BSC at
Brant Wildlife Festival, BC
Photo: Ralph
Hocken
6 March 2009 – At 7 p.m. tonight
(Friday, March 6), Rob Butler of Bird Studies Canada will give the
opening address for the 2009 Brant Wildlife Festival at the Bayside Inn
in Parksville on Vancouver Island. His talk will be on the connection
between habitat and health, highlighting the mounting evidence that
living near green areas has physical and emotional health benefits for
all of us, and educational benefits for children. BSC’s Karen Barry will
host a BSC booth at the opening celebrations on March 7, and will lead
intertidal nature walks for children and adults on March 17 and 22
respectively.
The Brant Wildlife Festival,
which runs from March 6 to April 26, celebrates nature, particularly the
return of Brant geese as they rest and feed on BC shores before flying
to their breeding grounds in the Arctic. The early part of the festival
coincides with the dramatic herring spawn event, which attracts huge
numbers of birds to parts of the east Vancouver Island shoreline. To
learn more about the festival’s many events, including wildlife viewing,
marsh walks, nature photography, Big Day birding, eagle release, and
Voices of Nature concert,
select this
link. The Brant Festival is a supporter of the
British Columbia Breeding Bird
Atlas.
BSC Hosts
Grassland/Farmland Bird Conservation Planning Workshop
Photo: Elaine
Secord
5 March 2009 – On March 5, over 40
people representing a range of government and non-governmental
organizations and a range of interests met at Bird Studies Canada’s Port
Rowan headquarters for a bird conservation planning workshop with a
focus on southern Ontario grassland bird species at risk. Co-hosted by
Environment Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural
Affairs, and Bird Studies Canada, the day’s topics covered included the
status of grassland/farmland birds and their habitat in Ontario; current
conservation initiatives in Ontario and elsewhere; the Species at Risk
program framework; and expectations for an action plan. Jon McCracken,
BSC’s Director of National Programs, presented potential actions and a
background and discussion document to support the development of a
multi-species grassland bird conservation action plan for southern
Ontario. Successful planning efforts for these species hinges on the
future of the agricultural sector, especially the livestock industry.
New
Volunteers Recruited at Niagara Workshop
2 March 2009 – On February 28, Bird
Studies Canada and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority hosted a
one-day workshop at the Ball’s Falls Centre for Conservation in Jordan,
Ontario. Funded by Environment Canada’s Great Lakes Sustainability Fund
and the Niagara Community Foundation, this workshop’s goal was to help
increase awareness of monitoring opportunities in the Niagara Peninsula,
and provide residents with opportunities to participate in these
important programs.
The 68 community members who
attended the workshop were introduced to two BSC Citizen Science
programs: the Marsh Monitoring Program, and the Southern Ontario Bald
Eagle Monitoring Program. As a result of the event, 47 new surveyors
have registered to participate in the
Great Lakes Marsh
Monitoring Program.
Rob Butler
Speaks at “Imagine BC”
25 February 2009 – In British Columbia,
the Imagine BC Series sponsored by the Dialogue Centre at Simon Fraser
University challenged delegates to develop big ideas that will make the
province resilient over the next 30 years. Rob Butler attended as a
delegate and moderator at the summit held on February 23 in Vancouver.
Keynote speakers were David Suzuki and Thomas Homer-Dixon. Rob stepped
in at the last moment to give an opening address when Dr. Suzuki was
unable to attend because of illness. Rob wrote an Op Ed piece for the
Vancouver Sun and a summary of the event that you can read on his
Vancouver Sun blog.
Return to Top of Page
