Halifax Field Naturalists

Calling all Naturalists! Biota Survey at Otter Pond Demo. Forest June 27
“Please join us for a day in the woods at Otter Ponds Demonstration Forest. A biota survey will take place on Saturday June 27th – and we’d like your help! The site is located roughly an hour and a half from Halifax, near the community of Mooseland, in the interior of the Eastern Shore.

“Our goal is to increase our knowledge about the property’s flora and fauna. Naturalists with various interests are invited to participate. Please bring along field guides, GPS, binoculars, sturdy waterproof footwear, snacks, water, and insect repellent. The survey will take place throughout the day. We intend to focus on four areas of interest: hardwood drumlins, softwood lowlands, wetlands, and a core area of old forest that hasn’t been harvested since the late 1800’s. Continue reading →

At the NS Nature Trust 2015 Conservation Showcase held at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic on June 18, 2015, NS Nature Trust personnel said that their 7M$ project to protect private lands in the 100 islands Campaign is now almost 90% funded and that they have protected more than 5000 acres. Minister of Environment, Randy Delorey announced that the Province has now legally protected the Eastern Shore Islands Wilderness Area which is 4600 acreas.  “Together, we are protecting a globally significant island wilderness, at a scale that neither the province nor the Nature Trust could do on its own,” said Delorey. Continue reading →

The Halifax Field Naturalists have published a newsletter, generally four per year, since its inception in 1975. Most of the past HFN Newsletters (The Halifax Field Naturalist) have now been scanned into a text-readable PDF format, and are available on this website. (The most recent 3 years are available only as print copies distributed to members.) Browse issues or conduct a search of issues at Archived Newsletters. Today I was asked about a 1970s report on Halifax City trees; I found it quickly by searching for “Norway Maple”. – David P

The Halifax Field Naturalists have partnered with the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History to hold a Members’ Art Exhibit in celebration of the 40th anniversary of our founding. The official opening took place at the Museum on June 4th. The exhibit will run until September 27th, 2015, so plan to visit with your family and friends! View a few pics from the opening.

A front page article in the Chronicle Herald features efforts of The Nova Scotia Nature Trust to acquire a critical piece of land in the Rogues Roost Wilderness Area. The Nature Trust will be hosting a conservation showcase event on June 18 at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic to talk about the Rogues Roost campaign and accept donations. Read more in the Chronicle Herald

All nature lovers are encouraged to provide input to the Halifax Green Network Plan (HGNP) by adding pins/descriptions to the HGNP online mapping tool to identify lands are that important for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services.

This map and information about the HGNP are available at http://halifax.ca/HalifaxGreennetwork/

A memo written by the Our HRM Alliance Greenbelt Scientific Advisory Committee
http://tinyurl.com/ntqk98b
provides some further context from an ecological perspective.

As a component of Phase 1 (Phase 1 – Planning Foundations the values, issues and goals) of the Halifax Green Network Plan the map is available for input is available only to the end of June, 2015.
Continue reading →

“Halifax Regional Council has identified the need for a strategic vision and a planning & implementation framework for protecting and managing open space. The public is being asked to give input into the plan. Here’s a list of the upcoming public engagement opportunities. Please join us. We want to hear from you!”

Saturday, May 30th 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Pop-Up Event
Halifax Central Library, 5440 Spring Garden Road, Halifax
Continue reading →

CBC News (May 27, 2015): “A two-year study conducted by scientists at the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre in Sackville found seven pollinators, never before recorded in the Maritimes. The survey was conducted in southwestern Nova Scotia to document species of bee (Apoidea) and flower fly (Syrphidae). John Klymko, a zoologist at the centre, who lead the study, said the project was important because of the lack of information about pollinators in the region.” View story

“Please join us for a day in the woods at Otter Ponds Demonstration Forest. A biota survey will take place on Saturday June 27th – and we’d like your help! The site is located roughly an hour and a half from Halifax, near the community of Mooseland, in the interior of the Eastern Shore.

“Our goal is to increase our knowledge about the property’s flora and fauna. Naturalists with various interests are invited to participate. Please bring along field guides, GPS, binoculars, sturdy waterproof footwear, snacks, water, and insect repellent. The survey will take place throughout the day. We intend to focus on four areas of interest: hardwood drumlins, softwood lowlands, wetlands, and a core area of old forest that hasn’t been harvested since the late 1800’s. Continue reading →

“Solving the Great Titanic Headstone Mystery” In Halifax, 150 victims of the sinking of the Titanic lie buried beneath identical black granite headstones. 15 years ago, when one of these headstones was damaged, the Halifax Regional Municipality sought to replace it. Because there is no historical record about the source quarry, its location has to be found scientifically. In this presentation, retired Dalhousie geology professor Dr. Barrie Clarke will describe the Sherlock Holmesian techniques of sleuthing through cemeteries, repositioning of relatives, fumbling through forests, and labouring in laboratories to collect enough forensic evidence to locate the quarry. Read more 7:30 P.M. at the NSMNH

The Halifax Field Naturalists will partner with the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History (NSMNH) to hold a Members’ Art Exhibit. Its official opening will take place at 6:45 p.m., prior to HFN’s regular meeting, on the main floor of the Museum. The NSMNH is HFN’s public home and the perfect place to hold this exhibit in celebration of HFN’s 40th Anniversary. It is also a unique way to showcase the artistic pursuits of some HFN members. The exhibit will run until September 27th, 2015, so plan to visit with your family and friends!

The NSNT featured an article about “HFN and its 40 years” and it was in their January 2015 Landlines e-newsletter: Updates From the Forefront of Land Conservation in Nova Scotia. It is reproduced below with permission of NSNT.
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Janet Dalton, President of HFN, presents $5000 Pledge to Karen McKendry of the Nova Scotia Nature Trust. Photo by Keith Vaughan.

This year, the Halifax Field Naturalists (HFN) are celebrating an amazing and productive 40 years of natural history education and conservation advocacy. In addition to monthly field trips and natural history presentations, they publish reports and a quarterly newsletter, and get involved with conservation initiatives. Read about the HFN’s 40 year history in a recent op-ed by HFN member Richard Beazley. Continue reading →