Series S13 - Natural History Section

In 1907, several Vancouver and district residents founded the Vancouver Naturalists' Field Club to study the Lower Mainland's natural history. The first field trip was made to Kitsilano beach on 18 August. The club existed for only a few seasons. In 1918, members of the botanical section of the B.C. Mountaineering Club, led by Professor John Davidson (former Provincial Botanist), founded the Vancouver Natural History Society. Davidson organized popular evening botany classes for members of the society. The V.N.H.S. also developed a field trip program to sites of botanical interest such as Crescent Beach, and summer camps were established at Garibaldi, Botanie Valley (near Spence's Bridge) and Skagit Valley, as well as several other locations. To make the Lower Mainland greener, local naturalists, including members of the Natural History Society, successfully campaigned for local arbour days. Yet, the activities of the society have not focussed only on botany. Field trips organized and led by Jack Armstrong, Bill Mathews and Charley Ney popularized geology in society. Members have also studied geology, entomology, ornithology, microscopy, and photography. More recently, interest in the maritime environment has expanded. During recent decades, society has witnessed continued growth, as many members of the environmental movement have joined to study our natural heritage.