The latest Sargeant Bay Society Newsletter has the lineup for spring and summer events for 2023 and updates on maintenance and control programs. The Sargeant Bay Society is a non-profit organization that acts as environmental stewards to promote conservation of the natural habitat of Sargeant Bay and its neighbouring watersheds. Learn more about the natural history of the park and the work being done to protect this ecologically sensitive habitat as well as enjoy the opportunities to appreciate the nature right in our own backyard.
Bat Walk -May6th.
Come and be amazed at the vocalizations of the different bat species that hunt over the ponds and berm area. Michelle Evelyn 6-8:30. Meet at the marsh.
Birding on the Berm – May 13th
A great opportunity to learn about birds that frequent the park. Join Tony Greenfield at 0900 hrs for the Sargeant Bay Society annual birding walk from the upper parking lot.
Botany Walk – May 21st.
Kye Goodwin and Jeff Muckle will enlighten us on botany topics during our annual Botany Walk, this year visiting trails between Trout lake and Triangle Lake. Meet at the southern Trout Lake parking lot at 0900 hrs.
Intertidal Exploration (date has not been set)
Lee-Ann Ennis and other SBS volunteers will collect annual data on the intertidal marine life in the bay. Bring the family—and sand shovel & bucket. Activities and displays will run from 12-3pm.
Veteran Sitka Spruce Protection.
Some of you will have noticed that there have been some changes in the lower parking lot at the Park.
Thanks again to Daiton Craig (Coastal Groundworks) who volunteered his time and excavator to place some large rocks to protect the roots of this massive Sitka Spruce from continued compaction by vehicles being parked under the tree. This tree is the only large spruce remaining near the parking area as the other Sitka Spruce that guarded the access to the water at the bottom of the access road eventually died, largely due to its proximity to the heavily travelled road and subsequent root compaction.
Fish Ladder Replacment
BC Parks is overseeing the replacement of the aging fishladder structure. A new manager for the project has been assigned within BC Parks but at time of release of this Newsletter it seems unlikely that this will be completed in 2023.
Trail Maintenance Activities
Thanks to the hikers who provide Rick Walters with up-to-date information on trees down on the Park trail system. Any issues within the Park boundaries can be reported to the dedicated email SBStrails@gmail.com and Rick will advise our volunteers of the details. In 2022 our volunteers contributed over 35 hours of tree cutting and culvert clearing within the Park. Locations outside the Park between Highway 101 and Redrooffs Road should be reported to the Halfmoon Bay Environmental Society email trails@HBES.ca .
For all reporting, an accurate location, size of trees, and if possible, a photo should be included.
Park Trail Map Updates
The signs at Trout Lake and Redrooffs entrances to the Triangle Lake trail systems have been corrected to display the updated Triangle Lake watershed boundaries, showing clearly that there is a portion of Little Knives within the Park and therefore off-limits to all motorized vehicles.
Invasive Species Control Program
Once again this summer SBS volunteers will continue efforts to control the spread of this Yellow Flag Iris within the wetland ecosystem. It is hoped that there will be some BC Parks assistance for future efforts to control this species.
Another species of concern is Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) photo right, which has been rapidly spreading along the berm. This spring there will be a concerted effort to remove flower heads or plants of both species before seed development begins.
