Kamloops Naturalist Club

10/12/2026

The Grasslands Conservation Council has posted this grass identifier. Not all blades are alike! Check it out before you head to the hills and see if you can figure out which tuft is which.

10/09/2026

Check out this year's salmon run with us.
Join us on Sunday, October 11 for a trip to Tsutswecw Provincial Park (formerly Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park) to see the Adams River sockeye salmon run.

This trip is led by Miriam Semeniuk and Diane McKelvey.
NOTE: This trip was originally scheduled for October 3 but has been postponed to the Sunday October 11 to coincide with the height of the salmon return.

We'll meet at 7:30 a.m. in front of the Shoppers Drug Mart in Valleyview Square to sign in. Non members are welcome but will need to pay $1 to cover insurance costs. We'll car pool and leave no later than 8 a.m. sharp for the drive to Tsutswecw Provincial Park (see driving directions below). We should arrive there around 9 a.m. - bring $5 per car to cover parking costs.

We'll gather at the interpretation hut on the edge of the parking lot, which has displays describing the life cycle of the salmon. We'll then walk to the salmon observation platform on the Adams River and the local trails by the river. If time allows, we will follow the river trail (west) to the bridge to view the burned area and observe the regeneration that is occurring there.
Duration of the visit is approximately 3 hours (plus 1 hour driving time each way). We plan to leave the park around noon and arrive back in Kamloops by 1 p.m.

Bring water and a snack, and appropriate clothing and footwear for easy flat walking trails. Distance depends on the trails chosen, but could be up to 6 kilometers.

Driving directions - On Google Maps, search Tsutswecw Provincial Park at Lee Creek
Travel east on the Trans Canada highway, past Chase and the Little Shuswap Lake, and take a right turn at the ramp to the Squilax Anglemont Road. Turn right and cross the Trans Canada Highway on the overpass. Stay on the Squilax Anglemont Road as it crosses over the Adams River in approximately five kilometers, and continue to the entrance to Tsutswecw Provincial Park (on the right - should be lots of signposts for the Salute to the Salmon). Total distance is approximately 65 km from Valleyview Square.
There are portable toilets at the site (bring hand sanitizer as it may not be provided).

10/08/2026

Thank you to all the volunteers and TRU Natural Resource Science students that joined us back on BC River's day, Sunday, September 27th.

Including instructors and helpers, we had 43 people at the Tranquille pond area of Lac du Bois Provincial Park to assist in a workshop/work bee. Participant formed four teams and rotated through stations, including grassland restoration with Jesse Ritcey, habitat pile construction and wood duck nesting box assembly with BC Parks staff and Tom Dickinson, wetland restoration and reed canary grass control with Catherine Tarasoff, and a garbage bash led by Nancy Flood.

1,250 native plants went in. 25 bags of garbage were removed from the area. 4 large and many smaller habitat piles were created. 16 wood duck boxes were assembled.

Thanks to BC Conservation Foundation and WildSafeBC Kamloops staff for assisting. Funding support for this event was provided by Nature Canada and the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC. Major funding for our accessible trail construction and future signage was from Coeur New Afton. Ecological restoration funding at this site has been provided by the BC Parks license plate funding program and the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, with previous support from Environment and Climate Change.

10/04/2026

Ahh, the sleeping beauty of sunshine. While fall is not over yet, some of our native plants have already started their wintry snooze, including this arrowleaf balsam root. Here's what it looks like now, and what it will look like in spring.

10/04/2026

This is not a KNC event, but one that might be of interest to those of you who interested in what we can do about climate change. Sharing the link:

A gathering, ceremony, and ritual intended to help us connect, inspire, and grieve together.

10/01/2026

You are invited to come out to our next club meeting on Thursday, Oct. 15, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Heritage House, 100 Lorne St.
Bring your bear-able questions, as our guest speaker is Ashley Stewart, Wildsafe BC community co-ordinator for the City of Kamloops. Ashley will talk about managing and interacting with wildlife within the city, including bears.
Newcomers always welcome to KNC meetings, held the third Thursday of the month at Heritage House.
Bear photo by Peter Nuij

09/18/2026

Check out the video that Rogers TV did with us on one of our projects.
Working alongside BC Parks, various partners, and volunteer, the Kamloops Naturalist Club has led efforts to protect and enhance the Tranquille Pond viewing area. The multi-year project includes removing invasive species, restoring native plants, building an accessible trail, and planning a future viewing platform.

Working alongside BC Park, various partners, and volunteer, the Kam...

09/18/2026

Check out our new logo, designed by Kamloops born and raised graphic artist Cate Arnold. You can see her other masterpieces here: https://caterainy.com/