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Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre

Just outside the Ecology Centre at Lynn Canyon Park

The Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre is a building within the Lynn Canyon Park of North Vancouver, British Columbia that displays interactive exhibits about British Columbia's natural history as well as local and global environmental issues. Opened in 1971, the building is designed to resemble a Pacific Dogwood blossom, the official flower of the province. The Ecology Centre is a district of North Vancouver Parks Department facility. The centre is designed with the intention of creating a fun and interactive atmosphere for all ages to learn about local and global environmental issues. Admission to the facility itself is free, but a $2 donation is recommended. The facility serves a vast population. During peak tourism months, many individuals new to the city visit the Lynn Canyon Park and often take advantage of the gift shop found in the centre. Other populations include students via school organized field trips as well as individuals simply interested in learning more about local and global ecology.

Contents of the Centre

Depending on the month, the employees at the centre offer special events for adults and children to attend. Some of these events include :

Walking in the Rainforest

• Travel through the rainforest of Lynn Valley with the employees at the facility to learn more about edible leaves, shoots, types of lichen and the various symbiotic relationships in the rainforest.

Real Birding for Kids

• Have the opportunity to join a naturalist to learn about the unique language and habits of local birds in the Vancouver area. This program will educate children about how to identify birds, recognize their songs and search for nests.

Real Farming for Kids

• This program works alongside the Edible Garden Project at Loutet Farm in North Vancouver to teach children about Urban farming.

Along with the events listed above, the centre also has a theatre where they show regular educational videos. These videos can range from Magic School Bus for children, to documentaries about specific species created by experts in the field. The purpose of these programs is to enhance visitor's understanding of the ecology of North Vancouver while at the same time provide an opportunity to learn more about the park. The exhibits at the centre have a wide encompassing range from the development of the forest around Lynn Canyon Park to the various species that live and thrive in the North Vancouver area. Each of the exhibits display facts about a specific aspect of the ecology of the region through use of interactive quizzes as well as life-size models. The centre features four main galleries that encompass information about plants, animals and people.

Ecology of Lynn Valley

Douglas Fir; a common site at Lynn Canyon Park

The ecology of Lynn Valley is quite vast as it expands to the entire North Vancouver area. There are several species of animals that can be found both within the Lynn Canyon Park as well as other surrounding regions such as Horseshoe Bay and the local mountains. Just like the wildlife in the area, the plant and vegetation is highly variable as the altitude of the regions change, however the majority of the vegetation in the area is a strong resemblance of Vancouver's temperate rainforest.

Vegetation and Development of the Forest

There is a large range of vegetation that exists in Vancouver's temperate rainforest. This vegetation mostly consists of Conifers with scattered pockets of Maple and Alder, and large areas of swampland which are even found in upland areas, due to poor drainage. The Conifers are a typical coastal British Columbia mix of Douglas fir, Western red cedar and Western Hemlock. The Vancouver area is thought to have the largest trees of these species on the British Columbia Coast.

The Lynn Valley Forest is over 1000 years old and is a stable and self-replicating. Western hemlock, Western red cedar, Sitka spruce, Cottonwood, and broad Leaf maples grow in moist valley soils. Douglas-fir and Western hemlock grow on the well-drained hillsides. During a drought period, the forest becomes prone to spontaneous, natural forest fires that can devastate the region. Large mammals such as bears, wolves and deer easily out distance the fire while smaller mammals such as birds often perish. Two years after the fire, sun tolerant plants grow in the disturbed soil. The dead snags provide nutrients for smaller vegetation such as shrubs and small mammals such as shrews. Red-tailed hawks and other birds of prey return to the area to hunt the small mammals. 200-300 years after the fire the forest has reached an early climax stage. It is dominated by Douglas-Fir, Western hemlock and Western red cedar. Birds and mammals such as the Spotted owl, Northern flying squirrel and Roosevelt Elk start to present in the area in increasing numbers. If undisturbed by a major fire, storm or human activity, the forest community will gradually mature. The park is a second growth forest, with the most of the oldest trees being 80-100 years old. Evidence of logging in the area can be also found in the many large stumps, complete with springboard notches.

Animals and Wildlife

There is a multitude of wildlife in the Lynn Canyon area. One of the main concerns for human-animal interactions in the North Vancouver area arises from Black Bears though. Black Bears are found in areas such as Lynn Canyon Park but also have been found to travel into residential areas in search of food. More than 1000 bears are killed every year in British Columbia because of bear-human conflicts so the North Shore Black Bear Society published a report year end report in 2012 to try to address this issue. Although black bears are common in the Lynn Valley area many of the animals, especially the birds, will tend to migrate to different locations all around North Vancouver and can even be found as far west as Horseshoe Bay.

Lynn Valley Park offers many animal-watching tours that provide an opportunity for tourists to witness animals such as Voles, Douglas squirrels and birds of prey such as the Cooper's Hawk. There are also larger animals that live in the area such as Black Bears and Black-tailed deer. However, these animals are not seen on a regular basis by tourists due to the boundaries placed on trials by park officials.

List of Wildlife in the Area

• Clouded Salamander
• Pacific Tree Frog
• Roosevelt Elk

Red-tailed hawk (left) and Cooper's Hawk (right). These were real birds killed by natural occurrences that are now displayed in the Ecology centre.

• Spotted Owl
• Voles
• Shrews
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Cooper's Hawk
• Black Bear
• Black-tailed deer
• Steller's Jay
• Chestnut-backed Chickadee
• Red-breasted nuthatch
• Douglas Squirrel
• Marbled Murrelet
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Northern Flying Squirrel
• Pine Marten

See Also

• Lynn Canyon Park
• Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge
• North Vancouver
• Vancouver - Ecology Section
• Mount Seymour

External Links

• [1] Lynn Canyon Ecology Center Website
• [2] Lynn Canyon Official Site