Originally published at: Slideshow: Eva Ullstrom and Kaitlyn Kuzma-Wells – Species and Summits: A summer of working in Strathcona Park – Alpine Club of Canada Vancouver Island Section
Kaitlyn Kuzma-Wells and Eva Ullstrom spent last summer hiking throughout Strathcona Provincial Park conducting photographic biodiversity surveys for the Strathcona Wilderness Institute. Together they will present an overview of their summer; including the purpose of their surveys, the areas they hiked, and the role the citizen science app iNaturalist played in their work. They will each touch on their specific topic of interest which they chose for their end of summer SWI online presentation.
Ranging from species never recorded in the park to unexpected oddities, their time in Strathcona revealed some of the lesser-known flora species of the park. Eva will highlight some of these notable flora and why they stand out from the 300+ species of vascular plants observed this past summer. Kaitlyn will introduce us to White Pine Blister Rust (Cronatium ribicola), an invasive and often deadly fungus present throughout British Columbia. She will share its history and impact on the Western White Pines of Strathcona Park. The two will conclude their presentation by showing us how to use iNaturalist to help document blister rust and record observations of any organism you see while on your next outdoor adventure.
Venue: Swan Lake Nature House at 3873 Swan Lake Road
Doors open at 7 PM and presentation starts at 7:30 PM
Goodies and tea by donation
No masks required (but you are welcome to wear them if you are not quite ready to go maskless) and vaccination passports will not be required after April 8, 2022