Evening meetings of the Nicola Naturalist Society are held once a month from September through May. We generally meet at 7PM on the third Thursday of the month in the Lecture Theatre of NVIT (Nicola Valley Institute of Technology) on Belshaw Road, Merritt. Admission is free to members. We have awesome raffles.
Field Outings are usually held in spring, summer and fall and are listed below. Members will receive e-mail notices too. Field trips are restricted to paid-up members (but visitors can sign up as a member for the day for a nominal fee).
We are on Facebook. Check out our Facebook page: NNS Facebook
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Saturday 14 December 2024 – Merritt Christmas Bird Count
This will be the 26th Christmas Bird Count in the Merritt count circle. You don’t have to be an expert birder to participate – the count is done in groups and there are always one or more experienced birders in each group. So this is a great way to learn the winter birds in the Nicola Valley.
To see the 2024 Merritt CBC results click here: CBC 2024
Two of the 67 species recorded in the 2023 Merritt Christmas Bird Count: European Starling (left) – a common introduced species, and American Tree Sparrow (right) – an uncommon winter visitor from the boreal regions. Photos: Loekie van der Wal (L); Alan Burger (R).
Thursday January 16th 2025: Murphy Shewchuk – 50 Years of Exploring the Nicola Valley – with a Camera!
Murphy is a founding member of the Nicola Naturalists, and an award-winning author of many outdoor guides, including the local Coquihalla Trips & Trails. He is also an expert photographer and his images have been used in numerous wildlife and outdoor publications. Murphy will share 50 years of exploring and photographing the Nicola Valley – including his latest venture – drone photography.
A drone photograph of the of the Douglas Lake Plateau grasslands at Pennask Lake Road. © Murphy Shewchuk.
Thursday February 20th 2025: Charlene Joe & Sean Strang – River Restoration to meet Indigenous Values
Following the disastrous 2021 floods, there has been a strong focus on restoring the Nicola and Coldwater Rivers, which meet in Merritt, to a more natural and flood-resistant state. The STUWI(x) Naturalization Project is led by local community members and the six local First Nations, with funding from Merritt city and the provincial and federal governments. We will hear from the leaders of this unique project. Charlene Joe is a member of the Lower Nicola Band. She is the Indigenous Engagement Manager with the city of Merritt and the chair of the STUWI(x) steering committee. Sean Strang is the Director of Flood Recovery and Mitigation for the City of Merritt.
Thursday March 20th 2025: Liliana Ortega – Bats!
Liliana Ortega is the coordinator of Bats BC for the BC Interior, based in Kamloops. Learn more about these fascinating, misunderstood and important night critters.
Long-eared Myotis (Myotis evotis) – a fairly common bat in the Nicola Valley. Photo: © Alan Burger
Thursday April 10th 2025: Danielle Toperczer – The Thompson Nicola Conservation Collaborative
Danielle Toperczer is the Program Director of this non-profit group. The Thompson-Nicola Conservation Collaborative (TNCC) brings together Indigenous communities, governments, academia, stewardship groups, resource industries and agricultural producers to protect clean water, conserve the region’s unique species and spaces, and steward the land. An important organization that we need to know about.
And more to come in 2025 ……
