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ALBERTA BIOLOGISTS' BIWEEKLY
AUGUST 15, 2023
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Want to see the graphics in this issue?
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It's summertime...
So, what's with all that
cyanobacteria, anyway?
The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) is collaborating with the University of Alberta, the Alberta Lake Management Society and eight other organizations to collect relevant data about algal blooms to better understand how they will impact our lakes, their ecosystems, and our ability to enjoy them. Water samples will be collected from six Alberta lakes over the next two summers, carefully timed to coincide with images taken from satellites, as some of these blooms are large enough to be seen from space. Read more on the ABMI website HERE.
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Soil is home to more
than half of all life
About 59% of all species on Earth live in soil, estimate researchers who reviewed global biodiversity data. This would make the ground the planet’s single most biodiverse habitat. The figure doubles an earlier estimate and could be even higher because so little is known about soil, the researchers suggest. It is home to 99% of Enchytraeidae worms, 90% of fungi, 86% of plants and more than 50% of bacteria — but only 3% of mammals live in it.
This information is quoted from The Guardian. To read more, please click HERE.
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The ASPB Conference Committee
is still inviting Conference Sponsors
The ASPB Conference Committee is excited about the Annual Conference and AGM to be held at the Red Deer Resort and Casino, November 22-24, 2023.
Sponsorship Packages are available
HERE.
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BUILDING YOUR
CAREER?
See what's new on the
BIOLOGISTS'
JOB BOARD
Intermediate/Senior Environmental Scientist ,
Senior Ecologist,
Wetland Specialist,
Senior or Intermediate Wildlife Biologist,
Project Biologist,
Regulatory Specialist,
Executive Director,
Senior Fisheries Biologist,
Environmental Specialist,
Senior Aquatic Ecologist,
Senior Biologist,
Senior Environmental Professional, Planning,
Environmental Project Manager (Remediation),
Intermediate Environmental Scientist,
Intermediate Environmental Professional (Remediation Consulting),
Senior Aquatic and Fisheries Biologist,
Intermediate Environmental Scientist - Vegetation and Wetlands,
Environment & Regulatory Specialist - Renewable Energy,
Intermediate to Senior Aquatic Biologist,
Intermediate or Senior Hydrologist,
Junior Biologist - Land Management
FIND INFORMATION
ON THESE AND MANY OTHER POSITIONS
HERE
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Take your camera to work!
(or your smartphone if you prefer)
The ASPB Conference Committee is hosting a photo contest in 2023,
and will announce the winners at the annual conference in November.
Photo submission guidelines are HERE.
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES
SEPTEMBER
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Generative AI:
A Workshop for Biologists
As we addressed in an article in the BIWEEKLY earlier in July, artificial intelligence (AI) has captured the attention of the literate world. Is there substance underlying the hype? And if so, how will that impact the practice (and the practitioners) of biology?
The ASPB has reached out to Chief AI Officer Mike Mason, with the global technology consultancy Thoughtworks, to guide a webinar-based exploration of AI, offering guidance on what AI could mean for biologists in particular, as well as for other regulated professionals. This complimentary two-hour workshop, facilitated by Mason and hosted by the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists on the Zoom platform, is scheduled for Tuesday September 12, 2023 beginning at 04:00, MDT.
The Zoom link for most Canadian attendees is: https://thoughtworks.zoom.us/j/97361884584?pwd=SmRYR3RzT3FGNWtLQjJhRUtJS2J1UT09
USA links are available on the ASPB website
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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”.
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ABMI WEBINAR
The ABMI’s Intactness Index—Measuring Biodiversity, on Wednesday, September 27, 2023. Register here.
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES
OCTOBER
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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.
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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
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES
NOVEMBER
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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
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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”.
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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
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GRASSLAND RESTORATION FORUM
FALL EVENTS
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How to Use Range Plant Community Guides and Recovery Strategies Manuals for Project and Reclamation Planning in Grasslands Cassils Hall, near Brooks, Alberta - September 13th, 2023
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Hands on! Grassland Assessment Training Antelope Creek Ranch, near Brooks, Alberta, September 14th, 2023
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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.
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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
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NATURAL RESOURCES
TRAINING GROUP
Electrofishing Certification - Online (self-paced) & Cochrane, August 18, 2023. https://nrtraininggroup.com/schedule/
Open House for Fish Habitat Restoration - Instream Techniques (FHRIT) August 30, 2023. https://nrtraininggroup.com/schedule/
Fish Habitat Restoration – Instream Techniques – Self Paced – September 4th, 2023
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/fish-habitat-restoration-instream-techniques-self-paced-september-4th-2023/
Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Dartmouth (Lower Sackville), 6th September 2023
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/electrofishing-certification-online-self-paced-dartmouth-lower-sackville-6th-september-2023/
Electrofishing Certification – Online & Fort McMurray, 12th September 2023
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/electrofishing-certification-online-fort-mcmurray-12th-september-2023/
Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & North Vancouver, 14th September 2023
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/electrofishing-certification-online-self-paced-north-vancouver-14th-september-2023/
Ichthyology – Online, September 14-15, 2023
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/ichthyology-online-september-14-15-2023/
Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Cochrane, 15th September 2023
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/electrofishing-certification-online-self-paced-cochrane-13th-september-2023/
Amphibian and Reptile Salvage Methods (Online) September 27-28, 2023
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/amphibian-and-reptile-salvage-methods-online-july-26-27-2023/
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/
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SALMTEC
COURSES AND TRAINING PROGRAMS
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)
Wetland Water Cycle Video Short (free)
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.
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Bill S-5
Canada Strengthens Environmental Protection
The federal government's Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act (Bill S-5) received Royal Assent on June 13, 2023. According to information posted by Environment and Climate Change Canada, the new act modernizes the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), and represents the first set of comprehensive amendments to CEPA since it was enacted over 20 years ago.
Bill S-5 requires that decisions made under CEPA respect the right to a healthy environment. Over the next two years, the Government will develop an implementation framework to set out how that right will be considered in administering the Act, accounting for principles such as environmental justice, intergenerational equity, and non-regression.
Environmental justice includes the avoidance of adverse effects that disproportionately affect vulnerable population; non-regression includes the continuous improvement in environmental protection, and intergenerational equity includes the importance of meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The amendments also require that research, studies, or monitoring activities be conducted to support the Government in protecting the right, and will also confirm the Government’s commitment to implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and require annual reporting on consultations, findings, recommendations, or measures taken in that regard.
Under the Act, the Government will develop a new Plan of Chemicals Management Priorities to assess and better understand and protect Canadians and the environment from chemicals of concern. In 1999, CEPA required prioritization of the 23,000 substances already in commerce in Canada based on specific criteria related to their bioaccumulation, persistence, inherent toxicity, and the greatest potential for exposure. With new chemicals being developed, new uses for existing chemicals, increasingly complex supply chains, and emerging science about risks including cumulative effects, the CEPA amendments require the Government to establish a new plan to prioritize the ongoing assessment of risks from chemicals.
The foregoing article is adapted from material found on the ECCC website, which can be found HERE
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Banner Image:
Photo credit ABMI
PROFESSIONAL BIOLOGISTS PROTECT THE PUBLIC INTEREST
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.
You are probably receiving this newsletter because you are an ASPB Registrant. This newsletter provides relevant information and professional development opportunities for our members, as well as essential member-related society business; if you are registered with the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists, please DO NOT unsubscribe.
For more information about the Society or to contact the administration, please visit the website: https://www.aspb.ab.ca
Opinions and general news published in this e-newsletter
do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the Society or its Board of Directors.
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