From vbrooke.bns at gmail.com Mon Jun 7 15:26:13 2021 From: vbrooke.bns at gmail.com (=?utf-8?Q?Virginia=20Brooke?=) Date: Mon, 7 Jun 2021 20:26:13 +0000 Subject: [BNS_members] =?utf-8?q?Update_from_the_Blomidon_Naturalists_Soc?= =?utf-8?q?iety?= Message-ID: <0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9.b24cf58224.20210607202609.f3c5b840d7.1dec3fae@mail249.sea81.mcsv.net> Here's what's happening this month View this email in your browser (https://mailchi.mp/cba55cac6053/update-from-the-blomidon-naturalists-society-5205568?e=b24cf58224) You are receiving this email because you previously opted-in to our e-newsletter. >From Soren The Monthly Newsletter initiated by Riley and now taken over by Ginny Brooke (thanks so much, Ginny) is a wonderful way to keep the membership updated. I hope that everyone appreciates and uses the web page "Program - 2021" under the tab "Activities" on the BNS web page (link here (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=4fde37f84f&e=b24cf58224) ). This is a convenient way to display all the BNS activities to register and find the recordings. We have tried to have field trips each month and have added some workshops. However, with Covid, we have had to cancel some of these because of group size and indoor restrictions. I want to let you know about two fascinating books that I am reading. Great Soul of Siberia, written by Sooyong Park, is about the author's years spent studying the Siberian tiger. He spent the summers travelling by foot through the Siberian wilderness, following signs of tigers. During the winter, he spent months isolated in a two-by-two-metre blind dug into the ground, patiently waiting for tigers to wander by so he could film them. The book is a compelling piece of nature writing expressing his philosophy that nature is to be observed, not manipulated. The other book is Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard. When I taught conservation biology at Acadia, I would incorporate her findings that trees communicate with each other and share nutrients via the underground network of fungal mycelia. This is such a fascinating finding because it totally counters the common perception that nature is simply composed of individuals struggling to survive competing with each other. This is how we have been conditioned to see nature and is convenient because it justifies our cut-throat economic system. We would do well to learn from nature that if we are to survive, we need to communicate openly and share resources equitably and not look at nature as a warehouse of resources for us to plunder but rather as supplying gifts for us not to be squandered, as Robin Wall Kimmerer states in Braiding Sweetgrass. ** EVENTS ------------------------------------------------------------ ** June Workshop: Forest Ecology ------------------------------------------------------------ POSTPONED from Saturday, June 5th (at Ross Creek Centre for the Arts). New date TBD ** BNS Monthly meeting for June ------------------------------------------------------------ June 21, 7:30 via Zoom Derek Mueller will present 'Climate Change in the Arctic' ** Connections with Nature, Podcast ------------------------------------------------------------ Featuring BNS President, Soren Bondrup-Neilsen and Board member Riley Scanlan Very cool! Listen to it from this link (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=8e26af3908&e=b24cf58224) . ** Nature NS AGM (concluded) ------------------------------------------------------------ Nature NS AGM and Conference (May 28-30). "Celebration of Nature-Exploring Urban Wilderness" Recaps and videos re: urban birding and urban nature observations are available here (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=0c3b6b11ac&e=b24cf58224) . ** Past Webinars from the Ecology Action Centre: Protecting the Ecosystems that Sustain Us ------------------------------------------------------------ Available online: Click here (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=b04998c14d&e=b24cf58224) for video episodes 1-3 In the third episode in the Ecology Action Centre's series on Mobilizing for a Just and Sustainable Future here in Mi?kma?ki / Nova Scotia, we are exploring local actions we can take to protect the ecosystems that sustain us and the other species who share this planet. Events from Flying Squirrel Adventures BNS's Flying Squirrel Adventures program is pleased to present its first official impact report, highlighting accomplishments in 2020/ 2021. Over the past year FSA has had the opportunity to help lots of people connect with nature in new and innovative ways, building new relationships with community groups and launching a number of new initiatives. Over the course of the year they facilitated more than 2770 hours of outdoor time, reached over1200 people and engaged 12 individuals as emerging nature leaders. See a snapshot of the year in the infographic and access the full FSA Impact Report 2020/21 here. (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=ea5b4135c4&e=b24cf58224) ** GET INVOLVED ------------------------------------------------------------ Call for BNS Volunteers! The BNS newsletter is a wonderful place to find out what's going on in our naturalist communities. But it requires info from our volunteers and readers! Send your info, articles and meetings to me at vbrooke.bns at gmail.com if you would, pls. Your help is needed so we can continue to spread the good word about nature, naturalists and ecology. Friends of the Elderkin Brook Ravine (aka Kentville Ravine) The Friends of the Kentville Ravine Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the education of the public about the Kentville Ravine and the promotion of good stewardship of the Elderkin brook watershed by all users and citizens. This provincially significant watershed requires responsible land use planning and management. More info, and how you can help, can be found here (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=7f558b06ac&e=b24cf58224) and here (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=2f66cd896d&e=b24cf58224) . Annapolis Valley Bat Box Project Nova Scotia's native bat population was nearly wiped out when white nose syndrome began to tear through colonies in 2011. Tthe Annapolis Valley Bat Box Project was developed In an attempt to revive local colonies, by providing them a 'home'. The Bat Box Project has a two-part mission: to build and distribute bat boxes to help local populations, and to use this platform to provide educational information about the importance of bats to our community. For more info about how you can assist by sponsoring a bat box, see here (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=54f7f1236d&e=b24cf58224) or contact via email at annapolisvalleybats at gmail.com Sustainable Development Goals Act (NS) This week the Nova Scotia government announced the long-awaited public consultations for the Sustainable Development Goals Act (SDGA), giving all of us living in Mi?kma?ki/Nova Scotia an opportunity to share our vision of a sustainable, equitable future for our province. Setting ambitious, measurable goals now is our best chance to create an equitable, sustainable future for our province. A future that prioritizes collective wellbeing, protects the communities and natural spaces we love and rely on, and leaves no one behind. Here?s how you can participate: 1. CLICK HERE (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=178c9e64c5&e=b24cf58224) to visit the government website to see your options for making a submission or joining an online consultations session. 2. CLICK HERE (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=9813ac1072&e=b24cf58224) or on the button below for more info and to read EAC?s submission for the consultations. 3. CLICK HERE (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=5d9f9c0439&e=b24cf58224) to get involved and help us mobilize our communities to participate! Raccoon Spoor, Anyone?? Vett Lloyd (Professor, Dept. Biology, Mt. Allison University, 35B York St., Sackville, New Brunswick, E4L 1G7) is interested in collecting raccoon spoor (don?t ask me why, but I think it might be related to Lyme disease). or faeces. or poo. or all of the preceding. Vett would like 1-2 samples per location, and preferably from 30-50 different locations. Procedure: --Wear rubber gloves because raccoons carry a nasty species of nematode. --Bring a ziplock bag and indelible marker pen to write date and best estimate of location from which sample was collected, plus your name and contact info. --Most of you may know that raccoons have latrines where lots of poo will be found. --Send off to Prof Vett Lloyd, address above. --Phew! ** IN THE NEWS ------------------------------------------------------------ https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=77b418575e&e=b24cf58224 The Save Owls Head Provincial Park campaign is growing momentum. Watch this recently published video (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=181fdb3e4f&e=b24cf58224) for a good overview of the issue. I encourage you to look through their website (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=cc32fa0125&e=b24cf58224) or Facebook group (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=5e958742d0&e=b24cf58224) to learn more and get involved. ** UPDATES FROM BNS ------------------------------------------------------------ Renew or Join Membership (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=5241ea576b&e=b24cf58224) ** Butterflyway Project ------------------------------------------------------------ This exciting new project is being undertaken in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation (DSF). This is a Canada-wide initiative to encourage groups and individuals to plant gardens to support butterflies and other pollinators. The BNS committee will be organizing a number of events over the summer months, such as field trips to visit existing examples of pollinator gardens, and installation of pollinator gardens in public areas. If Covid keeps us at home, you can work to create your own garden and learn more via the website (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=a6c056efa9&e=b24cf58224) . A new Butterflyway section with helpful information will be in place by the end of May. There will also be an email address for asking questions or volunteering. ** Wildflowers of Nova Scotia ------------------------------------------------------------ The 'Wildflowers of Nova Scotia' field guide was published to encourage an interest in native plants and their conservation. Spring is a wonderful time to learn about our incredible wildflowers, as they pop up from the ground over the next few weeks and months. Not to mention, these easy-to-use, small guides make a wonderful gift! They are available for purchase from our website: https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=d4333e19e4&e=b24cf58224 (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=17824a3753&e=b24cf58224) Proceeds from the sale of this guide will go towards conservation projects. A huge thank you to Carole, Howard and the many contributors for putting this together. https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=1b021695f1&e=b24cf58224 ** 2021 Program on Website ------------------------------------------------------------ You can now see all upcoming events for the year of 2021 on our website. (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=5a9a338833&e=b24cf58224) Details and additional events may be added throughout the year. If you enjoyed reading this, please feel free to forward it to someone you think might also appreciate it. As a non-profit, the Blomidon Naturalists Society relies on the tireless of effort of our volunteers and the support of individuals such as yourself. If you are able, we ask that you might consider donating to further enable this work. Donate Now (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=a0ee97f34b&e=b24cf58224) Donate Monthly (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=d498135def&e=b24cf58224) ============================================================ ** Facebook (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=591153f369&e=b24cf58224) ** Website (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=4cb0e5314f&e=b24cf58224) ** Instagram (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=37f1847b00&e=b24cf58224) Copyright ? 2021 Blomidon Naturalists Society, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Blomidon Naturalists Society PO Box 2350 Stn Main Wolfville, NS B4P 2N5 Canada Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp http://www.mailchimp.com/email-referral/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=referral_marketing&aid=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&afl=1 This email was sent to members at blomidonnaturalists.ca (mailto:members at blomidonnaturalists.ca) why did I get this? (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/about?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=bb709aa177&e=b24cf58224&c=f3c5b840d7) unsubscribe from this list (https://blomidonnaturalists.us7.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=bb709aa177&e=b24cf58224&c=f3c5b840d7) update subscription preferences (https://blomidon-naturalists-society.mailchimpsites.com/manage/preferences?u=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&id=bb709aa177&e=b24cf58224&c=f3c5b840d7) Blomidon Naturalists Society . PO Box 2350 Stn Main . Wolfville, NS B4P 2N5 . Canada Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp http://www.mailchimp.com/email-referral/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=referral_marketing&aid=0dbe0d10c2ef002331c94c4f9&afl=1 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From soren at bondrup.com Thu Jun 10 07:37:52 2021 From: soren at bondrup.com (Soren Bondrup-Nielsen) Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2021 09:37:52 -0300 Subject: [BNS_members] Worth watching Message-ID: <80C34763-95B5-4945-BC08-AF966B6FA151@bondrup.com> Hello everyone, Here is a link to a lecture by Suzanne Simard that is worth watching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_QFDB8Zffg Cheers, Soren Soren Bondrup-Nielsen Professor Emeritus, Biology Acadia University www.bondrup.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rileyscanlan16 at gmail.com Tue Jun 15 15:59:16 2021 From: rileyscanlan16 at gmail.com (Riley Scanlan) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2021 17:59:16 -0300 Subject: [BNS_members] Fwd: Birding by Ear Workshop June 23-25 References: Message-ID: <9926A5B9-17A6-4179-BEA7-5EBE0967B145@gmail.com> Hi everyone, Please see the message below from the Harrison Lewis Centre. It sounds like a wonderful workshop. Cheers Riley > > ---------- Forwarded message --------- > From: Harrison Lewis Centre > Date: Tue, Jun 15, 2021 at 3:28 PM > Subject: Birding by Ear Workshop June 23-25 > To: > > > Hello Mr. Linzey, > > My name is Molly MacIntosh, and I am the Summer Program and Centre Manager at the Harrison Lewis Centre in Port Joli. We are so excited to be working with Dr. Sarah Gutowsky again to run a Birding by Ear workshop on June 23-25. Participants will learn how to listen for birds, song-types for common bird families, and start to build a repertoire of Nova Scotia bird songs through in-the-field workshops. For three days and two nights, participants stay at the Harrison Lewis Centre in rustic cabins, with access to showers, a bathroom, and a full kitchen. Home-cooked meals and snacks will be provided, which leaves more free time to explore the beach and forest, and listen for birds! Attendance costs $350, with the option to stay an extra night for $50 and join our Stuart's Point Beach Clean Up the following day. > > If you or anyone with the Blomidon Naturalists Society would be interested in attending the workshop, please pass this along! With Covid-19 restrictions lifting, we are eager to make connections and meet new people. > > Registration and more information is available on our website. Feel free to call me if you have any questions. > > Thanks so much, > > Molly MacIntosh > Program and Centre Management > Harrison Lewis Coastal Discovery Centre > 778-231-7966 > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From soren at bondrup.com Wed Jun 16 18:04:06 2021 From: soren at bondrup.com (Soren Bondrup-Nielsen) Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2021 20:04:06 -0300 Subject: [BNS_members] General Meeting Monday 21 June 7:30 PM Message-ID: <9F739512-7F56-43B8-8586-7DDDB5918775@bondrup.com> Hello everyone, On Monday 21 June 7:30 pm we will have the General Meeting beforte the July and August break. Dr. Derek Mueller will be giving the presentation on Climate Change in the Arctic. Please see his abstract below. Here is the Zoom invite: You are invited to a Zoom meeting. When: Jun 21, 2021 07:30 PM Halifax Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqc--hqD4jHtcZFntU3G4B25PRHkXqR7qj After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. The Milne Ice Shelf break-up of 2020: Rapid environmental change in the Canadian High Arctic In late July 2020, a large rift formed across the Milne Ice Shelf and resulted in the calving of 43% of its surface area. The Milne Ice Shelf was the last remnant of the larger ?Ellesmere Ice Shelf? to undergo a major calving event. This ice shelf was thicker and better protected than others in the Canadian High Arctic and it dammed the mouth of Milne Fiord creating a freshwater lake to its landward side. This ?epishelf lake? has been monitored over time to reveal inter-annual and seasonal changes and hosts fresh and brackish water species directly on top of the Arctic Ocean. The ice shelf itself is a habitat for microbial communities that live on its surface while a community of benthic animals was recently discovered within the ice shelf. The fate of these environments is unknown following the events of last summer, but the trend in habitat loss along this coast is undeniable. The need to conserve this region and its vulnerable ice-dependent ecosystems is clear and efforts are underway to make a permanent marine protected area at these high latitudes. This conservation effort should be optimized by extending protection both east and west in addition to incorporating the terrestrial environment that is closely interconnected with the Arctic Ocean along this coast. However, global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions must be part of the solution to mitigate future ice habitat loss due to environmental change. Derek Mueller is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and co-director of the Water and Ice Research Laboratory at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. His research examines indicators and impacts of climate change in the cryosphere (our planet's cold environments) as well as the consequences of a warming climate on cryospheric systems such as ice shelves, glaciers, sea and lake ice. Dr. Mueller has worked at the northernmost coast of Canada since 2001 and is an expert on Arctic ice shelves and epishelf lakes. For more on his research see: https://wirl.carleton.ca/ice/ Soren Bondrup-Nielsen Professor Emeritus, Biology Acadia University www.bondrup.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From soren at bondrup.com Mon Jun 21 08:49:22 2021 From: soren at bondrup.com (Soren Bondrup-Nielsen) Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2021 10:49:22 -0300 Subject: [BNS_members] Reminder - meeting this evening Message-ID: <2EAAF430-CD65-48C9-8026-0152CCBC7AB9@bondrup.com> Hello everyone, This is just a reminder that there is a meeting this evening. Register at: https://blomidonnaturalists.ca/2021-program/ scroll down to June 21 Cheers, Soren Soren Bondrup-Nielsen Professor Emeritus, Biology Acadia University www.bondrup.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From soren at bondrup.com Mon Jun 28 09:12:06 2021 From: soren at bondrup.com (Soren Bondrup-Nielsen) Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2021 11:12:06 -0300 Subject: [BNS_members] Wildflower Identification Course - CanadaHelps Message-ID: <8E58BFCA-5DF7-45FD-8200-8A1A70E05B3C@bondrup.com> https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/blomidon-naturalists-society/events/wildflower-identification-course/ The course outline will be available soon at which time I will send it out. Thanks, Soren Soren Bondrup-Nielsen Professor Emeritus, Biology Acadia University www.bondrup.com From soren at bondrup.com Mon Jun 28 11:39:49 2021 From: soren at bondrup.com (Soren Bondrup-Nielsen) Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2021 13:39:49 -0300 Subject: [BNS_members] Wildflower course Message-ID: <8901A8BC-D663-4316-8638-FD91493006F2@bondrup.com> The course outline is now posted to the Registration site. Soren Bondrup-Nielsen Professor Emeritus, Biology Acadia University www.bondrup.com