PROJECTS
Western Grebe Monitoring
Since 1990, club members have monitored and recorded Western Grebe nesting activity in detail at several locations in Salmon Arm Bay. Counts and other observations of adults and their young take place regularly during the breeding season.
Nest Box Program
More than 100 nest boxes have been mounted on posts, trees and buildings within the Salmon Arm Bay Nature Reserve, at Peter Jannink Park and along the “Bluebird Trail” in northeast Salmon Arm. They are maintained and monitored by club members, and used with great success by our bird populations.
Motus Wildlife Tracking System
The club successfully installed a monitoring system at the Salmon Arm wharf in 2024 to track migratory birds and other wildlife carrying miniature transmitters. This station of the part of the “Motus” network, a cutting edge global research initiative co-ordinated by Birds Canada.
Save Shuswap Songbirds
Save Shuswap Songbirds is a joint committee of Shuswap Naturalists and SABNES. Our mission is to promote public awareness in the local community about songbirds, especially their value in our lives, and how we can help protect them by enhancing bird-friendly habitat.
Invasive Species Eradication
The club, in cooperation with Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society (CSISS), organizes an annual weed pull along the foreshore trail to help contain the Woody Nightshade vine, which does serious damage to the marsh vegetation. Weed pulls have also targeted Yellow Flag iris.
Christmas Bird Count
The Christmas Bird Count started in 1900 and is North America’s longest-running Citizen Science project. It takes place on a single day between December 14th and January 5th. A 24 km circle around the Salmon Arm area is divided into 4 sectors, each checked by a group of keen-eyed observers led by Shuswap Naturalist Club members. Our first count was held in January 1970, and has been carried out every year since.
