Halifax Field Naturalists

Director John Klymko will discuss project highlights, including new records and insights into the conservation status of our Nova Scotia butterflies. He will also provide an update on what’s next for the project. 7:30 p.m. at the NSMNH. Read more

We encourage everyone who values our green spaces to attend a session which run from March 30 to April 7. NEW INFO (Apr 2): The maps and other info and opportunities for online comment will be available online on Monday April 4, 2016.

From www.halifax.ca/HalifaxGreenNetwork/EngagementEvents.php:

“The second phase of public engagement for the new Halifax Green Network Plan gets underway on Wednesday, March 30. This phase of work will be critical in shaping the core planning directions for the conservation and use of both public and privately-owned open space lands and waters.

“Over the next month [actually over 9 days] the municipality and consultants from O2 Planning + Design will host eight public engagement meetings. Each session will begin with a presentation of the work to date, key findings and proposed broad-scale planning directions. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and an open house session to gather further feedback. This input will then shape the third and final phase of the Plan’s development, which will commence later this spring.

“We hope you can join us at one or more of the following sessions:

“Fall River – Sackville
Wednesday, March 30, 6 – 9 p.m.
Gordon R. Snow Community Centre, 1359 Fall River Rd.

“Halifax Peninsula
Thursday, March 31, 6 – 9 p.m.
Atlantica Hotel, 1980 Robie St.
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The case against clearcutting forest for electricity could hardly be stated more succinctly or more believably. View film

So goes the headline for an op-ed by HFN member and Colin Stewart Conservation Award winner Bob Bancroft in today’s CH. “Centuries ago, Maritime forests loomed over freshwater shores; tall, vibrant, thick and strong. Early European settlers grumbled about spending dismal days in forests with sunlight cut off by thick overhead canopies of leaves and needles… read more

An Anti-Biomass Petition (“Stop destroying Nova Scotia’s forests for biomass power generation”) has garnered more than 25000 signatures in less than 10 days. Started by a St. Margaret’s Bay resident, it elicited a Bruce McKinnon editorial cartoon in the CH. Read more in CH. The petition remains open.

The Annual General Meeting takes place first. It includes reports of HFN business and activities over the past 12 months, and also the election of the next Board of Directors. Then it is ‘show time’ for viewing and hearing about a wide variety of members’ photos.
7:30 p.m. at the NSMNH Read More

“The government announced Tuesday the designation of more than 100 properties as wilderness areas, nature reserves and parks. The move meets the call of the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act to protect at least 12 per cent by 2015.” Read more in Chronicle Herald

Drawing from his 12-year experience in Nunavut, HFN member Dr. Ian McLaren will give an illustrated talk about his adventures and research during the 1950s-early 60s. Read more

The Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) is a global telemetry infrastructure which documents aquatic animals, linking their movements and survival to their environmental conditions. Headquartered at Dalhousie… LEARN ALL ABOUT IT on Dec 3 and join our social afterwards. Read more

All across the world people are coming together to hit the streets on November 29th — hours before the most important climate summit this decade, taking place in Paris (COP21)…The Halifax march will begin at 1pm. We’ll start at Victoria Park… Read More in Halifax Media Co-op

HFN member Keith Vaughan will present images of native birds of Florida, which he photographed in the wild during a three-week adventure in the Spring of 2014. Read more

This first Interim Report on the Green Network Plan will be discussed at a meeting of the COMMUNITY PLANNING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STANDING COMMITTEE on Thursday Oct 15 in the Council Chamber, City Hall, viewable online. The full interim report is available in sections at http://www.halifax.ca/HalifaxGreenNetwork/Themes.php. View Agenda for the Thursday meeting. View Item 8.3.2 Halifax Green Network Plan which includes highlights of the Interim Report. The full Interim Report bears close reading. There are 52 maps.