Events of interest

Comments invited for Species at Risk Legislation

Environment Canada invites you to comment on the proposed amendment to Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA): the List of Wildlife Species at Risk. The public comment period for this amendment will end on February 8, 2012.

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has recommended the addition of 13 terrestrial species to the legal list, while six terrestrial species are being considered for up-listing to higher risk status and five are being considered for down-listing to a lower risk status. Additionally, COSEWIC assessments have confirmed the existing Schedule 1 risk status of 25 other terrestrial species already listed. More details at http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/document/default_e.cfm?documentID=2318

New naturalized parks in Saskatoon

The City of Saskatoon has recently designated several city parks as naturalized parks. These parks are to be managed to attract birds. A recently released report prepared for SNS by Gary Pedersen, Naturalized Areas Supervisor, describes their progress during the past year. You can download the report here:

Naturalized parks in Saskatoon - report (pdf, 49 KB)

Membership Renewals

Have you renewed your membership? If not, this is your last issue of the Newsletter. To renew, you can send in the form on the back page of this Newsletter or stop by the membership desk at any monthly meeting.

Multi-year memberships are available. For multiyear members, the two digit number in the upper right corner of your mailing label gives the year your membership expires.

Members who would prefer to receive the SNS Newsletter via email as a pdf document should contact Claire Bullaro at c.bear@sasktel.net. Please send your email from the account to which the Newsletter should be sent.

Heritage Festival of Saskatoon

Sunday, February 5, noon to 5:00 p.m.
Western Development Museum
Admission is free

The Heritage Festival is Saskatoon's showcase of cultural and natural heritage. It features exhibits, demonstrations, entertainment, sleigh rides, and children's activities. There will be displays from many of Saskatoon's cultural and natural heritage organizations, including the Saskatoon Nature Society. Don't miss this great opportunity to visit the Western Development Museum for free and check out the heritage displays. For more information check out

www.heritagefestivalofsaskatoon2012.wordpress. com

If you would like to volunteer at the Saskatoon Nature Society display at the Heritage Festival contact Greg Fenty at 343-6943 or greg.fenty@gmail.com

Newsletter Back Issues Available

Each month we print a few extra copies of the SNS Newsletter; we have back issues going back quite a few years. These will be going to the recycler in the near future. If anyone would like one or more past issues, contact Michael Williams at 242-5383.

2012 Saskatchewan Birds

Calendar Nick Saunders "2012 Saskatchewan Birds Calendar" is here! Professionally coil-bound and printed on high quality photo paper, the calendar is now bigger and better at 11x17 inches, with a full colour photo for each month that fills the page, but is still the same price at $20.00.

For a preview of the pages and for shipping costs (if needed), please email Nick at nikovich@sasktel.net. Buyers are also welcome to collect their calendars from Nick personally. Email him to make arrangements.

Skywatchers 2012 Calendar

Stan Shadick's "Skywatchers's 2012 Calendar" features maps of the night sky. This year the focus of the grid text has changed to incorporate a greater number of celestial events. Inset maps illustrate conjunctions of planets and the moon on various dates. Special times for observing Jupiter's Moons with your spotting scope are included.

In its 16th edition, the calendar has won several international awards for the most informative and original calendar. It is now available at some local bookstores or directly from Stan Shadick for $15 by phoning 652-5975. Stan will have copies with him at the November and December SNS general meetings.

Call for nominations to the Board of Directors

The board of directors of the Saskatoon Nature Society is elected at the March Annual General Meeting. If you would like to serve on the board, please contact the past-president Robert Johanson at 653-2610 (evenings) or send email to robert.johanson@usask.ca to put your name forward.

Lost and Found

A blue woman's vest was left behind in a vehicle on a past field trip. Contact Michael Williams (242- 5383) to claim.

SNS Members' Discount

With a new membership or a renewal, you will receive the SNS membership card. By showing the card, SNS members can receive a discount at Don's Photo Shop, 1902 8th St. E., on photo-finishing and certain other items in the store.

Members can also get a 10% discount at Early's Farm and Garden Centre on all regularly priced wild bird feeding products, bird houses, books, etc.

Great Backyard Bird Count

The 2012 Great Backyard Bird Count will be held Feb. 17–20, 2012. Participation is easy; just watch your feeders for a period of time and count the maximum number of each species that visits. Then submit your observations on the GBBC website: www.birdsource.org/gbbc/. See the website for more information. Distribution of Common Ravens from the 2001 (top) and the 2011 (bottom) Great Backyard Bird Counts.

2012 Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program

Apply to the Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program for a chance to win one of twenty $5000 scholarships. If you are a graduating high school or Cégep student, show how you've been a leader through environmental community service and volunteer activities as well as demonstrated academic excellence, and you could be on your way to receiving $5000 for your education.

The deadline to apply is January 31, 2012. For more information please visit www.earthday.ca/scholarship or email scholarship@earthday.ca

Bird Surveys of the Northeast Swale and Chief Whitecap Park

The Saskatoon Nature Society is seeking volunteers to record observations of birds, plants and wildlife in the NE Swale (north of Sutherland) and Chief Whitecap Park (south of the Exhibition Park). The MVA has requested this data from us to support their work in these areas. If you wish to volunteer, please contact Stan Shadick by email to stan.shadick [at] usask.ca or by phone 652-5975 to receive more details about these 2 projects.

You can download instruction packages and survey forms here (documents will open in a new window):

Northeast Swale Survey Package (Adobe pdf, 1.4 MB)
Form - Northeast Swale Wildlife Survey (Adobe pdf, 45 kb)

Chief Whitecap Park Survey Package (Adobe pdf, 4.5 MB)
Form - Chief Whitecap Park Wildlife Survey (Adobe pdf, 52 kb)

Rare Bird Records Committee

The Saskatoon Nature Society has set up a Records committee to review documented reports of rare bird sightings. The results of the committee's decisions will be used to update the status of future editions of the Saskatoon Area Bird checklist and any possible related future publications. During 2010, the committee will consider any submitted photographs or sound recordings of any bird species marked as irregular or hypothetical on the current version of the checklist plus any new bird species not listed on the checklist. The committee will not review written or verbal reports without documentation.

If you find a rare bird this year, please try to photograph it or record its song. If you do not have the equipment, please report the sighting to the society by phoning Stan Shadick at 652-5975. He will announce the report on the rare bird alert so that other birders with equipment may try to photograph it or record its song. If you wish to volunteer to serve on the Records committee, please contact Stan Shadick at 652-5975.

Canadian Tire Money

Our Society collects Canadian Tire money to purchase equipment for the Young Naturalists' program. You can donate Canadian Tire money at any monthly meeting. Look for the collection box in the coffee room.

Saskatoon Area Birds - A Seasonal Checklist

New and updated Seasonal Checklist for the Saskatoon area birds is now available for download (Adobe pdf, 800 KB).

This checklist contains 323 avian species reported in the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan district to April 2010 (3 species are extirpated) and an additional 26 hypothetical species. The area covered extends from 51° 30’ to 52° 30’ in latitude and 106° 00’ to 107° 30’ in longitude. The checklist was primarily compiled from records published in Birds of the Saskatoon Area (2002) and is maintained by the records committee of the Saskatoon Nature Society.

Among the best birding areas in the city are Cosmopolitan Park, Meewasin Valley Trail, Forestry Farm Park, and the old Sanatorium grounds. Beyond the city are Beaver Creek Conservation Area, Blackstrap Reservoir, Pike Lake, Radisson Lake and Brightwater Marsh. A Guide to Nature Viewing Sites in and around Saskatoon (Jonker & Gollop, 122 pp., revised edition 2000) describes the natural history of these and other nature areas in the district.

Understory and Bog Plants of the Southern Nisbet Forest - a Checklist

A useful list of the plants of the southern Nisbet forest is now available for download (Adobe PDF, 36 KB)

This list does not pretend to be a complete one, but will give you a good cross section of the plants you can find in that area.