Christian Artuso: Manitoba Program Manager, Bird Studies Canada and Chair of Manitoba IBA Committee
We will examine Manitoba's regularly occurring Tyrant flycatchers (Family Tyrannidae), plus a vagrant and potential vagrants. This will include an overview of the family, including a little of its evolutionary history; for example, do you know what makes this family unique amongst Manitoba's passerine families? We will discuss each species' distribution and habitat, key behavioural aspects, and, of course, how to identify this tricky bunch by sight and by sound.
Ted McLachlan, Retired Professor from the Department of Landscape Architecture, U of M
Ted's presentation will explore how we can rethink our home environment to create a landscape of seasonal mystery, intrigue and delight. We can make nature accessible, whether standing at the kitchen sink or playing in the sandbox.
Bill Watkins: Biodiversity Conservation Zoologist with the Wildlife and Fisheries Branch of Manitoba Sustainable Development & Sarah Watkins: Education Programming Consultant
Have you ever wondered how palaeontologists seem to know everything about a long-extinct species from a few skull and jaw fragments? Or how investigators can identify a predator from bite marks on a dead animal? Perhaps you have found a skull with attached jaw and wondered what kind of animal it was from, what it ate or how it lived. This workshop will teach you how to “read” skulls by observing the differences between carnivores, herbivores and omnivores, and between predators and prey.
Kateryn Rochon, Assistant Professor of Veterinary and Wildlife Entomology at the U of M
Wood tick, deer tick, dog tick, blacklegged tick: what's the difference and why do you need to know? Come learn all about ticks! The program will cover common human/pet biting species in Manitoba, their life cycle, some of the pathogens they can transmit, how to protect yourself from tick bites and what to do if you get a bite anyway.
Dr. David Punter, Retired Professor of Botany from the University of Manitoba
Morels are the mushrooms that appear in the spring while most other fungi can be found in late August and September. Participants in this workshop will begin learning to identify mushrooms in time for the morel season.
Native plants in your garden can be a benefit to wildlife as well as being hardy and easy to maintain. Marilyn will show images of a variety of native species and discuss their use in different landscaping types and conditions. Special mention will be made of plants that are bee, butterfly and hummingbird magnets.
Christian Artuso, MB Program Manager, Bird Studies Canada & Chair of MB IBA Committee
Manitoba harbours a fine array of shorebirds, sometimes in spectacular concentrations, and they will soon start to return from warmer climes. Of the 41 species on the Manitoba list, 11 breed in southern Manitoba (including some more widespread species), 11 breed in northern Manitoba, 11 are passage migrants (do not breed in the province), 6 are rare, 1 extirpated and 1 probably extinct. Shorebirds are often considered difficult to identify, but with the help of this workshop, the task may become a bit easier.
Join Ward on a survey of electronic birding resources. He will guide you through a visit to web-based resources, electronic gadgets and tools, e-books, software and more. Find out how these resources can help you with listing, identification and birding while travelling.
Carex (sedges), with over 2100 species, is the world's largest flowering plant genus. Distributed across every continent except Antarctica, these grass-like plants grow in a diversity of habitats including many of the plant communities found here in Manitoba. Although Vietnamese Carex represent a fraction of global sedge diversity (ca. 85 species), they have proven to be key to understanding the evolution and radiation of this incredibly diverse group of plants.
Jerry Ameis and Sean Worden, Ardent Backcountry Campers
This backcountry-oriented workshop focuses on food planning (nutrition, amount, taste) and preparation (dehydrating, packaging, stove and wood fire cooking). It applies to short and long hiking and canoeing trips. The menus range from gourmet to minimalist approaches. Some food preparation equipment will be on display and some recipes will be available. A sampling of backcountry food is included. The workshop also addresses drinking water treatment.
Spring is a great time to start birding, and Manitoba is a great place for birds. This workshop will cover the equipment you will need, the principles of bird identification, where to look for birds and the variety of birds to be found in Manitoba.
The Yukon is a place of extremes, yet Red Squirrels are able to meet these challenges year after year. In this talk, I will summarize a year in the life of Yukon Red Squirrels, highlighting how these animals are able to survive and reproduce in this harsh environment.
Do you want to know if you are ready to attend an intermediate-advanced level Nature Manitoba outing? This presentation is geared to those members that have a desire to begin backcountry trips and are unsure if they have the skills, knowledge and equipment to move beyond the campground. A two-hour information session will be followed by an actual hands-on backcountry outing in May* where participants can apply and practise introductory skills. Successful completion of part one should enable participants to confidently judge if they can attend the more advanced Nature Manitoba outings.
Rod Kueneman, VP of Sustainable South Osborne Community Co-operative (SSOCC)
SSOCC is part of an urban food movement which seeks to grow local organic food in a sustainable way while fostering self-reliance and community self-reliance. We work with plant and animal communities to build ecological webs of life in small gardens and orchards, which operate as community commons. We help to design and manage these local places to build soil fertility without the use of fertilizers and to manage pests and diseases without the use of chemical poisons.
