May 13 Buttertubs Marsh Guided Tour

On May 13, Bill Merilees, a prominent BC naturalist, educator, and conservationist led a field trip around Buttertubs Marsh.  He gave a comprehensive history of the development history of the now reclaimed wetland and sanctuary.  The Hudson Bay  Company purchased the marsh in the mid-1800s, draining it for vegetable farming and a dairy cattle farm.  During wartime the reclaimed land served as a military camp and training ground.  A bird nesting platform now stands on an old concrete base of a military radio antenna.  Threatened to be built over during a housing boom in the 1970s the Nature Trust of British Columbia purchased 50 acres in 1974 to form the Buttertubs Marsh Conservation Area.  In 1990 Bill started the first ButterTubs Management Committee,  known later as the Friends of Buttertubs.  Watch for the video of this tour coming soon!