Experiences
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Your experience at North Vancouver Outdoor School, while always memorable, changes with each season that the paradise valley experiences. There are six distinct seasons for you to experience at NVOS:
Depending on what time of year you choose to experience the School, you will be able to participate first hand during natures natural cycle. Click on the Season to discover more about it. |
 Eagle Congregation
In the forest...
Eagle calls echo throughout Paradise Valley. Tall cottonwoods and ancient cedar roost trees shelter North America's largest concentration of Bald Eagles. Small mammals forage for food and burrow for protection.
In the streams and ponds...
While insect larvae devour salmon carcasses, salmon embryos squirm. Their eggs hatch. Alevin hide under the gravel. Salmon bodies feed hungry weasels. The feast is shared with dippers, kingfishers, crows and seagulls.
On the farm...
Signs of imminent birth appear. Chicken eggs crack, udders fill with milk. Animal husbandry becomes the main occupation. At the Bighouse...
Spirits protect a quiet house. It is a time for stories and legends; a time for gathering around a cooking fire for a hot lunch. |
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 Birth
In the forest...
Sparrows and wrens build nests. Sapsuckers and pilated woodpeckers take advantage of flowing sap and insect hatches. Leaf buds burst on maples and alders. Shoots of sword fern and salmonberry poke through moist soil. Shrews feast on worms and grubs.
In the streams and ponds...
Salmon fry are emerging from gravel beds. Having absorbed their yolk sacs, they are ravenous. Algae blooms and insect eggs are laid and hatch. Tree frogs croak: tadpoles will soon follow.
On the farm...
Chicks chirp, piglets squeal, lambs bawl and kids gambol. Mothers nurse their young, and there are fresh expectations for a new cycle. At the Bighouse...
A new Skw'une-was session begins: fresh greens are prepared; bark is gathered; and the last dried salmon is served. |
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 Growth
In the forest...
Hummingbird wings whir. Nectar collection and chick rearing are paramount. Sweetness fills the air. Delicate wild flowers abound. The forest is a kaleidoscope of greens.
In the streams and ponds...
Alevin become fry, then smolts. Their weight doubles every five weeks. They are released to begin the journey to the sea. Insect larvae, full of algae, detritus and other morsels, emerge with wings and begin their short adult lives.
On the farm...
Adolescent high spirits abound. Wobbly new-born legs gain strength to catapult lambs and kids across the field. The pasture provides nutrients for growth. At the Bighouse...
This is the main working time. Bark is stripped and stored. Traps are repaired and made ready. Berries are collected before the end of another session. |
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 Summer Respite
In the forest...
Ruffed grouse hens shepherd speckled chicks through the underbrush. Salmonberries, devil's club and elderberries ripen. Bumblebees are everywhere.
In the streams and ponds...
Coho fry fight for territory. Their schools scatter at the sight of mergansers. Dragonflies and damsel flies are aerial insect hunters.
On the farm...
Sheep and goats seek refuge from the heat. Shade trees are at a premium. Pigs wallow, and even get sunburns.
At the Bighouse...
The embers are cold. Their spark will be rekindled after summer's gathering is complete. |
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 Preparation for Winter
In the forest...
Ravens soar on outflow winds. Mushrooms and mosses abound. Flying squirrels and deer mice collect seeds for colder weather.
In the streams and ponds...
Coho fry school. They chase insects and spiders which land on the water's surface. They become the wary prey of Steelhead, Dolly Varden and herons.
On the farm...
Animals are putting on winter fat. Purple asters provide bees with the last of their nectar. Honey collection and harvesting is a major activity. At the Bighouse...
Keekyick welcomes new children with drum beat and "Elders' Song". The harvest from earlier in the year is put to use. Family groups make tools, set salmon traps, and weave fleece collected in spring. |
 Salmon Spawning
In the forest...
Juncos, siskins and chickadees eat oil-rich conifer seeds. Spiders and insects bury themselves in leaf litter. Rains carve streams and channels: earth science in process. Eagles begin to gather for the feast of salmon carcasses.
In the streams and ponds...
Thousands of Chum and Coho salmon spawn, then die. The stream -the artery of Outdoor School-brims with life. Herons, mergansers and racoons are frequent visitors.
On the farm...
Steaming compost yields the recycled building blocks for a healthy environment. Sheep and goats grow lanolin-rich wool and shaggy coats for colder weather. It is a good time to calculate farm economics.
At the Bighouse...
The last of the salmon feasting comes to an end. Thanks is given for a wondrous season for collecting nature's knowledge.
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