Hornby Island Natural History Centre
Summer 2019 Calendar
We are pleased to announce that the Summer 2019 Natural History Events Calendar is now available!
Please note: Although we have speakers and nature walks, the Natural History Centre is closed for summer 2019. You can read about why here.
Our Expert Speakers Series will be held at New Horizons. Admission to each presentation is $5.00 per adult. Free for youth 18 and under.
The Nature Field Trips are an excellent opportunity to discover shoreline and forest ecosystems as well as Hornby’s unique geology. These field trips are great fun for the whole family and will enhance your visit to our beautiful island. Pre-registration is essential as space is limited. For inquiries or to register, please email hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com. $10 per person; free for youth 18 and under. The 2 birding walks and July 25 fossil walk are now full.
Helliwell Park Photo: John Brears
Barred Owl Photo: barb biagi
Join Us for Hornby Wild! Nature Weekend
Mark your calendars for the Hornby Wild! Nature Weekend – May 31st & June 1st. This year’s event features birding presentations and walks by Art Martell and Daniel Donnecke, and a collaborative presentation on local nature photography with Don Peterson and Phil Ives.
The evening talks will be at the Hall. Tickets go on sale at the gas bar mid-May.
The morning birding walks are by registration only (space is limited). To sign up for one of the Nature Walks, please email hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com
Refreshments will be available for sale at the evening talks, including all organic vegan-friendly baked goods.
A Labour of Love – Natural History Collection Gets Careful Decontamination and Cleaning
After months of preparation a dedicated team met for three days to clean the Natural History collection that had sustained soot damage from the school fire.
In the week leading up to the much-anticipated cleaning event, the group spent a few hours each day prepping. This process involved moving the collection from the containers into the area of the school that had not sustained fire damage and was now smoke damage free, where it would be cleaned. Upon Alan Fletcher’s suggestion, a small area was tented in the old Music Room, the spot closest to the storage container by the window. Heat and lights were set up inside the cleaning area. Ruth provided snacks for the group.
Then the big day arrived. Over time, eighteen people worked carefully and systematically, making their way through the birds, mammals, fossils, bones, photos, files, and more. The taxidermied specimens required the most attention: a careful procedure with special vacuums, brushes, and sponges was followed. To the surprise of all, and thanks to the diligent cleaning efforts, the collection was shining in only three days.
As each specimen was placed back in their temporary (and decontaminated) container home, we marveled that they looked “better than ever,” with eyes sparkling, feathers and fur fluffed. As well as being beautiful and educational, they serve as a reminder to protect and preserve the living natural world and its inhabitants. It felt good to have them back to a pristine condition.
Thanks to everyone on the team!
- Conservators from the Royal BC Museum in Victoria: Kasey Lee (Senior Conservator) and Lauren Buttle (Paper Conservator).
- Community Volunteers: Susan Cain, Rachelle Chinnery, Diane Proc, Elaine Savoie, Mary Savoie, and Wayne Wai.
- Restorers and Cleaners from Service Masters Restorers, Vancouver Island: Gwen, Heather, and Valerie (paid for by insurance).
- The Natural History Stewards: Barb Biagi, Ruth Goldsmith, Bill Hamilton, Susan Hoppenfeld, Tina Wai, Neil Wilson, and Norma Wilson.
- Judith Lawrence for providing accommodation for the Conservators.
We’d also like to thank all those who volunteered to help, but never had a chance because the job finished sooner than anticipated.
As one volunteer described, it was truly a labour of love.
In the video below, Neil Wilson of the Natural History Centre explains part of the cleaning process while cleaning the kingfisher.
Natural History Landscapes
– Tina Wai
Update from the Stewards
Hi everyone!
As of January 2019, supporters have generously donated a total of $15,000 towards restoring and reestablishing the Natural History Collection. Thanks so much for all of your caring and generosity! We are closing the GoFundMe site but will continue informing our community of supporters through this website.
Also, keep your eye out for an article in the February First Edition entitled “Thoughts on the genesis of the natural history collection born in and of the Hornby Island Community School” by the founder of the Natural History Centre, Joy Jeffries.
Much appreciation for your continued support as we move forward!
The Natural History Stewards
Christmas Fair
This year’s holiday fair was a great success. The diligent work of the natural history stewards and volunteers paid off – our table raised over $1,500 after expenses! We are fundraising for the care, cleaning, and restoration of the Natural History exhibition that was damaged in the school fire this past August. We appreciate the donations made for the restoration. Thanks so much to everyone for your support!
A special thanks to Stevi Kittleson for her fantastic tote bag, card, and advertising designs, as well as printing the cards; Rowan Helliwell for tote bag printing; Mette Wullum for rumball guidance; Verlie Gilligan for making barb biagi’s gorgeous photos into cards; and Quality Foods for donating groceries for the rum balls.
Warm wishes for the holiday season!
Christmas Fair this Weekend!
The Hornby Island Christmas Fair is coming up this weekend and we are looking forward to share our fundraising items with everyone! This year, we are featuring some old favourites – rum balls and wildlife photo cards – along with some new delights – locally designed tote bags and art cards.
Many thanks to Stevi Kittleson for her fantastic tote bag, card, and advertising designs, as well as printing the cards; Rowan Helliwell for tote bag printing assistance; Mette Wullum for rumball guidance; and Verlie Gilligan for making barb’s gorgeous photos into cards!
Warm wishes for the holiday season!
Posters by Stevi Kittleson.
Vote for the Vancouver Island Elasmosaur!
Exciting news from the Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre! Their elasmosaur, which was discovered in Courtenay, has been shortlisted in a competition to become an official provincial symbol.
Click to Here Vote. The voting period will close November 23, 2018.
Thank you to the Quilters
We love our new banner! This summer the quilting group created this beautiful banner for the Natural History Centre. Our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who put it together including Eleanora Laffin, Una Keziere, Gayle Loban, and Christine Tamburri.
Exhibit Restoration Fundraising Campaign
Since the recent fire at the school, many people from on and off-island have expressed their concern about the Natural History Collection. Many thanks to our community for your kind offers of support and caring.
Initially, the Natural History room appeared visually intact. Unfortunately, upon closer examination, we discovered that the entire collection suffered smoke and soot damage.
UPDATE:
As of January 2019, supporters have generously donated a total of $15,000 towards restoring and reestablishing the Natural History Collection. Thanks so much for all of your caring and generosity! We are closing the GoFundMe site but will continue informing our community of supporters through this website.
Also, keep your eye out for an article in the February First Edition entitled “Thoughts on the genesis of the natural history collection born in and of the Hornby Island Community School” by the founder of the Natural History Centre, Joy Jeffries.
Much appreciation for your continued support as we move forward!
The Natural History Stewards
This Northwestern crow is part of the Hornby Island Natural History collection that requires restoration after suffering smoke and soot damage during a fire.
Summer 2018 Photos
Check out this cool footage from Dr. Archer’s presentation of a young glass sponge reef taken just east of Hornby Island!
Thank you to the speakers and nature walk leaders for sharing their knowledge and supporting the Natural History Centre: Stephanie Archer, Dan Bowen, John Cox, Betty Franklin, Art Martell, Jessica Shultz, Adam Taylor, Eileen Van der Flier-Keller, and Kihan Yoon-Henderson. And thanks to everyone who came out and participated in the nature talks and activities!
Update from Natural History on Recent School Fire
As many of you have heard, there was a fire at the Hornby Island Community School early Sunday morning. The fire department and janitor were called by the school’s automatic alarm system at 3 am. Firefighters from Hornby and Denman worked through the night to put out the fire. A third of the building was burnt and the rest was damaged by smoke and water.
There was no water damage to the collection. The collection has smoke and soot damage and we are beginning a restoration and maintenance project. We will do everything we can to maintain and continue making it available to the public in the future.
We are very grateful to the Hornby Fire Department and Denman Fire Department who worked for hours to contain and put out the fire. Thank you to the community for your support and the offers of help. Our thoughts are with the staff and students of the school who are deeply affected by this tragedy. We will keep people posted on the details once we know our next steps.
Hornby Island Natural History Centre Committee
UPDATE: The collection is now being held in storage after professional cleaning.
Links: CBC, Times Colonist, School Renewal Fund
Important Groundwater Research on Hornby
Hornby Water Stewardship is looking for volunteers from across all parts of Hornby to take part in a groundwater research project to be conducted by Dr. John Cox (Kirk Road, Hornby and Mount Royal University, Calgary). Samples will be collected during the period September 11-19, 2018.
One sample of water (less than a litre) will be needed from each well for analysis.
This research is a follow on to research done in the past. As such, it will provide data for comparison of water quality over time. Areas of Hornby may be identified in the project report, not individual well results.
Please contact either of the following people if you are interested in donating a water sample for the project.
John Cox jcox@mtroyal.ca Ellen Leslie ellenleslie@telus.net
250 335 0430 until August 28th
403 440 6160 after August 28th
Speaker Series: “Canada’s Glass Sponge Reefs”
Thursday, August 23rd, 2 pm – 3 pm, with Stephanie Archer, marine biologist.
This presentation is part of the Expert Speaker Series. Admission is $5.00 per person. Youth 18 and under attend for free. Please enter through the Natural History Centre door at the Hornby Island Community School.
Glass sponge reefs are an ecosystem unique to the coastal and shelf waters of the US and Canada’s Pacific coast. Since the late 1980’s, when the first glass sponge reefs were discovered in Hecate Strait, researchers at Natural Resources Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada have discovered and surveyed many reefs along BC’s coast- including one just East of Hornby Island. I will introduce you to this amazing ecosystem, the sponges that build the reefs, the animals that call the reefs home, and our research aimed at conserving this ecosystem for future generations.
Stephanie has a PhD from North Carolina State University where she worked in the Layman Lab studying how sponges alter community composition and ecosystem function in tropical and subtropical nearshore marine ecosystems. She is now an NSERC Visiting Fellow with Fisheries and Oceans Canada where she studies species interactions and ecosystem function of Glass Sponge Reefs.
This is the final event of our summer programming.
Nature Field Trip: “Walking with Trees”
Exploring the Forests of Hornby with Kihan Yoon-Henderson, Natural History Centre Coordinator.
Friday, August 17th, 10:30 am – 11:30 am, Helliwell Park.
We will meet at the head of the trail at 10:25 am, right next to the parking lot. This walk is part of the Nature Field Trip Series. Admission is $10.00 per person. Youth 18 and under attend for free.
Pre-registration is eseential as space is limited to 12 participants. For inquiries or to register, please email hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com, call 250-335-1021 during NHC’s open hours, or come to the Centre.
To view the full summer nature walk schedule, visit Nature Field Trips.
Speaker Series: “Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery”
Thursday, August 16th with Adam Taylor, conservationist
Learn about the natural history of the Vancouver Island Marmot and efforts to recover this critically endangered species from the brink of extinction. Once, this marmot numbered fewer than 30 individuals in the wild. Today, the population has recovered to over 150 animals, but challenges remain before this Canadian endemic has secured its place in the wild.
Adam Taylor is the Executive Director of the Marmot Recovery Foundation. He has worked in conservation for over 20 years, including work with other endangered species, such as Western Painted Turtles, Little Brown Bats, and Blue-grey Taildropper slugs.
This presentation is part of the Expert Speaker Series. Admission is $5.00 per person. Youth 18 and under attend for free. The talk begins at 2:00 pm in the Hornby Island Community School Library. Please enter through the Natural History Centre door.
Click here to view the entire Summer 2018 Speaker Series Schedule.
New Specimen Acceptance Policy
The Natural History Centre is now only accepting seabirds for taxidermy in the collection. Specifically, we will take any seabird specimens in suitable condition* EXCEPT the following (which we already have): Glaucous-Winged Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Great Blue Heron and Western Grebe. (We do have a Pigeon Guillemot, but it is an immature and we could use an adult example.)
*Procedure: We only accept animals who died of natural causes (e.g., were not hunted or shot) to the collection. Animals should only have been dead within one hour. They should be double bagged and put in the freezer immediately.
Exception – Student Education
One exception is that we will still accept found specimens from children, at least temporarily, for educational opportunities.
What to do When…
You find a dead animal? We recommend digging a hole and respectfully burying the animal.
You find a bird nest? Leave bird nests in place as the species might re-use them. We do not need any more bird nests at the Natural History Centre.
You find a wasp or bee nest? If they are empty, wasps and bees do not reuse their nests. We do not need any more wasp or bee nests at the Natural History Centre.
Thank you!
Heritage Potato Observation Study
At a recent talk on climate change and adaptation, Richard Hebda, former curator of Earth History and Botany at the Royal BC Museum, gave out heritage potatoes for audience members to plant in their gardens. The two varieties distributed were Ozette (known as a highly prolific and resilient variety of heritage potato) and Likely.
If you were one of the recipients and would like to help Dr. Hebda with his research, you can fill out the observation form below. This study will provide insight into the potatoes you are growing.
Download the potato observation link Here. (From the website: www.heritagepotato.ca)
Learn more about the Richard Hebda’s talk at the Community Hall Here.
Nature Walk: “Walking with Trees”
Exploring the Forests of Hornby with Kihan Yoon-Henderson, Natural History Centre Coordinator.
Friday, August 3rd, 10:30 am – 11:30 am, Helliwell Park.
We will meet at the head of the trail at 10:25 am, right next to the parking lot. This walk is part of the Nature Field Trip Series. Admission is $10.00 per person. Youth 18 and under attend for free. For inquiries or to register, please email hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com, call 250-335-1021 during NHC’s open hours, or come to the Centre.
To view the full summer nature walk schedule, visit Nature Field Trips.
“A Walk in Helliwell Park to See, Hear, and Appreciate Birds”
Both the Summer Nature Walks with Art Martell are now full.
We will meet at the head of the trail at 7:55 am, right next to the parking lot. The walk will be about 3 km and take about 2 hours. We will listen to and identify bird songs and try to see any birds that might cooperate. Art will provide information on local birds and answer questions. Bring binoculars if you have them. No dogs please. Please note, this walk will be cancelled if it rains. Space is limited to 10 participants.
Art Martell is retired in the Comox Valley and has had a cabin on Hornby Island for over 25 years. He is the Volunteer Caretaker for the K’omoks Important Bird Area and is active in the Comox Valley Birders Group, BC Field Ornithologists, and Bird Studies Canada. Art was also a Regional Coordinator for the BC Breeding Bird Atlas. Before retirement, Art worked as a wildlife research scientist and manager with Canadian Wildlife Service and was the first Canadian National Coordinator for the North American Bird Conservation Initiative. Art is a keen birder who enjoys birding locally, nationally and internationally.
This walk is part of the Nature Field Trip Series. Admission is $10.00 per person. Youth 18 and under attend for free. Pre-registration is essential as space is limited. For inquiries or to register, email hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com. After Tuesday, July 13th, email hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com, call 250-335-1021, or come to the Centre. This walk is now full.
Click here for the full Summer 2018 Nature Field Trip Series.
HI School Weather Station
Visit the weather data page.
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