Hornby Island Natural History Centre
Category: Natural History Centre News
Releasing Caterpillars of Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterflies
On March 9, members of the Hornby Island Natural History Centre, Conservancy Hornby Island, Hornby Island Provincial Parks Committee, Comox First Nation and local volunteers joined personnel from BC Parks, BC Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change Science Section, BC Conservation Foundation, Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team and several biologists to release caterpillars of Taylor’s Checkerspot butterflies. This is part of a multi-year project to restore habitat including providing essential host and nectar plants through propagation and planting out twice per year.
Read MoreThe Stewards Winter Update
Our beloved Natural History collection has not travelled very far since the school fire forced it into storage in August 2018, but it has moved multiple times. . . We are happy to let you know that everything has now been safely moved into our new home on the corner of Central and Sollans.
Read MoreStudents and Scientists Work Together on the Helliwell Park Restoration Project
On October 13th, Hornby Island Community School students worked for the sixth consecutive year on restoring habitat for the Taylor’s Checkerspot butterfly.
Read MoreNature Backpacks Available – New!
We have Nature Backpacks available! Find Kihan selling them at the Farmer’s Market on Wednesday and Saturday and in the Beulah Creek Nursery Garden on Thursday and Friday from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm. We’re looking forward to hearing about your time in the forest! Email us photos of your work, your questions and comments, and we’ll post them on our blog. hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com
Read MoreStudents Aid in Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly Recovery Project
On October 27, Hornby Island students planted native plants along Helliwell Provincial Park’s bluffs to support the island’s rare Garry Oak ecosystem.
Read MoreMeet Michelle Willard of Mighty Museum
Meet Michelle Willard, Museum Consultant and Specialist! The Natural History Centre is excited to be working with Michelle Willard of Mighty Museum to envision the future of our Centre and its reopening. Michelle holds a Master of Arts in Anthropology…
Read MorePlanning for the Future
The Natural History Centre is thrilled to acknowledge recent grants from HICF, HICEEC, CVCF, and MAP that support our Centre’s short and long-term visioning and reopening process.
Read MoreNew Totes Available
Natural History totes featuring a lovely crow design by Stevi Kittleson and made locally by Leslie Richards and Shirley Wyndam are now for sale at Fibres and Beulah Creek Nursery. They are $25 each (cash only please).
Read MoreSummer 2020 Programs Postponed Due To Covid-19
Every summer, we look forward to connecting with those who visit the Natural History Centre and participate in the Centre’s programs. Unfortunately, this year we won’t be holding our usual summer activities due to concerns about the health and safety of participants and volunteers.
Read MoreTaylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly Reintroduction at Helliwell Park
This March, Hornby Island Natural History Centre volunteers assisted wildlife recovery specialists with the release of 400 Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly caterpillars into Helliwell Park.
Read MoreA Message from the Hornby Island Natural History Centre on COVID-19
The Natural History committee sends our well wishes to everyone during these difficult and uncertain times. Amidst the growing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, we are thinking of our community and visitors both both near and afar.
Read MoreNatural History and the School Rebuild!
On December 6th, 2019, community members, parents, and children filled the Hornby Island Community Hall for the highly anticipated new school funding announcement. We were thrilled to learn that the Natural History Centre will be included “on site” in the rebuild!
Read MoreCommunity Enrichment Grant for “Birds and Books”
Natural History is excited to share that we have received a community enrichment grant for our proposed project: “Birds and Books: Displaying a Hornby Island Natural History Exhibit in the School Library.”
Read MoreStudents and adults work together to help Helliwell
In late October, Hornby Island students removed nearly 500 Hairy Cat’s Ear weeds from three sites at Helliwell Park. They also planted 518 seedlings of three types of native grass, Woolly Sunflower and Yarrow that were grown by members of the Natural History Centre.
Read MoreAutumn Update from the Stewards
Despite not having a visitable location during summer 2019 after the fire, Hornby Island Natural History has remained busy: maintaining the collection in the temporary storage location, hosting the speaker series and nature walk programs, and connecting with the community at the Market.
Read MoreStudent Activity: Planting Bulbs
As part of the Hornby School’s changing seasons theme, Natural History stewards worked with students on a bulb planting project. The intermediate class planted 210 bulbs of various types of narcissus on the bank along Sollans Road and in the plot in front of the school.
Read MoreNature Walk – Hornby Rocks!
On August 13th, join Dr. John Cox for a nature walk called “Hornby Rocks! Exploring Hornby’s Unique Geology” at Sandpiper Beach. Please email hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com to register.
Read MoreSpeaker Series – “Changing Wildfire Regimes” with Kendrick Brown
Join us Thursday, August 1st for a talk with Kendrick Brown, paleoecologist, on Changing Wildfire Regimes. Dr. Brown will look at changing wildfire regimes in British Columbia and beyond in response to changes in climate, vegetation, and human activity. New Horizons Centre, 2:00 pm. $5 per adult. Free for youth 18 years and younger.
Read MoreSpeaker Series – The Geology and Paleontology of Hornby Island
Join us on July 25th for a talk about the Geology and Paleontology of Hornby Island! Dan Bowen and Betty Franklin of the Vancouver Island Paleontological Society – VIPS will discuss the fossil story of marine life in our ancient ocean.
Read MoreSpeaker Series – Microplastics in our Local Waters
On July 10th, join us in learning about what is happening with plankton and microplastics in our local waters. Dorrie Woodward, a Denman Island based marine conservationist, will present at Hornby Island’s New Horizons Centre, 2 pm.
Read More
Hornby Island Natural History Centre 
Recent Comments