Online Member’s Meeting Oct. 24 – The Origin, Rationale and Results of the Last Hope Camp

Posted on October 17, 2022 by Bob Kennedy

Our next member’s meeting will be via Zoom at 7:00pm on Oct 24. Nina Newington will be our guest speaker.

The Last Hope camp was a protest camp established on a logging road in Annapolis County on 2nd December, 2021. The goal was to protect a 24ha forest. By the time we finally packed up and went home on 22 June, 2022, enough occurrences of Species At Risk lichens had been documented to put 60% of the forest off limits for cutting and make the remainder hard to access and uneconomical to cut. Nina will focus in particular on the crucial role that naturalists, notably lichenologists, played in protecting the forest.

As the climate and nature crises barrel down on us, and as governments continue to pledge action but permit business as usual, those who recognize the urgency of the situation must join forces. Activists willing to get in the way of what damages the earth need people whose love of nature takes the form of observing and learning about very specific life forms, and vice versa.  The provincial government’s commitment to protecting 20% of Nova Scotia’s land and waters by 2030 is a starting point. By working together, we can identify and protect ecologically valuable forests before they are logged, not after as seems to be the current plan.

The talk will be accompanied by photographs and a 5 minute mini-documentary about the camp.

Nina Newington is a writer, gardener, carpenter and forest protector. Her second novel, Cardinal Divide, was published in 2020. She lives with her wife on the North Mountain in Kespukwitk, District One of the 7 traditional districts of Mi’kma’ki.

Members should have received a Zoom email invitation. Contact ocotillo8@gmail.com if you did not receive it.

 

 

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All upcoming Field Trips cancelled until further notice

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Bob Kennedy

Due to the impact of hurricane Fiona, the Polly’s Cove and Cape Breton Field Trips are cancelled until further notice.

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Sep 26  Online Members Meeting Cancelled!

Posted on September 23, 2022 by Bob Kennedy

Due to our inability to predict how Hurricane Fiona will affect our ability to hold an online meeting, we are cancelling the member’s meeting scheduled for Monday Sep 26.

We will post more information on possibly rescheduling it after the storm is behind us.

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Burkhard Plache June 21 1965 September 10 2022

Posted on September 23, 2022 by Bob Kennedy

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of one of our members: Burkhard Plache. He was a pillar of the Halifax naturalist community and will be sorely missed by his wife Ingrid and all of us who knew him.

There will be a a Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving on Sep 28.

Please see his obituary for details  https://necrocanada.com/…/burkhard-plache-june-21…/amp/

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Field Trip to Polly’s Cove Trail moved to Sunday Oct 2

Posted on September 13, 2022 by Bob Kennedy

The field trip to the Polly’s Cove Trail (between Peggy’s Cove and West Dover) has been moved to the following weekend due to Hurricane Fiona.

Meet at Parking area: 10:00 Am Sunday Oct 2. Rain Date Sat. Oct 1.

Take route 333 from Upper Tantallon St.Margaret’s Bay Road about 23 km to site, a little past Peggy’s cove (< 1km) ,Parking for 5-6 cars on the right seaward side of the road. Area is filled with granite whale backs,barrens,bogs,small ponds etc. The seacoast also has a wide variety of coastal flora. 2-4 hrs. Bring lunch.water, binoculars,camera etc. Dress for the weather. Bogs are dry at present and hiking boots may be ok.

Please contact Charlie Cron to let him know that you plan to attend. ccron72@hotmail.com

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Sep 26 Online Member’s Meeting – The Diverse Bees of NS

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Bob Kennedy

Our next member’s meeting will be via Zoom at 7:00pm on Sep 26. Invitations will be emailed to members closer to the date.

Bees pollinate many flowers that are important for people. There are far more bees that share NS with us than most people appreciate. We will explore what bees are in NS and how we can provide habitat and resources for bees to increase pollination.

 Perplexing Bumble Bee – Bombus perplexus      Photo Bob Kennedy

Alana Pindar, is an early career scientist and recently appointed Weston Family Visiting Professor in Ecosystem Health and Food Security at Cape Breton University.  She has been studying changes in wild bee communities in Eastern Canada for over 15 years.  In 2016, She led a provincial report on the Status and Trends for Pollinator Health in Ontario for the Ontario Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs was awarded the Webster Postdoctoral Fellowship in Environmental Sciences for her work.

David McCorquodale, biology professor at Cape Breton University for more than 30 years. A naturalist who has monitored bird populations, recorded long-horned beetles and lady beetles in eastern Canada and is currently teaching plant taxonomy. Service roles have included Chair of Science Atlantic and currently Co-Chair of COSEWIC Arthropods and the NS Insect Recovery Team.

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Public Comment Period on Southdale/Eisner Cover Wetland now open, closes Mon Sep 19, 2022

Posted on August 30, 2022 by admin

Southdale site on Aug 15, 2022. Trees had been cleareddown to the wetland.  From p 6 of Letter
Click on image for larger version

An invitation from Shape Our City Halifax has just been issued to “to share your feedback on the draft policies, development agreement and submitted plans” related to the Southdale Future Growth Node  which includes the  ‘Eisner Cove Wetland’.

Feedback is to be submitted via simple one-box form by Monday September 19, 2022.

The  “draft policies, development agreement and submitted plans” can be accessed via  this webpage: Case 23820: Southdale Future Growth Node Planning Process

Tree-clearing at the Southdale site began in early August, so it’s not  clear what decisions about the development  yet to be taken might be modified by public input.

As readers are probably aware, there have been some hitches along the way in the form of growing protests, appeals, and an industrial site incident.
Continue reading →

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Norris Whiston on Flower Clusters & Ecology of Common Nova Scotia Trees and Shrubs

Posted on August 9, 2022 by admin

An entry under “Elongated Clusters”
Click on image for a larger version

Norris Whiston is a member of the NS Wild Flora Society.

One of Norris’s passions is compiling user-friendly guides to the local flora, which he generously shares with all of us on a page on this website.

Norris’s latest production (2022-08-06) is a guide to Flower Clusters & Ecology of Common Nova Scotia Trees and Shrubs
Continue reading →

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Canopy Lichens: Identification and Ecology – Eagle Head Seminar

Posted on June 24, 2022 by Bob Kennedy
  

Instructor: Gary Perlmutter
Dates: July 18th–July 27th, 2022
Times: 7PM–9PM ET

Scheduling Details: July 18, 20, 22, 25, & 27
Tuition Cost: $150 US

Description: This seminar will introduce participants to the learning about lichens growing in the treetops, where habitats and growing conditions are very different than at or near ground level. This seminar will focus on the identification, biology, ecology of the flora of canopy lichens by studying newly fallen trees and fallen branches and twigs. Participants will learn terminology that describes characters of lichens and their lifestyles and how these characters are used to identify lichens. Participants will learn how to collect and prepare specimens so they can build a starter collection of their own. Identification techniques of chemical spot testing and microscopy will also be covered. Ecological topics such as lichen community succession and pollution sensitivity will also be discussed.

Required materials: A hand lens or similar magnifier with 10X magnification or higher (these can be purchased online or at a local hobby store for as little as $6.99). One copy of Keys to Lichens of North America, revised and expanded by Irwin M. Brodo (available at Yale University Press for $29.95 + shipping & handling: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300195736/keys-lichens-north-america)

• Full, color flyer for this seminar is available here.

• Participants need to have a Zoom account (https://zoom.us ; sign-up is free). They will receive a secure link to join the seminar before it begins.

• Individual classes will be recorded and made available to stream (not download) for the duration of the seminar by its participants, so they are able to review them or make up missed ones.

Register Here

General Information

Online Calendar

If you have any other questions, feel free to email us at office@eaglehill.us or call us at 207.546.2821 Ext. 4
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Chignecto Botanical Walk, MOVED to Monday, July 4th

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Bob Kennedy

Learn more about the natural flora of the Chignecto Isthmus! 

Monday, June 27th,  1:30pm-4:30pm 

Nature Conservancy Canada, in conjunction with the Atlantic Conservation Data Centre, has generously offered to join with us on a field trip in and around some of the NCC wilderness properties on the Chignecto Isthmus. The trip will start in New Brunswick and we will head into Nova Scotia.

This trip was originally scheduled for June 27, but because of conflicts, it has been moved to July 4.

The Chignecto Isthmus is recognized for its importance to wildlife for connectivity between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. It has been identified as a linkage point for the typical movements of plant and animal species as well as critical for northward migration of species in response to climate change.

Rose pogonia – Pogonia ophioglossoides, Photo Bob Kennedy

Join us for an afternoon of learning more about some of the rare plant species that grow in the area. A representative from the ACCDC will be leading the 3km hike and participants will explore forest and wetland habitats and the wide variety of flora and fauna within them.

Habitats visited would be mixed forest (locally wet), maybe some open wetland and pond, and disturbed forest edge. The latter has most of the more interesting species, with a lot of orchids, especially Grass-Pink (Calopogon tuberosus) and Rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides). There are some local areas of more calcareous disturbed soils that have uncommon to rare species like Rufous Bulrush (Scirpus pendulus), Loesel’s Twayblade (Liparis loeselii), Dudley’s Rush (Juncus dudleyi), Slender Spikerush (Eleocharis nitida), Variegated Horsetail (Equisetum variegatum), but I’m not sure if we are able to reach them.

Meet just before 1:30 pm at Parson Road, at the corner of NB Highway 16 (45.939880, -64.209108) From there we will carpool to the laneway that takes us to the property, then walk in once the road becomes difficult for smaller cars.

Please contact nswildflora@yahoo.ca to register for the trip.

 What to Bring: Water, snacks, close-toed walking shoes, rain gear (just in case!), layers of clothing, bug spray, sunscreen, hat.   

Trail difficulty: Difficulty of the walk would be moderate – old logging roads that are very flat, sometimes fairly shrubby or mucky-wet in places. Rubber boots would be important if you want to stay dry and the mosquitos can be extreme, so long sleeves and pants plus repellent are essential and a hat would be recommended.

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