Kingsport Mudflat Critters (shells\, snails\, clams\, worms\, crabs\, mud shrimps\, sand shrimps\, etc.) \; Jim Wolford (902-542-9204) will lead us on a hike to the bottom of the Minas Basin at low tide to see the incredible diversity of life on the mudflats. \; Rubber boots or old washable shoes are a must. Meet at the Wolfville Waterfront at 7\:45 a.m. or the Kingsport Wharfat 8\:15 a.m. This will be a very low\, low tide\, so that the high tide at 15\:38 in the afternoon should be very impressive and possibly even a bit damaging to some dykes.
Four Mile and Two Mile Lakes Canoe Trip – Larry Bogan (902 678-0446\, larry@bogan.ca) will lead a trip to this beautiful area of the southwest end of the Gaspereau Lake complex of flooded area. \;It has many interesting islands and a beautiful inlet stillwater to explore for wildlife. This will be a half-day paddle so bring a lunch and we will find a nice spot to eat.
Meet at the Park and Ride lot at Exit 13 off Highway 101 (Route 12 exit) at 8\:30 AM. Access is via a woods road south running between Aylesford and Gaspereau Lake. I have driven this road with my Toyota Matrix - there are some uneven areas but it is passable with care. A high clearance vehicle is better of course. There is abundant parking at the put-in spot which is about 75 metres from the shore (carry in). The access point is shown on BNS webpages (click on Local Trails/Waterways then on Lakes and Stillwater Access). If there is rain and/or heavy wind then the trip will be take place on Sunday the 19th.
END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20120518T191619Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20100920T223000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20100920T223000Z UID:http://blomidonnaturalists.ca/node/144 URL;VALUE=URI:http://blomidonnaturalists.ca/node/144 SUMMARY:Regular Monthly Meeting\: Floodplain Hotspots for Southern Hardwood Herbs DESCRIPTION:\;Floodplain Hotspots for Southern Hardwood Herbs by Nick Hill. who is a plant ecologist. \;
Nick Hill trained in botany at Acadia with Sam VanderKloet (BSc/MSc) and received his Ph.D in microbial ecology at Dalhousie University. His post-doctoral work was done with \;Paul Keddy in 1988 looking for the reasons for rarity in plant species in 47 lakes in southwest Nova Scotia. That began his interest in rare plants and conservation biology.
Taught at Mount St. Vincent 1989-2003. I continued research into the rare elements of the coastal plain flora in NS. This period also included three and a half years in Kentucky where he did sabbaticals and fell in love with their deciduous forest flora and found a new bible\: Lucy Braun's Deciduous Forest of Eastern North America.
He now works as a wetland consultant and part-time lecturer at Dalhousie's College of Sustainability and at St. Francis Xavier (field course) and he is developing a native plant nurery at his farm in South Berwick.
He will be comparing two very different wetland systems\: the acid\, infertile coastal plain lake shores\, and the fertile floodplains of eastern Nova Scotia.