Discovery Evenings

Winter 2010-2011

Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre, 340 Provencher Blvd.
Programs start 7:30 pm (Except March 21, 2011 - 7:00 pm)

Admission $2 for members and $3 for non-members.
Members must show a valid membership card at each Discovery Evening or contribute the non-member admission.

Presentation Descriptions

Monday, October 18th, 2010
Fisher Bay – Journey to
Establish a Provincial Park
Ron Thiessen
(Executive Director, CPAWS Manitoba)

Location: Salle Pauline Boutal on main floor

Located on the west side of Lake Winnipeg is a truly spectacular
boreal forest wilderness area called Fisher Bay. The Fisher River Cree Nation (FRCN), under the leadership of Chief David Crate, and the Canadian Parks and WildernessSociety (CPAWS) have formed a partnership for the purpose of creating a Fisher Bay provincial park to protect this unique part of Manitoba for nature, culture, and sustainable tourism opportunities. Ron Thiessen will tell us about the work that has been done over the past several years to protect Fisher Bay. The evening will include a presentation of the Prairie Crocus Award to Chief David Crate. For more information, see article on page 1 & 14 of the September/October issue of Nature Manitoba News..

Monday, October 25th, 2010 at 7:30pm
Thinking BIG About Ecosystems, Evolution and Life
A Special Nature Manitoba Event
Presented by John and Mary Theberge
(Authors of The Ptarmigan’s Dilemma)

Location: Le Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain, Salle Pauline Boutal on the main floor
Note: Admission: $5 for members and non-members

The “mystery of mysteries” is how life has managed to persist, despite
repeated global catastrophes, for almost four billion years on such a
restless and changeable planet, resulting – today – in the richest diversity of
all. The secrets of success lie in organization. In this illustrated talk, John and Mary Theberge take us on a journey of discovery to the wild places where they have studied wildlife.

Using the rapidly expanding knowledge about the natural world, they extract meaning from the wood duck’s plumage, and the ways Labrador caribou illustrate the principles of population regulation, and the significance
of the ptarmigan’s dilemma – which is the title of their newest book.
Summing up, they reflect on the significance of natural processes in an increasingly human-dominated world. Nature Manitoba is pleased to host John and Mary Theberge as part of their tour through Canada to
promote their book: The Ptarmigan’s Dilemma: An Exploration Into How Life Organizes and Supports Itself (McClelland & Stewart, $34.99).
Note: Copies be for sale in October from the Nature Manitoba Store and at the event.

Monday, November 1st, 2010
Severe Prairie Thunderstorms, Tornadogenesis and Storm Chasing
Dr. John Hanesiak
(Associate Professor, Dept. of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba)

Accurately predicting the location and timing of thunderstorm initiation (called convection initiation) and which storm(s) will produce tornadoes (called tornadogenesis) are currently two of the most perplexing issues in meteorology today. There are many factors that control both convection initiation and tornadogenesis, making these difficult to accurately predict on any given potential severe weather day. Weather forecasters, scientists and storm chasers (who can sometimes be all one and the same!) share the difficulties in making their predictions and improving our knowledge about convection initiation and tornadogenesis. The presentation will discuss what is currently known about these two phenomena, how they relate to storm chasing and the critical need for data, and will highlight some of the remaining issues yet to be resolved on the scientific frontier. The critical importance of weather warning dissemination and being prepared for summer severe weather will also be raised.

Monday, November 15th, 2010
From Wind Farms to White-Nose Syndrome: Challenges for the
Conservation of Manitoba Bats
Dr. Craig Willis
(Associate Professor, Dept. of Biology, University of Winnipeg)

Manitoba is home to 6 species of insect-eating bats which provide important ecosystem services and contribute to mammalian diversity in the province. The recent emergence of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in eastern North America represents an urgent threat to the three Manitoba species which hibernate during winter while industrial-scale wind energy development presents a conservation challenge for our other three species (which migrate). In particular, WNS is now considered to have caused the most rapid wildlife population declines in recorded history and could cause extinction of the little brown bat, currently Manitoba’s most common bat. Dr Willis will talk about the biology of these fascinating, misunderstood mammals and discuss research being done by his group to address both of these conservation issues.

Monday, November 29th, 2010
Manitoba’s Wild Wood Bison
Brian Joynt
(Regional Wildife Manager, Manitoba Conservation)

Few people realize Manitoba is home to a wild free-ranging herd of wood bison. This genetically pure and disease free population lives in the Northern Interlake and is an important part of the national recovery strategy for this threatened species. This presentation will provide information about Manitoba’s wild wood bison, including their history, biology, habitat and future management.

Monday, December 13th, 2010
Members ’ Night
1) Experience the Rockies in Winter
John Gray will introduce you to the beauty of the mountains in winter, and
to hut-based backcountry skiing in the Rocky Mountains.
2) Guyana – A Nature Lover’s Paradise
Join Lea Stogdale as she takes us on a trip to Guyana, a marvelous little
Caribbean-South American, Englishspeaking country with tropical rain forest, birds, animals and genuine people.

Monday, January 10th, 2011
Texas Wild: Wildlife on Texas Ranches
Dennis Fast
(Wildlife photographer, past president of the MNS, 1980-81)

Location: Salle Pauline Boutal on main floor

In April 2010 Dennis Fast participated in the bi-annual Images for Conservation Fund Pro-Tour competition to help promote the conservation of wildlife habitat on private lands in Texas. Twenty photographers from 5 countries were invited to spend a month on separate ranches attempting to photograph as much of the wildlife on each ranch as possible. The resulting images will then be used to produce a coffee-table book designed to showcase the beauty and variety of Texas wildlife. Dennis will share his experiences and photos from the two competitions in which he has participated. He promises you won’t want to miss the flowers, snakes, animals and insects (but no polar bears) that constitute the abundant diversity of southern Texas. He might even throw in a few bird photos!

Monday, January 24th, 2011
Effects of Climate Change on Contaminants in Arctic Ecosystems
Dr. Gary Stern
(DFO Research Chair, Centre for Earth Observation Science,
University of Manitoba)

Dr. Stern is a senior research scientistwith the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg) and a professor with the Centre for Earth Observation Science, Department of Geography, University of Manitoba. During his presentation he will share information about his research involving the study of environmental pathways of contaminants, including their delivery, transport, and elimination from Arctic marine and freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Dr. Stern will speak about climate variation which has been shown to alter, for example, sea ice dynamics, food web structure, and foraging of beluga and ringed seals.

Monday, February 7th, 2011
The Lake Winnipeg Foundation Commitment to Lake Winnipeg
Dr. Alex Salki
(Lake Winnipeg Foundation Board Member, Living Lakes Canada Liaison)

Established in 2005 as a charitable, non-profit ENGO by a group of concerned citizens, the Lake Winnipeg Foundation (www.lakewinnipegfoundation. org) is dedicated to restoring and protecting the health of Lake Winnipeg and its watershed. It promotes the use of scientifically-based, sustainable lake and watershed management practices in all economic activities. Over 80% of the money it raises is used to support projects intended to reduce nutrient and surface water loading to steams, to restore and preserve wetlands, to create new research data, and to provide student training in ecosystem science. Examples of funded projects will be provided. Recognizing water quality deterioration as a global problem, the Lake Winnipeg Foundation joined the Global Nature Fund’s Living Lakes Network, uniting with other ENGOs to confront the dilemma.

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011
(NOTE: Wednesday, not Monday!)
Grassland Conservation Plan for Prairie Grouse in North America
Dr. Richard Baydack
(Professor, Dept. of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba)

A Grassland Conservation Plan for Prairie Grouse in North America, coordinated by the North American Grouse Partnership, was recently developed. The goals of the Plan are to enhance, conserve, and restore grassland ecosystems to benefit prairie grouse and other grassland species. The Plan uses an ecosystem diversity approach to compare historical grassland conditions to the current situation. Priority areas for grassland conservation are then selected to benefit each prairie grouse species. The Plan identifies a goal of conserving or restoring 65 million acres of grasslands for prairie grouse, along with strategies for
implementation.

Monday, March 21st, 2011
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (early start at 7:00 pm)

Aldabra, North of Madagascar
James Whitelaw
(Vice-President, Nature Manitoba)

The Seychelles consist of 115 islands with a land area of 455 sq.km. scattered over 1.4 million sq.km. of the western Indian Ocean. The central Seychelles are granitic, ancient continental fragments with their own distinctive flora and fauna. The outlying islands are coral atolls. The most interesting of these is Aldabra Atoll which, since its last reemergence above the waves 80,000 years ago, has been colonized by a variety of plants and animals and has developed a unique ecosystem. This presentation will explore the natural history of Aldabra, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.