About Us

WELCOME to the Club

A voice for nature in the alberni valley.

Alberni Valley Nature Club

Situated on the traditional territory of the Tseshaht and the Hupacasath nations, the AVNC is a group dedicated to the enjoyment, preservation and education about the natural world around us. We are always accepting new members and looking for new projects we can be involved in.

Our Programs

AVNC engages in a wide variety of volunteer programs to aid, enjoy and educate about our natural world. If you want to be a part of these activities, then contact us for more information or view our calendar to see what programs we have coming up.

Nature Walks

Nature Walks in Port Alberni

On the third Thursday of every month, we have a morning nature walk at 9:00 AM. The focus is generally on plants and fungi and whatever else catches our eye. The location will be emailed to members and announced on Facebook a few days ahead of time.

Broom Busts

Settlers brought plants and animals from their homes in the old world. One of them is Scotch Broom. The club is in the process of cutting out the broom from the Ducks Unlimited property on the Somass Estuary and planting native shrubs and trees to replace them.

Education

Education is inherent in everything we do. No matter how much of a beginner you are, we take the time to help you learn more about the natural world. We also are working with the Environmental Science classes at the high school to provide meaningful field days for students.

Birding

Every Saturday, a group of birders gathers at 9:00 AM at Victoria Quay and goes out somewhere to bird, mostly in the Alberni Valley but sometimes to the East or West Coast for a day trip. Look for a schedule of Saturday locations elsewhere on the website.

Planting

We have begun a program of working with the city and land owners to plant native trees and shrubs. A recent effort was a collaboration with the Environmental Science class to plant the part of the Ducks Unlimited Reserve that we had cleared of Scotch Broom earlier in the year.

Presenters

At every monthly meeting of the club, someone will give a presentation before the business portion on some subject or another. Presenters are either local people or invited guests from a nearby community who have expertise on something in the natural world. In the past, we have had speakers on the Vancouver Island Marmot, Western Painted Turtles, the iNaturalist app, and the Legacy Tree program to save spectacular specimens of big, old trees.

Photo Nights

We regularly host a casual evening where members and guests can bring their favourite photos or photos from a recent trip and show them off.

Ivy Pulls

There are many large infestations of English Ivy around Port Alberni that are bringing down trees and branches and overcoming the natural vegetation. We work with the city to implement to slow the spread of this highly invasive weed that grows over and kills trees on the city parks

Owl Prowl

An Owl Prowl is a night when a group goes to a few spots in an area where one or more owls have been reported. We listen for them, and sometimes recordings are played to attract them. The recording are used sparingly. If they are used too often, it can disturb their breeding habits. Each species has their own calls.

Come Join Us and Lend a Hand

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