We are beginning to get our club camp organized for this year! We will be going to Fairmont. If you are a camper, please visit the website for Spruce Grove and decide what kind of a site you want. When you phone their number, you will get Fairmont Hot Springs as they are doing the bookings. Spruce Grove opens up the week before the May long weekend. For those who don’t camp you might want to consider Fairmont Mountain Bungalows as they have various accommodation choices. There are also other accommodations in Fairmont if that is not to your liking! If you don't want to stay 3 nights, 2 nights is fine.
Little Big Day (Greg/Ruth)
Saturday, May 27, 2023 - 6:00 am to 6:00 pm
Each team will consist of 3 to 5 participants travelling in one vehicle or on the ground. Each team will select its own name which will be submitted at the supper final. The registration fee will be $25.00 per team. All registration fee money will be donated to a conservation effort in the East Kootenay. Identification of bird species for the event will occur between 6am and 6pm on May 27th within the Southern half Rocky Mtn Naturalist East Kootenay Bird Checklist (2016). The Alberta border is the eastern boundary, the American border is the southern boundary, the town of Canal Flats the northern boundary, and Ryan rest stop the western boundary. The height of land west of St. Mary Lake is also the western boundary. Participants will meet at the Lucky Star Restaurant in Cranbrook (6:30 PM cocktails 6:45 PM dinner) to submit their checklists and share their day. Dinner is not provided with the registration fee.
Bi-Monthly Meeting - COTR Rm #KC190
Wednesday, May 17, 2023 - 7:00 pm
There will be a very short, half hour business meeting. Ian Adams, a club member and BC Coordinator for the Key Biodiversity Areas with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada will have a short audio visual presentation on using iNaturalist and then we will head outside to the college grounds to practice using iNaturalist in the field. Please have the app downloaded on your phone.
Global Big Day Skookumchuck Prairie KBA
Saturday, May 13, 2023 - All Day
Global Big Day https://ebird.org/news/global-big-day-2023 is on Saturday, 13 May this year and my plan is to cover as much of the KBA as possible. With enough teams, we could divide it up into subareas, somewhat like we do for the Christmas Bird Counts but with less rules/restrictions. You could blitz your KBA subarea in a short amount of time and still have time to bird other spots in the region for your personal GBD list.
Note, that unlike the CBCs, you are not restricted to your map subarea. All and any checklists from within the KBA can be included. Do not worry about double-counting birds. All I ask is that the eBird Location you use be completely within the KBA, more or less.
Contact Dianne if you are interested.
Memorial Walk at Wasa
Sunday, May 7, 2023 - 9:00 am
Mildred White was one of the founding members of our naturalist club back in the mid 1980’s. One naturalist activity she was particularly fond of was looking for wildflowers on the ridge behind the Wasa Provincial Campground each spring. When she passed in 2001, the club continued with this outing now called the Mildred White Memorial Hike. Over the years, as we lost a few more members of our group, this annual outing became the Memorial Walk at Wasa.
We will walk about 3km and climb about 100 metres on this leisurely hike. Along the trail, we will be looking for wildflowers such as Shooting Stars, Drummond’s Rockcress, and Narrow-leaved Desert
Parsley. If we’re lucky, we could see Mourning Cloak or Milbert’s Tortoiseshell butterflies! We will be listening for birdsong from Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hammond’s Flycatchers or Cassin's Vireos to name a few.
This activity will be about 2 hours, with two groups going in opposite directions and is limited to 10 participants per group. Bring your usual supplies - water, binoculars, etc.
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
