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See below the announcement for what is at the Internet site shown. Cheers from Jim<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>From: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Andrew Horn <<a href="mailto:aghorn@dal.ca">aghorn@dal.ca</a>></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Date: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">January 29, 2010 4:07:15 PM AST</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>To: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a href="mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Subject: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>[NatureNS] Sable Island Status</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Reply-To: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a href="mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div> Hi all,<div><br></div><div>Anyone interested in Sable Island might want to save the evening of March 3rd, to attend the sixth of annual public meetings on the place.</div><div><br></div><div>It's from 7-9:30PM, Scotiabank Conference Theater, Sobey Building, St Mary's University. Speakers are Ian McLaren, Bill Freedman, Zoe Lucas, and Mark Butler. Further details at:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.greenhorsesociety.com/Synergy/Sable_Island_Update_2010.htm">http://www.greenhorsesociety.com/Synergy/Sable_Island_Update_2010.htm</a></div><div><br></div><div>Cheers,</div><div>Andy Horn</div><div>Halifax</div> </blockquote><br></div><div><table width="767.0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="width: 767.0px; border-collapse: collapse"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="middle" style="width: 767.0px; padding: 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; text-align: center; "><font face="Arial" size="7" color="#5ec624" style="font: 32.0px Arial; color: #5ec624"><b>Sable Island Update</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; text-align: center; "><font face="Arial" size="6" style="font: 24.0px Arial"><b>Sixth Annual Public Meeting</b></font></div><p align="center" style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px; text-align: center"><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; text-align: center; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"><b>Wednesday, March 3, 2010</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; text-align: center; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">7:00 - 9:30 pm</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; text-align: center; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">Scotiabank Conference Theatre</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; text-align: center; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">Room 201, Sobey Building, Saint Mary's University Campus</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"> </font></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"> </font></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"><b>Program:</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">Three illustrated talks will be</font><font face="Arial" size="4" color="#0020f6" style="font: 13.0px Arial; color: #0020f6"> </font><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">presented by:</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; text-indent: -24px; "><font face="Symbol" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Symbol">·</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="1" style="font: 9.0px Times New Roman"> </font><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">Ian McLaren, Professor Emeritus, Dalhousie University</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; text-indent: -24px; "><font face="Symbol" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Symbol">·</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="1" style="font: 9.0px Times New Roman"> </font><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">Bill Freedman, Biology Department, Dalhousie University</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; text-indent: -24px; "><font face="Symbol" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Symbol">·</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="1" style="font: 9.0px Times New Roman"> </font><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">Zoe Lucas, naturalist and Sable Island resident</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">The fourth and final presentation will be given by Mark Butler of the Ecology Action Centre, and Zoe Lucas. Mark and Zoe will review current issues and plans for the future of Sable Island, including the potential for either a <b><i>National Park</i></b> or a <b><i>National Wildlife Area</i></b> designation.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">A Question and Answer Session, and Reception, will follow.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">The meeting has been organized by the Sable Island Green Horse Society and the Ecology Action Centre, and is co-hosted by Saint Mary's University, the World Wildlife Fund, the Nova Scotian Institute of Science, and Leonard Preyra MLA, Halifax Citadel-Sable Island.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">There is no charge for this event.</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">For more information about Sable Island: <a href="http://www.greenhorsesociety.com/"><font color="#0020f6" style="color: #0020f6"><u>www.GreenHorseSociety.com</u></font></a></font></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" style="width: 767.0px; padding: 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px"><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 10.0px"><font face="Century Gothic" size="5" color="#5ec624" style="font: 16.0px Century Gothic; color: #5ec624"><b> </b></font></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" style="width: 767.0px; padding: 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px"><p align="center" style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; text-align: center"><font face="Arial" size="5" color="#5ec624" style="font: 16.0px Arial; color: #5ec624"><b>!<><><>!!<><><>!!<><><>!!<><><>! !<><><>!!<><><>!!<><><>!!<><><>!</b></font></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" style="width: 767.0px; padding: 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px"><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 10.0px"><font face="Times New Roman" size="5" style="font: 19.0px Times New Roman"><b> </b></font></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" style="width: 767.0px; padding: 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px"><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><font face="Arial" size="5" style="font: 16.0px Arial"> </font></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" style="width: 767.0px; padding: 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; text-align: center; "><font face="Arial" size="6" style="font: 21.0px Arial"><b>Program Details - the Illustrated Talks</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"><b> </b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" color="#5ec624" style="font: 13.0px Arial; color: #5ec624"><b> </b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="5" color="#5ec624" style="font: 19.0px Arial; color: #5ec624"><b>A History of the Natural History of Sable Island </b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"><b>Ian McLaren</b> </font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">George Campbell Professor Emeritus, Biology Department, Dalhousie University</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">Ian’s areas of expertise include population and evolutionary biology of marine plankton, seals and birds. In 1966 Ian moved from McGill University to join the faculty of Dalhousie University and continue research in marine biology. Also, having a life-long interest in birds, in 1967 Ian and two colleagues visited Sable Island to census the Ipswich Sparrow, a bird that had been only casually studied since Jonathan Dwight’s visit to Sable Island in 1894. The following year Ian initiated research of the sparrow’s breeding biology, and from then until 1978 Ian had several graduate students working on Sable Island studying horses, Harbour Seals, gulls and Least Sandpipers, as well as the Ipswich Sparrow. In 1981 Ian published “The Birds of Sable Island, Nova Scotia”, a reference so often used on the island that the several worn and dog-eared copies are now held together by bits of string. In retirement, Ian continues to research and write on the status, identification, and migration of birds. Ian’s interest in the island has continued—as educator, conservationist, and activist.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"><i>Talk subject</i>: Early chroniclers were impressed in many ways by Sable island, but tended to view its biota in terms of commerce or sustenance – Walrus for tusks, hides and oil, abundant waterfowl for the taking, and cranberries by the hogshead. The first superintendents of the island made casual journal entries on sea mammals and birds, but it was not until the mid-19<font face="Arial" size="3" style="font: 11.0px Arial"><sup>th</sup></font> century, dating perhaps from John Gilpin’s 1854 visit, that visitors to and residents of the island began to document its rich natural heritage. Beginning in the late 19<font face="Arial" size="3" style="font: 11.0px Arial"><sup>th</sup></font> century, a succession of Canadian and American naturalists published extensively on the flora and fauna of the island, preparing the way for the more analytical studies that began to appear after World War II.</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" color="#5ec624" style="font: 13.0px Arial; color: #5ec624"><b> </b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" color="#5ec624" style="font: 13.0px Arial; color: #5ec624"><b> </b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="5" color="#6ac640" style="font: 19.0px Arial; color: #6ac640"><b>Plants and Vegetation of Sable Island</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"><b>Bill Freedman </b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">Professor, Biology Department, Dalhousie University.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">Bill is an ecologist and environmental scientist, and has been at Dalhousie University since 1979, where he teaches classes in environmental science and ecology. He has served as a volunteer with several environmental organizations, and is a long-serving member and recent Chair of the Board of Directors of the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). Bill is involved in the development of curriculum materials for environmental education and has written several textbooks, the most recent being <i>Environmental Science: A Canadian Perspective</i> (5<font face="Arial" size="3" style="font: 11.0px Arial"><sup>th</sup></font> edition, 2009, Pearson Education Canada) and <i>Ecology – A Canadian Context</i> (March, 2010, Nelson Canada). Bill has contributed to numerous environmental impact assessments of industrial developments, and has participated on advisory panels to government and industry.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"><i>Talk subject</i>: The dominant plant communities of Sable Island are grasslands and heaths. There are also rich assemblages of wetland species in and around the relatively few wet spots where the island’s freshwater lens erupts at the surface. Inundation by seawater has destroyed the most extensive of these freshwater wetlands, and some of the best surviving habitats are imperiled by the same disturbance. The seawater incursions occur during storm events that breach the protecting dune barriers. The likely ultimate causes of the precipitating disturbances are increasing sea level and perhaps more frequent events of severe weather. Localized dune instability associated with traffic by humans or horses may also be important. The introduced population of wild horses ranges in abundance from about 200-400 individuals. The available data and observations suggest that horses have not substantially altered the composition or cover of the most extensive vegetation types on the island.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="5" color="#5ec624" style="font: 19.0px Arial; color: #5ec624"><b>Sable Island – Year in Review 2009</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"><b>Zoe Lucas</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">Sable Island</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">Zoe Lucas first visited Sable Island in 1971, and during the last three decades has been involved in numerous research and environmental monitoring programs, including long-term study of the Sable horses, shark predation on Sable seals, and beach surveys for oiled birds, marine litter, and stranded cetaceans. Zoe also participates in projects supported by the Friends of the Green Horse Society, including study of the island’s lichens, invertebrates, and fresh water ponds. Results of programs have been published in various scientific journals. Since 2002 Zoe has managed and prepared text and images for the Sable Island website <a href="http://www.GreenHorseSociety.com">www.GreenHorseSociety.com</a>, and in 2004 became a Research Associate with the Nova Scotia Museum.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"><i>Talk subject</i>: Zoe will provide a review of Sable Island highlights for year 2009—including horse news, white seals, flotsam & jetsam, weather events, fungi, research activities, visitors, and new publications.</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial"> </font><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" style="width: 767.0px; padding: 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px"><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 10.0px"><font face="Arial" size="4" color="#5ec624" style="font: 13.0px Arial; color: #5ec624"><b> </b></font></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" style="width: 767.0px; padding: 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px"><p align="center" style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 10.0px; text-align: center"><font face="Arial" size="4" color="#5ec624" style="font: 13.0px Arial; color: #5ec624"><b>!<>!<>!<>! !<>!<>!<>! !<>!<>!<>! !<>!<>!<>! !<>!<>!<>! !<>!<>!<>! !<>!<>!<>!</b></font></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Times" size="5" style="font: 16.0px Times"> </font><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div></div><br></body></html>