The Vancouver Naturalists’ Field Club

The Vancouver Naturalists’ Field Club, a subgroup of the provincial Entomological Society, began in 1906. Its motto: “Know something of everything, and everything of something.”

The two groups shared an executive membership, with the hope that regular members of the parent society would assist with botanical, zoological and geological inquiries. The more general field club was intended for amateurs, both “ladies and gentlemen.” While children could join as junior members, the main reason for the club’s formation was to enlighten schoolteachers, who had been recently legislated to teach nature study in the classroom. “It was anticipated that the early spring week-end excursions [of 1907] would bring out the members in force. But our hopes were doomed to disappointment,” wrote the club executive. In most cases, only two to four members participated in field trips, and the club had to cancel some outings because of rain. No records of organized outings for the following season exist.