Friday, October 28, 2016

Eco Forum at Beringia Center October 27, 2016


Unfortunately, there were many competing events on this date, and attendance was lower than expected, but those that were able to attend, found the event informative and interesting.  As always, the wonderful treats provided by Celeste Sundquist-Bendall were excellent, and thoroughly enjoyed by the attendees.


Snacks provided by Celeste Sundquist-Bendall
Jeff Marynowsky (r) -  Gayle Moffit (l) signing up for membership


Chris Rider - CPAWS  - Moderator
Thanks to Chris Rider from CPAWS for stepping up at the last minute as moderator when our planned moderator fell ill.



Jeff Bond
  Jeff Bond gave a talk on the effects of glacial melt on the Slims River, demonstrating how the flows of the waterways can be affected by warming.
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Jeff Bond speaking on glacier melt


 Tye Heffner's slide show and talk about the various sites in the McIntyre Creek area, that have had  archaelogical digs, and the items found.  Many of these were conducted prior to development in the areas to ensure that these artifacts could be preserved, and the use of the area by the original peoples could be documented.
Tye Heffner speaking on Archaeology in McIntyre Creek area


Artifacts found along McIntyre Creek archaeology digs




 Dorothy Bradley told the audience that the Friends of McIntyre Creek hoped to have the area along McIntyre Creek from the Yukon River to the mountain set aside as a park, where it could be used in a responsible way by groups with various interests, such as hiking, dog walking, cross country skiing, as well as developing viewing areas for wildlife and birds, and recreational areas, including picnic and viewing benches.
Dorothy Bradley - President of FOMC -
speaking on proposed McIntyre Creek park

Proposed McIntyre Park area

 Norman Adamson gave a very interesting talk on the way of life of the first nations people who used this area for their way of life.  He pointed out that everything they needed for life, had to be hunted, gathered, and created by their own hands, as they did not have vehicles to jump into  nor Malls to go to for food or clothing.  They used everything from the animals they hunted, and the dogs they used as transportation were valued and cared for, as they were necessary for their way of life.

Norman Adamson speaking on previous way of life
of First Nations  in McIntyre Creek areas


Michael Bendall taking questions from audience

Dorothy Bradley

Speakers gifts


Celeste Sundquist-Bendall, a member of the FOMC board has been instrumental in ensuring that tasty treats and snacks are provided at the various functions.  Her efforts and contributions  to the success of the events are very much appreciated by all who come out to the events.
Snacks provided by Celeste Sundquist-Bendall (r)


Norman Adamson 
After the talks, Norm Adamson gave a demonstration of the gopher trap that was used as part of their hunting tools.  He explained how it was made, the materials used, and how it was set up to capture the gophers.  


Norman Adamson demonstrating gopher trap used by First Nations





In all it was a very interesting and educational evening.  It was just unfortunate that with the upcoming Yukon political election, among other things, the competing events prevented many people from attending and enjoying this event.


Paola, Lois Craig, Gerry & Mary Whitley

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Trail Updates - August 17, 2016

Some of you may be aware that there has been work done on the section of trail leading from the bridge by the Blue Pumphouse, to the power line just before Pine Street.  I took a photo on August 9, when trucks were busy hauling gravel, and machines were packing it all down.
Looking towards Pine from the bridge
Today on my hike, I was surprised to see that the trail had been completed, paved, and it looked like the work had stopped on the rest of the trail going towards Pine.  There is a large width of unpaved, but packed trail beside the paved portion.  The paved portion has been raised quite high to compensate for the low parts that used to be lakes in the spring.  There are no barriers for vehicles yet, so hope they get put up before cars and trucks start using the bridge again.  I did see some places in the pavement, that looked like some pole might be inserted, but time will tell.

Viewing paved trail towards the powerline road

Just off the bridge looking up the paved trail.
 The area to the left of the paved trail is very wide, and I don't know what the purpose was to male it as wide as it is.
Walking the trail up to the power line
Looking towards the bridge from power line road
The fence blocking access to the creek seems to get more broken all the time.  It is sad people can't leave things alone, and feel the need to destroy them.

Fencing broken down
I was happy to see an eagle on the eagle tree today, for the first time in a long while.  I had seen a couple of ducks on  one of my previous hikes, but there were none to be seen today, perhaps having moved on, or having become lunch for the eagle.


But if you haven't been out for a hike recently on the McIntyre Creek trails, you should check out the new paved area, and see what you think.




Wednesday, July 13, 2016

July 16, 2016 Weed Pull



On July 16 we are repeating the sweetclover pull along Fish Lake road. This has been a great success last year and we hope to get as many YISC members out as possible! All hands are welcome. Bring work gloves and sturdy boots! Meet at 10am at the gazebo up the Fish Lake Road. Friends of McIntyre Creek invite all participants to a BBQ at noon.

For more information CLICK HERE

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

June 12th McIntyre Creek Salmon Incubation Facility BBQ/Open House



The McIntyre Creek Salmon Incubation Facility are going to be hosting a BBQ/ open house on June 12th and are trying to get the word out to as many people as they can. All YCS members and friends of McIntyre Creek are welcome to come as well!


The details for the event include the following:

WHEN: Sunday, June 12th from 11 am to 4 pm.


WHERE: McIntyre Creek Salmon Incubation Facility (Located on Mountainview Drive in between Range Road and the Whistlebend roundabout)


**Parking located along Mountainview Drive or a special parking area for elders or people needing extra assistance will be available.


WHAT:A BBQ and open house to provide an opportunity for the community to come down and check out the McIntyre Creek Chinook Salmon Incubation Facility!


They will be offering guided tours, a BBQ lunch, fun activities for kids and a great chance to get outside and learn about the life cycle of Chinook salmon and their biology! This is a perfect opportunity for anyone to come check us out and see what they do at the McIntyre Creek Salmon Incubation Facility as well as get up close and personal with some of the Chinook salmon at the facility!

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Want to Be Happy? Live Near a Park

1 MINUTE READ
Want To Be Happy? Live Near A Park
New research finds that the effect of green space on personal well-being is more than you might guess.
 

BEN SCHILLER 05.15.13 10:00 AM
As urban planners debate the merits of, say, a new shopping center versus maintaining the local park, they might consider this: over time, parks—and other green spaces—make people feel better about themselves.

Or, at least, that is the takeaway from a long-term study of 12,000 people in the U.K. Researchers at the University of Exeter used survey data measuring both life satisfaction and mental distress, then matched that to a map ranking 32,482 areas for their greenness. They found that people living in greener areas were consistently more satisfied, and experienced less distress.

Be very careful before building on public green spaces
The work builds on previous studies that also found a green space-mental health link, but had selection issues. Researchers couldn’t say whether it was the green space that made people happier, or whether happy people moved to greener areas. The new work gets around that by following the same people over an 18-year period.

Lead author Mat White says at an individual level the effect isn’t huge, statistically. But it is significant in comparative terms. For example, according to the research, living near a green space has a third of the positive mental effect as getting married, and a tenth of the impact of getting a job when you don’t have one.

Moreover, the effect of green space could be cumulatively large, if you look at the wider population. Getting married might improve two people’s sense of well-being, but a park could improve a whole city’s, potentially. "These small differences can add up if they affect many people," he says.

For that reason, White suggests planners take mental health into account. "Health outcomes are only one thing in the mix. But I’d say be very careful before building on public green spaces, or cutting budgets to maintain existing ones."