Our activities include Hiking, Nature Walks, Birding, Bat Monitoring, Botanizing, Education and Outreach, Conservation and Monthly Meetings featuring informative guest speakers.
Non-members are welcome to participate in these activities as a way to preview our club and meet our friendly members prior to joining our group.
Burke Mountain Naturalists (BMN) was formed in 1989 by local residents interested in enjoying nature, encouraging nature awareness, and conserving local green spaces.
We are a club based in Coquitlam, BC, with a focus on the enjoyment and awareness of nature through activities and education.
Whether you are starting your exploration of nature in the Tri-Cities area (Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam) or are an experienced naturalist, we invite you to join us. Meet people who share your interests such as hiking, walking, birding, nature appreciation, and conservation.
Come as a guest and drop in to one of our monthly meetings, or participate in an scheduled activity,to learn more about us.
What’s the big deal about rain gardens anyway? And what have they got to do with streamkeeping and salmon? Learn the answers to these questions from guest presenter Deborah Jones of the Delta Naturalists Club. Deborah is a naturalist and volunteer streamkeeper who has worked on the design, installation and maintenance of school and community rain gardens throughout Metro Vancouver. She also serves as volunteer advisor to The Nature Trust on their rain garden program.
All BMN members who have provided their email address will receive their Zoom invitation a few days prior to the presentation. If you do not receive it, if you have questions or need help with Zoom, or if you are a non-member who is interested in this presentation, please send an email to BurkeMtnNats@gmail.com.
River Basin Days – Moss Friends: February 11th
River Basin Days is a series of outdoor public programs for families. Join us at different locations around the Fraser River Basin as we explore this incredible watershed! Our staff will guide you through one hour of activities, experiments, and art projects as we learn about the biodiversity of this great river.
Did you know that there are around 15,000 species of moss around the world, and that they have been on this planet for 320 million years? Mosses are an incredibly diverse group of plants, but too often we see them just as a blanket of green covering trees, walls or sidewalks. Join us at Serpentine Hollow as we learn to identify native mosses and craft our very own Moss Friends!
While this workshop is open to everyone, the Moss Friends activity will require fine motor skills.
Registration cost includes admission to the Fraser River Discovery Centre. Pay when you register for this workshop, and the next time you visit the Centre in-person, you will be admitted for free.
Pre-registration is required. Visit our website to learn more: https://fraserriverdiscovery.org/rbd/
WHAT: River Basin Days at Serpentine Hollow, Surrey.
WHEN: Saturday, February 11th, 2:00-3:00pm
WHERE: Serpentine Hollow
WHO: While everyone is welcome, this workshop is aimed at children and their families.
Thanks for volunteering in another habitat enhancement project at Blakeburn Lagoons Park.
BMN members and others are invited to help City of Coquitlam staff remove invasive plants around Como Lake. The City will provide: acknowledgement of risk and photo release forms, hand held snips and loppers, shovels, gloves (gardening and leather), first aid supplies, water and snacks. If you have some favourite gloves, loppers or pruning shears, bring them along. Meet in the north parking lot (730 Gatensbury Street).
Come for the whole time or even just an hour. Every bit helps as we tame the invasives and give the native plants more room to reach the sun and spread their roots. No experience is necessary and training and plant identification will be provided. Bring a friend or relative.
We will tackle English Ivy and Himalayan Blackberry, cutting back vines and branches. Digging up Blackberry root wads will also be on the agenda. We will also need some people to carry branches and vines to collection points.
It’s a large patch so we will have lots of room for social distancing. Dress for the weather.
Family Fun on the Fraser: February 18th – 20th
Families come in all shapes and sizes – almost as many as the critters in the Fraser River estuary! Join us for Family Day weekend to investigate the biodiversity hiding under the surface of the living, working Fraser River. Colour a creature to add to a Fraser River habitat map, see what you can spot in the Fraser River, and join us for storytime!
There will be self-guided activities throughout the building, a facilitated activity from 10am – 12pm, animal artifacts from 12pm – 1:30pm, and storytime from 2pm-4pm.
FREE ADMISSION on February 20th! – Presented by Loren Nanke
More info available at https://fraserriverdiscovery.org/family-day
Super Saturday – Runoff Race!: February 25th
Taking place on the last Saturday of each month, Super Saturdays is a series of public programs geared toward families. There are lots of activities that explore different features of the Fraser River, from its booming industry to its diverse ecosystem!
Spring in the lower mainland means lots of rain plus melting snow from the mountains, repeating the cycle of flooding that has been part of the natural cycle of the Fraser River basin for thousands of years. As flooding becomes more frequent and unpredictable with climate change, how can we redesign our communities to keep people and places safe? Super Saturday on February 25th, 10am – 4pm, is the perfect opportunity to test out your urban design skills with our stormwater bins!
More info available at https://fraserriverdiscovery.org/super-saturdays/
Thanks for volunteering in another habitat enhancement project at Blakeburn Lagoons Park.
Saturday, March 4 Crystal Falls via the Coquitlam River Connector
To start the 2023 hiking season, we will hike on the best day of the year to go for a hike (march forth). Getting to Crystal Falls used to be much easier, but due to a trail closure it is now a little more difficult. We will start on the Woodland Walk Trail and descend down the Coquitlam River Connector where there is one stream crossing before getting to Crystal Falls. If stream levels are low enough on Pritchett Creek we will return via the Bullet Dodger Trail. Roundtrip distance is 10 km with a cumulative elevation gain of 420 m. Meet at 8:00 am. Return 1:00 pm. Please contact Ian (604. 939. 4039) for more info.
Special March Meeting:
“TriCities Urban Forest Forum” Sponsored by BMN
Tues Mar 7, 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Save the date! In lieu of our regular March Club Meeting via Zoom, BMN
members are invited to attend the TriCities Urban Forest Forum
sponsored by BMN and two other groups – Protect Coquitlam’s Urban
Forests and the Wondrous Tree Fellowship.
Lecture Theatre Room A1470 at the
Coquitlam Campus of Douglas College
More details to follow soon.
