Notch Hill
Friday afternoon, Monica, Graham, and I headed off to Nanoose to check out Notch Hill. This area contains the rare Garry Oak meadow and arbutus forest ecosystem. We climbed the hill to the lookout and had a picnic lunch in a small patch of shade under one of the oak trees. From our spot on the...
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Haapsalu, Estonia
Estonia?! What were Pam Shaw and I doing there? Well, it turns out that every two years, UNESCO's European and North American biosphere reserves get together as part of what's called the EuroMAB network. Different countries organize the conference-style event (in 2013, Frontenac Arch BR in Canada...
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Spider Lake
On Friday morning, Graham, Mike, Ryan and I set out for Spider Lake, on the Northwest side of the biosphere region. There we did our first exploration by paddle. The weather was perfect, with only a couple high clouds in the bright blue sky. It heated up around lunch time enough for a quick dip....
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Rhododendron Lake
On Saturday, Ryan, Mike, Graham, & I headed to “Rhodo” Lake to check out the flowering shrubs for which the lake is named after. Unfortunately, as we realized when we arrived, the higher elevation of the lake meant that the Rhododendrons here were not quite in bloom like the ones we have seen...
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Mt. Cokely, Loon Lake, & Cameron Lake
On Friday morning the MABRRI team (Mike, Sarah, Graham, and myself) gathered our cameras, notebooks, Back Road Atlas and lunches then headed for our designated rendezvous point: a sizeable gravel lot up in Qualicum Beach on the side of Memorial Avenue. Once we met up and piled our gear into one...
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Rathtrevor Beach, Hamilton Marsh, & Little Qualicum Falls
On Friday morning Graham, Sarah, Robbie and I journeyed to the Parksville-Qualicum area to experience some of the popular natural attractions of the region. Our first stop was Rathtrevor Beach where we spotted a variety of wildlife including brant geese, bald eagles, and shore crab. The spectacular...
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Salish Sea Marine Survival Project
On Wednesday morning, my wife and I left our home, which is located in the MABR next to the Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park. We made our way to Deep Bay marina approximately 15 minutes north of Qualicum Beach, where we launched our boat and met a team of biologists, researchers, and a small...
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