News/Reports
Educational Exercise by AIAO at the Vance Creek Ecological Reserve.
“AIAO ( Academy of Inquiry and Adventure Okanagan) students had a fulfilling day of learning and exploring at the Vance Creek Ecological Reserve. Students were relieved to learn Ecological Reserves are permanent sanctuary’s that have been selected to preserve representative examples of British Columbia‘s diverse ecosystems, protect rare and endangered plant and animals in their natural habitat, preserve unique botanical zoological or geological features and phenomenon, provide areas for scientific research and educational uses associated with the natural environment.
As part of our day at Vance Creek Ecological Reserve we created pitfalls for invertebrates, discuss the biogeoclimatic zone we were walking through and the biodiversity often associated within transition zones, we learned about the iNaturalist App and its citizen science uses, we found and identified some plants and trees (Skunk cabbage, rattlesnake plantain, fiddleheads, gooseberry, devil’s club, larch, Western white pine, Pacific yew and ghost pipe.)
Ghost Pipe was our “coolest find”……. It’s A parasitic plant that lacks chlorophyl so it’s unable to obtain energy from sunlight And gets its nourishment through the fungi in the soil, which acts as a middleman that processes food delivery to ghost pipe from its photosynthetic neighbours…..see pretty cool, right!?! “
