From mushrooms to moulds, birds and glaciers, the Whistler Naturalists Society celebrated 25 years of diverse nature interests at their annual general meeting Nov. 12 at the Whistler Public Library.
Founded in 1999, the last 25 years saw the Whistler Naturalists grow in their role as nature educators, taking on BioBlitzes, Fungus Among Us, public displays, studying receding glaciers and school outreach. Along with the group’s year in review, they presented a new Outstanding Birder Award to three members who’ve greatly contributed to monitoring birds both for the delight they inspire and for their indication of biodiversity health.
Outstanding Birders
Chris Dale, Heather Baines and Karl Ricker were honoured for their service with an owl plaque designed by Vanessa Stark. Among their many contributions include the fifth edition of the Whistler Bird List, with 274 birds documented. The list has up-to-date details on historic and seasonal sightings, habitat preferences and breeding.
Dale recently passed away and was remembered for his “encyclopedia” level of knowledge. He could spot minute details on birds, distinguishing them from others in a flock in an instant. His bird call mimics were both varied and impressive, including mimicking a varied thrush and a pygmy owl call that could cause a stir in flocks of chickadees, the pygmy owl’s prey.
Dale, who grew up in Woodfibre, B.C. in the Howe Sound across from Squamish, took to birding when he retired. Keen behind a lens, his YouTube channel features numerous wildlife videos, many of which come from time spent observing biodiversity in the Squamish Estuary where he was a Key Biodiversity Area monitor.
Baines was awarded for 20 years spent organizing monthly bird walks, mentorship, and thousands of hours spent on surveying. While she has retired as the coordinator for the Naturalists’ monthly walks, she has left a legacy which continues the first Saturday of every month. Always patient with questions and keen to correct misidentifications, her identification knowledge extends to sight, hearing and flight patterns. Each year, Baines contributes thousands of hours to surveys, completing seven bird surveys annually.
Lastly, Ricker was awarded for his 35 years of contributions to the Sea to Sky birding community. His keen attention to detail goes into all his activities. He has contributed to more than 40 Pique Naturespeak articles, has published more than 900 articles on a variety of topics, and is a dedicated, encouraging mentor to countless Whistler Naturalists.
Ricker told Pique his passion for birds was built early, thanks to his father.
“He made us go birding with him when we were young kids, and that became Christmas bird counts with him over the decades. He was the genius of the Ricker family and kept making us toe the line, trying to do our best,” Ricker said.
His passion for birds means rarely a day goes by without Ricker hitting the trails on the lookout for wildlife.
Whistler Naturalists’ year in review
Out of pure coincidence, exactly 25 years to the day of their first AGM, Bob Brett, 25-year member of the Naturalists, began the 2024 year in review with a history lesson.
While they originally tried to engage adults in nature, youth have been the most receptive to a natural history education. In the last year, scientists brought by the Naturalists for Fungus Among Us and BioBlitz visited 31 classes and reached more than 600 kids.
Glacier recession monitoring of Wedgemount and Overlord glaciers, spearheaded by Ricker, showed 13-metre recession for 2024.
Ricker provided a year in review for the annual bird counts, with 274 bird species recorded.
Interested birders are welcome to attend monthly bird walks in Whistler, which run year-round on the first Saturday of each month at Alta Lake. Green Lake has seasonal summer walks on the third Saturday of each month.
Keep an eye out for the annual Christmas bird count Dec. 14.
