Sunday March 22, 10am-12pm

Silverback is a term used by primatologists to describe the senior members of a gorilla community. These elders are a repository of community knowledge about the environment that they live in. Here is a chance to walk through Bowen’s forest and wetlands with some of Bowen’s silverback naturalists and learn from their long experience watching and learning about Bowen’s natural places. Bring your nature questions.

Team Silverback will feature:
• Will Husby, naturalist and recovering entomologist
• Claudia Schaefer, plant ecologist and photographer
• Bob Turner, geologist and nature videographer
• Everhard van Lidth de Jeude, retired forester and naturalist
• Alan Whitehead, biologist and warden of the Bowen Ecological
Reserve

Registration and Where to Meet:

Members: Once you have registered for this event by email at bowennatureclub@gmail.com, we will email you a confirmation and the start location.

Please wear sturdy footwear and dress for the weather. Open to all Bowen Nature Club Members.

Not a member? For insurance reasons all participants must be current members of the Bowen Island Nature Club.

To join the Bowen Island Nature Club:
- fill in the form at: https://tally.so/r/dWWzXo
- send us your membership fee (e-transfers are preferred)

After you have submitted or renewed your membership:

Register by emailing us at bowennatireclube@gmail.com
* tell us how many of you are planning to attend
* we will email you the location to meet to start the outing

Moss Meander

Get ready for a real treat – a nature ramble with naturalist Claudia Schaefer to discover and learn about Bowen’s mosses, some of the oldest land plants on the planet.

When: Saturday Feb 28 1:00–3:00 PM

Where to Meet

Register by emailing us at bowennatureclub@gmail.com

* tell us how many of you are planning to attend

* we will email you the location to meet to start the outing

More about the outing

Moss Meander

Explore the fascinating miniature forests at our feet with botanist Claudia Schaefer. The edges of the cedar swamps west of Grafton Lake are a great place to see a wide variety of species. We’ll wander very slowly, and we won’t get very far! Claudia will help you to identify a few of the most common mosses of Bowen Island. We’ll explore the miniature landscapes and talk about moss ecology. The rich, organic soils in this area also support many fern species, so let’s see how many we can spot. 

Beach Clean Up Saturday February 21

 Please join the Bowen Nature Club from 12-2:30, on Saturday, February 21 for a community beach clean. Winter storms often push a lot of debris and trash onto the beaches, with large pieces of styrofoam often breaking up into tiny microplastics that become nearly impossible to remove. Let’s get together and show our appreciation and care for this beautiful Island we call home.

There will be complimentary hot chocolate and herbal tea available for volunteers, as well as any equipment needed (Special thanks to Bowen Municipality for supplying gloves, and garbage bags and for setting up a garbage pick up for all the debris we gather).

Please be sure to wear warm clothes, sturdy shoes, and be extra careful on slippery logs. And keep your eyes out for any beach treasures! There is often beautiful sea glass and neat rocks to be found as well.

We look forward to getting together with everyone and helping nature thrive, including our beloved marine-dwelling species that inhabit the waters and surrounding area.

2025 Christmas Bird Count

2025 Christmas Bird Count

Yes, the 2025 Christmas Bird Count is taking place on Sunday January 4 2026 so that birders could include other counts in their winter plans and we do hope this will be a convenient date for all involved.

The Lower Howe Sound Count will be 23 years old this upcoming year. Our count circle includes the mainland of West Vancouver east of Cypress Creek, to Brunswick Beach and Lions Bay, and captures birds from the seashores up into the forests of Hollyburn Mountain on
the mainland and too, both Bowen and Gambier islands.

Save the date and let Micaele Florendo (mmaddison@hotmail.com)
know if you are going to be able to take part this year.

Membership Renewal Time

 It is membership renewal time for the Bowen Nature Club. 

Yearly membership dues are $25 per individual and $30 per family. Memberships are now valid for one calendar year. 
Please fill out the following form or use the qr code below and please send an e-transfer to:
BowenNatureClub@gmail.com 
or mail cheque to:
Bowen Nature Club, 1100 Lenora Road, Bowen Island, BC V0N 1G1

2026 Outings

 Nature Club Outings for 2026:

AGM and Saw-whet owl talk

AGM and Saw-whet owl talk
Saturday November 22, 2 PM

Please join us at Bowen Nature Club’s Annual General Meeting and Northern Saw-whet Owl talk at 2 PM on November 22, 2025 at Collins Hall. All are welcome!

One of our newest board members, Charlotte Gruneau will be doing a special presentation speaking about her work studying and tracking the elusive Northern Saw-whet Owl here on the island.

Charlotte Gruneau is an artist, wildlife photographer, writer and naturalist residing on Bowen Island. Heavily influenced by her time growing up on the coast, Charlotte’s work is inspired by and showcases many of the incredible species native to British Columbia.

Charlotte studied Fine Art & English and has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Simon Fraser University. She has been documenting and photographing wildlife for over a decade.

Over the past several years, she has formed a deep connection to the Bowen wilderness, and has more recently focussed her efforts onto the tiny enigmatic owl known as the Northern Saw-whet Owl. As a highly nocturnal, migratory species of owl that grow no bigger than a robin - these birds are incredibly difficult to study. Charlotte has dedicated hundreds of hours tracking and monitoring the owls on Bowen, and hopes to ultimately write a book chronicling her journey, spiking curiosity, awareness and educating about a surprisingly common, but little known species of owl.

Charlotte will be sharing a look into her research, along with photos and ideas about how to help this ecologically valuable and fascinating bird continue to coexist and thrive in North America.

photo credit: Charlotte Gruneau, 

instagram: cgwildlifephotography