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.
Dr. David Punter, Retired Professor of Botany from the U of M
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. A field trip will be offered in the late summer.
Kelley will show you how her garden went from dirt and gravel to an oasis for people, plants, and wildlife. With 20 years of gardening experience, she’ll share tips and photos on how her garden grew. After attending a Naturescape program, she made a decision to change the direction of her garden. She added more native plantings to draw in even more birds and butterflies. The Spring Migration of 2013 was a roaring success, bringing in many varieties of warblers, sparrows, woodpeckers and hawks, as well as a few of her favourites like waxwings and orioles.
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.
Dr. Randy Mooi, Curator of Zoology at The Manitoba Museum
What more could there be to know about bison in Manitoba? Were you aware that five species of bison have wandered across the province over the last 40,000 years, including one twice as big as the ones we see at the zoo and having horns 2 metres wide! Using examples from specimens held at The Manitoba Museum, Dr. Mooi will explore some of the unique and sometimes quirky history of these magnificent animals through the fossil record and even the Provincial and Winnipeg archives. He will also give you a sneak preview of a new permanent exhibit planned for the Museum.
Milan Lukes, Manitoba’s 2015 Provincial Giant Pumpkin Growing Champion
Milan Lukes has a passion for the colour orange, for pumpkins and for competing! Mentored by Manitoba’s provincial pumpkin growing champions, retired farmers, soil scientists and manure experts, this past October Milan was crowned Manitoba’s 2015 Provincial Giant Pumpkin Growing Champion (1st and 2nd place). Milan’s presentation will discuss the many intricacies of growing giant pumpkins and will focus on the role science and genetics play in “growing the big one”. These skill would be transferable to growing regular squash plants.
Join Ward in this multi-media workshop on the basics of raptor identification. Learn about where and when to look for hawks
in migration and what to look for when you attempt to identify them. Your enjoyment of these majestic birds can begin here. In the field, participants will practice identifying hawks from some of the best viewing sites in Manitoba.
Manitoba harbours a fine array of shorebirds and they will soon start to return from warmer climes. Some are difficult to identify but with the help of this workshop, the task may be a bit easier. We will look at some slides and reference materials and we will also discuss some of the best places in Manitoba to see them.
