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.
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 practice introductory skills. Successful completion of part one should enable participants to confidently judge if they can attend the more advanced Nature Manitoba outings.
Richard Staniforth, Retired Professor of Botany from the U of W
Get to know some of Manitoba’s most ancient plants! Despite our harsh climate, about 30 species of ferns are found in Manitoba swamps, rich woods and even on dry rock out-croppings. Find out about their curious life histories, where to search for them and how to grow them from spores.
Jay Anderson, Retired Environment Canada Meteorologist
The Milky Way galaxy is just one of a collection of 54 galaxies known as the Local Group, all bound together in a gravitational hug. As galaxy clusters go, it’s a small one, with only three large galaxies and a retinue of smaller dwarf galaxies. The whole group extends across a span of ten million light years. The Milky Way is the second-largest of the members of the collection! This presentation will introduce you to the members of the group and their personalities. Some are quiet, withdrawn and shy; others are bold and aggressive.
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE - Lab Room 203, Animal Science/Entomology Building at the University of Manitoba, corner of University Crescent and Dafoe Road. Parking is free after 4:30 behind the Entomology Building, except in areas marked “24 hour reserved”.
David Punter, Retired Professor of Botany, 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. A field trip will be offered in the late summer.
Jennifer West, Astronomy Instructor, University of Manitoba
In this workshop, I will present an overview of the kinds of objects that make up our universe: asteroids, planets, stars, galaxies and beyond. I will also try to give participants a sense of the enormous distances involved. The scale of our universe is truly mind-boggling!
Same presenter, different bird group! Ward is back again and will help us out with thrushes this year. He invites you to come out and learn more about these elusive forest songsters.
Get to know some of Manitoba’s most ancient plants! Despite our harsh climate, about 30 species of ferns are found in Manitoba swamps, rich woods and even on dry rock out-croppings. Find out about their curious life histories, where to search for them and how to grow them from spores.