KCDCS - June eNews Update

NEWS & UPDATES - June 2024

In This Update

Discovery Centre Hours
Jr Naturalist Summer Camp - A Few Spaces Left
Why Did the Turtle Cross the Road?
Meet the Staff
50 Years of Education - Flashback
Trumpeter Swans
2024 Supporters to Date

Photo of Boardwalk: Natasha Sing

Discovery Centre Hours

We are excited to host you at the Centre this summer!

We will be open Monday to Saturday until the end of August and then switch to Tuesday to Saturday for September and October, 9am to 4pm.

We are busy preparing for our Jr Naturalist Summer Camps that will happen all of July and August. There are only a few spots left in a couple of sessions, see below for availability.

Our guided canoe tours are off to a great start. We are seeing lots of western painted turtles basking, a pair of trumpeter swans with young ones (cygnets), great blue herons and ospreys fishing, families of ducks swimming around, otters frolicking, lots of swallows and blackbirds catching insects, a floating grebe nest...you just never know what you might see when you are out there. We will be offering the tours daily when open so call (250-402-8661) or email to book!

Thank you as always for your support and interest. We hope to see you in the wetland soon!

Jr Naturalist Summer Camps

Our 2024 Jr Naturalist Summer Camps are starting soon!

Our camps run in July and August. We have some openings for our older groups in the August sessions (see below). We do have waitlists started for sessions that are full.

Please email us if you are interested in one of the camps.

Thank you! We are looking forward to another fun summer!

Summer Camp Schedule

Frolicking Frogs (Ages 4 & 5; Preschool) - FULL, Waitlist Started

July 29-August 2 (Monday to Friday); 9am to 12pm; Cost $85

Curious Caterpillars (Ages 6 & 7; Completed Kindergarten or Grade 1) - BOTH SESSIONS FULL, Waitlist Started

July 8-12 and August 12-16 (Monday to Friday); 9am to 3pm; Cost $120

Boisterous Beavers (Ages 8 & 9; Completed Grade 2 or Grade 3) - BOTH SESSIONS FULL, Waitlist Started

July 15-19 and August 19-23 (Monday to Friday); 9am to 3pm; Cost $120

Eager Eagles (Ages 10 & 11; Completed Grade 4 or Grade 5) - JULY SESSION FULL, Waitlist Started; AUGUST SESSION SPACES AVAILABLE

July 22-26 and August 26-30 (Monday to Friday); 9am to 3pm; Cost $120

Wandering Wolves (Ages 12 & 13; Completed Grade 6 or Grade 7) - SPACES AVAILABLE

August 5-9 (Monday to Friday); 9am to 3pm; Cost $120

Why Did the Turtle Cross the Road?

To get to the other side...literally.

June is nesting season for our western painted turtles. The females are searching for gravel sights to lay their eggs, away from the water. This means that they cross roadways to get there. So be on the lookout and BRAKE FOR TURTLES!

Check out the info sheet below to see how you can help the painted turtles during nesting season...

Turtle Nest Cages

To help battle predation of turtle nests, the KCDCS Naturalists are installing nest cages over recently laid nests along West Creston Rd. These structure will limit access to the nest by predators and still allow the hatchlings to leave the nest when ready.

Thanks to Jacob of the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area for making the cages and to Joseph for his knowledge and direction on the project.

Meet the Staff

Gracie and Natasha are our seasonal Wetland Naturalists for 2024!

Gracie just graduated from Selkirk College's Applied Environmental Science and Planning Program and will be attending Thompson Rivers University in the Fall to continue her education.

Natasha is attending Simon Fraser University studying Resource and Environmental Management in the Faculty of Environment.

Joseph, a biology graduate, joined us in May and June to help deliver school programs and assisted in some turtle nest surveys and installation of predation boxes. He is moving onto other adventures back east and we wish him all the best!

Celebrating 50 Years of Education

Flashback!

From 1974 to 2017, the old Wildlife Interpretation Centre with the red roof (below) was a local icon. Inside the Centre (also below), a large gallery space housed many displays and information on the wetlands and wildlife. A wall mural depicting the wetland plants and animals added a fun element to the space.

Trumpeter Swans

It has been such a pleasure to see a pair of nesting trumpeter swans in the ponds around the Discovery Centre. In early May we came across their nest site as we canoed in the ponds. We kept a safe and respectable distance, patiently waiting for the day we would see their young (cygnets) moving around the ponds. And in the last week we have seen 4 cygnets!

Follow our Social Media pages (Facebook and Instagram) for more weekly "Feature Creature" posts!