[BNS_members] Update from the Blomidon Naturalists Society

Mon Jun 7 15:26:13 CDT 2021

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: <http://blomidonnaturalists.ca/pipermail/members_blomidonnaturalists.ca/attachments/20210607/768579d6/attachment-0001.html>