Eagle Hill Institute’s 2022 Vascular Plant Seminars

Posted on April 18, 2022 by Bob Kennedy

Eagle Hill is right on the coast of Eastern Maine, between Acadia National Park and Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge.

*Please note that proof of full COVID-19 vaccination (including booster) is required for acceptance into our seminars.

July 10–16 — Grass Identification: An In-depth Review — Dennis Magee

August 7–13 — Field Botany of the Maine Coast: Learning to Network with the iNaturalist Community — Robert Wernerehl

August 21–27 — Ferns and Lycophytes: Identification, Biology, and Natural History — Robbin Moran and Carl Taylor

For general information, the registration form, seminar flyers, and a complete calendar:

https://eaglehill.us/programs/sems-weeklong/calendar-weeklong.shtml

 If you have any questions about the content of the seminar, please reach out to the seminar instructor(s), whose contact info can be found on the seminar flyer.
If a seminar you are interested in is full, and you would like to be put on the waitlist, please fill out the application form.
If you have any questions about registering for the seminar, please contact us at office@eaglehill.us.
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Lichen/Bryophyte Guided Hike for City Nature Challenge – Saturday, April 30

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Bob Kennedy

4 Different Cladonia Lichens – Photo Bob Kennedy

There will be a Guided Hike at the Nicols Lake Trail – Saturday, April 30

This event is co-hosted with the Nova Scotia Museum for the 2022 City Nature Challenge

Sean Haughian from the Nova Scotia Museum will lead participants through these lichen and moss-rich habitats to boost their knowledge and species counts for the City Nature Challenge. Habitats we will see include wet conifer forest, upland forest, lakeshore, and streamside. An upland mixed hardwood forest is nearby down a slightly more rugged trail. Our focus will be on the lichens and bryophytes. Highlights include our provincial lichen, blue felt lichen.

Attendees must register with halifaxfieldnaturalists.ca in advance.

Storm Date: None
Contact/Registration: TBD
Time/Place: 9 am, in the parking lot of the Prospect Road Community Centre, at 2141 Prospect Rd, Hatchet Lake, NS (only 20 minutes from downtown Halifax, by car); this is the
Duration: 3 hours
Difficulty: The hike is approximately 1.6 km, is easy-moderate with a gravelled surface for the duration.
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Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Meeting via Teams April 13

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Bob Kennedy
Photo Irwin Barrett/Ecology Action Centre

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT SESSION

Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes (BMBCL) Comprehensive Study

Wednesday, April 13th, 2022, from 7:00 – 9:00 PM

The Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes (BMBCL) area is located on the western edge of the Halifax urban core and comprises Acadian forest, wetlands, and a system of lakes and headwaters, offering wilderness hiking opportunities to many residents and visitors.

In 2021, Halifax Regional Municipality signed a Statement of Collaboration with Parks Canada to indicate mutual interest in the opportunities for the BMBCL area as part of the new national urban parks program, which led to an approval by Regional Council to initiate the park planning process.

With the support of a contribution agreement signed with Parks Canada in January, the municipality has initiated a comprehensive background study of Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes (BMBCL) Regional Park. Halifax Regional Municipality has engaged Stantec Consulting Ltd. to develop a comprehensive background report on the BMBCL area and vicinity. The four key areas considered in the study include:

Ecological and recreational conditions
Archaeological and cultural study
Analysis of land use and settlement
Review of park governance models
The purpose of the background report is to inform future BMBCL park planning, including integrating connections to nature through associated recreational uses, ecological conservation, as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Community engagement and liaison efforts is a necessary and crucial step in this project. The public is invited to virtually join us on April 13, 2022, from 7 – 9 p.m. as we introduce this assessment phase of the BMBCL national urban park initiative and share with us your knowledge on and ideas for the BMBCL area.

Registration for the virtual meeting, which will take place on the Microsoft Teams platform, can be accessed by clicking this link.

At this meeting, you will have an opportunity to:

Learn more about the BMBCL area and Parks Canada urban parks initiative
Hear about the work being undertaken by Stantec to complete the background report
Find out the opportunities and challenges identified by key project stakeholders and partners
Contribute your own knowledge and ideas regarding ecological, recreational, cultural, and other noteworthy opportunities for the BMBCL area
A survey will be provided following the engagement session, or if you are unable to attend the event, to provide feedback. Looking forward to hearing from you!

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Saturday Apr 9, 2022: Rally in Support of Eisner Wetland (Dartmouth, NS)

Posted on April 8, 2022 by admin

Rhodora coming into full bloom in Eisner’s Cove Wetland on May 29, 2017. View NSWFS Post about the site & concerns about salt and nutrient inputs if the upland is developed.
View more pics here
Click on images for larger versions

The Protect Eisner Wetland folks are holding a rally on Saturday Apr 9, 2022 1-3 pm by the block of land that includes the Eisner Wetland in Dartmouth, a favourite local site for field trips by NSWFS. David Patriquin from NSWFS will be one of the invited speakers.  Place: 189 Mount Hope Avenue, Dartmouth, NS

The surrounding, steeply sloping forested upland is one of 9 priority areas in HRM  identified by the province for accelerated development, with only 10% or less conserved as greenspace. A causeway would be built across the wetland, which is expected to remain intact!

The upland includes well developed mixed and coniferous forests, with patches of mixed-multi-aged forest/old growth. Both areas store a lot of carbon, and host almost entirely native species.

The whole area is an important stepping stone for connectivity of wildlife across the urban landscape.  It is highly treasured by local residents – and bird watchers and wildflora enthusiasts and other naturalists from all over the Halifax area.

Please come to the rally as possible and/or otherwise support the efforts to  retain as much of this area as possible in its present state.

For more info Continue reading →

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Field trip to Crystal Crescent Beach Park Sunday Apr 10

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Bob Kennedy

Sunday Apr 10 looks ok for a field trip to Crystal Crescent Beach  Park. Expect the Gate to be locked.  Meet in the Parking area outside the Gate. 09:00 hrs. Emphasis on coastal Black Spruce and search for Eastern Dwarf mistletoe. Some beach plants ,shrubs, and coastal headlands.Regisration required. Call me at 902 4778272,0r email  >ccron72@hotmail.com<  by evening April 8. Thanks Charlie.

Male Dwarf Mistletoe in bloom – Photo Jeff white
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Proposed NSWFS Field Trip to Cape Breton July 25-July 31 (or Aug 3)

Posted on March 29, 2022 by Bob Kennedy

  

Lookoff on Aspy Trail, Broad-Lipped Twayblade, View to Scaterie Island – Photos Bob Kennedy

We are planning a botanical themed field trip to Cape Breton for the period of July 25 to 31, with the possibility for an extension of the trip to Aug 3. Details of the trip are in the attachments at the bottom of this page. We are asking any members who think they might be interested in all or some of this trip to contact nswildflora@yahoo.ca so we can proceed with the planning. Once we know the interest, Bethsheila Kent and Bob Kennedy will incorporate any changes and make suggestions for accomodations and meals. Accomodations are already booking up, so we need to keep up the momentum on this.

Briefly, arrival would be mid-day in Cheticamp on Monday July 25, leaving time to do a short trail before check-in. We would stay there and do a several more trails on Tuesday and Wednesday. Anytime a more difficult trail is scheduled, an alternative more accessible trail will be offered as an alternative.

From Cheticamp we would head to cottages on Dingwall Beach, stopping at Beulach Ban Falls and hiking up the Aspy Trail on the way (with alternates).  The following day we would do the Mica Hill Barrens in the upper highlands or alternatively White Point.

Then to Ingonish where we would stay Saturday July 30 and Sunday July 31 and cover off other trails in that area, then head home the following day.

For those that wish to extend the trip, we would like to continue to Louisbourg and charter a boat to Scaterie Island Wilderness area. There are also many trails and historical sites in the area. In this case, we expect the last night in Louisbourg would be Aug 3.

Download Itinerary: NS Wild Flora Society Field Trip – July 2022

Info on Scaterie Island: Scatarie Island information – Mar. 26, 2022

 

 

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Botany Course at Acadia May 9-27

Posted on March 29, 2022 by Bob Kennedy

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March 28 Online Member’s Meeting: Eastern Dwarf Mistletoe in Nova Scotia.

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Bob Kennedy

Eastern Dwarf Mistletoe Male Staminate Flowers  – Photo by Bob Guscott

Bob Guscott will be giving a talk on the identification, biology, distribution and ecology of Eastern Dwarf Mistletoe at our member’s Zoom meeting on March 28. Bob is retired after 30 years with the Nova Scotia Dept. of Natural Resources as a Chief Technician and GIS Analyst. He lives in Wellington and remains an active volunteer and a keen naturalist

Eastern Dwarf Mistletoe Arceuthobium pusillum, is a little known and often overlooked, native, parasitic plant. It is found primarily on spruce trees throughout Nova Scotia, often along the coasts and in treed bogs. It is tiny but it can have a huge impact on the health of spruce forests in Nova Scotia.

NSWFS Members will be receiving email invitations to the Zoom meeting in a few days.

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Call for Nominations to the Board of Directors of the NS Wild Flora Society.

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Bob Kennedy
The term of each Board expires at the end of the Annual General Meeting during which their successors are elected. The new Board will then meet shorty after the AGM.

We are calling for Nominations to the Board of Directors of the NSWFS for election at the AGM on April 25 2022.

Any member in good standing is eligible to stand for election to the Board.

Send nominations to nswildflora@yahoo.ca or any of the current Board members.

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Seedy Saturday March 26, Bridgewater

Posted on March 12, 2022 by Bob Kennedy

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