It is a beautiful spring day today. The Glacier Lilies and the Spring Beauties are beginning to show their bright blooms around the Kootenays. The Sweet Violets have burst open in our yard, their exquisite perfume promising a beautiful spring and summer ahead.

This winter was rather quiet for me while I recovered from knee surgery, hobbling around complaining about not being able to get out on the trails. But I am looking forward to finally doing some hiking again this summer in between trips to Vancouver Island and Alberta. I hope to see some of you at outings.

We have had some wonderful evening programs this year, thanks to Michael McMann’s diligence on our behalf. I am sure that you are looking forward to the remaining programs this spring as much as I am. Jon Sheppard’s Butterfly talk in April and Ed Beynon’s ‘Warblers and Vireos’ talk in May should be exciting and deserve our enthusiastic support. Then the June picnic at Peter McIver’s place near Lemon Creek on the Slocan River opposite the Walter Clough Bird Sanctuary promises to be fun and the scenery and nesting birds will be fantastic.

Much of this spring I have spent writing support letters for various environmental project applications including the Invasive Plant Committee project for the Kootenays. If the funding becomes available, WKNA will play a role in the project by working on the eradication of Purple Loosestrife in Bird Creek Marsh along the Kootenay River.

I have also been involved, once again, in attempting to help acquire funds for the Kokanee Creek Provincial Park Visitor Centre Nature Interpretation Programs. The Friends of West Kootenay Parks (FWKP) have the ultimate responsibility for the operation of the Visitor Centre and funds are becoming more and more difficult to find. The WKNA executive approved the support of the Visitor Centre by working with FBCN to obtain financing for the employment of summer students as Nature Interpreters through the Canadian Government’s Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) program and through the new Conservation Corps established by the BC Government this year. There are only 12 Conservation Corps Nature Interpreter positions offered throughout BC and Kokanee Creek Park has obtained one of them. Thank you FBCN! “The Friends” (FWKP) will be informed of the fate of the other positions within the next month. Meanwhile, capital funding for the infrastructure of providing a Nature Interpretive program at the Visitor Centre is not secured at this time.

Finally, I would like to thank all of you for your support over the past year. Members’ attendance at evening programs and outings has been paramount to the success of the Club. Our membership is steadily increasing, and the stalwart efforts of Sharon Lelliott (Treasurer/Membership Chair) to maintain our membership data current while keeping track of our cash flow, emailing various documents to our members and offering her house for Executive Members have been greatly appreciated. We have had an incredibly hard working and fun-loving Executive this year, and THE OSPREY Publisher, Margo Saunders, and the various Committee Members (we all know who you are!) have played a large part in our success. Thank you. It has been a pleasure to serve you.
Joan Snyder