Healthy lands and waters – the foundation for a healthy community.
Getting ready for the big Metchosin MycoBlitz weekend (http://metchosinbiodiversity.com). Hope you can join us.
Andy MacKinnon and I were in the Metchosin Wilderness Park this morning with a CTV reporter for a mushroom-themed Halloween report–watch for us on the news tonight.
Here are a couple of the many mushrooms we saw today. The orange one is Lactarius subviscidus, a milkcap, the big white one is Leucopaxillus albissimus.
A message from the Metchosin Biodiversity Project.
Each year in November the Metchosin Talk and Walk series partners with the Metchosin MycoBlitz to bring you an outstanding presentation on local mushrooms. This year we have the privilege of hosting Dr. Denis Benjamin. This Texas physician is one of North America’s authorities on mushroom toxins. His talk, though, is not technical–it is a broad look at issues and experiences around using wild mushrooms as a food source. We had Dr. Benjamin with us several years ago and audiences were delighted at his talks.
If you can, join us on Saturday for a mushroom foray with Dr. Benjamin and other local experts. Mushrooms are popping up all over Metchosin now.
More information on the weekend at the Metchosin Biodiversity website.
Students in the lower grades at Hans Helgesen School regularly visit the outdoor sites around the school building. Their contact with natural systems, however, is more limited in the rainy winter months. To make outdoor excursions possible in rainy weather, the Metchosin Foundation has donated a dozen sets of rain pants and a dozen pair of rain boots to the school. These will be kept in a special locker for whatever classes need to use them. On Tuesday, October 8, Metchosin Foundation Chair Chris Pratt formally presented the outfits to the school. Principal Stoutley writes “Diana Wakelin and I are very grateful for the Metchosin Foundation’s continued support of outdoor learning at Hans Helgesen Elementary!”
I see mushrooms are starting to poke up their beautiful heads in our area. You’ve got just 3 weeks to capture some of them in pictures (as well as other natural subjects) and submitting the mounted/framed pictures to Metchosin Naturally! Seasons Through the Lens, a juried nature photography contest and exhibit:
http://metchosinbiodiversity.com/menu_photocontest.php
Pictures can be submitted in person on October 19, 20, and 21, 10-3 pm at MACCA, 4495 Happy Valley Road. Note that there are some restrictions–the photographs must have been taken IN METCHOSIN and IN 2018. Prizes and a special reception for the winners.
The Habitat Acquisition Trust often partners with the Metchosin Foundation on local environmental initiatives. Join us for a celebration of Metchosin’s night flyers on Sunday, October 28.