The Sunshine Coast Wildlife Project is inviting wildlife stewards of all ages to drop by the Sechelt Legion any time between 11am and 4pm on November 14^th and 15^th to learn how they can help wildlife at home and in their community.

Community members can pick up a ready-made owl nest box, bat house or Mason bee box, or build their own from an easy-to-assemble kit with the assistance of Wildlife Project volunteers. Those who already have Mason bee homes can bring in their tubes or blocks for assistance cleaning their cocoons and guidance about how to care for the bees over the winter. People can nominate sites for shoreline restoration or learn how to become Wildlife Habitat Stewards or volunteer with wildlife monitoring efforts on the Sunshine Coast.

The Wildlife Project’s community stewardship programs are generously supported by Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Public Conservation Assistance Fund, Habitat Stewardship Program, and the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program. For more information email coastwildlife@gmail.com or phone 604-989-1007.

As a follow-up to our last blog post about the new Ian McTaggart Cowan biography, the following video exerpts provide a glimpse into Cowan’s role in promoting conservation in Canada through public television. Cowan starred in Fur & Feathers, an educational program for children, as well as The Web of Life and The Living Sea. Enjoy!

Fur & Feathers (CBC)

The Web of Life (CBC)

The following guest blog post was written by R.S. Silver, past manager of the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund.

Briony Penn’s new biography, The Real Thing-The Natural History of Ian McTaggart Cowan shows Ian, as one reviewer put it, “as a man of infinite adaptability, curiosity and commitment who used science to protect and promote the beauty of the province.”

Many of us first encountered Cowan when his influential 1956 handbook, The Mammals of British Columbia, invited us to join him in “unraveling the innermost secrets of the lives of mammals.” But, as the book clearly describes, Ian was not only a field biologist but also an educator, administrator and television pioneer who won more awards than any other Canadian scientist.

Cowan wanted his biography to be a shameless showcase for the natural history of BC. Penn has structured the book to follow his formative years as he painstakingly recorded in his journals what animals lived in the regions of the province, the Rockies and the north, before the dam builders, timber barons and oil companies silenced their calls and songs. Whether it is his early bioblitzes before the flooding of the Peace, Kootenay or Nechako Rivers, his pioneering work on predators in the Rockies or unraveling the evolution of small mammals in the coastal islands of the Great Bear, there is a story for every region.

The critical message that Cowan had was to engage people personally with that enthusiasm for the natural world and what it brings us all. This personal engagement and sharing of stories has been in danger of being lost with such a high emphasis on digital materials. Cowan was always ahead of the game and saw this coming. It was his wish to make the biography an excuse to inspire local people around British Columbia to go out and cherish the natural world around them.

“He just loved the natural world. He loved British Columbia, he loved being outside, he loved enthusing people with how beautiful it is,” said Penn. “I think every Canadian should know about him, because he’s the kind of person we can really feel proud of.”

The Real Thing is now available in bookstores and through online retailers.

For more information, please see http://cowantherealthing.com/.

Ian McTaggart Cowan was the founding Chair of the Board of HCTF in 1981 and held the position for 19 years.

His status in the conservation community gave the Foundation instant credibility and, under his leadership, the Board implemented policies and procedures to ensure both technical and financial integrity and accountability.

The deadline for submitting an application for a 2016-17 HCTF Enhancement & Restoration grant is next Monday, November 2nd at 4:30 PST.

In addition to our regular business hours, Jane Algard will be in the HCTF office on Saturday October 31st and Sunday November 1st between 12pm and 1pm to assist with any last-minute application challenges.. You can contact Jane by emailing jane.algard@hctf.ca or calling 250-940-9781.

To apply for 2016-17 funding for an HCTF enhancement/restoration project you must submit a proposal through HCTF Online. The deadline for proposal submission is Monday, November 2, 2015 at 4:30pm PST. You may submit a proposal anytime between October 2^nd and November 2^nd.

To start your application go to our HCTF Online webpage where you will find instructions, examples and additional information to facilitate the application process. From this webpage you can request a User ID and log onto HCTF Online.

What happens next?

Over the next few months, technical review committees assess each proposal and make recommendations to the HCTF Board. In early March the Board meets to make final funding decisions and shortly thereafter a preliminary list of approved projects will be posted on this website. Proponents will then be notified by email of the status of their proposals in mid-March.