Evening meetings of the Nicola Naturalist Society are held once a month from September through May. We generally meet at 7PM on the third Thursday of the month in the Lecture Theatre of NVIT (Nicola Valley Institute of Technology) on Belshaw Road, Merritt. Admission is free to members.
Field Outings are usually held in spring, summer and fall and are listed below. Members will receive e-mail notices too. Field trips are restricted to paid-up members (but visitors can sign up as a member for the day for a nominal fee).
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Thursday March 19th 2026, 7 PM at NVIT: Rabeya Shikdar Orpa – Amending soil for reclamation of native plant communities at mine sites
Rabeya Shikdar Orpa is a master’s student of Environment Science at Thompson Rivers University, and also works with the Grassland Conservation Council of BC as an outreach and stewardship consultant. Her research focuses on greenhouse experiments with thirteen different native plant communities, testing potential amendments and fertilizer to improve the re-establishment of native plants on mine overburden and tailings (post-mine landscapes). Her work is specifically aimed at improving restoration of native plant communities at the Highland Valley Copper mine near Logan Lake, but is relevant to habitat restoration across B.C.
Thursday April 16th, 2026: Jay Akerley –Native perennials for Interior B.C. gardens
Jay Akerley is renowned in Kamloops and beyond as a promoter of gardening with indigenous species. Trained at the Pacific Horticulture College in Victoria, he has extensive experience in designing and building rock gardens in many different settings. He has a particular interest in gardening with Southern Interior species. Native plant species attract many interesting insects and hummingbirds. This presentation will give you expert advice on the species and methods to bring local nature into your garden. Jay will discuss the cultivation of native plants from seed collection through their life cycle. Just in time for spring gardening. Jay is a regular featured speaker for the North American Rock Garden Society and its chapters, as well as a former President of the Alpine Garden Club of British Columbia.
April – Outings for Sandhill Crane migration
The spring migration of Sandhill Cranes across the Douglas Lake Plateau is one of the most amazing wildlife spectacles in B.C. Recent research by our club shows that over 20,000 cranes pass by each spring, stopping over to rest and feed in the wetlands and hayfields of the plateau near Merritt. We will not be doing daily surveys for cranes in 2026 but will be running several club outings (for paid-up members only). Members – watch your emails for details.
Check our club’s monitoring work: Sandhill Crane Monitoring
Sandhill Cranes on the Douglas Lake Plateau, April 2023. Photo: © Leanne Cleaveley.
Saturday 11 April – Club outing for Sandhill Cranes
Join Leanne Cleaveley for a trip to Douglas Lake to look for Sandhill Cranes. Meet at 8 AM Merritt Civic Centre to car-pool. The cranes are usually gone by 11 AM but bring lunch if you want to explore more. For paid-up members.
Saturday 18 April – Unveiling of the Douglas Lake Plateau KBA signage – at Douglas Lake Ranch
The Nicola Naturalist Society and the Kamloops Naturalist Club are joint custodians of the Douglas Lake Plateau Important Bird Area (IBA) which is now also designated as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA). To celebrate this event, BC Nature has obtained funding for signs to explain and promote this KBA. These will be unveiled at a special ceremony at Douglas Lake on April 18th. Meet at 08:30 on Douglas Lake Road at the north end of Douglas Lake (beyond the Spax’mn Reserve) and car-pool to look for cranes. Return for refreshments and sign unveiling around 11 AM. Members – check your emails for details.
Wednesday 22 April – Burrowing Owl release and ceremony at the Upper Nicola Band
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Burrowing Owl Restoration Program run by the Upper Nicola at their Spax’mn reserve near Douglas Lake. Nicola Naturalist Society members have been invited to participate in this important event. Details to come.
Saturday 2 May – Tour of the flood restoration park in Merritt
The 2021 flood devastated large areas in Merritt. To mitigate future threats the city is working with local First Nations to restore a large tract at the junction of the Nicola and Coldwater rivers. Join Dr. Tom Willms, an instructor in Environmental Resource Technology at NVIT and an advisor to this project to find out more about this innovative and important project. For paid-up members. Meet at 9 AM – Merritt Civic Centre parking lot.
Thursday May 21st, 2026: Tory Hartley – Research on the threatened Williamson’s Sapsucker in the B.C. Interior
Williamson’s Sapsucker is a threatened species with unique needs of coniferous and deciduous forests. The Nicola Valley and surrounding country is one of their key habitats in B.C. Graduate student Tory Hartley is doing research in our area to better understand the threats and requirements of this beautiful and symbolic woodpecker.
Male (L) and female (R) Williamson’s Sapsucker – summer breeders in the Nicola Valley area. Photos: © Alan Burger
Saturday 30 May – Hike Lundbom Commonage with Frank Ritcey
Club member Frank Ritcey is one of B.C.’s best known naturalists. For several years he has been exploring the Lundbom Commonage and discovering amazing wildlife with his remote cameras. An opportunity to explore grassland and forest ecosystems with a real expert. Two levels of walking: 1.2 km round trip before lunch 9:30-12:00; more hiking after lunch until 3 PM for those more keen. For paid-up members.
Thursday 4 June – Movie “Trouble in the Headquarters” – screening and discussion
Our club is hosting producer Daniel Pierce to screen this highly-relevant movie. It deals with the effects of upstream clearcut logging on downstream flooding that can cause devastating property and ecological damage. Following the screening there will be an open discussion, along with hydrologist Dr. Younes Alila, Professor of Forest Hydrology and Watershed Management at UBC Vancouver.
More field outings coming in June & July – keep checking.
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