From soren at bondrup.com Wed Feb 5 07:30:05 2020 From: soren at bondrup.com (Soren Bondrup-Nielsen) Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2020 09:30:05 -0400 Subject: [BNS_members] Flora of Nova Scotia Field Course References: Message-ID: Hello everyone, This came from Alain Belliveau. There will be a field course in Botany this summer - are any of you interested? > > Hi Soren, > > We've gotten so much positive feedback about the Isle Haute talk, thanks again for making that happen last month. It was a lot of fun. > > I'm wondering if you'd be interested in spreading the attached course ad for the Flora of Nova Scotia field course? I'm thinking that naturalists would be interested, or friends of naturalists. Would you be able to share to the BNS group? And anyone else you feel may be interested. > > Last year we fell one participant shy of running the course and this year I'd like to change that for the better. > > Thanks and best wishes, > Alain > > Alain Belliveau, M.R.E.M. > Irving Biodiversity Collections Manager of the E.C. Smith Herbarium > K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre > Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R6 > > t. (902) 778-0852 > herbarium.acadiau.ca > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Flora 2020 Ad.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 364921 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From soren at bondrup.com Wed Feb 5 08:00:29 2020 From: soren at bondrup.com (Soren Bondrup-Nielsen) Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2020 10:00:29 -0400 Subject: [BNS_members] Concern - Fish Farms Message-ID: Hello everyone, This came to me via Heather McNally. The Backstory ? Twin Bays Coalition Good Afternoon Folks, I have blind copied you as I am not sure of your feelings on this topic however I feel I need to do my part to share information on the possibility of Fish Farms being put in our beautiful St. Margarets Bay and Mahone Bay. I have attached a website, which also has a petition on it, for some of you I already sent emails asking you sign the petition, for others, I would ask you read and learn about the potential of fish farms in our bays. Each fish farm is the size of three football fields and all the fish will be leaving excrement plus massive doses of antibiotics and chemicals into our current pristine Bays. Many of us spend our summers swimming, sailing or just enjoying the beautiful vistas. We need to let Cermaq know they are not welcome. There are other sustainable ways to have land based fish farms and these do not pollute our Ocean Playgrounds. Please take the time to read the information and sign the petition and the web site for Twinbays. We need to protect ALL of Nova Scotia. Having said that there is also another website with a petition to protect St. Marys Bay and the Digby area. https://www.twinbays.ca/about http://chng.it/NGbx2J2yCz I will also be sending out a list of the MLA, MP addresses so we can send off emails of concern. These people are our elected representatives and they need to listen to what we have to say. They cannot tow the party line. My apologies if you have received this information more than once, I guess it is better than not at all. If you want me to remove your name , please let me know. Kind regards, Sheilagh -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edmasulis at ns.sympatico.ca Wed Feb 5 13:04:55 2020 From: edmasulis at ns.sympatico.ca (Ed & Maryanne Sulis) Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2020 15:04:55 -0400 Subject: [BNS_members] Concern - Fish Farms In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <000001d5dc57$2727c180$75774480$@ns.sympatico.ca> Hi All: A Positive Note: Open pen fish farming is detrimental in many ways: read all information below. And there is a great alternative that is expanding globally: read all about it. Check out Sustainable Blue Fish Farming, an on land operation in Cerntre Burlington, NS, (near Windsor) that grows salmon. Google sustainableblue.com for full details of this great alternative to open pen arrangements in our backyard and a system that is growing exponentially around the globe. The key word in all of this is ?sustainable? in respect to an element that will help to put some security in our future food supply. Sustainable Blue salmon is available at Stirling?s and the Wolfville Farmers market. Best, Ed. From: Members On Behalf Of Soren Bondrup-Nielsen Sent: February 5, 2020 10:00 AM To: members at blomidonnaturalists.ca Subject: [BNS_members] Concern - Fish Farms Hello everyone, This came to me via Heather McNally. The Backstory ? Twin Bays Coalition Good Afternoon Folks, I have blind copied you as I am not sure of your feelings on this topic however I feel I need to do my part to share information on the possibility of Fish Farms being put in our beautiful St. Margarets Bay and Mahone Bay. I have attached a website, which also has a petition on it, for some of you I already sent emails asking you sign the petition, for others, I would ask you read and learn about the potential of fish farms in our bays. Each fish farm is the size of three football fields and all the fish will be leaving excrement plus massive doses of antibiotics and chemicals into our current pristine Bays. Many of us spend our summers swimming, sailing or just enjoying the beautiful vistas. We need to let Cermaq know they are not welcome. There are other sustainable ways to have land based fish farms and these do not pollute our Ocean Playgrounds. Please take the time to read the information and sign the petition and the web site for Twinbays. We need to protect ALL of Nova Scotia. Having said that there is also another website with a petition to protect St. Marys Bay and the Digby area. https://www.twinbays.ca/about http://chng.it/NGbx2J2yCz I will also be sending out a list of the MLA, MP addresses so we can send off emails of concern. These people are our elected representatives and they need to listen to what we have to say. They cannot tow the party line. My apologies if you have received this information more than once, I guess it is better than not at all. If you want me to remove your name , please let me know. Kind regards, Sheilagh -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From soren at bondrup.com Thu Feb 6 07:16:52 2020 From: soren at bondrup.com (Soren Bondrup-Nielsen) Date: Thu, 6 Feb 2020 09:16:52 -0400 Subject: [BNS_members] Fern frost Message-ID: <2E0BF3E8-C701-4051-AD2F-2DF38F3B938E@bondrup.com> Hello everyone, The two pictures below were sent to me by Garnet Uhlman. Frost is amazing in the variety of patterns it can take on. Enjoy Soren -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: unknown.jpeg Type: image/jpeg Size: 92125 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: unknown.jpeg Type: image/jpeg Size: 129463 bytes Desc: not available URL: From soren at bondrup.com Thu Feb 6 07:09:38 2020 From: soren at bondrup.com (Soren Bondrup-Nielsen) Date: Thu, 6 Feb 2020 09:09:38 -0400 Subject: [BNS_members] Fern frost ..... References: <513f8600-4874-ef3f-d846-b7e5a4442231@ns.sympatico.ca> Message-ID: Hello everyone, The two pictures below were sent to me by Garnet Uhlman. Frost is amazing in the variety of patterns it can take on. Enjoy Soren > > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: IMG_20200131_083739.jpeg Type: image/jpeg Size: 306771 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: IMG_20200131_083800.jpeg Type: image/jpeg Size: 465226 bytes Desc: not available URL: From soren.bondrup-nielsen at acadiau.ca Wed Feb 12 09:30:19 2020 From: soren.bondrup-nielsen at acadiau.ca (Soren Bondrup-Nielsen) Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2020 15:30:19 +0000 Subject: [BNS_members] Exxon Market Value Drops $184 Billion Since 2014 Peak [fossil fuel divestment growing -stocks moving to death knewll phase] References: <5E441096.8133.9965E3DB@jmeaton.ns.sympatico.ca> Message-ID: Hello everyone, Here is a good news story that I received from Janet Eaton. Read below. Last week, Mad Money host Jim Cramer told CNBC that he?s ?done? with fossil fuel stocks because he believes the industry is being pushed into ?the death knell phase.? ?I?m done with fossil fuels ? they?re just done. We?re starting to see divestment all over the world,? Cramer said. ?You?re seeing divestiture by a lot of different funds. It?s going to be a parade... ?And the reason I think they?re on the wrong side of history - Exxon?s stock was down after Goldman Sachs, of all places, downgraded the stock from hold to sell,? Cramer said. Cramer?s comments came weeks after Blackrock CEO Larry Fink, the head of the world?s largest asset manager, announced that his firm will now make climate change central to its investment decisions noting "I believe we are on the edge of a fundamental reshaping of finance.? The article also discusses the broader impact of fossil fuel companies on foreign policy. fyi -janet This is another huge reason among many others which may finally convince governments and the fossil fuel companies to reject the massive dirty tar sands Frontier Teck project i.e. stranded assets. ------------- https://popularresistance.org/exxon-market-value-drops-184-billion-since-2014-peak/ Exxon Market Value Drops $184 Billion Since 2014 Peak By Peter Castagno, Citizentruth.org February 11, 2020 | Educate! Above Photo: Johnny Silvercloud ?Fossil fuels have a PR issue. As long as the market perceives them to be the culprit for carbon emissions, they will have a difficult time.? ExxonMobil?s stock plunged to a nine-year low on Tuesday after posting poor fourth quarter results, leading the fossil fuel giant to plunge $184 billion since its? market valuation since its 2014 peak, as per CNN business. Some analysts argue that Exxon?s bad quarter is emblematic of a broader decline in the fossil fuel industry. ?Fossil fuels have a PR issue,? Ben Cook, a portfolio manager at BP Capital Fund Advisors, told CNN. ?As long as the market perceives them to be the culprit for carbon emissions, they will have a difficult time.? Last week, Mad Money host Jim Cramer told CNBC that he?s ?done? with fossil fuel stocks because he believes the industry is being pushed into ?the death knell phase.? ?I?m done with fossil fuels ? they?re just done. We?re starting to see divestment all over the world,? Cramer said. ?You?re seeing divestiture by a lot of different funds. It?s going to be a parade. It?s going to be a parade that says, ?Look, these are tobacco and we?re not going to own them.? ?And the reason I think they?re on the wrong side of history has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with the fact that Tesla was up huge today and Exxon?s stock was down after Goldman Sachs, of all places, downgraded the stock from hold to sell,? Cramer said. Cramer?s comments came weeks after Blackrock CEO Larry Fink, the head of the world?s largest asset manager, announced that his firm will now make climate change central to its investment decisions. ?Climate change has become a defining factor in companies? long-term prospects ? But awareness is rapidly changing, and I believe we are on the edge of a fundamental reshaping of finance.? Cramer cited Fink?s public announcement and Goldman?s downgrade as further reason to lose confidence in Exxon, arguing that even as fossil fuel stocks carry on in the coming years the industry will eventually decline. ?This is not about what I think. It?s not about my opinions ? you have to check your own opinions at the door,? Cramer said. ?But when a critical mass of money managers [is] behaving this way, you have to care because their buying and selling is what drives stock prices.? Broader Impact Of Fossil Fuel?s Decline The descent of the fossil fuel industry will have ramifications for domestic and foreign policy. ExxonMobil?s enormous wealth, for example, is greater than the GDP of most countries, and has allowed the company to conduct an almost autonomous foreign policy and promote its interests through vast lobbying expenditures. ExxonMobil has exerted more influence abroad than the US State Department on multiple occasions, from operations in Chad and Equatorial Guinea to facing accusations of torture and murder in Indonesia. In 2001, President George W. Bush told the Prime Minister of India, ?Nobody tells those guys what to do.? The oil giant obtained even more brazen influence after President Trump appointed former ExxonMobil CEO, Rex Tillerson, as Secretary of State. Tillerson received a $180 million severance package from the oil conglomerate before becoming America?s chief diplomat. One of the Trump administration?s first acts was the elimination of a pending SEC rule that would have required fossil fuel companies to disclose information about oil and gas payments to foreign countries. ExxonMobil had previously lobbied against the rule, designed to limit bribery to corrupt governments during Tillerson?s tenure as CEO. Shortly after eliminating the rule, the Trump Administration withdrew from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, another effort to restrain corruption and promote transparency in the fossil fuel sector. In April 2018 Trump replaced Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with his CIA director Mike Pompeo who is perhaps even more beholden to the oil industry. Pompeo is commonly referred to as ?the congressman from Koch? for receiving the single most donations of any legislator from the Koch Brothers in the 2010 election cycle and the Koch brothers are big oil. In a 1977 interview about ?oil imperialism? in the Middle East, the prominent scholar Noam Chomsky argued that State Department staffing reflects the close ties between American foreign policy and the fossil fuel industry. ?Well, if you look at the staffing of the top positions in the State Department, it has been pretty much an oil company preserve,? said Chomsky. ?Most of the top people in the Department come from either energy corporations, from the Rockefeller Foundation or from law firms that are very closely linked to oil corporations. The mechanism is very obvious. Say you have a regulatory commission that regulates the railroads. The railroads are going to try to get control over it. Foreign policy is analogous to regulation of affairs affecting international corporations, and therefore they?re going to try to gain control over it, which they?ve largely done.? Chomsky argued that while oil?s influence over the State Department is massive, American foreign policy is more devoted to serving broad corporate interest than any specific industry: ?The oil companies are the major international corporations,? Chomsky continued. ?Since oil has become important, they have virtually owned the State Department. They are the corporations within the American imperialist system that have the greatest concern for American foreign policy. Because they have the largest overseas investments, their influence over foreign policy has always been extremely strong. ?But it would be a mistake to say that the government is controlled by the oil companies. The government policy reflects the over-all interests of American capitalism. So, on occasion, the particular interests of the oil companies may seem rather parochial and short-sighted from the point of view of the larger interests of American capitalism.? While the transition to clean energy will diminish fossil fuel executives? power over foreign policy, critics argue that imperialist extraction will continue for essential minerals used in renewable technology unless the public demands accountability. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From soren.bondrup-nielsen at acadiau.ca Wed Feb 12 13:49:03 2020 From: soren.bondrup-nielsen at acadiau.ca (Soren Bondrup-Nielsen) Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2020 19:49:03 +0000 Subject: [BNS_members] February Meeting Message-ID: <53B6C02C-97B9-4C66-BCC3-D8781079DD04@acadiau.ca> Title: Pre-Atlantic Evolution of Atlantic Canada. By: Richard Haworth February 17, 2020 7:30 pm, BAC 241, Acadia University Some elements of the evolution of Atlantic Canada before the opening of the current Atlantic Ocean can be derived from geological and geophysical observations. The author?s ignorance will be exposed in trying to explain these observations and the conclusions from them. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From soren.bondrup-nielsen at acadiau.ca Fri Feb 14 13:32:10 2020 From: soren.bondrup-nielsen at acadiau.ca (Soren Bondrup-Nielsen) Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2020 19:32:10 +0000 Subject: [BNS_members] BNS Presentation 17 Feb. 2020 Message-ID: [cid:clip_image001.png] Pre-Atlantic Evolution of Atlantic Canada. Richard Haworth February 17, 2020 7:30 pm, BAC 241, Acadia University Some elements of the evolution of Atlantic Canada before the opening of the current Atlantic Ocean can be derived from geological and geophysical observations. The author?s ignorance will be exposed in trying to explain these observations and the conclusions from them. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: clip_image001.tiff Type: image/png Size: 274726 bytes Desc: clip_image001.tiff URL: From soren.bondrup-nielsen at acadiau.ca Mon Feb 17 13:42:05 2020 From: soren.bondrup-nielsen at acadiau.ca (Soren Bondrup-Nielsen) Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2020 19:42:05 +0000 Subject: [BNS_members] Sunday edition and Mark Carney Message-ID: <4B4414AE-CF4C-4475-82B4-95A5D826B001@acadiau.ca> https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thesundayedition/the-sunday-edition-for-february-16-2020-1.5459411/mark-carney-named-un-special-envoy-on-climate-change-says-the-smart-money-is-on-transition-from-fossil-fuels-1.5462453 Mark Carney, named UN Special Envoy on Climate Change, says the smart money is on transition from fossil fuels [cid:ac213204-1bd2-47c3-9ca5-8044f1050a2f at CANPRD01.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM] Environmental and banking system protestor wears a mask of Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney as they demonstrate outside the Bank of England demanding that the bank rule out investment in high-carbon sectors in London, Britain July 11, 2019. (Peter Nicholls/Reuters) "Every major company needs to have a strategy for net-zero," says Mark Carney, the next UN Special Envoy on Climate Change. In conversation with The Sunday Edition's host Michael Enright, Carney stressed that citizens in countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom have agreed, through their elected parliaments, to meet the target of the 2016 Paris Agreement to limit the increase in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees C. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has stated that target cannot be met without reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. "It would be a bit odd if you're running a company and you haven't thought of your strategy to move to net-zero ? or for a net-zero world ? unless you're just planning on running down your company, in the next decade or so," said Carney, whose term as Governor of the Bank of England ends next month. The UN will be hosting its 26th climate change summit ? known as COP26 ? in Glasgow this November and Carney already is working toward "a position where climate issues are part of every single professional financial decision, so decisions by banks, insurance companies, pensions, investors." He says pressure is building across the financial world to prioritize the state of the planet. Giant dump trucks are loaded with raw tar sands at the Suncor tar sands mining operations near Fort McMurray, Alberta, September 17, 2014. In 1967 Suncor helped pioneer the commercial development of Canada's oil sands, one of the largest petroleum resource basins in the world. Picture taken September 17, 2014. (Todd Korol/Reuters) "They're going to need an answer to the question, 'What's your plan for a transition to net-zero?'" Carney said. "What's absolutely essential, though, is that we can see what those plans are ? and not just plans and objectives for three decades down the road, but short-term milestones that investors and banks and citizens can monitor, to see if these companies are moving towards where they say they're going to go." Carney argues it would have been easier to meet climate change targets with an earlier start, but it is not too late. "One of the judgments and one of the big conversations and decisions we all need to make is what's the timeline, what's the path from where we are today to where we need to get to?" he said. "There is more in the ground that has been discovered ? between oil, gas and certainly coal ? than can be consumed, can be burned, and still meet our climate objectives." Despite these admonitions, Carney avoided responding to questions about the current standoff in Canada over resource development. Wet'suwet'en solidarity protesters have been shutting down rail lines, roads, bridges and ports across the country, in an effort to halt development of the Coastal GasLink project in British Columbia. "Well, this is where I'm going to plead the fact that there is a very large ocean and an entire continent that surrounds me from that issue, which is hugely important and absolutely deserves the attention that is being given to it," Carney said. Pre-construction work on the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline is underway along the Morice Forest Service Road near Smithers in northern B.C. (Chantelle Bellrichard/CBC) He pointed out that Canadians have stated through the political process that they want the country to move to net-zero by 2050, "and now it's the responsibility of the private sector and the public sector and third-sector NGOs and Canadians to bring this together into a strategy, to go from where we are today to where we need, where we want to go." Carney met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in December, but says they did not discuss these issues at that time. Although he acknowledges change will not happen overnight, Carney says he is committed to putting climate change much higher on the government and corporate agenda. "The thing that I'm working on is to make sure the financial system is thinking every day, every minute of every day, about that issue. And it's putting money behind those who are solving the problem ? or are part of the solution ? and it's taking money away from those who aren't moving fast enough," he said. "It's time to get on with it. It's transition, transition, transition." Carney added that this is a scenario he wants to avoid: "The biggest risk is that we talk and talk and talk about this for another five or 10 years, and then we have to make even more drastic adjustments to stabilize the climate." Click 'listen' above to hear the full interview. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: DEFAULT.BMP Type: image/bmp Size: 358 bytes Desc: DEFAULT.BMP URL: From soren at bondrup.com Sun Feb 23 08:02:08 2020 From: soren at bondrup.com (Soren Bondrup-Nielsen) Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2020 10:02:08 -0400 Subject: [BNS_members] We need your help Message-ID: Hello everyone, The BNS spearheaded by Howard Williams and Carole Donaldson are producing a Pocket Flower Guide. This will be a guide with pictures and Howard and Carole are hoping that some of you may have nice pictures of the plants in the attached list. If you have such pictures are are willing to have them used in the flower guide please email them to Howard and Carole (copied in this email). Thanks, Soren -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Plant list - photos needed.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 63138 bytes Desc: not available URL: From soren at bondrup.com Sun Feb 23 08:15:48 2020 From: soren at bondrup.com (Soren Bondrup-Nielsen) Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2020 10:15:48 -0400 Subject: [BNS_members] We need your help. Message-ID: <681B2064-3C49-4ADA-B756-5A21612A176C@bondrup.com> Sorry - I forgot to copy Howard?s and Carole?s Hello everyone, The BNS spearheaded by Howard Williams and Carole Donaldson are producing a Pocket Flower Guide. This will be a guide with pictures and Howard and Carole are hoping that some of you may have nice pictures of the plants in the attached list. If you have such pictures are are willing to have them used in the flower guide please email them to Howard and Carole (copied in this email). Thanks, Soren -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Plant list - photos needed.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 63138 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: