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How to Catch a Woodpecker

A UBC undergraduate heads for the wilderness armed with a giant net, a plumbing camera, and gallons of bug spray.

Original reporting by Richard Littlemore

How to Catch a Woodpecker
PeopleAnyone rummaging through Jamie Clarke’s kitchen in search of a snack might encounter a crunchy surprise: there are insects in the freezer. The 22-year-old biology major began collecting bugs after an entomology course at UBC -- not to eat them, but to examine and identify them. Clarke finds the prized samples around her family’s Vancouver apartment, which (to the mild chagrin of her parents) often doubles as both home and lab storage. Like the freezer, the patio has been commandeered for science: lounge chairs vie for space with bags of seaweed for a project and the carcass of a beached bird carried home to identify for a survey. Clarke’s scientific inclinations admittedly present some challenges to the creeds of Martha Stewart Living, but her intrepid love for biology is a lifestyle in its own right. “I have a lot of questions about the natural world,” says Clarke. “I want to know the names of the living things I see, how they came to be, how they’re related to one another, how they depend on one another, how they work. Biology is just really cool; I think I’ve always wanted to study it.” Taking her curiosity beyond the classroom, Clarke looks for jobs that feed her fascination.Photo: Richard Littlemore

Where the work begins

The pelt, held by the Smithsonian since 1859, is returning to the region connected to its history. Woolly dogs were bred by Salish and Makah peoples for hair used in weaving blankets, robes and clothing; the animals disappeared by the end of the nineteenth century.

In the field

The loan runs from September 2026 to August 2027. The source emphasizes that the object’s return is being shaped by community request and knowledge, including time for Elders, knowledge keepers and weavers before exhibition.

What follows

That sequence matters. A museum loan is not simply a transfer of an object. It can also be a chance to reconnect material, memory, territory and living practice.

At a glance

  • Campus: UBC Vancouver & Okanagan (Point Grey & Kelowna)
  • Focus: Alumni leadership & practice (People)
  • Outcome: Verified reporting (September 2026 issue)
Sources 1
  1. Original reporting · magazine.alumni.ubc.ca

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This story is from the September 2026 issue of Alumni Digest · UBC. It's free, monthly and independent.

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