PGNC News & Notes 2024-09-27
Club News and Events
PGNC Memberships: New and Renewals
Thank you to everyone who is joining the PGNC or renewing memberships for 2024.
Your membership supports the Prince George Naturalists Club and BC Nature, our parent organization, in all their good work.
E-Transfer is available by sending to PrinceGeorgeNaturalistsClub@gmail.com and it goes directly into the Club’s bank account. No secret word is needed. Payments by cheque can be mailed to Prince George Naturalists Club, PO Box 1092, Prince George BC V2L 4V2.
Memberships run from January 1 to December 31. Cost is $25 per calendar year for individuals, $40 for a family, and $15 for students. Benefits of membership: Subscription to the online version of BC Nature magazine, liability insurance coverage for Club work parties and field trips, and access to popular events limited to Club members only. Add $5 if you wish to receive a printed version of the BC Nature magazine in the mail.
“To be a naturalist is to be joyful, inquisitive, and at home in the world. To be home is to treat every life form as a family member” : Marina Richie
PGNC Next Executive Meeting, Wednesday October 9
The next Executive meeting will be on Wednesday, October 9. All members are welcome to attend. If you wish to attend, send an email to the Club at princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com to obtain meeting details.
PGNC Backyard Bats: Conservation Around Prince George, Saturday October 12, 3-4:30 p.m. Prince George Public Library Bob Harkins Branch
Learn about the bats of the Prince George Area on Saturday October 12, 3 – 4:30 p.m. at the Bob Harkins Branch of the Prince George Public Library. Suitable for adults, free drop-in. Here’s the link to Community Bat Programs of BC, a sponsor for this discussion: https://bcbats.ca.
Report: Birdwatching at Shelley Lagoons, September 14
We had 13 individuals join us on our informal bird walk to Shelley Lagoons. It was a great morning full of sunshine and some neat critters were spotted. This included a family of 4 beavers active around their dam and 32 species of birds. Some bird species of note included: a red-necked phalarope, sharp-shinned hawk, pectoral sandpiper, long-billed dowitchers, ruddy ducks, and multiple other duck species.
Other Events and News
NRESI Colloquium, Sept. 27, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., UNBC Room 7-238. Effects of vehicle traffic on birds: COVID-19 lockdowns as a global experiment
COVID-19 lockdowns resulted in significant changes to habitat suitability for many wildlife species. We treated traffic lockdowns as an opportunistic experiment to help us understand effects of traffic. We used more than 4 million observations of 82 bird species in Canada and USA from 2017-2020 to determine whether detections of birds differed during the pandemic in comparison with the previous 3 years. In North America, most avian species increased their use of habitat near roads and airports, and in cities, particularly when lockdowns coincided with peak migration periods. COVID-19 lockdowns offer critical learning opportunities that can help us understand anthropogenic impacts in wildlife, amidst the tragedies caused by the virus.Dr. Koper is Dean of the Faculty of Environment at UNBC, and a Conservation Biologist. Her areas of expertise include avian conservation, habitat restoration for wildlife, and prairie, tropical, and landscape ecology. She often partners with private land owners, governments, and non-governmental organizations to develop landscape-scale experiments to identify and mitigate impacts of anthropogenic development on wildlife. To view online go to: http://www.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts See this link for the passcode: https://www.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts
Banff Mountain Film Festival, Friday October 4, 7 to 9:30 p.m., Prince George Playhouse
The Banff Mountain Film Festival is coming to Prince George on October 4 – where epic films, mountain culture, and outdoor enthusiasts collide. Sponsored by the Prince George Backcountry Recreational Society (PGBRS). Tickets: $15 students, $20 in advance, $25 at the door. As always, there will be door prizes! Get your tickets ASAP at this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9ux6nz
About This Newsletter
The newsletter is sent from the PGNC mailing address: princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com. We welcome contributions from members and supporters about matters of interest to naturalists. Feel free to send stories and links to princegeorgenaturalistsclub@gmail.com.
PO Box 1092, Prince George, BC V2L 4V2
