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>>> So, to cut to the chase -- what I am Thanks to everyone who has responded -- especially with regards to documentation and dissemination of any findings by the ground-truthing groups. I agree very much that the observations need to be recorded in such a way that they can somehow be useful in supporting conservation of ecologically significant forests. That said, iNaturalist, is a terrific vehicle for compiling observations. It has a pretty easy user interface anyone who wants to enter their observations. It is easily adapted to use by a community of naturalists who wish to collaborate on their findings. Confirmation of IDs works quite well. Further, there are so many ways in which the data collection can be customized -- for instance, it is easily possible to create "places" such as particular forest stands of any size -- and have all observations within those outlined areas feed into that "place". I believe it's a good tool for naturalists who have come to the realization that there is a growing and desperate need to fill in the gaps of what is known about the forests around us. The hour to do so is growing late. bev On 2/26/19, Donna Crossland <dcrossland@eastlink.ca> wrote: > Thanks for the advice, Fred. You're right, the follow-up documentation > is essential (though perhaps less fun) and then after that there is the > hurtle of having various decision-makers read and apply new > facts/knowledge. Everyone is so reliant on GIS layers these days to > supply all the points rendered in decisions. I suppose we will have to > suggest that they be added to certain GIS layers or it will be > over-looked, conveniently or otherwise. In this era of rapid decline of > many species coupled with poor management, the initiative of casting a > net to the widest possible group(s) of naturalists to help catalogue > species obs- location and abundance, etc, is of increasing importance. > > I will forward your advice and Bev's new initiative to our group, Nature > NS, as well. > > Donna Crossland > > On 2019-02-25 11:55 p.m., Frederick W. Schueler wrote: >> On 25-Feb.-19 10:10 p.m., Donna Crossland wrote: >>> This is a wonderful initiative. I will finally hone some skills with >>> iNaturalist, so it seems. Bev and others will be good teachers. >>> What better use of a naturalist's time than combing our public >>> forests for nature's treasures? >> >> * but you're going to have to formalize your results in documents, >> sent in multiple copies to the attention of the ministries in charge, >> because, at least in Ontario, the environment ministries and >> environmental assessment rackets are well-blinkered experts in >> ignoring the ordinary sources of knowledge about biodiversity: museum >> collections, the peer reviewed and local natural history published >> literature, and online provincial & national databases. They only heed >> their own internal grey literature unless their noses are rubbed in >> some more conventional info. I bet they're almost as good at ignoring >> eBird and iNat as they have been at ignoring the Ontario herp atlases. >> >> When we were reviewing http://www.dumpthisdump2.ca/ I published a >> first record of a clover species for Ontario east of Windsor from the >> proposed dump site in Trail & Landscape - the only local natural >> history journal - and they missed both that and a paper about a SAR >> we'd found, but they'd missed, at the site, that was peer-reviewed in >> the Canadian Field-Naturalist. >> >> So call it a serial publication, "Ground-Truthing Nova Scotia Forests" >> or something, and put out an issue for each of your trips, send pdf's >> to ministry officials, and deposit a hard copy with Andrew Hebda at >> the NS Museum, and maybe at the NB Museum so you'll have an out of >> province repository. >> >> fred. >> ================================================ >> >>> Song bird surveys and nest surveys will also be useful. The harvest >>> at Corbett Lake will surely NOT take place during nesting season, yet >>> another assault on a forest with old growth and plenty of nest cavity >>> trees. >>> >>> It is a sad reflection on the lack of good governance over the >>> 'peoples' forests' (public Crown lands), with continued clearcutting, >>> particularly on very sensitive, poor soils in the southwest. And so >>> it comes about that local folks feel the need to provide more >>> oversight; a neighbourhood watch, of sorts, over nature's bounty. >>> >>> Thanks to Bev. >>> >>> Donna Crossland >>> >>> On 2019-02-25 10:24 a.m., Bev Wigney wrote: >>>> Everyone, >>>> >>>> I know there has been very little discussion about harvests of Crown >>>> land forests here on NatureNS, but I'm putting out a somewhat related >>>> request. Here in Annapolis Royal area, we've been organizing a >>>> ground-truthing group to make occasional forays to check out Crown >>>> land forests that have a fair likelihood of being good candidates for >>>> biodiversity - forests that would qualify as ecologically significant >>>> under the Lahey triad model. This group has come about after a couple >>>> of previous forays to inspect forests that were slated for clearcuts >>>> or uniform shelterwood cuts (2-stage clearcutting). In the case of >>>> the hardwood parcel at Corbett-Dalhousie Lake, we were astounded to >>>> find multi-age "old forest" climax hardwood trees -- Yellow Birch that >>>> were 8 feet in circumference, as well as many large Sugar Maple and >>>> Red Spruce. The fate of that forest is still somewhat uncertain - it >>>> will be harvested in some way this spring, but we don't really know to >>>> what extent. In any case, our forays have taught us that there is a >>>> need to know more about the Crown land forests in our region. It is >>>> not enough to wait for them to turn up on the Harvest Plan Map Viewer >>>> (HPMV) list of "parcels" awaiting approval for harvest. With a scant >>>> 40-day comment period, that doesn't give our group much time to get >>>> out to ground-truth a forest, especially if it suddenly appears on the >>>> list in mid-winter -- as was the case with the Corbett-Dalhousie Lake >>>> forest - although 18 of us did go out to walk it on Boxing Day. >>>> Unfortuantely, we still have no