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December 16th 2021, bees of the British Columbia interior.
The November meeting of the Nicola Naturalist Society was postponed to December 16th 2021. Elaine Sedgman from Kamloops will present a postponed show from May 2020 and October at the NVIT lecture theater on next Thursday at 7:pm.
She believes in the native quality of BC bees to pollinate.
Program side note…
On this Day: December 9th 1951
Montreal becomes the first North American city to have a YMCA.
The Nicola Naturalists are having their members photo night. The venue is tomorrow night at the NVIT lecture theater at 7PM.
NVIT top of the hill on Belshaw avenue in Merritt BC.
We keep the necessary business meeting short so there is ample time to enjoy local nature photos taken by our talented membership. We haven’t seen members’ photos on the big screen for many months so this will be a gala occasion.
Alan Burger and a speaker discuss a presentation, Nicola Naturalists, Merritt BC ,Ca
File Photo KDG
Leafing Through History: Exploring Fossil Plant Deposits in Western Canada.
The Nicola Naturalists Society is hosting the Kamloops Exploration Group and giving the meeting over to them evening.
[Note the change in dates – not theusual third Thursday of the month.]
Dr. Christopher West is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He has degrees in Earth Sciences and Paleobiology, including a PhD from the University of Saskatchewan. He has published research on late Paleocene and early Eocene fossil floras from the Canadian High Arctic, British Columbia, and Alberta. Dr. West’s research interests are focused on reconstructing ancient climates and ecosystems using plant fossils in order to better understand ancient forest ecosystems, and how these ancient ecosystems gave rise to the modern forest biome in North America.
NNS
Doors open at 6 lecture at 7PM
In the lecture theater NVIT top of the hill Belshaw avenue in Merritt. The naturalists say all welcome membership or donation requested. Free parking.
Spring time sees Ospreys return from where they go in the winter File Photo KDG
The Christmas bird count has 120 years of world wide data at the Audubon Society . Good to our feathered friends and be especially mindful of migratory birds as they are protected.
Here are some highlights of the bird count conducted by the Nicola Naturalists Society this winter in the Merritt BC area.
American Wigeon 74 up from 50 high
Northern Pintail 17 up from a high of 2
Greater White fronted Goose 1
Northern Shoveler 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
American Kestrels 6 up from a high of 3
Brown Creeper 4 up from a high of 2
Black Capped Chickadees 96 up from a high of 58
Steller’s Jay 38 up from a high of 37
7 teams of counters were out and had what the club called a pleasant day of counting . A notation that species counts are often effected by food supply an exceptional Douglas Fir cone drop made for a high count in Pine Siskins last year. Siskins were missed this year and joined 2 other species well below average: American Gold finch 9 ( average of 48) and Robins 1 ( average 23).
Alan Burger and a speaker discuss a presentation, Nicola Naturalists, Merritt BC ,Ca
File Photo KDG
The February meeting of the Nicola Naturalist will be a presentation on Big Horn Sheep. Edyta Myrcisz.
Originally from Poland, Edyta was drawn to Canada by its vastness, nature and wildlife. She is currently a graduate student at Thompson Rivers University and works in collaboration with Gerad Hales of FLNRORD (Wildlife Management). Using massive data sets collected from Bighorns fitted with satellite-tracking collars, she is looking at long-distance forays by rams in several Bighorn herds, and also the general distribution of these herds. Contact with domestic sheep is of particular interest, because recent declines in one Thompson Region population is thought to result from disease linked with domestic sheep.
Source Nicola Naturalists
The meetings start at 7PM at he Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, free parking no food or drink in the lecture theater, membership or donation requested.
Dr Kerridge gives a talk on bats at local college
File photo KDG
Thursday January 16th 2019 the Nicola Naturalists start off their 2020 schedule with a presentation on bats by Paul Mozin.
Paul Mozin is a biologist with the Nicola Watershed Stewardship and Fisheries Authority (Scw’exmx Tribal Council). This group has undertaken an ambitious project to inventory and monitor the bat species in the Nicola Valley. Paul will be presenting the results from last year’s bat inventory, some background on endangered bat species in the Nicola Valley and some actions their group has taken this year. Come and learn more about these important but poorly understood citizens of the night.
A returning Salmon rises out of the water at the Nicola river Hyway 8 train bridge walking trail, Merritt BC August 12th/16 Photo KDG
There is a speaker and topic change at this months Nicola Naturalists Society meeting. Tom Willms will present on the thermal disparities of the Nicola river.
Tom Willms is a PhD candidate with UNBC, an Instructor at NVIT, and an active member of the Nicola Naturalist Society. He will share some of his research in characterization of thermal refuge habitat in the Nicola River and the importance of these refugia to salmonid fish. His work explores groundwater-surface water interactions in streams and uses some new technologies, including drone-based thermal imagery.
Free parking membership or donation requested.
There is free parking and an opportunity for membership in the society at the meeting. No food or beverage in the lecture theater.
On this Day: November 19th 1998
Van Gogh ‘s Artist wiith out a beard sells for over 70 million dollars US.
Nicola Naturalist Society November meeting 20th at 7PM NVIT lecture theater.
[NOTE – this meeting is on Wednesday and not our usual Thursday]
An active member of our club, Loretta has been involved in the Burrowing Owl Recovery Program for several years. The goal is to re-establish these tiny owls as a viable breeding population on their past range in the interior grasslands. There are several sites in the Nicola Valley where captive-bred owls are released and breed successfully. Loretta will explain the difficulties and successes of this worthy program.
A borrowing owl up close
File photo KDG
The Naturalists always say all welcome, membership or donation requested. NO food or drinks in lecture theater.
Alan Burger and a speaker discuss a presentation, Nicola Naturalists, Merritt BC ,Ca
File Photo KDG
The Nicola Naturalists are having their annual members meeting tonight at 7: PM. The
As usual, we kick off the fall with our popular Photo Night – always an amazing collection of local nature pics taken by our members during the summer. We keep the required AGM business meeting short – but this is a good time to discuss any options or new directions for our club. The club always needs members to volunteer as directors, field outing leaders and much more, so please contact one of the directors to volunteer to help run the club
Source NNS
The club meets on Belshaw road in Merritt’s NVIT campus , top of the hill, the fall sessions are on Wednesdays as a change from the regular third Thursday of the month.
The Nicola Naturalists last presentation meeting of the season is titled “Once they were Hats.” Beavers in the Canadian ecology.
Beaver
castor canadensis
Thursday May 16th 2019, 7 PM at NVIT Lecture Theatre: Frances Backhouse – “Once they were hats” The biology of beavers and their role in Canada’s history. [This presentation was postponed in 2017 due to weather – rescheduled by popular demand] Biologist and author Frances Backhouse has published books on a wide range of nature topics, including owls and woodpeckers, and also on historical topics such as the women in the Klondike gold rush. Her latest book examines humanity’s 15,000-year relationship with Castor canadensis, and the beaver’s even older relationship with North American landscapes and ecosystems. This will be a fascinating presentation blending biology and history. Some of you have heard Frances’s recent CBC Radio Ideas program on beavers.
The society says all welcome, membership or donation requested.
On this Day: May 14th 1918
Two minutes silence is used for the first time, by Sir Harry Hands.
Alan Burger and a speaker discuss a presentation, Nicola Naturalists, Merritt BC ,Ca File Photo KDG
The Nicola Naturalists are having their February meeting on February 21st 2019. Francis Iredale will present on Grizzly bears in the south Chilcotin.
Everyone loves hearing about Grizzly Bears and the presentation by Francis Iredale is especially worth attending. Since 2008 Francis has worked for the Province to conserve and manage species at risk and big game animals in the Thompson Region. He enjoys collaborating with indigenous communities and non-government organizations towards the long-term conservation of local wildlife populations. For several years Francis has been studying the special relationship that Grizzly Bears in the dry mountains of the Chilcotin have with Whitebark Pine in the fall. Understanding the resource use of these bears is essential to build up their diminished population. At the same time, the selection of Whitebark Pine needs to be understood for the conservation of this endangered tree species. Not to be missed!
Source Nicola Naturalists
The meeting time is 7PM at the NVIT lecture theater, free parking, no food or drink in the theater. The group is fond of saying all welcome membership or donation requested.
Alan is giving a presentation at the Merritt Library on Tuesday the 19th as well.
Forestry service building Merritt BC, Canada .Plaque`s for service. File photo KDG
January 17th 2018, Richard Chavez
The Nicola Naturalists are having their January monthly meeting on the 17th at the NVIT lecture theater top of the hill Belshaw avenue in Merritt. Richard Chavez will present Silviculture: More than Just Planting Trees.
Silviculture, the science of trees in the treatment of a forest, is highly relevant to our local forestry-based economy and ecology. Human population increase and changing climate has put pressure on forest resources. Has our understanding and application of silviculture kept pace with these changes? Are our forestry practices keeping up with modern demands? This talk reviews current practices and other factors that challenge foresters, and possible ways to improve forest management. Richard Chavez is an Registered Professional Forester with Aspen Planers. He has a degree in Forest Engineering and a Master of Forestry degree from Yale University. Richard has extensive experience in silviculture, ecology and forest planning in tropical and temperate forests.