ALBERTA BIOLOGISTS' BIWEEKLY

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

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Conference Agenda Taking Shape

The ASPB Conference in November is shaping up to be jam packed with presentations, workshops and networking opportunities. This year’s Keynote Speakers are Markham Hislop, a well-known Canadian energy and climate change journalist with a global reach, as well as Julie and Colin Angus from Angus Adventures. Workshops on Friday morning after the Annual Meeting include Bird ID (with Kristie Derkson and Daniel Arndt) and Soil as Biology (with Collen Middleton and Dr. Jeff Battigelli).

Over twenty presentations are confirmed for the conference, including topics like Regulatory Rabbit Holes in and Around Water, Agrivoltaics (looking into the future in Alberta), Contaminated Site Management, Analysis of Bird Fatalities at Alberta Solar Facilities, Proposed Changes to Soil Classification in Canada, and Navigating AER’s Regulatory Tools and Legislation.

The Draft Agenda is now posted on the Conference Page and will be regularly updated.

CLICK THIS GRAPHIC

TO JOIN US IN RED DEER IN NOVEMBER

ASPB Board Proposes Bylaw Changes

To build continuity with the Board and the Leadership of the organization, the ASPB Board of Directors has proposed Bylaw changes to be voted on at the upcoming AGM, to be held on November 24, 2023 at Red Deer, AB. You can view the proposed changes HERE.

BUILDING YOUR

CAREER?

See what's new on the

BIOLOGISTS'

JOB BOARD

 



Field Biologists

 

Project Manager (Reclamation +)

 

Wetland Replacement Specialist

 

Environmental Project Manager

 

Intermediate Environmental Professional

 

Senior Risk Assessor

 

Environmental Restoration Supervisor

 

Restoration Ecologist

 

Environmental Technician Field Consultants

 

Wetland Specialist

 

Field Biologist

 

Biologist and Team Lead

 

Riparian Specialist

 

Senior Wildlife Biologist

 

Wildlife Biologist/Ecologist

 

Agriculture Service Board Unit Manager

 

Manager of Compliance

 

Environmental Planner

 

Senior Terrestrial Biologist

 

Environmental Scientist - Biologist

  


  FIND INFORMATION

ON THESE AND MANY OTHER POSITIONS

HERE

AUC Announces Interim Rule 007

The Alberta Utilities Commission introduced Bulletin 2023-05 on September 6, with new interim information requirements relating to agricultural land, viewscapes, reclamation security, and land use planning as part of the regulatory review process of new power plant applications, including wind, solar, thermal, hydroelectric and other power plants. Read More

Field Law Community Fund

Program is now open

Once again, $75,000 in funding is available across Alberta and the Northwest Territories and local individuals, projects and causes are invited to apply for funding. Finalists will be chosen and awarded funds through a combination of public online voting and deliberation by a Community Market Judging Panel. Read More.

DFO Focusing on

Aquatic Species at Risk

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has been focused on a multi-wave engagement program to inform the development of new regulations, policies, and other program instruments to align with the amended Fisheries Act. The Species at Risk Program is seeking input on a new approach for conserving Canada’s aquatic species at risk.

The Framework for Aquatic Species at Risk Conservation is intended to be a guide for improving conservation outcomes for aquatic species at risk by applying multi-species approaches under the Species at Risk Act. Single species approaches will still be used where needed. DFO has announced that the Framework for Aquatic Species at Risk Conservation (FASC) - Discussion Paper is now available on the Talk Fish Habitat platform along with background information. The deadline to provide comments is November 30, 2023.

ASPB Board Nominations Open

The Board of Directors of the ASPB has appointed Past President Victoria Lukasic as Chair of the 2023 Nominating Committee. The positions of President Elect, Board Secretary and three Directors are open for election at the Annual General Meeting on November 24, 2023 at Red Deer, AB. If you are a professional ASPB registrant, and are interested in putting your name forward for one of these positions, please contact the Past President through the office (info@aspb.ab.ca) or the Executive Director HERE.

SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES
SEPTEMBER

Wetland Webinar:

Recovery and Resistance

Dr. Rebecca Rooney will present a webinar on Recovery and Resistance; restoring the wetland plant community after invasive reed control. Registration for this free webinar at 12:00 - 13:00 CST on September 19 can be found at: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/september-2023-wetland-knowledge-exchange-webinar-tickets-694985078077?aff=ebdsoporgprofile as part of the Wetland Knowledge Exchange’s monthly webinar series.

Legislation and Conducting
Projects Near Water
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in Ontario, Prairie and Arctic regions are providing information sessions on DFO Legislation and Conducting Projects Near Water. To attend the September session, click here: September 19, 2023 @11:00 – 12:30 CST and allow the link to open in your web browser (please use Chrome or Edge). If you have the Teams application installed, click on “Open in Microsoft Teams” in the pop-up window or “Launch it Now”. If you do not have the Teams application installed, click “Join on the Web Instead”.

AFWA Annual Meeting at Calgary

The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies will host the 113th AFWA Annual Meeting at the Marriott, Hyatt and Telus Center in Calgary, Alberta, September 23-27, 2023.

ABMI WEBINAR

The ABMI’s Intactness Index—Measuring Biodiversity, on Wednesday, September 27, 2023. Register here.

SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES
OCTOBER
Whitebark Pine Science and
Management Conference in October
The annual Whitebark Pine Science and Management Conference will take place October 12 and 13, 2023 in Revelstoke, BC. There will also be two optional field trips: a pre-conference trip on October 11 to tour the Kalamalka Research Center in Vernon, and a post-conference trip on October 14 to visit 5-needle pine stands near Golden. Early Bird Registration is open until June 30, and here you can find: Conference details and Registration.
fRI Research to Host Forum
In Edmonton, October 24-26
After a prolonged hiatus due to health restrictions, fRI Research is excited to provide an opportunity for resource practitioners, policy makers, scientists, and community leaders to review and discuss new research findings related to mountain pine beetle. Major concerns targeted by this research include climate change, anthropogenic intervention, forest composition, socio-economic values, watersheds and their impact on water flow, biota, species at risk, and public safety as it pertains to wildfire. You can learn more about the forum and register HERE
SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES
NOVEMBER
NABC Banding Workshop
and Certification in Belize
Hosted by the Toucan Ridge Ecology and Education Society at the TREES Research Center in the Maya Mountains of Belize, these sessions will be held November 11-15, 2023 and November 17-18, 2023. For full information visit www.ecorana.ca
Legislation and Conducting
Projects Near Water
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in Ontario, Prairie and Arctic regions are providing information sessions on DFO Legislation and Conducting Projects Near Water. To attend the November session, click here: November 21, 2023 @ 11:00-12:30 CST and allow the link to open in your web browser (please use Chrome or Edge). If you have the Teams application installed, click on “Open in Microsoft Teams” in the pop-up window or “Launch it Now”. If you do not have the Teams application installed, click “Join on the Web Instead”.
ASPB 2023 AGM and Conference
The ASPB 2023 Annual Conference will be on November 22, 23, and 24 at the Red Deer Resort and Casino in Red Deer, Alberta.
For More Information Go

SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES

FEBRUARY

Call for Abstracts

The 10th Native Prairie Restoration/Reclamation Workshop will take place in February, 2024, in Saskatoon. The call for abstracts is now open, you can find the online forms to submit an abstract on the PCAP website, here. The deadline for presentation abstracts is October 5, 2023.

GRASSLAND RESTORATION FORUM

FALL EVENTS 



  • Grassland Restoration Forum Fall Information Session GRF Fall Information Session, Claresholm, Alberta, November 16th, 2023. The theme this year is SEEDS. A meeting of the Southern Alberta Native Seed Collaborative (SANSC) is planned for the following day.


Register online for the above events HERE. For more information, contact info.grf.ab@gmail.com or call Donna Watt at 403-563-8925.

 

COLUMBIA MOUNTAINS INSTITUTE
  

Thanks to the generous support of the Columbia Basin Trust and KCP, we are able to offer this series free of charge. For full details and registration please go

NATURAL RESOURCES

TRAINING GROUP


Wetland Assessment – Online, September 27-28, 2023

https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/wetland-assessment-online-september-27-28-2023/

Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Prince George, 29th September 2023

https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/electrofishing-certification-online-self-paced-prince-george-29th-september-2023/

Snorkel Survey Techniques – September 29th (Online) & October 27th (Courtenay)

https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/snorkel-survey-techniques-september-29th-online-october-27th-courtenay/

 

For course details and the full calendar of upcoming courses the link is here:

https://nrtraininggroup.com/schedule/

SALMTEC
 COURSES AND TRAINING PROGRAMS
 
Blended Course: Alberta Wetland Rapid Evaluation Tool – Actual (ABWRET-A), Online Content + Live Streaming Class: Fall 2023 Registration Now Open

Blended Course: Grassland Vegetation Inventory (GVI): A User’s Guide, Online Content + Live Streaming Class Fall 2023 Registration Now Open

Understanding ACIMS Tools Online Course
 
Alberta Soil Information Viewer Online Course
 
Alberta Wetland Policy Basics Online Course
 
Navigating the Alberta Soil Information Viewer Video Short (free)
Registration Link: https://salmtec.myshopify.com/
 
Wetland Water Cycle Video Short (free)
Registration Link: https://salmtec.myshopify.com/ 

VISIT THE SALMTEC CONNECTOR 
THE CONNECTOR is a compilation of applied science and land management event listings, across a variety of sectors and disciplines, published monthly.
You can find the SALMTEC CONNECTOR HERE.

We regularly receive notifications from Google Scholar Alerts and other sources which we select and share below in the BIWEEKLY. Here is the latest batch (the links are HOT):


Age and Salinity on Plant Community Composition and Productivity in Opportunistic and Constructed Wetlands in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region,

 

Cellulose-Based Hydrogel Capsules to Address Soil Erosion Following Wildfire: A One Health Action Plan

 

Age-dependent relationships among diet, body condition, and Echinococcus multilocularis infection in urban coyotes

 

Bison alter the northern Yellowstone ecosystem by breaking aspen saplings

 

Assessing injury rates in Northern Map Turtles (Graptemys Geographica) from motorboats

 

Assessing reproduction in Wolverines (Gulo gulo): Fecal progesterone levels in zoo and wild females

 

The Large American Liver Fluke (Fascioloides magna): A Survivor's Journey through a Constantly Changing World

 

Antioxidant-rich diet reduces stress response during bird migration

 

Spring migration is now earlier in European and North American birds

 

Sage-Grouse

 

Pronghorn

 

Silviculture, seeds, and deer: assessing ground-layer diversity along experimental distrurbance gradients in a managed...

 

American Bison (Bison bison): A Rangeland Wildlife Continuum

 

Manipulation of Rangeland Wildlife Habitats

 

A reimagined One Health framework for wildlife conservation

 

A meta‐analysis investigating the effects of energy infrastructure proximity on grouse demography and space use

 

Invasive species play a key part in most extinctions and cost the economy hundreds of billions of dollars.

 

Maximizing regional biodiversity requires a mosaic of protection levels

 

“Letting beavers permanently colonize denser parts of the city — and asking New Yorkers to live in peace with a large rodent — would definitely come with growing pains.”

 

The Trend Toward the Extirpation of the Greater Sage-Grouse in Saskatchewan: Discussion and Thoughts of My Experience with this Species 50 Years Later

 

Microplastic pollution: Phytotoxicity, environmental risks, and phytoremediation strategies

 

Shifts in organic matter character and microbial community structure from glacial headwaters to downstream reaches in Canadian Rocky Mountain rivers

 

Trends in groundberry cover under climate change in the southern and central Yukon, 1997 to 2022

 

Impacts of restoration: assessing resource selection by reintroduced plains bison in Banff National Park and their influence on birds

 

Running a Super SDM (Species Distribution Model) 'in the cloud' for Better Habitat-Associations, Predictions and Inference: Applying Open Access Big Data, Machine …

 

 


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Banner Image:

Photo credit ABMI

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In Alberta, Professional Biologists are registrants of the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists (ASPB), and are subject to a code of ethics, continuing competency requirements, and a disciplinary process. The ASPB is a self-regulated organization under legislation in the Province of Alberta, meaning its purpose is to protect the public of Alberta by ensuring biologists are qualified to practice biology in accordance with that legislation. The society is governed by a Board of Directors elected by its registrants.


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do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the Society or its Board of Directors.