Canoeists practice their strokes in front of Lillian Hoffar Park

Here’s an opportunity to get mud on your knees and a close look at the inhabitants of the intertidal zone of Lillian Hoffar Park, part of Tsehum Harbour, North Saanich. We (FOSH and the Saanich Inlet Protection Society (SIPS) Shorekeepers) are organizing a beach survey to explore the diversity of plants and animals that call Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary home.

Shorekeepers extract, identify and count critters in the top 10cm of beach material within the square (25 cm quadrat|)

We hope to confirm our hunch that, despite the increased human activity on the Harbour, there remain stretches of shoreline that support  an abundant flora and fauna, sources of food for the many birds, that frequent the Bird Sanctuary. Come and join us for a fun and informative morning.

Schedule:

Sunday morning June 25 is a good time for a beach survey because one of the lowest tides of the year occurs at 12 noon  Here’s the plan:

* 10:00 am: Meet at Liilian Hoffar Park in the open area adjacent to the Tsehum Harbour shore. Wear old clothes. Bring gumboots or wading shoes, sunhat and sunscreen. We’ll supply all the equipment you’ll need, and have coffee and juice on hand.

* 10:15 to 10:30 am Explanation and orientation by Denis Coupland of the SIPS Shorekeepers

* 10:30 am to 12:30 pm noon: Digging, identifying and counting according to the Shorekeeping protocol. The beach profile will have been surveyed and the sampling sites laid out on the previous day (Saturday, June 24). We hope to have a few experienced shorekeepers joining us to help with the critter ID and data recording.

* 12:30 pm: Debriefing, wind-up and snacks. We’ll post our findings on this website (www.shoalharbour.com).

Everyone is welcome. If you plan to come please RSVP to Farrell (250 656 7953 fmboyce@shaw.ca) or to Sue (250 655 6300 staniforthsue@gmail.com ). Hope to see you on the beach!

A word of warning about parking: There is space only for 3 – 4 vehicles at Lillian Hoffar Park and there is no parking immediately adjacent on Resthaven Drive. Parking space is available at Parkland High School on McDonald Park Road about 400 m north of Lillian Hoffar Park entrance.

Map of Tsehum Harbour area (Sreetwise Map Book of Greater Victoria)