Organizers are calling for more volunteers to help with the upcoming 32nd annual Brackendale Winter Eagle Count on Jan. 7 starting at 8 a.m.
One of the first things Mayor Patricia Heintzman did after arriving in Squamish 25 years ago, was show up at the eagle count. It was her second day in town and she noticed an ad in the local newspaper about the event's starting point at the Brackendale Art Gallery.
"You could see the magic of the art gallery… the community spirit of a gathering place," she said.
Since then, Heintzman said she's only missed two counts and that's because she was out of town. She's done several different routes over the years and has also organized and run the program.
"Back in those days, there were a lot more volunteers," she explained, noting there were over 10 counters her first time. "You can't do this type of thing without that volunteer force that really cares and wants to contribute."
"There is sort of a ritual community vibe to it which I think is really important to participate in, whether you're doing that on the soccer field or on the trails," Heintzman said.
It's not just the eagles, she continued, but the entire ecology of the river system founded on the estuary. "It makes you mindful of the interconnectedness of nature," she said. "It's an awareness and awakening to these issues around the environment and it's important to keep it going."
Thor Froslev, the founding father of the eagle count, agrees and recalled the day that the Brackendale Eagle Reserve became a reality — stretching over 755 hectares and ensuring the protection of the habitat from development as a class A park.
"In the whole world, there was never an eagle reserve," he said. "We are the oldest eagle count ever."
The count is held alongside the annual Brackendale Winter Eagle Festival, also run by Froslev, who initiated the count when he became interested in the ecology of the estuary and didn't want to see a bridge built over the river because of its potential mpact on the environment. He still doesn't today.
Froslev handed over the reigns last year to the Squamish Environment Society. Carl Halvorson, the current chair, said the 2016 count was very low —around 400 eagles — which he attributed to factors like poor salmon runs and high winter floods.
"The challenge is low salmon numbers," he said. "They have to go somewhere else if there's no food."
But on a count last weekend, Halvorson tallied around 800 birds.
Only 20 volunteers are signed up currently with a need for 60 in total, he said. Volunteers are asked to be self-sufficient, dressed for the conditions and commit a minimum of three hours. The goal is to partner experienced volunteers with new ones over the watershed routes that span as far north as the Elaho River and as far south as the West Coast Railway Heritage Park over varying terrain. Some routes are accessed only by snowshoe and others only by kayak or raft, with counters assigned to each section.
Last year, two herds of Roosevelt elk were spotted crossing the Squamish River, Halvorson noted.
Volunteers won't be accepted the day of the count, however, interested participants can contact sea2skynature@gmail.com or info@squamishenvironment.ca .
