Our youngest son took a few days off work last week as he often does during the summer months to take the ferry to Vancouver Island, and to drive seven hours to get to the northern tip on the Pacific Ocean, to do some camping, hiking and kayaking. He saw ospreys, night hawks, bats and eagles, and some other campers who set up tents to enjoy the good weather at an oceanside vantage. This is his idea of supreme relaxation, enjoying nature at its most remote points of contact, a bit of a change from his earlier venture only several weeks earlier climbing in the Stein Valley.

And on the weekend just past, he was in Whistler for the annual BioBlitz that he has incorporated into his summer schedule for the past decade. As a lover of nature he appreciates the solitude of dark nights in wilderness areas where the Milky Way can be viewed without the interference of light from urban infrastructure, and the opportunity to see nature in all its splendid variations isolated from the tampering effects of human activity. And as a scientist he is eager and willing to share the basics of interpreting the natural world we're surrounded by with the families who come out, fascinated children in tow eager to learn of the mysteries of nature.


Searching on the Internet I came across a video shot at the event, showing just how involved nature lovers become in introducing their children to nature. The video can be accessed at http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/bioblitz-fascinates-kids-and-adults-alike/Content?oid=2466798 and it's well worth viewing. For me, needless to say, watching my son at work communicating his enthusiasm for what he does and values represents the personal reward.

www.piquenewsmagazine.com

• Photo by John French
• CRITTER CANOE As part of the 24 hour BioBlitz in Whistler scientists like Andy McKinnon and Bob Brett gathered samples of Whistler’s natural life and shared it with anyone interested at Alpha Lake Park.