Notice of AGM: Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Please be advised that the Annual General Meeting of the Bulkley Valley Research Centre will be held on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. In advance of the meeting, we have a few reminders for our members:

  1. CALL FOR RESOLUTIONS: If you would like to propose a resolution to be presented at the AGM, please provide details to Dawn Hanson (dawn.hanson@bvcentre.ca) no later than April 5, 2021.
  2. MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL: It's time to renew your membership for 2021. In order to continue receiving the benefits of BVRC membership and to be eligible to vote at the upcoming AGM, your membership must be current. If you have received an email with a renewal reminder, please renew online through PayPal, or mail your membership fee to us. 

Current BVRC members will receive a link to the meeting, along with the AGM package, closer to the date.

Join our Board of Directors

We are currently seeking a few community-minded people to join the BVRC Board of Directors. While expertise in applied research or natural resource management is an asset, experience in board governance or finance for nonprofits is also appreciated.

To apply, please send a brief resume to info@bvcentre.ca. Find out more about our current board members here: BVRC Board of Directors.

BVRC Awards: Nomination deadline extended

The nomination deadline for the 2021 BVRC Awards has been extended to March 31st. This year's recipients will be announced at the BVRC's Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, April 20th. The full criteria for each award can be found via the links below.

Please send your nominations to info@bvcentre.ca by Wednesday, March 31st. For more information about the BVRC Awards, including past winners, visit our website.

Honouring Rosemary Fox

Rosemary Fox passed away on January 20, 2021. Among her many contributions to wilderness conservation and environmental stewardship across northern BC, Rosemary was a founding member of the BVRC, to which she contributed her considerable energy for many years.

She was instrumental in establishing the Irving Fox Memorial Scholarship Fund, in memory of her husband. The scholarship is awarded annually to a student from northwestern British Columbia entering studies in natural and cultural resources research and/or management.

Tax deductible donations toward this scholarship are graciously accepted anytime. For more information, visit Irving Fox Memorial Scholarship.

Wildfire Resiliency: Project Update

Field crew (left to right): Ian Russell, Maliya Cassels, Ingrid Farnell and Jocelyn Biro

Forming a 4-person “bubble,” living in a shared house, and restricting interactions with others was the solution that enabled Alana Clason’s crew to work at field sites while abiding by COVID-19 restrictions. Alana is leading a study to determine carbon benefits of planting wildfire sites in northwest BC. Her field crew sampled wildfires that occurred from the 1960s to 2015 to determine the forest structure, composition, and carbon balance of these stands.

There is a high level of collaboration with this project. Alana started looking at reforestation issues with funding from the Forest Carbon Initiative Science and Research Agenda program. With additional funding from MFLNRO, Canada Summer Jobs, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation and ECO Canada, she subsequently expanded the scope of the project to include other wildlife and ecosystem values (e.g. moose browse and habitat). Crew member Jocelyn Biro is working to start a MSc. to look at post-fire moose browse responses. Alana is also collaborating with Kira Hoffman (BVRC), Sam Coggins (BVRC) and Phil Burton (UNBC), who are determining implications of historic burning and past management practices for wildfire resiliency. They are sharing data to validate burn severity ratings. Alana’s work will inform decision making regarding the need to reforest these sites and improve carbon balance reporting.

Farewell and good luck, Sheena!

We extend a huge thank you to Sheena, as we sadly say goodbye. Sheena has been a key part of the BVRC team over these past two years as the Project and Administrative Manager, bringing a wealth of non-profit experience to the position and handling the myriad tasks with ease. If it needed doing, she could do it, from seminar set-up to grant writing, membership details to contract management. 

Sheena was instrumental in bridging Executive Directors, communicating with funders, and generally keeping things rolling for the Centre while also serving as an amazing ski coach, programmer, and mentor with Spirit North. The Bulkley Valley has been incredibly fortunate to have Sheena as part of our community. We wish her and Tom all the best as they embark on their next adventure. Good luck!

Seminar Series: Spring 2021

Tune in on March 24th for a presentation with Ingrid Farnell on the long-term effects of timber harvesting on coarse woody debris and marten habitat. Find out more.

Upcoming Seminars:

  • Wed, March 24th, 12:00 p.m. PST
    Presenter: Ingrid Farnell
    Topic: Results from the Date Creek Research Forest
  • Wed, April 7th, 12:00 p.m. PST
    Presenter: Jolene Swain
    Topic: Insects and Apple Orchards
  • Wed, April 21st, 12:00 p.m. PST
    Presenters: Chelsea Pelletier & Mike Eadie
    Topic: Wildfire Fighter Health

Our Seminar Series will continue via Zoom on a bi-weekly basis until early June 2021.

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