This list posting, published by FORREX Forum for Research and Extension in Natural Resources, is supported in part by BC Ministry of Forests and Range through the Forest Investment Account, Forest Science Program. For details or to contact FORREX, visit www.forrex.org
Y2Y announces 2009 Partner Grants Program
The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y, http://www.y2y.net/home.aspx) is pleased to announce its 2009 Partner Grants Program. Application deadline is March 27, 2009. Check out eligibility criteria for this funding source at http://www.y2y.net/Default.aspx?cid=384&lang=1
Alberta‘s Species at Risk Strategy for 2009-2014
“Alberta has a well-established and comprehensive program for the conservation and recovery of species at risk. Starting the Species at Risk program in the mid-1980s resulted in the completion of general and detailed status evaluations and recovery planning for many species. Alberta’s Strategy for the Management of Species at Risk (2009-2014), provides direction and identifies priorities for the next five years for Albertans and Alberta government staff involved in species at risk recovery teams, advisory committees, and project partnerships.” http://www.srd.alberta.ca/fishwildlife/speciesatrisk/strategy2009/default.aspx
B.C. Breeding Bird Atlas
The Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Compensation program is helping fund the BC Breeding Bird Atlas which uses volunteers – including 135 from the Columbia Basin – to record sightings of breeding birds and their habitats. In year one, more than 5,000 local records of breeding birds have been entered in the Atlas. This science-based understanding is key to conservation planning for breeding birds.
Online Survey for Ecological Restoration Practitioners
“The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) International is conducting a survey of individuals engaged in the practice of ecological restoration – the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Ecological restoration is an intentional activity that initiates or accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem with respect to its health, integrity, and sustainability. Understanding the skills and experience that practitioners bring to the field of restoration will enable the Society to develop programs, like professional certification, that best meet the needs of the growing number of practitioners with the overall goal of improving the quality of restoration projects”.
Species At Risk Task Force Announced
The Association of BC Forest Professionals and the College of Applied Biology have recently announced a joint venture to review and revise the “Managing for Species at Risk” document (ABCFP, 2003) in order to reflect the needs of Biology and Forestry professionals. The project will run from January to March 31, 2009. The ABCFP and CAB will be assisted in this endeavour by a task force consisting of the following: Consultant Ben van Drimmelen, RPBio, RPF, LLB; Ian Adams, RPBio; Jeff Fisher, RPF; Helen Davis, RPBio; Megan Hanacek, RPBio, RPF; Peter O’Brien, RPF; Wayne Wall, RPBio. Questions on this project may be directed to: Sharon Glover, CEO, ABCFP sglover@abcfp.ca or Linda Michaluk, Executive Director, College of Applied Biology executivedirector@cab-bc.org.
Adapting Forest Management to Climate Change
How can forest managers respond to and prepare for climate change in BC? While we’re some distance from having all the answers, a lot of work has been going on through the Future Forest Ecosystems Initiative (FFEI). Learn about this progress through a new newsletter that describes current thinking of some ministry scientists and members of the FFEI team. The first of a series of newsletters is posted at http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/ffei. If you want to be notified about future editions, you can also subscribe to the news service by going to http://lists.gov.bc.ca/mailman/listinfo/l_for_ffei_news and “Subscribing to L_for_FFEI_News”
Special Investigation Report on Fish Passage at Stream Crossings
The number of stream crossings within BC is constantly increasing due to new road development. Government estimates that there are approximately 370,000 stream crossings in the province, of which about 76,000 are culverts on fish streams. This Forest Practices Board report presents the results of an investigation of fish passage at stream crossings in 19 watersheds in the central and northern interior and on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. In total, 1,110 crossings of fish-bearing streams were examined.
Prescribed Burning and Big Trees: Can We Do It Without Killing the Trees?
The Joint Fire Science Program (http://www.firescience.gov/index.cfm) has recently released this interesting fire science brief discussing some management options to protect large trees when conducting prescribed burns.
The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review: Guidelines for Identifying Business Risks & Opportunities Arising from Ecosystem Change
“Companies depend on the services that healthy ecosystems provide such as freshwater, wood, water purification, pollination, natural hazard protection, among others. Degradation of these “ecosystem services,” therefore, can pose a number of risks to corporate performance, as well as create new business opportunities. Unfortunately, many companies often fail to make the connection between the health of ecosystems and the business bottom line”. The Ecosystem Services Review, an initiative of the World Resources Institute, is designed to meet this need.
New U.S. Climate Change Science Program reports on ecosystems and biodiversity
The U.S. Climate Change Science Program recently announced the completion of its 21 Synthesis and Assessment Products. Among them, two new reports addressing ecosystems and biodiversity:
1. Thresholds of Climate Change in Ecosystems
2. The effects of climate change on agriculture, land resources, water resources, and biodiversity. Chapter 5 (Biodiversity)
Strengthening Marine and Freshwater Conservation in BC
On November 21, 2008 the Marine Conservation Caucus (MCC) hosted a one-day workshop to discuss a variety of opportunities and challenges facing organizations involved in marine and freshwater conservation in BC, and to explore ways to strengthen collaboration amongst the marine and freshwater conservation community.
Workshop Summary Report and some key presentations…
Advancing Conservation in a Social Context
“The issue of how to more effectively practice conservation in a context that is unmistakably, and inextricably, social has emerged as a dominant unresolved question in conservation. Advancing Conservation in a Social Context (ACSC) is a five-year interdisciplinary research initiative designed to generate knowledge about, and promote potential solutions to, the trade-offs that characterize these complex ecological and social relationships. Learn about this initiative and the survey on the relationship between conservation and development goals that ACSC is currently conducting at: http://www.tradeoffs.org/static/index.php.”
PICS new releases on climate change planning and carbon sequestration in BC
“The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) has recently released a paper that explores climate challenges facing BC in the context of nine top-of-mind issues; explores local, national and international responses; and proposes recommendations designed to facilitate “smart adaptation” strategies that acknowledge the links between adaptation to unavoidable climate impacts and mitigation. Click here to download a pdf copy of the report. Additionally, PICS has also released a new report on carbon sequestration and management options for BC. Click here to access the report.”
Wetland news podcast
The Swamp School, a US-based organization that provides discipline-focused education and training in environmental and wetlands management has free podcasts discussing various current wetland-related issues and topics.
Earth Hour – March 28, 2009 8:30 pm
http://earthhour.org
News
January 20, 2009 – How bad is the extinction crisis?
“A rare piece of good news from the world of conservation: the global extinction crisis may have been overstated. The world is unlikely to lose 100 species a day, or half of all species in the lifetime of people now alive, as some have claimed. The bad news, though, is that the lucky survivors are tiny tropical insects that few people care about. The species that are being lost rapidly are the large vertebrates that conservationists were worried about in the first place. This new view of the prospects for biodiversity emerged from a symposium recently held at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, but the controversy over how bad things really are has been brewing since 2006.”
January 23, 2009 – Climate change has doubled forest mortality
“The death rate of the most stable and resilient forests in western North America has doubled during the past few decades as the climate has warmed, according to research recently published.”
January 30, 2009 – Rising acidity is threatening food web of oceans
“The oceans have long buffered the effects of climate change by absorbing a substantial portion of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. But this benefit has a catch: as the gas dissolves, it makes seawater more acidic. Now an international panel of marine scientists says this acidity is accelerating so fast it threatens the survival of coral reefs, shellfish and the marine food web generally.”
February 2, 2009 – Dive into the oceans with Google Earth
“Very little is known about oceans. That’s why very little – less than one percent – of the Earth’s oceans are protected, compared to 12 percent of the land surface. ‘Ocean in Google Earth’, lets virtual voyagers find out what marine species live where and discover marine protected areas, one of the best tools for protecting our oceans”.
February 3, 2009 – Climate change might be altering waters along US west coast
“The spectre of an ocean floor littered with dead shellfish, rock fish, sea stars and other marine life off the Oregon coast spurred Mark Snyder, a climate change expert, to investigate whether California’s coast faced a similar calamity. Something to look into that may be affecting BC’s coastal environments.”
February 6, 2009 – Silent invasion of invasive plants prompts action in BC
“Invasive plants are silently invading British Columbia at an alarming rate, negatively impacting the economy, environment, and human health. Even without the effects of global warming, invasive plants are costing millions of dollars each year in rising management costs and lost productivity to industry. To address this growing issue, more than 125 experts as well as a diversity of high caliber speakers in the field of invasive plant management attended the Invasive Plant Council of British Columbia’s (IPCBC) Annual Public Forum and AGM held in Richmond, January 20 to 21, 2009.”
Read about the outcomes of this meeting…
February 19, 2009 – BC protects 2 million hectares for mountain caribou
“The B.C. government is acting to protect the mountain caribou and its habitat by limiting disturbances to the animals in a large portion of the province’s mountainous backcountry, Environment Minister Barry Penner announced.”
February 20, 2009 – Bubbles of warming, beneath the ice
“As permafrost thaws in the Arctic, huge pockets of methane – a potent greenhouse gas – could be released into the atmosphere. Experts are only beginning to understand how disastrous that could be.”
February 25, 2009 – Groups urge protection of fishers
“The Northern Rockies fisher, a member of the weasel family, is in serious decline and warrants protection under the U.S. federal Endangered Species Act, four groups say in a petition sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday.”
Feb 26, 2009 – Study: Wind farms could harm wildlife
“A new study by a leading conservation organization warns that construction of wind farms could pose a high risk to wildlife habitat on 8 million acres of land in Montana.”
Feb 26, 2009 – Banff bison considered again
“A proposal to investigate bringing bison back to Banff National Park is once again on the table. Parks Canada had earlier indicated it was not willing to move ahead with the idea after the province of Alberta voiced strong opposition, but the issue was back on the table at a recent science workshop in Banff (Feb 18-19).”
March 1, 2009 – On the Brink
“At least 16 of Canada’s at risk plants and animal species took another step towards extinction over the last three years, according to a new governmen
t report.”
March 2, 2009 – Where does the wildlife cross the road?
“The Montana Department of Transportation is studying animal behavior near roads in order to reduce the number of collisions.”
March 4, 2009 – Bill proposed to get tough on polluters, poachers, wildlife smugglers
“Canada’s federal government vowed to get tough on polluters, poachers and wildlife smugglers with legislation Wednesday that boosts penalties to as high as $1 million for individuals, and $6 million for large corporations guilty of crimes against the environment.”
March 6, 2009 – Searching for Signs of Spring
“Leading groundhog authorities and the calendar tell us it’s just a few weeks away, but depending on where you are in Canada, looking outside your window might bring on more of a spring chill than spring fever.”
March 6, 2009 – Issues Update: Species at Risk
“Did you know there are 23 new species proposed to be added to the Species at Risk Act (SARA)?”
March 12th, 2009 – Grizzlies using highway crossings
“Grizzly bears are using wildlife structures to cross the deadly Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park more and more each year. Researchers with the Banff Wildlife Crossings Project say use of the structures is on an upward trend, increasing every year since monitoring began more than 12 years ago, from five crossings in 1996 to 177 last summer.”
March 18, 2009 – Coalition urges an end to trophy hunting of B.C. bears
“Aboriginal groups stood in solidarity Tuesday with one of the world’s biggest animal rights organizations in demanding the provincial government ban widely unpopular trophy hunting of bears on the B.C. coast.”
March 19, 2009 – One Third of U.S. Bird Species Endangered, Survey Finds
“Habitat destruction, pollution and other problems have left nearly a third of the nation’s 800 bird species endangered, threatened or in serious decline, according to a study issued on Thursday.”
Events
Call For Papers; Call For Abstracts; New Additions
Conferences
May 20-22, 2009. 2009 BC Land Summit. Whistler, BC.
The 2009 BC Land Summit will be an interdisciplinary conference organized by six professional organizations, all of whom share ties to land use in British Columbia and who will combine their 2009 annual conferences into this exciting joint venture.
June 1-3, 2009. E-Biosphere 09: International Conference on Biodiversity Informatics. London, UK.
Biodiversity Informatics is a young field that is making diverse classes of biodiversity data available online and putting these data to work for science and society. This Conference will highlight the accomplishments, capabilities and uses of Biodiversity Informatics and will gather community input for a 5-10 year research roadmap. The conference organizers have also created a series of electronic discussion forums under the umbrella of the “Online Conference Community”.
CFA – June 21-24, 2009. Urban Wildlife Ecology and Management: An International Symposium on Urban Wildlife and the Environment. Amherst, MA.
The program committee for the symposium is soliciting abstracts for oral presentations and posters, to be submitted by February 2, 2009.
June 22-24 and 25-29, 2009. International Congress “Biodiversity Hotspots in the Mediterranean Area: species, communities and landscape level”. Cagliari, Italy.
The congress will have three different sessions and include the following parallel side events:
– Plant species and communities in the Mediterranean mining areas: biodiversity, landscape evolution and their use in phytoremediation;
– Important plant areas in Italy and in the Mediterranean context.
– Origins of endemic plants to the Corso-Sardinian microplate: an integrative phylogenetic approach;
– Conservation studies on threatened plants in the Mediterranean area.
CFP – July-10, 2009. 15th International Interdisciplinary Conference on the Environment. Daytona Beach, FL.
The Interdisciplinary Environmental Association, an international organization committed to an interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary approach to environmental issues, is now accepting submissions of papers and posters for the 15th IICE. Areas of special interest for this event include: Coastal Resource Impacts and Management; Environmental Ethics; Regional Water Resources and Pollution Issues; Environmental Impacts of Tourism; Climate Change and Coastal Areas; Creative Visions of the Changing Landscape;and The Economics of Sustainability. For further information, contact Dr. Kimberly Reiter, Conference Chair, at kreiter@stetson.edu, or go to http://www.ieaonline.org/conference.htm.
July 8-11, 2009. Stewardship & Conservation in Canada 2009. Calgary, AB.
This conference will build upon the 2006 national stewardship conference in Newfoundland.
CFP – August 2-7, 2009. 94th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America. Albuquerque, NM.
The theme for the meeting is “Ecological Knowledge and a Global Sustainable Society”, and proposals related to this theme are highly encouraged.
CFP/CFA – August 9-12, 2009. First International Congress on Sustainability Science and Engineering: Where science and engineered technologies meet the needs of society. Cincinnati, OH.
This congress will provide a common platform to practitioners of various physical and ecological sciences, engineering fields, economics, and social sciences for exchanging emerging ideas about ways and means of protecting the environment and its resource depletion so that humans can achieve sustained economic growth and societal benefits through generations. Products, processes, and systems for sustainability are among the major focus of this conference.
CFA – August 23-27, 2009. SER World Conference on Ecological Restoration. Perth, Australia.
This is the 19th International conference of the Society for Ecological Restoration International and the theme this year is Making Change in a Changing World.
CFA – August 30 – September 1, 2009. Ecopath 25 years Conference. Vancouver, BC.
‘Ecopath: 25 years’ Conference is being planned to be held at Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia. The meeting is intended to be an international scientific reunion on ecosystem modelling using the software Ecopath and Ecosim (EwE), providing a global overview of the advancement of Ecopath with Ecosim modelling approach in the fields of fisheries management, ecosystem comparisons, spatial analyses, climate impacts, and ecosystem-based management. Limited to 120 participants.
September 8-12, 2009. 5th International Martes Symposium. University of Washington, Seattle.
The theme of this symposium will be “Biology and Management of Martens and Fishers: a New Synthesis”.
CFP – October 6-9, 2009. International Society for Ecological Modelling 2009 Conference. Quebec City, PQ.
The theme for this conference is “Ecological Models for Enhanced Sustainability in Management”. In addition to workshops, there will be opportunities for oral presentations, as well as poster sessions. The deadline for submissions is May 1, 2009.
October 18-25, 2009. The XIII World Forestry Congress 2009. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Workshops
March 19-22, 2009. Synthesizing Ecology and Evolution for the Study of Invasive Species. North Lake Tahoe, CA.
This workshop promotes the integration of ecological and evolutionary perspectives and approaches into the study of invasive species. The workshop will consist of talks by invited speakers, group discussions, and posters sessions. Conference attendance is limited to 100 participants. For further info, please contact Kristina Schierenbeck (Ka.Schierenbeck@ARS.USDA.GOV).
March 27-29, repeated April 24-26 and May 22-24, 2009. Bird Banding & Monitoring Workshop. Vancouver, BC.
The Vancouver Avian Research Centre offers courses related to bird identification and bird banding. The 3 day introductory course consists of presentations, specimen study, field mist-netting, banding, and processing. The workshop has been developed for people with little or no bird banding or bird in the hand experience and provides a fantastic opportunity to see birds up close and personal, to learn about their plumages, molt sequences, and life habits.
March 30 – April 3, 2009. American Museum of Natural History training workshop: Species Distribution Modeling, Arizona
Applications are now being accepted for the training workshop Species Distribution Modeling, to be held at the American Museum of Natural History’s Southwestern Research Station, Arizona.
May 26-27, 2009. Ecological Approaches to Invasive Plant Management. Revelstoke, BC.
This intensive, content-heavy two day course will present an ecological approach to invasive plant management, where vegetation management systems are designed to work with natural successional processes. The first day is a classroom session, and the second is a hands-on field day with the participants evaluating and treating a site. Class size is limited to 25 people.
June 1-5, 2009. GIS and Remote Sensing for Wildlife Managers. Washington, DC.
This short course offered by the Smithsonian National Zoological Park’s Conservation and Research Center will provide wildlife managers with a working knowledge about the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing to the monitoring and management of wildlife and forest vegetation. Exercises in establishing locations with a Global Positioning System (GPS), data input into a GIS, and spatial analysis techniques for GIS will provide hands-on and real world experience during the course.
June 21-27, 2009. Wetlands Institute, Kamloops BC.
Stewardship coordinators, city planners, teachers, First Nations, ministry and municipality staff, NGO staff, business leaders, university students and youth working in the environmental field from around North America are all invited to attend the seven day Wetlands Institute. This intensive field experience will teach participants how to conduct wetland restoration, construction, and stewardship projects in the community of Kamloops, enabling participants to share the learning in their home communities. Participants will leave with the necessary skills to address wetland issues and with the knowledge to help maintain wetland habitat across North America. For further information, please contact Carolyn Anne Budgell, BCWF’S Wetlands Coordinator (wetlands@bcwf.bc.ca, 604-970-9707).
August 26-28, 2009. Ecopath Introductory Workshop. Vancouver, BC.
Prior to the Ecopath 25 years Conference, this workshop provides an introduction to Ecopath with Ecosim uses working in the new version of the software (EwE6). Limited to 30 participants.
September 2-3, 2009. Ecopath Specialized Workshops. Vancouver, BC.
Following the Ecopath 25 years Conference, this workshop provides training on the applications of the EwE 6 software, tentatively focusing on: Ecoseed (spatial optimizations), economic modeling, interoperability and plug-ins, and gaming. Limited to 120 participants.
Other Events 
March 18, 2009. Mountain Pine Beetle and Watershed Hydrology. E-lecture.
As part of the Canadian Institute of Forestry/FORREX National Electronic Lecture Series on Science, Sustainability, and Innovation, Series 1 addresses “Disturbance Effects on Watershed Function”.
March 27, 2009. Symposium on “Prairie and Savanna Restoration: The State of the Art and Science”. Normal, Illinois.
April 15, 2009. Potential effects of climate change on Hydrology, Geomorphology and Aquatic Ecology in BC. E-lecture.
As part of the Canadian Institute of Forestry/FORREX National Electronic Lecture Series on Science, Sustainability, and Innovation, Series 1 addresses “Disturbance Effects on Watershed Function”.
April 20/22, 2009. Help endangered Sturgeon. Creston/Castlegar, BC.
The Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative http://www.uppercolumbiasturgeon.org is releasing juvenile sturgeons into the Columbia and Kootenay Rivers as part of ongoing efforts to help an endangered species. You can help!!
April 22, 2009. Prince George Small Stream Management Project – Small Stream Riparian Research in the BC Sub-Boreal: Findings & Management Considerations. E-lecture.
As part of the Canadian Institute of Forestry/FORREX National Electronic Lecture Series on Science, Sustainability, and Innovation, Series 1 addresses “Disturbance Effects on Watershed Function”.
May 7-8, 2009. Columbia Mountains Institute of Applied Ecology – Annual Researchers’ Meeting. Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, BC.
With an open theme for presentations this year, this event is a great opportunity to present on whatever you’ve got to say. If you have a project report or a new initiative, you are welcome to give a presentation or bring a poster. Field trips are planned for May 7, and presentations for May 8.
May 8-10, 2009. Epic Vancouver – The Vancouver Sun Sustainable Living Expo. Vancouver, BC.
EPIC: The Vancouver Sun Sustainable Living Expo is Vancouver’s largest green consumer show and eco-marketplace. Visit EPIC to learn about environmentally-friendly products and companies that mix style and quality with sustainability.
May 20, 2009. Stream Temperature Response to Forest Management and Natural Disturbance. E-lecture.
As part of the Canadian Institute of Forestry/FORREX National Electronic Lecture Series on Science, Sustainability, and Innovation, Series 1 addresses “Disturbance Effects on Watershed Function”.
May 28-29, 2009. Conserving Wetlands in British Columbia. Revelstoke, BC.
Reservoir creation, settlement, agricultural activities, transportation corridors, and other factors have eliminated many wetland complexes or diminished their natural form and function. At this two-day event we will examine the past, present, and possible future extent of wetlands; the reasons for these changes; and how a combination of conservation, management, restoration, stewardship strategies, and on-the-ground projects, can improve the ecological values of British Columbia’s wetlands.
July 15-18, 2009. Botany BC 2009. Muncho Lake Provincial Park / Liard Hot Springs, BC.
Botany BC is an annual meeting of botanists and plant enthusiasts of British Columbia and is open to anyone interested in plants regardless of skill level. Field trips will visit sites on alluvial flood plains, the alpine, and wetlands. Registration and detailed program are posted on the Botany BC website. Space is limited. To be notified as details develop please contact Elizabeth Easton at elizabeth.easton@gov.bc.ca.
July 18-20, 2009. Fifth Snake Ecology Group Meeting. Donnelly, Idaho.
Plans are currently underway for the 5th Snake Ecology Group meeting, to be held in beautiful west-central Idaho. Activities will include symposia on current topics in snake ecology such as conservation genetics, contributed papers, social time, and field trips to study sites in Idaho.
September, 2009. FORREX – Science to Management Forums. Kamloops, Nanaimo and Prince George, BC.
FORREX, in partnership with the FIA-Forest Science Program (FSP), the BC Ministry of Forests and Range, the BC Ministry of Environment and other partners, invites you to participate in one of at least three regional information and strategy science forums. The forums will take place in September 2009, and are tentatively scheduled for Kamloops, Nanaimo, and Prince George. If you are a natural resource professional, policy manager, community leader, or research professional from the natural resource community, these forums are for you.
The Science Forums will:
-Create venues for communicating recent regional developments in natural resource management science and innovation (including FSP-funded research);
-Bring the research and resource management communities together regionally to present, discuss, and problem-solve on issues related to the sustainable management of southern, coastal, and northern ecosystems; and
-Identify gaps in our understanding of the management of our ecosystems, and initiate discussion on addressing these gaps through co-operative extension and research
The major themes for these regional forums will be identified shortly. Please visit the science forum website regularly for updates and registration details.
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