Welcome to The Young Naturalists Club! We will be meeting this Sunday Oct 29th at the Grey Sauble Administration Centre ( basement door at back of building ) at 2:00 pm and we will be having nature artists Frank and Bonita de Matteis come and teach the kids about art in nature.
There is still plenty or room for more Young Naturalists to join the club this year. Please encourage your young relatives, friends and neighbours – children 7-12 years of age, to sign up for this wonderful learning opportunity. More details and registration information on the forms below (click to download!), or contact the Young Naturalist Club Program Coordinator, Elaine Van Den Kieboom (519 371-1989 or ekieboom@gbtel.ca).
Please have your kids dress for the weather as I expect for part of the session we will be outside sketching. We will provide all supplies and we should be finished by 4:00 pm.
Please bring your registration form and payment if you haven’t already sent them in. I will have copies of our program for the year for you as well.
See you on Sunday!
Click to download the program as a pdf.Click to download pdf.
A version of this column appeared in the OS Sun Times on Friday October 6, 2017 and in the Owen Sound Hub on Sunday October 8, 2017.
The Owen Sound Field Naturalists have been able to enjoy several terrific field trips already this season. There were several opportunities to observe, and tag Monarch butterflies as they begin to migrate southward. It certainly looks like we have a bumper crop of them for a change this year. I have heard several individuals referring to more milkweed plants than usual, and it was suggested that the seemingly “extra” rain in the Spring and early summer may have contributed to that “extra” supply of milkweed plants for the butterflies to utilize for their “extra” population growth this year.
Peter Middleton explaining characteristics of a Royal Fern, Osmunda regalis. (Photo by Brian Robin)
Peter Middleton’s two fern Hikes,September 13 and 20, filled to capacity almost right away and Peter reported –
Over the past two weeks “we have shared some remarkable places and habitats so close at hand, yet so far from the city streets a few blocks away. Fortunately the ferns were still in quite good shape and provided a feast of diversity and form. By my count over the two weeks, we observed 26 species and one unique variety. The number is not the important thing, however, but rather the exposure to the diversity of habitats and species that inhabit them. To that end, we started last week in the upland forests above the escarpment. Today, we visited the face of the escarpment, crevices carving through it and the scree slopes below the cliff face, before concluding the outing in rich bottomland forests found close to streams draining the escarpment.
A Northern Lady Fern, Athyrium filix-femina var. forma rubellum. Note the reddish stalk. (Photos by Brian Robin)
The underside of a Maidenhair Fern,Adiantum pedatum.
Smooth Cliffbrake fern, Pellaea glabella, growing on the escarpment face.
On September 14, the club hosted its first Indoor Meeting of the season, featuring Kerry Jarvis, speaking about Fascinating Pollinators, and the experience of initiating a community project of successfully establishing butterfly gardens in Saugeen Shores. The presentation, which also welcomed many new members, demonstrated how a combination of initiative, research, and volunteerism provides an opportunity to help enhance the habitats and populations of these fascinating pollinators, while at the same time bringing a team spirit and sense of accomplishment. In addition, a short film by Liz Zetlin combined visual images, with music and a narrative story line.
At this meeting the latest version of the OSFN Constitution was ratified, allowing the executive to go ahead and set up more convenient donation options for those who wish to support, financially, the ongoing charitable work of the Club. The website now includes a “Donate” tab, with secure access through Canada Helps, which also generates a receipt for income tax purposes. Donations can also be made in person, at the monthly meetings and via the mail.
On September 17 Bob Gray’s tour of the Colpoys Creek traced the stream which originates in the Purple Valley area, and is gradually captured by karst features, disappearing completely underground and re-appearing as it flows downstream towards Georgian Bay. Features noted included resurgant springs marked by heavy clumps of watercress, later a section of dry streambed, and eventually a small waterfall before it emptied into Colpoys Bay. Bob’s familiarity with the geological features of our area is well known, and he was a key member of the OSFN committee which produced several excellent books, including one on geology. These popular editions are available at Ginger Press.
On September 23, the OSFN partnered with the City, TD, and members of the public to participate in planting of 150 trees in the Kelso Beach Park area to celebrate Canada’s sesquicentennial. This was a very successful venture, which resulted in a team effort to enhance the diversity of trees in that area. Kudos to Adam Parsons and his team from the City, Annette Penning and her team from TD, and Lloyd Lewis whose background with NeighbourWoods in Elora, led him to approach the Owen Sound Field Naturalists a year ago, as a possible umbrella of support for establishing something similar here. We look forward to further developments in this regard, and will share those with you in the future. A very special thank you to all of those from the general public who answered the call, and helped to create this legacy of new “Trees in the City”.
Robert Burcher explaining the economics of John Muir’s time. (Photo by Brian Robin)
On September 30, Robert Burcher led a tour to the Trout Hollow area of the Bighead River just outside Meaford. OSFN Club member Joe Buchanan reported “We enjoyed a delightful and informative talk and ribbon cutting ceremony held at the Riverside Community Hall followed by a walk-and-talk into Trout Hollow led by local historian (and archeological sleuth) Robert Burcher, all to celebrate the new info-signs locating and describing the mill workings and footsteps of John Muir during his time here. Robert’s enthusiasm is infectious. Although I had walked the area several times, to hear the details while standing in the actual locations was especially refreshing for me. I would also recommend a visit to the Meaford Museum any day as a further source of information re John Muir’s stay in the area.” The OSFN offers our gratitude to the Meaford Museum, and to Ron Knight whose generosity and welcoming hospitality has been key to the success of this historical recognition. Of special note was the opportunity to meet George Trout of Austin, Texas, a direct descendant of the Trout family.
With the floorplan of the original cabin marked out, volunteers demonstrated the tight sleeping arrangements of John Muir and his party. (Photo by Brian Robin)
This Thanksgiving weekend OSFN also offered two outings – one with Bob Knapp at the Marshall Woods on Saturday morning, and one with Bill Moses at the Inglis falls Arboretum on Monday – visit www.osfn.ca for more details.
The Young Naturalist programme is ramping up again this fall – with the first activity scheduled for October 29, with Frank and Bonita Johnston – de Matteis with some nature art activities for the youngsters. Details are on the OSFN website. Young Naturalists and their families also have full access to the other regular activities of the club, many of which are very “kid friendly”.
Thursday October 12, OSFN is pleased to present Paul Aird, a life long conservationist, and emeritus professor of history at U of T, and a former member of the NEC board. Paul Aird will be reading some of his ecological fables and nature tales, witty and wise gems that will charm, and stimulate.
Accompanying these stories will be some of the exquisite and distinctive line drawings of Thoreau MacDonald, a prolific artist and naturalist (and son of JEH MacDonald of the Group of Seven) The meeting begins at 7PM in the auditorium of the public library in Owen Sound. Admission is free although donations are welcome.
A version of this column appeared in the OS Sun Times on Wednesday September 13, 2017
Since last month, there have been many Nature Club activities happening in Grey and Bruce Counties.
The Sauble Beach contingent of Piping Plovers had departed by early August, after the most successful year since their return. The Plover Lovers committee and team of monitors had a very successful season, of monitoring and outreach education, including their stimulating Beach Talk speaker series.
On August 19, the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy featured a “Species at Risk Walkabout” with Naturalists Miptoon and Jarmo Jalava.
For several weeks in August the Bruce Birding Club made forays to the Mitchell area to see and study the diverse bird populations in the wetland areas of West Perth.
The Owen Sound Field Naturalists held its first field trips for this new season of 2017-18, by joining in with two of the Monarch tagging days hosted by Butterfly Gardens of Saugeen Shores, an organization dedicated to enhancing the habitat for Monarch and other butterfly species. Formed in the fall of 2014, this organization has engaged in developing habitat sites called pods, along the shores of Lake Huron with an enthusiastic team of volunteers to look after them and many individual butterfly gardens in the residential areas of Southampton and environs. As James Kamstra told us at Kinghurst Butterfly ID event back in July, even then, it was looking like the best year for Monarchs in the last five. In the Southampton area, some properties have been very successful as “roosts”, where butterflies gather to feed and rest while on their journey south. There have been reports of up to five hundred Monarchs in one location there. I too have been noticing many Monarch butterflies working their way south, throughout the area, whether while I was swimming at Sauble Beach with grandchildren, cycling in the Arran Lake area, or running on trails near Tobermory and Dorcas Bay.
Kerry Jarvis of BGOSS with a Viceroy in hand – a Mullerian Mimicry educational moment. (Photos by Brian Robin)
Melitta Smole (left) and Diane Baulch tagging a Monarch and recording data (Brian swears they’re holding a butterfly).
“XPL 127”, tagged and released by Brian on a different day.
At the Monarch tagging event we attended on August 29, Kerry Jarvis and Melitta Smole explained identifying features of Monarchs, male and female, and demonstrated the tagging process, whereby a numbered and recorded lightweight sticker, (an initiative first developed by Canadian Dr. Fred Urquhart in an effort to learn more about the destinations of this iconic species), is carefully attached to a wing. Thereafter, anywhere that butterfly is discovered the origin of its tagging and its eventual final destination can be tabulated, to build on the collected data, from which patterns of travel and interruption can emerge.
Sticky Tofieldia at Petrel point. (Photo by Carol Harris)
OSFN members were also invited to join Botanist Barbara Palmer and members of the Sydenham Bruce Trail Club on Thursday morning, September 7, for a leisurely walk at Petrel Point Nature Reserve to enjoy wildflowers, including lots of asters and goldenrods!
Tall Green Bog Orchid at Petrel Point. (Photo by Carol Harris)
A Fringed Gentian at Petrel Point.
(Photo by Carol Harris)
One of the many asters at Petrel Point. (Photo by Carol Harris)
The Owen Sound Field Naturalist Club has already launched its 2017-18 season, sending its Hart’s Tongue Herald newsletter to its membership, and getting started with a flurry of activities in September.
Two separate and complementary September Fern Hikes entitled “Rock Stars of the West Rocks: Ferns in abundance” were filled to capacity with waiting lists, so quickly, that it suggests that OSFN’s popular hike leader and speaker Peter Middleton, is not unlike a Rock Star himself. These opportunities to learn in an outdoor classroom are a special component of OSFN’s programming.
The Owen Sound Field Naturalists Club is getting ready to present its 2017-18 season of speakers and field trips.
Kerry Tagging Monarchs, Sept. 2015 (Photo by Melitta Smole)
The OSFN Speaker Series begins this Thursday September 14, with Kerry Jarvis of the “Butterfly Gardens of Saugeen Shores”, and his presentation “Fantastic Pollinators & Where to Find Them”. You are invited to see and hear Kerry Jarvis as he shares the plight of the Monarchs and what one community is doing to attract them, and other pollinators. Discover how you too can lead the way to finding fantastic pollinators! This will take place in the auditorium of the Public Library in Owen Sound. The evening begins at 7PM, and it is recommended to arrive early, if possible. OSFN personnel will be on hand to process membership purchases and renewals as early as 6:30PM. Admission for the evening is free, although donations are welcome.
Peter Middleton leading an earlier fern hike. (Photo by Carol Harris)
The club’s Field Trips or “Outings”, will fill up the rest of September with Peter Middleton’s second Fern Hike, and Bob Gray’s field trip to trace a unique watercourse in the area of Colpoy’s Bay, (September 17) and rounding out the month on September 30, is a Trout Hollow Saunter – with Robert Burcher, “Following the Footsteps of John Muir”, near Meaford. The OSFN field trips are splendid opportunities to learn, at first hand, from knowledgeable hike leaders, and are primarily for members, with pre-registration required.
In addition, OSFN is involved as a partner in a supportive role for two special events – a special tree planting programme being planned by the City of Owen Sound to plant 150 trees, in Celebration of Canada’s sesquicentennial. Here is the information about that for you to get involved in a volunteer capacity for a community event.
The Big Canadian Tree Plant
Planting of 150 trees at Kelso Beach Park, Owen Sound
September 23rd, 10am to 12:30pm
This event will require the help of many volunteers, who can register on the TD website
The second partnering OSFN is doing is in support of the newly created bursary fund for the Outdoor Education Centre’s association to fund bursaries for attending Outdoor Wilderness Leadership Symposiums (OWLS), diversity initiatives and more.
Last year’s October speaker for OSFN, Adam Shoalts, also well known as Canada’s Indiana Jones, in tribute to his northern explorations, mapping, anthropolgy, writing and academics, is returning to Owen Sound. Just last week he completed his mammoth solo summer voyage, crossing norhern Canada by canoe, and portage from the Yukon-Alaska Border, to the mighty Mackenzie River. and all the way east to Baker Lake, a voyage of discovery, research and celebration of Canada’s sesquicentennial.
6:30PM Saturday November 4th is the date and time for his new presentation in the Community Hall in Harrison Park. This special fundraising evening will include special hors d’oeuvres, a trading blanket feature and more.
Tickets are $60. each and can be reserved for you by contacting Deb Diebel at the Outdoor Education Centre, by email at Deborah_Diebel@bwdsb.on.ca or by telephone at 519-534-2767 or 519-379-0864 (cell) Only 70 tickets will be sold, on a first come first serve basis.
Again, this fundraising event is an initiative of the Outdoor Education Centre and its association of Outdoor Educators, with the supporting partnership of Owen Sound Field Naturalists, and Adam Shoalts’ appearance is generously sponsored by Caframo.
The rest of this season’s Speaker Series provides an eclectic array of topics and themes, ranging from the witty and wise ecological fables of Paul Aird, complemented by the exquisite line drawings of Thoreau MacDonald, to local and national representatives of the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Then in December a fascinating look at Tom Thomson the Naturalist (and Artist). In January Peter Middleton returns with a talk to follow up on his fern hikes. Always popular Willy Waterton and Audrey Armstrong will share with us their voyage to the North West passage. Dr. Sonja Ostertag will share her research findings related to the Beluga whale. Popular columnist and bird artist Barry Kent McKay joins us in April. Members night in May features a variety of presenters from the club, and the season finale features a friendly social occasion and potluck dinner followed by Markdale native Ted Armstrong’s up to date presentation on the iconic Woodland Caribou.
In addition there is a plethora of outdoor activities, providing opportunities for learning, and for Knowing Nature Better, our club’s motto.
This year the summer solstice brought deep sadness to our club and to my neighbourhood. Freeman Boyd was one of our original OSFN founders. He was integral to the club’s ongoing vitality with his keen mind and broad interests. Many knew him as a mushroom expert, or as a birder, a farmer or philosopher. I knew him as a dear friend and neighbour for 35 years. He is sorely missed by all who knew him.
It is another reminder that life is fleeting. We know we are only here for a very short while. All living things will eventually die – must die – to foster new cycles of life. Freeman had recently recommended The Hidden Life of Trees as a good book to read. He was so right! The patterns and relationships of life and death in forest communities are incredibly complex. It is easy to see the parallels with our human communities.
In our OSFN community there is a deep abundance of knowledge about various aspects of the natural world. The monthly (Thursday evenings) indoor series offers education, entertainment and wonder from a wide array of speakers. And there are snacks! An excursion on an OSFN outing with members always astonishes me with the depth and breadth to be found in our midst. It gives me hope when so much else seems bent on destroying our natural world: political ignorance, invasive species, urban sprawl, pollution, climate change. Etcetera.
Perhaps that’s the key to sustaining hope for the future: focus on what’s here, now. Learn what one can promote or protect; take what action is possible. Celebrate nature’s amazing diversity, share this passion with others, cultivate positive change.
The OSFN, with generous support from Caframo, is cultivating a new crop of naturalists in a number of ways. The funds from Caframo are targeted mainly toward youth activities. Two youths were sponsored for Camp Kawartha for one week this summer. Then in September two high-school students are sponsored for the OnNature Youth Summit at Lake Couchiching. And of course our own Young Naturalists program offers local outings monthly on Sundays for kids 7 – 12. Please get in touch with one of us on the OSFN Board of Directors if you know someone who would enjoy any of these opportunities.
This week I learned a new word : biophilia. “Love of all living things.” I also learned about a new pathology: Nature Deficit Disorder. Look it up. Then go outside!
Join Barbara Palmer and members of the Sydenham Bruce Trail Club on Thursday morning, September 7, for a leisurely walk at Petrel Point Nature Reserve to enjoy wildflowers, including lots of asters and goldenrods! We plan to check out some other nature spots close-by. Bring lunch, rain gear, and insect repellent, just in case.
Contact Barbara at 519-372-0355 or barbara_p@rogers.com for meeting place and time.
A version of this column appeared in the OS Sun Times on Wednesday August 23, 2017
Although the Owen Sound Field Naturalists had only two scheduled events in July, these two were especially educational. The first was Ontario Nature’s butterfly ID event at Kinghurst Forest Nature Reserve, July 16, under the guidance of James Kamstra.
James Kamstra, netting a butterfly for closer inspection. (Photo by Brian Robin)
At first the weather was threatening, but soon it improved as about thirty attendees were exploring the diverse habitat to see and identify what species were evident. Folks had come from far and wide, to share their love of Nature, and interest in learning more about the species around us.
Female Goldenrod Crab Spider.
(Photo by John Dickson)
James explaining features of an in-hand specimen.
(Photo by John Dickson)
Nikki May of Saugeen Nature viewing a fritillary.
(Photo by John Dickson)
In addition to butterflies, other species observed included moths, dragonflies, birds, spiders, grasshoppers, as well as the plants on which they were found.
When asked how to determine butterfly versus moth, Kamstra explained that when you watch them flying, moths drop right down quickly, while butterflies “alight'”. Eventually the sun appeared and even more butterflies emerged to be carefully netted and observed at close range for detailed identification features.
To quote Brian ” All in all a great way to spend a morning – a knowledgeable guide, a flourishing meadow – it was the first time several of the attendees had visited Kinghurst – and a big thanks to James Kamstra and Ontario Nature for putting on this event”
Just a few days later, on July 20, one of our favourite speakers from last season returned to host a workshop on Freshwater Mussels. Dr.Todd Morris’s presentation last September resulted in a curiosity to know more about these fascinating creatures in our local waters. As a research scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada he conducts surveys to monitor the species at risk in the waters of much of Ontario.
A preliminary introduction to mussels by Dr. Morris as his staff and summer students look on. (Photo by Brian Robin)
This hands-on workshop was held at a site in the Saugeen River watershed, where a previous survey had been done in 2006. Optical devices made to observe the stream bed enabled the participants to see quite clearly the outlines of various mussel species in the substrate below the water. Then these were gathered and kept in mesh bags attached to the technicians, so the mussels would stay safely in the water until they were removed briefly for examination, identification, and documentation, before being returned to the safety of their underwater habitat.
The workshop took place in the Saugeen River. (Photo by John Dickson)
John Dickson conversing with a member of Todd’s team. (Photo by Brian Robin)
Tools for underwater viewing and baskets for scraping the riverbed. (Photo by Brian Robin)
Here is an excerpt from the stated results from the survey done this year, submitted to us by Dr. Morris,
” in 2006 we found 6 live species at the site. During our visit this summer we found live animals from 8 species – all of the species known from the watershed.
The site was still dominated by Elliptio dilatata as it was in 2006 but despite the high waters it appears that the mussel community is still doing quite well at the site.”
Part of the day’s Spike collection. All living specimens were carefully kept underwater before being returned to the river. (Photo by Brian Robin)
Participating in this illuminating workshop were several employees, and summer students, under Dr. Morris’ supervision. Attending local naturalists were from the Owen Sound Field Naturalists with guests from Saugeen Nature, Bruce National Park, and Waterloo Region Nature.
If you’re interested in learning more about freshwater mussels, head to http://www.musselguide.ca/ or look for the free “Clam Counter” app, available for Android and iOS, which lets you report your own sightings.
The Owen Sound Field Naturalists Club is getting ready to present its 2017-18 season of speakers and field trips.
The OSFN speaker series begins on Thursday September 14, with Kerry Jarvis of the “Butterfly Gardens of Saugeen Shores”, and his presentation “Fantastic Pollinators & Where to Find Them”. You are invited to see and hear Kerry Jarvis as he shares the plight of the Monarchs and what one community is doing to attract them, and other pollinators. Discover how you too can lead the way to finding fantastic pollinators! This will take place in the auditorium of the Public Library in Owen Sound. The evening begins at 7PM, and it is recommended to arrive early, if possible. OSFN personnel will be on hand to process membership purchases and renewals as early as 6:30PM. Admission for the evening is free, although donations are welcome.
The club’s Field Trips or “Outings”, will fill up the rest of September with a Monarch tagging event, Sept.2, two complementary Fern Hikes (Septmeber 13, 20), led by Peter Middleton, a field trip to trace a unique watercourse in the area of Colpoy’s Bay, (September 17) led by Bob Gray, and rounding out the month on September 30, is a Trout Hollow Saunter – with Robert Burcher, “Following the Footsteps of John Muir”, near Meaford. The OSFN field trips are splendid opportunities to learn, at first hand, from knowledgeable hike leaders, and are primarily for members, with pre-registration required.
In addition, OSFN is also involved in a supportive role with a special tree planting programme being planned by the City of Owen Sound to plant 150 trees, in Celebration of Canada’s sesquicentennial. Here is the information about that for you to get involved in a volunteer capacity for a community event.
The Big Canadian Tree Plant
Planting of 150 trees at Kelso Beach Park, Owen Sound
September 23rd, 10am to 12:30pm
