Thurs May 4, 2023: Andrew Hebda on bats of Nova Scotia

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In Kjipuktuk/Halifax Today (Sat Apr 22, 2023): The People’s Parade for Life on Earth

From EAC:

Join us for a joyful community parade on Earth Day, April 22, 2023! Let us all come together to celebrate Mother Earth, to celebrate water which is life and to celebrate our beautiful communities and our continued resistance for love, justice and life on this planet.

Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023 (Rain Date: Sunday, April 23, 2023)
Parade Start Time: 2:00 p.m.
Post-Parade Celebration: 3:00-5:00 p.m.  Continue reading

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City Nature Challenge Apr 28 to May 1, 2023

Photo from Canadian Wildlife Federation page on the City Nature Challenge

Halifax is participating in the iNaturalist-based City Nature Challenge again, this year over the days Friday May 28 to Monday May 1.

HFN has devoted a specific field trip to this event for members on Sat Apr 29, 2023. View details under Walks & Talks

But we encourage all nature-friendly folks to contribute to Halifax’s effort to document our natural world and illustrate citizen’s love of that world over the 4 days of the event (Fri Apr 28 to Mon May 1, 2023).

It’s pretty simple.

Participants photograph a nature observation of a “species” (e.g.a robin, or a flower) within the boundaries of HRM within the Apr 28-May 1 timeframe and upload it to iNaturalist. (HRM refers to Halifax Regional Municipality, now just called Halifax. It encompasses all of Halifax County.)

The only requirement on the iNaturalist end is that one must first sign up to be a member of iNaturalist, and with the photo observation provide a location (approximate or precise), and a guess at the species name.You can give your own guess for the name of the species, but iNaturalist can also offer its own guess at the species name and you can just select one. (Over time, the name is reviewed and eventually the correct is given or confirmed.)

The iNaturalist App can be put on a smart phone or computer. If the photo is taken and uploaded with a smartphone and is automatically location (GPS)-tagged, the location will be automatically uploaded – so both the location and the species name can be given by iNaturalist. If the photo is taken with a camera, it can be uploaded separately via a computer. While the photos must be taken over the interval Apr 28 to May 1, they can be uploaded April 28 through May 7, 2023

There’s lots more info here:

City Nature Challenge |Canada 2023| Défi nature urbaine

About the City Nature Challenge 2023: Halifax Regional Municipality, NS, Canada

 

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Wednesday, Mar, 1, 2023: AGM & Members Slide Night

AGM & Members Slide Night

Date: Wednesday, Mar, 1
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History

Note this meeting  is on Wed, not our usual Thursday evening

The Annual General Meeting takes place first, where reports on HFN’s activities over the past 12 months are presented followed by the election of the next Board of Directors, including that of a new President. Then we view and hear about a variety of members’ photos. If you are an HFN member and would like to share some of your favourite nature-oriented and/or vacation digital images, but are reluctant to give an extensive talk, this is a chance to give an eight-to-ten-minute mini-presentation. Six presenters can be accommodated on a first-come-first-served basis, with up to three first-time presenters having priority. If interested, please contact Clarence Stevens by February 23rd!!

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Feb Meeting – NS Power and Ospreys – is on Wed Feb 8 (not Thursday)

The date of the meeting had to be changed as the Museum auditorium was not available on our regular meeting night.

NS Power and Ospreys

NS Power’s Environmental scientist Peter Morrison will guide us through its Osprey Management Programme covering all aspects and objectives, such as the recent successful relocation of Russell Lake’s Osprey nest, and how nests on high voltage are safely handled. With Peter’s background and experience within this environment he’ll be able to cover many aspects of this wonderful programme and its accompanying rewards. 7:30 P.M. at the NSMNH

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Thursday Jan 5, 2023, Keith Vaughan: Chemistry is everywhere! 

Thursday, January 5 – Regular Monthly meeting:
Chemistry is everywhere! 
What in the World ISN’T Organic Chemistry?

by Keith Vaughan

SYNOPSIS
This presentation aims to show the audience that organic chemistry is pervasive in
almost all of our lives and daily activities.  Read more

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Rally to protect Hartlan Point Saturday Nov 26, 2022

UPDATE: VIEW CBC: Concerns raised over plans to build warship testing facility at Hartlen Point (NOV 23, 2022)

Hartlen Point in Eastern Passage “is regarded as one of the best mainland migrant traps in Nova Scotia comprised of open areas, fairways of the golf course, mud flats, spruce thickets, cobble and kelp-covered beaches, cattail marshes, ponds, bogs and alders that are used as breeding areas for some and a magnet for migrant songbirds to rest and forage. Over 250 species of birds have been documented here.” (NS Bird Society).

The ecological integrity of the site is seriously threatened by  a plan to locate a naval training complex on it.

Protect Hartlen Point – A community-organized movement to protect the thriving ecosystem of Hartlen Point and the surroundings – asks people concerned about the site to join a peaceful rally on Saturday Nov 26, 2022 at the office of Darren Fisher, MP for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour,  located at 82 Tacoma Drive, Dartmouth.   Continue reading

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HFN 2022 Year End Review   Thursday, Dec. 1

December is a traditional time for various media outlets to do a review of that year’s highlights.  It’s fun to see the occasional nature item included, but such stories certainly don’t make up the bulk of these summaries.  So this year for the first time ever HFN has decided to create its own year end synopsis.  This one will focus on the top nature news from around the world with the greatest emphasis on items that impacted Nova Scotia the most.  In this modern day world where our eyes and ears are bombarded with so much information it’s easy to miss news about the nature we love.  However, this presentation is about more than just catching up on nature highlights – it’s also a chance, through vivid imagery, to relive some of our favourite nature moments of the year.

Holiday Social  

Our annual Members’ Holiday Social will take place after the above talk.  Please bring your sweets or savouries and non-alcoholic beverages to the usual meeting area.  A subscription to the Halifax Field Naturalist would also make a good holiday gift!  Bring your money or a cheque.  Please note – there are no facilities for heating food.

7:30 p.m. at the NSMNH
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Thursday, November 3, 2022: A medical mission to an isolated village in the mountains of Papua New Guinea

At our monthly meeting, Dr. Norm Pinsky will talk about a a medical mission he made with his 15 year old son to an isolated village in the mountains of Papua New Guinea. Read more

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Nature NS asks us to “Take the Challenge: Biodiversity Challenge Badge” 21Oct2022

It’s pretty simple and would likely mesh readily with the nature exploration & enjoyment activities of Halifax Field Naturalists and many more nature-oriented folks in NS: “basically, the challenge is to observe the natural world around you as you hike. To earn the badge, you have to do 10 hikes and submit 10 observations from each hike via iNaturalist”

Read more about it in an article by Jonathan Riley, Hike NS Board President.
Continue reading

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Nature NS expresses concerns about move to open gates to western Lake Rossignol 16Oct2022

Bob Bancroft, president of Nature Nova Scotia, has written a letter to The Premier, and Minsters of Environment…, Communities.., Natural Resources noting that “Minister Rushton has expressed a determination to remove the gates from the Mersey River to allow motorized access to ATVs” and urging well-informed, and careful management of these lands, through inclusive dialogue with the Mi’kmaq and Nature Nova Scotia.

View Letter.

Nature NS is a federation of 24 natural history societies and other nature groups in Nova Scotia.

Read about Lake Rossgnol on South Shore Connect.

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Thurs, Oct 6, 2022: John Crabtree on Mushrooms

Monthly Meeting – Mushrooms– Thursday, October 6 at 7:30 at the Museum of Natural History

The meeting will be at 7:30 PM in the auditorium of the Museum of Natural History. It will be an in-person meeting only. Attendees will not be required to wear a mask, but are welcome to do so if they wish.

John Crabtree, founding member and Regional Director for HRM of the Nova Scotia Mycological Society, and local mushroom expert will share some of his vast knowledge of mushrooms. As the local mushroom “expert”, he is often called on by organizations such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the Ecology Action Centre and Nova Scotia Nature Trust for guided walks, presentations and bioblitzes.

John’s presentation will be followed by a guided mushroom walk on Wednesday, October 12th at Shubie Park in Dartmouth. Meeting place will be in the main parking lot. Please note that registration is required for this walk. Please contact Patti L (pattileclerATgmaxxl.cxm) for registration and further details. There is no rain date.

Please note: John’s mushroom talk has proven to be a very popular event. Thus, paid up members will be given seating priority until 7:20. After 7:20, seating will be open to all on a first come, first served basis until maximum capacity is reached.

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