Brackendale resident Thor Froslev is proud the annual Winter Eagle Festival and Count is celebrating its 30th anniversary in January, but he’s concerned that the number of eagles will be lower than last year.
“There are less salmon this year, so the eagles are starving,” said Froslev, whose passion for the majestic bird has kept him involved in counting the eagles and planning the festival events for the past three decades.
An increase in sea lice, which feed on salmon, is a large part of the problem, he said.
“Two or three sea lice attached to a chum salmon will kill it,” said Froslev, who owns the Brackendale Art Gallery with his wife, Dorte, who is also involved in the festival. He later noted his reference was to young, small salmon, not fully grown adults.
“If the eagles don’t get enough food, they will fly somewhere else. It used to be to our landfill, but that doesn’t happen any more because it’s now covered with plastic so they stay out.”
The eagle count kicks off the month-long festival, which includes concerts, art shows, guided group tours and a lecture series. For the count, around 70 volunteers will be scouring an area that’s 40 kilometres long and 2.5 kilometres wide along the Squamish River on Sunday (Jan. 3).
Teams consisting of a head counter and two helpers will hike and use rafts and kayaks to find the birds.
Over the past 30 years, the number of eagles counted has varied from year to year, ranging from 3,769 in 1994 to just 577 in 2003. The totals for 2015 and 2014 were 637 and 1,617, respectively.
Although the eagle count isn’t open to the public, the festival portion of the event runs until Jan. 31.
Performers will include Ross Douglas, who is returning to the Brackendale Art Gallery after 41 years, plus Allen Moberg, Valdy and the Valdy Eagle Band and others.
The Natural World Lecture series will run on Sundays from Jan. 10 to 31 and includes presentations by Quest University instructors Chris Neufeld, who brought his behavioural ecology class to a remote island in Kyuquot Sound to observe the unusual behaviour of coastal wolves, and Kimberley Dawn, who will discuss how climate change is affecting white-tailed deer and other animals in B.C.
Art of the Natural World, a show focusing on images of B.C.’s eagles by artists including Roy Hamaguchi and Ed Dubois, will be presented at the Brackendale Art Gallery during the festival.
Froslev will lead group tours of the eagle habitat in Brackendale, the “winter home of the bald eagle.”
He says the festival provides awareness and education about Squamish’s natural environment and demonstrates how the complex ecosystem of mountains, forest, rivers and salmon allows the congregation of wintering bald eagles in Brackendale.
Eagle Festival Events
Sunday, Jan. 3
30th annual Brackendale Winter Eagle Count. Volunteers scour 40 kilometres along the Squamish River to count. The public is welcome to wait at the Brackendale Art Gallery for results that will be returned throughout the day.
Sunday, Jan. 3, 7:30 p.m.
Experience an evening of acoustic music at the Brackendale Art Gallery.
Saturday, Jan. 16, 8 p.m.
B.C. singers and songwriters Ross Douglas and Alan Moberg perform at the Brackendale Art Gallery.
Tuesday, Jan. 19, 7:30 p.m.
Join the crowd for evening of worship music with Mario and Anne Lacavone of the Overcomers.
Saturday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
The Eagle Festival Wing Ding Dinner & Dance. Like the eagles, Valdy and The Valdy Eagle Band are returning to Squamish. Dinner of Caesar salad, salmon bisque and dessert at 7 p.m., entertainment at 8 p.m. Tickets: BAG or Xoco, 38020 Cleveland Ave.
Art of the Natural World Lecture Series
Sunday, Jan. 10, 8 p.m.
Past Lives: Trilobites, Dinosaurs and Birds by Brian Chatterton.
Sunday, Jan. 17, 8 p.m.
Life and Death on a Small Island: Novel Interactions Between Wolves, Sea Otters, and Kayakers in Kyuqot Sound. B.C., by Chris Neufeld.
Sunday, Jan. 24, 8 p.m.
Climate Change, Land Use, Science & Policy: Where to start to affect some positive change, by Kimberly Dawe.
Sun. Jan. 31, 8 p.m.
An Ancient Stone Bowl found at Skw’enp’ and its role in Squamish Nation culture, by Rudy Reimer/Yumks.
