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> >>> it comes about that local
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Dear All,
It would be of interest to survey sites for nesting activity and=20
noteworthy plants before a clearcut and five, 10 or 20 years later.
Yt, DW, Kentville
------ Original Message ------
From: "David Simpson" <david.sonsimp@gmail.com>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Sent: 2/26/2019 11:24:04 AM
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Crown land forests - suggestions for=20
ground-truthing sites
>Please add my name to the list of willing naturalists. I've done a fair=20
>number of bird surveys, particularly for songbirds, and I'd be very=20
>happy to partake in the data collection and promulgation efforts. I'm=20
>in Hants County, but willing to travel. If a similar undertaking is=20
>happening in my neck of the woods I'd be happy to know about it; the=20
>number of loaded logging trucks I see coming down the Chester Road is=20
>alarming.
>
>Further to what John Kearney said, it might behoove us to be pointed in=20
>our searches and search for predetermined targets. I say this because=20
>in a bioblitz, the aim is to record every species in an area. *IF* it=20
>is the entire flora/fauna assemblage that could be a deciding factor,=20
>then yes, a bioblitz could be the means to an end (the end being=20
>stopping a clearcut). But it could be that the means to that end is a=20
>much simpler, easily determined piece of evidence, for example, the=20
>presence of a species at risk. A bioblitz takes much more time and=20
>effort than searching for one or several target species. Either way, as=20
>I see it, the key to being effective here will be to determine exactly=20
>what piece of information comprises a means to the end, and then go=20
>look for evidence of that specifically.
>
>Donna Crossland said "The harvest at Corbett Lake will surely NOT take=20
>place during nesting season". Is this a fact? I know it's illegal to=20
>disturb nesting migratory birds - which are present in virtually any=20
>stand of trees in the Spring - but I was under the impression these=20
>laws were ignored when it comes to forestry. I could be wrong.
>
>Thanks for getting this going.
>
>Dave in Curry's Corner
>
>David Simpson
>(902) 580 8007
>david.sonsimp@gmail.com
>
>
>On Tue, Feb 26, 2019 at 9:55 AM Bev Wigney <bkwigney@gmail.com> wrote:
>>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=20
>>documentation
>> > is essential (though perhaps less fun) and then after that there is=20
>>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=20
>>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=
=20
>>of
>> > many species coupled with poor management, the initiative of casting=
=20
>>a
>> > net to the widest possible group(s) of naturalists to help catalogue
>> > species obs- location and abundance, etc, is of increasing=20
>>importance.
>> >
>> > I will forward your advice and Bev's new initiative to our group,=20
>>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=20
>>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=20
>>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:=20
>>museum
>> >> collections, the peer reviewed and local natural history published
>> >> literature, and online provincial & national databases. They only=20
>>heed
>> >> their own internal grey literature unless their noses are rubbed in
>> >> some more conventional info. I bet they're almost as good at=20
>>ignoring
>> >> eBird and iNat as they have been at ignoring the Ontario herp=20
>>atlases.
>> >>
>> >> When we were reviewing http://www.dumpthisdump2.ca/ I published a
>> >> first record of a clover species for Ontario east of Windsor from=20
>>the
>>