In the Wildflower Garden

Visitors to the Nature Centre may have noticed a small green space next to the staff parking lot driveway. This is our wildflower garden, and the members of the Red Deer & District Garden Club put a lot of effort into planning and maintaining it.

The garden is home to many native and wild species of flowering plants, and the colours and scents you find there are constantly changing throughout the growing season. We encourage our visitors to follow the short gravel path through the garden to have a closer look at the flowers and the activity they create. As I noticed today, the garden is a very popular place with many important insect pollinators, a few of which you'll see in the photos below.

These are just a sampling of what's currently flowering in the garden. Why not come down to the Centre and check out the garden for yourself?

As always, click on the photos to see larger versions:

 Columbine

 Fleabane and Harebell

Gaillardia

Goldenrod and Police Car Moth

Monarda (Bergamot) and bee

Prickly Pear Cactus (not technically in the wildflower garden -- closer to the building -- but definitely worth a look when they're in flower)

Sunflower

Yarrow

The Sun has Set on Westerner Days

For this year at least.

We would like to thank all the volunteers who came out at 6:00 & 8:00 Friday morning to mix pancake batter, flip pancakes, grill sausage, setup, clean and take down tables, make coffee, take money, sell raffle tickets and the other innumerable jobs require to pull off a pancake breakfast. By the end of the morning our staff and volunteer team had served breakfast to 529 people.

Once again London Drugs went above and beyond with their support for Red Deer's non-profit community. Their Westerner pancake breakfasts (five days in a row) not only supports the Nature Centre but also the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Central Alberta Women's Emergency Shelter, Red Deer Search and Rescue and the Red Deer Food Bank.

Westerner Parade and Pancake Breakfast

It's Westerner Week this week.

We had a great time at the parade today. Our float was extremely well-received by the attendees and Kathryn's decoration design looked great. Thanks to Kathryn, April and Carrie for their hard work in getting everything stuck to the boat and truck.

Pancakes!!!

This Friday - July 23 - is our pancake breakfast fundraiser. The amazing team at London Drugs hosts five days of pancake breakfasts during Westerner Week with all the proceeds going to five local charities. You can get your breakfast of pancakes, sausage, coffee and juice for $3/person, until 11:00 am.

Watch for photos from the breakfast, next week.

New look

Regular readers will notice that our blog is looking a bit different these days. We're hoping that this new template will be easier to read, and should also blend better with the look of our website.

There may be a few more changes or additions in the next few days, but I think that I've got the basic look down now. Feel free to share your opinion of the new style in the comments section.

The view from the deck

As Todd mentioned yesterday, the recent rains have raised the water level in the Gaetz Lakes considerably. Here are a few photos that I took today from the bird blind on the West Lake:

The boardwalk to the deck

Looking back towards the Nature Centre

West Gaetz Lake

And... our deck-munching porcupine has returned. It must be a tasty piece of wood, because the silly animal has quite a walk to make to get to it.

Work, work, work...

Brief introduction!
Todd invited me to join in on all the blogging super fantasticness that goes on around here... careful what you wish for, my friend!

My name is Andrea, and I have had the pleasure of working for Waskasoo Environmental Education Society since November of 2008. Prior to that, I was at home with the kidlets (now 7 and 4... and a half!) and working part time for the City of Red Deer (which I continue to do in my, ahem, down time). My work keeps me busy here, and with a job title such as Executive Assistant/ Occupational Health and Safety/ Human Resources / Special Projects one could only guess as to why. From doing safety audits to interviewing potential staff to writing grants, updating the website and curating the Marjorie Wood Gallery, it's unlike any other job I've ever had... and I don't think I'd have it any other way.

Windy and Wet - Exercise Caution

If you've been in Central Alberta over the past three days or so, you've been experiencing massive rainfall and very high winds. This kind of sustained activity has created some potentially unstable situations both in the Sanctuary and in other natural spaces throughout the region.

We know of five trees that have fallen down, and a couple more that are potentially a hazard, within the Sancutary. There has also been some slumping of the bank on the east side of the Sanctuary; reported to us by some regular visitors. We have notified the City about these hazards. Their crews will come in and rectify the problems.

In the meantime, please exercise caution when walking through the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary, and any other heavily-wooded areas of Waskasoo Park.

The positive of all this rain we've been having, is that the water levels in both of the Sanctuary lakes are up to levels we've not seen in five years. The new viewing blind is well and truly out over the lake, giving you up close and personal views of the waterfowl, muskrats, insects and other critters that make the lake their home.

Identify Edible Mushrooms

The Friends of the Kerry Wood Nature Centre will be sponsoring a program on Edible Mushrooms found in the area. It will be hosted by mycologist, Mike McNaughton.
Date: Sunday, August 22
Place : Kerry Wood Nature Centre
Time: 1:30pm-3:00pm
Admission; Free, everyone welcome
Mike will make a power point presentation on mushrooms, have samples and have a question/answer session.

Attendees are welcome to bring their mushroom samples for Mike to identify.
For further information or books about mushrooms, contact Bob at the Nature Centre
Telephone 403 346 2010

Raft Tour Info

Hello everyone. We've been getting a lot of calls about raft tours and when they're going to start, so to get some more information out there and all of us on the same page, here is a post about it.

The river has been very high this year. With all of the rain, we've spent the last couple of weeks watching the water level go up and up and up. This has, in effect, put a delay on the start of our rafting season as we felt that there were some safety issues directly connected to the higher water levels.

Thankfully, the river seems to be falling (slowly, but maybe that's just my perception because I'm anxious to get going). We'll be watching the levels closely, and when we feel that the river is at a level where we could take a group out safely and enjoyably, the raft tours will begin. Watch for information in the papers, posters about town, or call the Nature Centre at 403-346-2010 to get the latest updates on raft tours.

Thank you for your patience as we wait out the last of the high water. Unfortunately with this kind of activity, Mother Nature gets the final say.

When we do start the tours, they will be running Thursday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday afternoons from 1 to 4 p.m. The cost is $35+gst/members and $40+gst/non-members with 40 lbs being the minimum safe weight for kids. We can take a maximum of 12 people per tour. We will have a shuttle service available (meet beforehand and shuttle out to starting point) and a wiener roast follows every tour. Private tours on alternate days are also available. All raft tours are weather and river condition dependant: someone will call you before your tour if bad weather or poor river conditions are possibly threatening. Call the Nature Centre for more info or to book your spot.

Until next time...

Restoration?

This video was just re-tweeted by Water-Matters.org While we don't normally take an activist or political stance on issues, this video is thought-provoking enough that we thought you should see it.

Click Here to watch "Dead Wrong: Killing Rivers in the Name of Restoration".

Career Openings

The Waskasoo Environmental Education Society (our employer) is currently hiring for two positions.

1. Nature Nursery Assistant for the 2010/2011 preschool season.

2. Volunteer Coordinator

Not to send you on the endless loop of links, but you can find the postings at our website.

Click here for the Nature Nursery posting.

Click here for the Volunteer Coordinator posting.

Good luck and thanks for the interest.

Not all art shows are in a gallery...

So I promised a couple of kids last weekend that I would post their creations on our blog. Sunday was our Guerilla Nature Art Day, and though the weather was strikingly hot and sunny (a far cry from today's cloudy dreariness), the kids were still able to find inspiration from their surroundings. Here are the nature art "installations" from that event: I hope you enjoy them.

And thank you to Emily Neufeld, our Artist About Town that day, for patiently drawing the lovely pictures of the owl and fish while people watched. The lilac outline of one of our volunteers is also Emily's creation.

Incidentally, I took inspiration for this day from an English artist named Andy Goldsworthy who is world renown as an environmental sculptor, taking bits of nature and making them into fantastic, very beautiful creations. His website is well worth a look.

Until next time, happy creating!

Sometimes You Just Get Lucky

When your co-worker comes bursting through the back door and says "I just saw a fox run across the field.", and you just happen to have your good camera with you... well you run out the door (quietly) and go stalking a fox.

I had not been able to find this one. He ran when I accidentally flushed him from the grass.

If you look closely, you can see what appears to be a Richardson's Ground Squirrel in its mouth.

Rain Barrel Sale - Saturday, June 12

The rain we've been experiencing over the past few weeks has been great for the plants, the lake levels and the creeks. Take advantage of the rainwater and collect it with a rain-barrel. Use less tap water, give your plants untreated (chemical-free) rainwater.

Barrels go on sale Saturday morning, June 12, 2010 at 9:00 a.

$70 each, GST included. Cash and carry. Call the Nature Centre at 403-346-2010 x106 for more information.

Fort Fest cancelled due to weather.

Hello everyone. I regret to inform you that Fort Fest, which was to run tomorrow, May 30, at Fort Normandeau, has been cancelled due to the snow.

Sorry for any inconvenience this last minute cancellation may have caused.

Hope to see you out for our next event: the Vancouver Aquarium's AquaVan on Saturday, June 5 at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre.

Until then, stay warm.

Here comes the fun!

Hi everyone. We have lots of family-friendly things coming up shortly at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre and Historic Fort Normandeau: here's a bit of a teaser...

This Saturday, May 29, the Red Deer Garden Club will be hosting their annual (as in every year) Perennial Plant Share. It will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in front of the Nature Centre and is a great opportunity to fill your flower gardens. They do have a list of invasive, and therefore unacceptable, plants so if you want to bring something in, please call ahead for that.

Sunday, May 30 is Fort Fest 2010 out at Historic Fort Normandeau. It runs from noon to 5 p.m. and admission is $3/person or $10/family at the gate. There will be all sorts of things to see and do: from musicians to First Nations dancers, archery, crafts, games, homemade ice cream and burgers, tug-of-war...the list goes on. Come on out for some old-fashioned fun!

(I should also note that, now that the new parking lot is completed, your family shouldn't have any trouble finding a parking spot.)

On Saturday, June 5, we have a special treat: the AquaVan is coming from the Vancouver Aquarium! Come and see creatures from the ocean; this is a great afternoon out with little kids. The AquaVan displays will be out from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission is by suggested donation of $3/person or $10/family.

On Thursday, June 10, we will be partnering with ReThink Red Deer, RDC Green Campus and RePower Alberta to bring you three guest speakers talking on green energy and its many applications. The presentations will be from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. This event is free to attend, though donations are welcome. Hope to see you there!

And last, but not least, is Guerilla Nature Art Day. On Sunday, June 13, from 1 to 5 p.m., we will be hosting artist Emily Neufeld as she help inspire us to make nature- based art in Festival Field. Come out and see what kind of art your family makes from found materials. This event is part of the Artists About Town week leading up to the Red Deer Artwalk Festival.

So, that's about it for the next few weeks. Look for our June to August event calendar, coming out soon, for all that's going on in the summer months.

'Til next time...

Invasion... of the good kind

Excuse the fuzzy cameraphone picture, but it was the best I could do at the time.

I was at McKenzie Trail watching a pond study today, and couldn't help but notice that the picnic shelter was being invaded.  Many, many (it will probably be hundreds, by the end of it) dragonfly nymphs were crawling out of the pond and up the shelter.  The students doing the pond study were lucky enough to see several of them split their skins and begin to emerge as adult dragonflies.  Pretty cool demonstration of metamorphosis there, don't you think?

If you happen to be down at McKenzie pond in the next week or so, be sure to keep your eye open for the emerging dragonfly nymphs.  They may be hard to spot at first since they blend in so well with the wooden deck, but once you first see them you'll start finding them all over the place.

Battery Exchange Results

The table shows the results from the 2010 Red Deer Schools Battery Drive. Our thanks to all the schools who participated and to The City of Red Deer, Waste Management Division for funding the project.

Students in Red Deer collected 600kg more batteries this year than in 2009. Well done everybody.

Also, in support of the 20th anniversary of Earth Day (yesterday, April 22), the International League of Conservation Photographers posted the Top 40 nature photographs from the past 100 years. You can see them at Flikr by clicking here.

Tomorrow Would be a Good Day to Visit

Why would tomorrow be a good day to visit us here at the Nature Centre? Tomorrow morning, the hoarding and barriers around the bird blind entrance will be removed and you can go for your first walk on the new structure. The benches are in place, the second story deck is secured and telescope is sitting atop its new perch. For, now though you'll have to make do with this teaser shot, taken from the deck, looking south down West lake.

April, 2010

Some news from the Friends of the Kerry Wood Nature Bookstore


1.Bird Homes
Now is the time to put out the homes for birds. Our bookstore has a good selection of bird houses for wrens/chickadees and for bluebirds /tree swallows. Our staff will also give advice on how to successfully place your nest box.



2. Bug Boxes

Spring and summer are here and children are
learning and caring about bugs.
See our bookstore for a good selection of bug boxes.




3.New Books of Interest

a.For Children
1. Alphabet of Insects
Weevils,katydids, ladybugs & fireflies are just a few of the
insects featured in this book that has an accompanying sound CD.
Price 11.95, Grades 2-6
2. Alphabet of Earth
This book is illustrated and has an accompanying read along CD. It promotes the earth as a cleaner greener place to live and discusses deserts, jungles and forests. Price $11.95, Grades 2-6
3. For the young ones :Baby Polar Bear Learns to Swim.
A great board book about a young polar who is taught how to swim by his mother .Price $8.50

For Adults
1.The Owl and the Woodpecker

Based on thousands of hours in the field , this book showcases all 41 North American Species . A CD is included that has pictures and the sounds of the birds Price $32.95


Members of the Friends of the Kerry Wood Nature Centre receive a 10% discount on purchases.
For information call KWNC 403 346 2010 and ask for Bob

Thursday update

Here are the pictures from this morning (Thursday, April 15). The crew has made amazing progress over the day. Tomorrow morning, we should be walking on the finished product!

Wednesday's Bird Blind Update

It's Wednesday, April 14. The uprights on the blind are in place and the deck appears to be largely laid down. The crews have a busy day and a 1/2 ahead of them.

Stay tuned to this space and the local media outlets for info on completion dates and the official opening of the new blind and deck.

Until then, here are the newest pictures.

Brown Bears of Alaska talk this weekend!

Hello everyone! We've had a last minute, but welcome, addition to our schedule of events. On this coming Sunday, April 18, special guest Bryan Nelson will be here to present stories and pictures from his recent trip to Brooks Falls, Alaska. While in Alaska, Bryan spent many days observing Brown Bears (a.k.a. Grizzlies) and their antics during the annual Sockeye Salmon run.

The talk begins at 2:00 p.m. and admission is free, so come to the Nature Centre for what I'm sure will be an informative and entertaining afternoon!

(On a side note: Discovery Sunday for that day will be about bears, so if you've never touched a bear but would like to, check it out!)

See you Sunday!

Bird Blind Update

Here is the 9:00 am, Monday morning picture. As you can see the build crew made good progress over the weekend. The long curved catwalk that leads to the blind is largely decked and the framers were out creating the structure that ties all the screw piles together. The latter will form the base and subfloor for the blind.

Keep watching this space. We'll be madly updating as the next three days progress.

Todd

Bird blind work moves ahead

After (finally!) getting all their back-ordered materials delivered, the contractors are moving ahead on our new bird blind and viewing deck. The screw piles are in the ground, and the first woodwork is in place. Work is supposed to be complete by the 15th of April, so the contractors are going to have to work quickly.

Activity in The Sanctuary

Jim and Diane wrote a month or so ago, about the upcoming improvements to the bird blind in the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary. The old structure is gone, having been removed in four very large sections and then dissambled in the staff parking lot - temporarily converted to a worksite.

Yesterday there were a number of screw piles placed in the ground at the site of the new blind. They were placed so that the construction company could conduct a test on whether or not they would be acceptable.

A note on the screw piles. Because the bird blind is heavy and sitting out over a wetland (surrounded by water and resting on soft mud) the decision was made to have the structure raised up. This ensures minimal disturbance to the substrate and minimal interference with the plants and animals that call the Sanctuary home. Traditionally piles are pounded into place by a pile driver; a big, heavy piece of equipment that we certainly do not want crawling around in and destroying the wetland. They also create tremendous vibration in the ground and lots of noise pollution from all the pounding.

By contrast, screw piles are screwed into the ground by what essentially is a power auger mounted to the front of a small skid-steer or similar rubber-tracked vehicle, like a micro-excavator. So, the structure gets the supporting piles it needs to keep it from sinking and the Sanctuary - and all the critters that live there - experience significantly less disturbance to both themselves and their habitat.

So, now we wait a little bit longer. There are some brackets to come in from galvanizing that will be welded to the top of the screw piles and then things can get going in earnest. Just as the old structure came out in four big pieces, we expect that the new one will be built in large sections that will then be moved into place and bolted together. Our contractors should be commended for their willingness to work within the restrictions that such a fragile habitat places on them.

Keep visiting the Sanctuary over the next few weeks. The progress from now until the middle of April should be, shall we say, rapid.

The Red Deer river canyon

Hey-O to everyone out there in Blog land! It's time I introduce myself and finally blog. I am Avery, one of the interpreters for W.E.E.S. I have had the pleasure of working with them for almost a year now and that's how long it takes me to Blog I guess!

The Red Deer river canyon is an often overlooked asset to our landscape! Formed millions of years ago, this amazing canyon gives us a direct look into the past. The different rock and silt layers are clearly visible in parts and show us what is really under our feet! (all the way down to the Paleocene era Paskapoo sandstone, our bedrock)

The canyon is also home to diverse wildlife like Eagles, Osprey, White Tail and Mule deer as well as coyotes and other scavengers! Both winter and summer the canyon offers amazing vistas (and learning opportunities).

Accessing the canyon can be difficult as trails are hard to come-by and the walls can get quite steep, but there is a better way to see it than by foot:

By Raft!

W.E.E.S will once again be offering raft trips down the Red Deer river during the summer months and would love to accommodate you and/or your group! Float down the river and enjoy the sights and sounds with an Interpreter guiding the way. Please call for more information and prices!



In other wonderful nature news, spring once again provided a surprise to the Rocky Mountains in the last few days, over 60cms dropped all over Rockies and Columbia's with more in the forecast! With this exciting news it is certain that many will head out to enjoy this new snow by ski's, snowshoes and snow-machine but please update yourself with the Avalanche conditions! It is very dangerous with all this new storm snow so please check the Canadian Avalanche Association page for condition updates before you head out into the uncontrolled areas.

Adventure Safely!

Avery

Take a Survey - Help us Out

The Nature Centre staff is looking to overhaul the programs offered both onsite at the Nature Centre and offsite in th community and surrounding area.

Please take a moment to hit the link and fill out our on-line survey. It will take less than 10 minutes.

Thanks.

Click here to take survey

First Critters of Spring

As I was leaving work on Friday I saw a sight that would warm the heart of all those who yearn for the end of winter: A Richardson's Ground Squirrel (commonly and mistakenly known around here as gophers) ran across the parking lot.

Ground squirrels spend most of their year underground hibernating. They pop up in early spring to mate, fight with each other (males), rear their young and store food. This is a reasonably short, yet exceptionally busy period of time. By the end of July the adults will be heading back underground. The juveniles will remain active until around the end of September.

While we spent the first part of February dicussing the pros and cons of the various groundhogs seeing, or not seeing, their shadows the humble Richardson's Ground Squirrel may give us a better indication of when our spring may arrive and what it may look like.

Also, and I think I tweeted this on our Twitter Feed, while enjoying a brisk, late-winter snowshoe with my family on Sunday morning, my daughter said "Listen Daddy, geese." Sure enough, I looked up to see the first V of returning geese this year. Spring must be on its way.

The psychology of climate change denial

I thought the Conservation Magazine article linked below was an interesting take on why some people find it easy or perhaps even necessary to deny the possibility of man-made climate change.

Why is Climate Change Denial So Seductive?

What are your thoughts?

The missing bird blind

Visitors to the Dr. George Trail will notice that the side trail to the bird blind has been temporarily blocked off. That's because we no longer have a bird blind.

The old bird blind has been taken down and a new and improved version will be completed before spring thaw to minimise habitat disruption.

Watch for information on this, building improvements, ways to keep unwanted squirrels from your house, and much more in our spring newsletter. It'll be coming out soon!

Hot off the camera

No, it's not really a two-headed moose. This pair is currently browsing the poplars not too far from the Nature Centre's back door.


Just as a reminder: The animals in the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary aren't tame, and should always be given respect and space. Please don't approach them... at least not any closer than I did with the zoom lens.

As always, click on the photos for larger versions.

Seen in the Sanctuary

Frosty trees in last week's ice fog

Did you Know, Moose Frolic

Friend of the Kerry Wood Nature Centre, Scott Hoyland, shot this video in the Sanctuary on January 11, 2010. Three moose, one of them an adult, seem to be taking full advantage of the spring-like break in the weather.

Easy Ways to Conserve Power

With the current cold weather, holiday baking, Christmas lights, and so on, power consumption is spiking. Save yourself some money and help delay the construction of new power plants and transmission lines by doing your part in reducing electricity consumption:

• Run appliances such as washers, dishwashers, and clothes driers later in the evening or on weekends, during times of low power demand
• Use timers on your vehicule's block heater, and only heat the engine for a couple of hours before you need to use it: heating it overnight wastes energy and costs you money!
• Turn off electric (space- and baseboard heaters) except when needed.
• Convert to energy-efficient lighting: compact fluorescents or LED bulbs use MUCH less power than traditional incandescent lights. Outdoor holiday light displays are wonderful, but can use $27 of power in a month, at 6 hours/day. By comparison, inexpensive LED Christmas lights will cost you 47¢.
• Unplug any "beer fridges" that are not in use.
• Use the smallest burner you can get away with on your range, and use a microwave instead of the full-size oven when possible.
• Unplug "vampire" electronics: cell phone chargers, instant-on televisions, and unused little power adaptors. They all draw power even when not on, costing you money!

None of these tips should decrease anyone's quality of life. Better scheduling and smart choices means saving money and ensuring that Alberta doesn't build more coal or nuclear power plants.

Our Apologies

We have temporarily removed the Twitter Feed window from the right side of the blog. The window is supposed to feed in tweets only from our Twitter site (follow us here). Either Twitter or the feed widget has a glitch in it and we (and others) are feeding tweets from multiple accounts; many of them extremely offensive.

So, until the feed widget is fixed we will not be syndicating our Twitter posts to the blog. Our apologies to anybody who was exposed to offensive/inappropriate content. If you are interested in following us on Twitter, simply click the link above and sign up.

The Nature Centre team.

Social Media Update

In an effort to keep you up to date with the comings and goings, programs and events and natural-history happenings, we have joined the Twitter-verse.

We will endeavour to tweet on a regular basis (there's no point in having you follow an inactive feed). We'll be feeding a blend of cool nature sightings, upcoming program reminders, eco-tips and suggestions for sustainability.

So, for those of you already hooked up with Twitter, follow us @NatureCentre. For those of you interested in trying out this new social media tool, create a Twitter account, log in and follow along.

Mobile Blogging

If you're trying to get in touch with any of the core interpretive staff at the Nature Centre this week, you're likely leaving messages on voice mail. Jim, Kathryn, Diane and I are at a Leadership Development conference in Kananaskis.

Through Thursday we're involved in a multitude of activities; the end goal being an action plan to keep WEES on track through the next five years.

Our first experience in K-country was dealing with the wind. Watching people from different parts of the province deal with huge winds was interesting. Those of us from central and northern Alberta were stunned by the volume and ferocity; those from the Lethbridge region were amused by the light breeze. However, when the facility manager drops by to let you know that there is an official wind warning - and has the head wound from a flying branch to prove it - everybody takes notice.

The facility at the Kananaskis Field station is located at the foot of a couple of mountains, east of Canmore. It is a stunning location that while a mere 100 metres off the highway, feels like a backcountry lodge. The food has been great, the buildings are spotless and the scenery is world class.

We're being filled with knowledge and being given the tools to take on the strategic planning needed to keep our organization fresh, viable and sustainable.

See you Friday folks.

Don't forget... Crafty Saturday runs the afternoon of the 21st at 2:00, Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour tickets are on sale and the Christmas Light Exchange is in full swing. Give the Nature Centre a call at 403-346-2010 for more information.

Late Season Squatters

Well we're in the first week of November, there's ice on the lake, the leaves have all fallen from the trees and the ground is frozen down to about an inch deep. Apparently none of that matters to these Trumpeter Swans and Canada Geese. Six swans and about ten geese remain on the West Lake in the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary. The rest of the local flock appears to have flown south.

Ah, autumn in Alberta

Remember a week and a half or so ago when the temperature was in the mid thirties Celsius? Yeah, I'm not entirely sure that I do either.

I hope everyone's enjoying the snowfall.

Oh, and just a reminder to be careful out on the Sanctuary trails for the next little while. Last night's winds probably took down a few trees. If you happen to notice any that are a danger, please give us a call at 403-346-2010.

Environmental Ethics and Environmental Education

Foundational to the work we do at the Nature Centre toward fostering environmental citizenship, is the work we do in encouraging an environmental ethic in the population. There are many paths to a environmentally literate population with a strong sense of environmental ethics. However, often metaphor is required to illustrate what an environmental ethic (or any other ethical framework) would look like.

While at my summer residency at Royal Roads University I had the chance to explore worldviews and environmental ethics. Here is a sampling, with some new thought and content, of some of the ideas we explored. Credit goes to Natalie Bowes who co-wrote the document from which this post was generated.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nothing is static. The wind blows, water flows, birds fly and all manner of life is always on the move. Even the rocks degrading in the face of wind and water are changing; rock to sand, sand to dust, dust to mineral, inevitably leaching back into the oceans and lands of the earth to help drive life. We are part of this dynamic system. Everything we are and do is tied our interplay with the living Earth. And, everything we are and do affects the Earth. In the words of Thomas Berry, “We are Earth reflecting back upon itself”.

While phenomenally complex and often subtle, if we look carefully we can see these interactions at work; not just on a species-species basis but at every level of organized and seemingly random life. Between these places of organization, there are transitional zones; places where either literally or metaphorically, there is interplay that brings together disparate factors to create new possibilities.

Florence Krall (1994) refers to these special places as ecotones. In biology “ecotones are transitional regions between two different habitats” (Mortimer-Sandilands, 2004, p.45) The Aspen Parkland of Central Alberta can be seen as a giant ecotone. It is a zone of convergence for the ecology of Boreal forest, the prairie grasslands, the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and the tumbling Badlands. In this space biotic life and abiotic factors influence each other to create a unique system made up of - yet unlike - all the surrounding systems.

While providing rich zones of convergence and interplay that can facilitate positive change, ecotones can also stand as barriers to those unable through the mechanics of biology and/or geology or through social constructs of power, to interact with them. An ecotone, with its ability to facilitate change and create new connections is an excellent metaphor for the path one could take in fostering an environmental ethic.

At the Nature Centre we are an evolving ecotone comprised of a variety of interactions between people from around the region, plants, animals, climate and all the connections those interactions create. The ecotone we collectively create through the Nature Centre can be stimulated to affect positive behavioural change, which with inputs of education and positive reinforcement, can lead to the uptake of an environmentally positive ethic.

Now, it should be made clear that we don't sit around in meetings and have discussions about how we "create an ecotone and use it to foster change". Rather, by visiting the Centre, taking part in a program, going for a walk in the Sanctuary, reading this blog, subscribing to our Facebook group or any of the other ways to interact with us, your fellows and the environment, you are creating and evolving the ecotone. We are merely picking strategic points to interact with it and help it along toward an environmental ethic.

Thank You

CHCA (RDTV by any other name) has been pulled off the air by their parent company.

Over the past decade, the RDTV News Crew and all its variations in name, staff, format and times has been an invaluable ally for the Kerry Wood Nature Centre.

We have been sought out by videographers and reporters looking for expert opinion and/or local insights to environmental stories. For years we were given free-reign for 10 minutes, once a month on the noon-hour news broadcast. The hosts proved to be very game as we brought "things" into their studio; snakes, salamanders, meal-worms, turtles, frogs, drums and drummers, art, snowshoes and in one very memorable show, an entire hive of live bees.

The news crew came to our events, promoted our programs, answered our phone calls and requests for assistance and generally helped keep the Nature Centre and Fort Normandeau in the public mind.

On one noon hour show, Caroline Jarvis and Al Redel took a minute to do my wife a favour and surprise me by broadcasting a picture of my son and I fishing; it was one of the best birthday presents I've ever received.

And now, Chanel 11 is dark, we have no local television news and a talented group of people have been forced to leave town or find other work. Many of them we at the Nature Centre consider our friends.

So, from all of us at the Nature Centre and Fort Normandeau, thank you to all the friends we made at RDTV/CHCA. Your support over the years was amazing. You will all, always have our gratitude.

Seen in the Sanctuary

These High Bush-Cranberry (Viburnum opulus) fruits beside the Wishart Trail show that summer really is winding down. If you're out on the Sanctuary trails in the next while and notice a distinct old-sweatsock smell, those are the ripening fruits of the related Low Bush-Cranberry (Viburnum edule).

Just Hangin' Out

This little dragonfly was hanging around on the Dr. George trail on Monday afternoon. Make sure you click the picture to see it up close to see how stunning these insects really are.

Rafting on a Thursday Night

The Nature Centre's Caryn Ouwehand snapped these pictures of Avery and his Thursday night rafting trip. A calm night, a calm river, no-one else around and a really keen group of participants make for a great two hours.

Scheduled rafting programs end with the conclusion of our summer programming season, however for people who want to go and can gather a group of six, we'll continue rafting as long as river/weather conditions allow.

Seen in the Sanctuary

Tussock Moth caterpillar on Silverberry. I haven't had a chance to look up an ID yet, but I'm thinking that it might be Orgyia sp. Feel free to leave a comment if you can help me narrow this one down.

mushroom program

Mushroom Program
Learn about picking and identifying local Mushrooms via a powerpoint
Presentation by mycologist,- Mike McNaughton at the
Kerry Wood Nature Centre
Sunday, August 16, 2009
2:00pm
Everyone welcome-free

Seen in the Sanctuary

A bee harvests nectar from the Shrubby Cinquefoil outside the Nature Centre's back door.

Those little blue butterflies

This time of year we often have people asking us about the little blue butterflies they see nectaring at the milk vetch in the Sanctuary. The good news for a non-specialist like me is that I can honestly tell you that they are Blues.

Blues are members of the subfamily Polyommatinae, which consists of... well, little blue butterflies.


The bad news for a non-specialist like me is that are several different species of little blue butterflies found in our area.


However, based on the time of year, the pattern of spots I see on the ventral (under) side of the wings, and a cruise through my Alberta Butterflies book I'm going to tentatively hazard a guess that these particular little blue butterflies are Silvery Blues (Glaucopsyche lygdamus). This particular Blue was a male. Female Blues are generally much less blue.

If any of you true butterfly people out there can correct my identification, please don't hesitate to leave a comment below.


On the non-butterfly side of things, I noticed that our Bladderworts are in full flower. Excuse the poor photo -- they were sort of hard to get to.

Bladderworts are interesting aquatic plants that float just below the surface most of the time, but hold their flowers up out of the water. They float with the help of little bladders (that's the origin of the unusual name of the plant) which also function as traps for small aquatic invertebrates. Yes, these lovely yellow flowers belong to a carnivore.

We are a Leader in Renewable Energy

The Kerry Wood Nature Centre has just been recognized by ENMAX Corporation as a consumer of renewable power. In 2008, the Nature Centre consumed 58,270 kW/h of electricity generated through the ENMAX Green Max program - largely from wind-generated power. 

One the power generation side, we are creating electricity through a photo-voltaic system. There are currently 40 solar panels on the roof of the Nature Centre, tied to two of our four installed inverters. The Centre’s solar-power consultant is currently sourcing another 20 panels. They should be installed by the end of 2009. The system has capacity for 80 panels. We are currently fundraising for an estimated $15,000 for the remaining 20 panels.

The PV system supplements the electricity coming in from the grid, ensuring we get some of our power from a renewable, non-carbon-based source. Click here for an up-to-date snap shot of how much power we are generating for ourselves.

When the phase one of the grid-tied PV system was installed in 2004 it was the first of its kind in the area. Gordon Howell of Howell Mayhew Engineering and The City of Red Deer’s Electric Light and Power department worked together to build a framework that would allow others to install similar systems, giving rise to the Net Zero homes in Red Deer’s newer subdivisions

Monday Morning Visitor

This Red Tailed Hawk paid us a visit this morning. The tree he's sitting in provides an excellent perch to look out over the wildflower gardens and the surrounding grasslands. There are lots of Richardson's Ground Squirrels for hungry hawks to feed on, in the area surrounding the Nature Centre.

Find Us On Facebook

I'll be posting this link in the nav bars over to the right side of the screen. However, the Nature Centre now has a Facebook group.

Find it by clicking this link. It's an open group. Anyone can join. It's another great way to keep on top of what we've got going on, and how to connect with environmental education activities in our community.

Martin Reynolds saw this garter snake east of Red Deer on Sunday, April 5th.

After a several-year absence, Kerry Wood is hanging around the front of the Nature Centre again! (Sorry, bad joke: we have re-installed the photo of Mr. Wood by our entrance once again. The previous photo/sign was stolen, and hopefully, by now, the kids who did it are either in jail, grown up or moved away!)