The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry are seeking feedback on proposed changes to four land use plans: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Greenbelt Plan, Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and Niagara Escarpment Plan. The public is invited to attend Open Houses for more information on the proposed changes and to discuss with Ministry staff.

Their are 12 scheduled Open Houses across the province, including one in Owen Sound:

Tuesday July 5, 2016, 5-8pm
Bayshore Arena
1900 3rd Avenue East, Owen Sound

For more information and the rest of the schedule, head to http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page14854.aspx.

We’re pleased to announce a special offer for Joe Johnson’s book, The Vascular Plants of the Bruce Peninsula

As a special one-time offer, from Joe, the book will be available for only $24 (regular price $28) for OSFN members at the Indoor Meeting Thursday May 12th. Cash or Cheque only. To be purchased in person for yourself, or for another OSFN member if you have a note indicating that they want one.

The Owen Sound Field Naturalists Club is pleased to announce that the Earth Day Lecture Presentation by Ecologist and Author John Riley on the Chi Cheemaun this Friday is sold out!

For anyone in the community still wishing to hear and see John Riley’s address, the Club, in partnership with OSCVI has reserved a section for Adults in the Community to attend the Student Lecture this Thursday, April 21, in the OSCVI Auditorium. The lecture will be from 12:40 until 2PM, so arrival by 12:30 is recommended. Admission will be $5. at the door. All proceeds will be used to support OSFN’s Youth Projects.

This will be just one more opportunity for people to experience a presentation by this exciting Speaker, Naturalist and Author.

In addition OSFN has two outdoor Earth Week events to offer:

– an Interpretive Hike Thursday morning with Bob Knapp, Thursday, April 21, 10AM to 12Noon – at the south end of 7th Avenue East.

– “Earth Day Nature Rambles in Harrison Park!” With John Riley and OSFN Club leaders. Friday morning, April 22, 10:30AM to 12 Noon, meeting near the skating rink area in Harrison Park. This is a PD Day so all students and general public are invited to join us there, to discover the Beautiful Spring Features of this Gem of a Park, and Celebrate Earth Day.

Joe Johnson, an Honourary Life Member of the OSFN, has poured his extensive knowledge of area vascular flora into much anticipated book and it’s expected to be available early May!

Find out more at https://vascularplantsofthebrucepeninsula.wordpress.com/ or click on the picture below for more information:

The Bank of Canada is soliciting nominations for woman to appear on a new banknote. At The Hub, you can read OSFN member Bill Moses’ support for Catharine Parr Traill.

You can find more by Bill Moses over at Nature Conservancy Canada where he writes about his work on the Cuzen property:

Stories from stewards of the land: The Cuzen property (Part One)
Stories from stewards of the land: The Cuzen property (Part Two)

Last Thursday, we were treated to a very informative talk about hydraulic fracturing by Professor Maurice Dusseault. For anyone who missed the talk or are interested in learning more, Professor Dusseault was interviewed by the Sun Times: Fracking both bad and good.

Additionally, he has made the slides from his presentation and a technical paper available:

We’ve received a note from Dr. Maurice Dusseault about his upcoming talk (Thursday March 10):

I plan to arrive at the venue a good half hour or more ahead of time, and I have the feeling that the discussion will go on for some time J. So I am planning a couple of hours in total.

For those of your members interested in the technical side, I attach a technical article on issues arising, and will be happy to try and address all technical questions. Non-technical questions can be entertained of course and are open for discussion, but I am not a politician nor a pundit in those matters.

Anyone interested in the technical document can download by clicking on the image below:

The March edition of Ontario Nature’s e-newsletter, Loon Call, has been sent out and can be read online.

It’s a bi-monthly publication that can be delivered directly to your email inbox if you sign up at Ontario Nature’s website, which also has an archive of past issues for you to check out.

There is still room in the tracking event this Saturday! The details (note the updated phone number):

Saturday, March 5, 2016 – 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Who Made Those Tracks and Why? An Interpretive Late Winter Tracking Hike with Jeff Kinchen
Register: Jeff Kinchen, bognors.finest@gmail.com or 519-374-4246
Limit: 12 participants

We have also added a few more interesting sites to our Links page to give you something to do on cold days. The recent additions:

• NatureKids BC
• Environmental Defence
• Great Backyard Bird Count

Our first foray into social media, we now have our very own Facebook Group. It’s open to anyone interested in nature in the Grey-Bruce area – we hope to fill it with photos and information from club and personal outings, nature sightings, and general outdoor happenings.

A Facebook account is required to view the group, but they’re free! So head on over, join the group, and help make it something more than Brian talking to himself! (or join the group to watch Brian talking to himself!)

Adamantly opposed to Facebook? Never fear, all our club events will continue to be announced on our webpage and the Hart’s Tongue Herald.