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ALBERTA BIOLOGISTS' BIWEEKLY
OCTOBER 1, 2023
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Want to see the graphics in this issue?
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TODAY IS THE LAST DAY FOR
EARLY BIRD RATES!
The Draft Conference Agenda
is now posted on the Conference Page
and will be regularly updated.
CLICK THIS GRAPHIC
TO JOIN US IN RED DEER
↓
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Nominations are Open
for the ASPB Board
Nominations are being accepted for the positions of
President Elect, Secretary, and Two Directors.
Contact the office to find out more.
Learn about and work on
governance and professional regulation.
Commitment starts at 2 to 4 hours per month.
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Regional Patterns
In the Water Balance
Of Alberta’s Wetlands
The Wetland Atlas of Alberta now features a new section, “Regional Patterns in the Water Balance of Alberta’s Wetlands.” This new section highlights research on regional patterns in the water balance of Alberta’s open water wetlands. In a joint project between the ABMI and InnoTech Alberta, water samples were collected at over 1,000 wetlands across Alberta.
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BUILDING YOUR
CAREER?
See what's new on the
BIOLOGISTS'
JOB BOARD
Senior Ecologist
Senior Conservation Planning Biologist
Wildlife Discipline Lead
Ecosystems Biologist
Conservation Planning Biologist
Wetland Specialist
Regulatory Specialist - NWT and NU
Intermediate to Senior Aquatic Biologist
Project Manager (Reclamation &/or Assessment/Remediation)
Senior Risk Assessor
Environmental Project Coordinator
Intermediate Environmental Scientist
Senior Terrestrial Biologist
Senior or Intermediate Wildlife Biologist
Environmental Scientist
Senior Aquatic Biologist
FIND INFORMATION
ON THESE AND MANY OTHER POSITIONS
HERE
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Generative AI Webinar Recording
Now Available on ASPB Website
Over 50 people logged in on September 12 to a well-received and wide-ranging discussion hosted by Chief AI Officer Mike Mason of the global technology firm Thoughtworks, in search of what AI could mean for biologists. The webinar was recorded and is available on the ASPB website in the “Other Presentations” section near the bottom of the Member Downloads page, where it should open in the Google Drive Player.
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Alberta Energy Regulator
Will Request Facility Licensee
Life-cycle Status Validations
On September 26, 2023, the Alberta Energy Regulator announced it will be contacting applicable licensees with a one-time supplemental data request to validate the operational life-cycle status of their facilities. AER Bulletin 2023-34 says that “additional information is necessary due to discrepancies between AER facility licensing information and the Government of Alberta’s Petrinex reporting system. Beginning January 2024, we will include facilities where the operational life-cycle status cannot be verified into the licensee’s assessed inactive liability.” You can read the bulletin HERE.
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Wildlife Analytics Lab Opens
Lab technician Kelsey Gourlie examines a prepared sample at the first-in-Canada Wildlife Analytics Lab, which opened its doors at Lethbridge College on September 6, 2023. The lab offers fee-for-service cementum analysis of wildlife teeth; look for a full article in the November 1st special edition of the ASPB BIWEEKLY.
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Field Law:
Addressing the Legal Issues Arising
From the Use of AI in Canada
In September 2023, the Canadian government released new guidelines highlighting the increasing impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on businesses.
Rather than wait for federal regulation, businesses should start establishing internal controls using workplace policies, employment agreements, supplier contracts, and contract reviews. READ MORE
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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.
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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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World Conference on
Ecological Restoration
The 10th World Conference on Ecological Restoration SER2023 began September 27th. This four-day meeting is convening 1,000 delegates from 80 countries to celebrate and restore the connection between people and nature. Registration for SER2023’s Virtual Component in November is now open.
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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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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES
FEBRUARY
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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.
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GRASSLAND RESTORATION FORUM
FALL EVENTS
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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
HERE
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NATURAL RESOURCES
TRAINING GROUP
Cultural Heritage Monitor – Online, October 4-6, 2023
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/cultural-heritage-monitor-october-4-6-2023/
Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Dartmouth (Lower Sackville), 4th October 2023
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/electrofishing-certification-online-self-paced-dartmouth-lower-sackville-6th-september-2023/
Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & North Vancouver, 11th October 2023
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/electrofishing-certification-online-self-paced-north-vancouver-14th-september-2023-2/
Snorkel Survey Techniques – October 12th (Online) & October 27th (Courtenay)
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/snorkel-survey-techniques-october-12th-online-october-27th-courtenay/
Water Sustainability Technician – Online – October 16 – December 22 2023
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/water-sustainability-technician-online-october-16-december-22-2023/
Fisheries Field Skills: Courtenay, October 16 – 20 and October 23-26, 2023
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/fisheries-field-skills-courtenay-october-16-20-and-october-23-26-2023/
Species at Risk – Online, October 17-18, 2023
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/species-at-risk-online-october-17-18-2023/
Spill Response Due Diligence Certification (Online) October 18-19, 2023
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/spill-response-due-diligence-certification-october-18-19-2023/
Fish Habitat Assessment Level One – October 19th – 20th (Courtenay: In-person)
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/fish-habitat-assessment-level-one-october-19th-online-20th-courtenay/
Land Guardian Program – October 23 – November 24th, 2023 – Fully Online
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/land-guardian-program-october-23-november-24-2023-fully-online/
Avian Nest Sweeps and Monitoring Methods – Online – October 24-25, 2023
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/avian-nest-sweeps-and-monitoring-methods-online-october-24-25-2023/
Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Courtenay, 25th October 2023
https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/electrofishing-certification-online-self-paced-courtenay-25th-october-2023/
For course details and the full calendar of upcoming courses the link is here:
https://nrtraininggroup.com/schedule/
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Seeking
The Strathcona Bird
Emily Kabotoff, P. Biol., was on CBC Radio Active last week, talking about the County of Strathcona and its search for an “Official Bird”. Kabotoff. who works with the county’s planning and development services, explained that in 2022, Strathcona was designated by Nature Canada as the country’s 12th “Bird Friendly City”. She told CBC Radio Active host Jessica Ng that as of last week, the selection was between two finalists: the blue jay and the pileated woodpecker. Voting was over on September 30; at the time of publishing, the avis triumphans had not yet been announced.
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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):
Impacts of oil well drilling noise on parental care and nestling condition of chestnut-collared longspurs (Calcarius ornatus)
Crows use statistical logic
Mammalian predator and prey responses to recreation and land use across multiple scales provide limited support for the human shield hypothesis
The Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative Annual National Bat Health Report–2023
A congeneric and non-randomly associated pair of larval trematodes dominates the assemblagae of co-infecting parasites in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas)
Determining Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds in Bird Feathers Using Pressurized Fluid Extraction
Regenerative agriculture: increasing plant diversity and soil carbon sequestration on agricultural landscapes
Alberta Irrigators Survived 2023 but 2024 remains dire
APEGA’s Women in the Workplace: A Shift in Industry Work Culture
Wildlife rehabilitation records reveal impacts of anthropogenic activities on wildlife health
Wolves in a human world: Social dynamics of the Northern Hemisphere's most iconic social carnivore
Transcriptome analysis of a springtail, Folsomia candida, reveals energy constraint and oxidative stress during petroleum hydrocarbon exposure
Australia-Coal-Miners-Gina-Rinehart-Target-Alberta-Rockies-Again/
Five criteria for higher-yielding crops
Alberta now a 'hot spot' for tapeworm that can cause fatal tumours in humans
Berries and bullets: influence of food and mortality risk on grizzly bears in British Columbia
Mandatory Disclosures as Calculative Spaces: Public Sector Accountability on Restoring Species at Risk
A Social-Ecological Approach to Understanding Human-Coyote Interactions in Cities
Social-Ecological Systems Analysis and Perceptions of Change in Agriculture, Food and Farm Systems in Southern Alberta and Yukon Territory
Edge effects of a linear disturbance on the abundance and reproduction of an annual, Melampyrum lineare, in the boreal forest
Evolutionary Consequences of Seasonal Migration in North American Birds
How microenvironment influences the Tree Swallow's Hatching Success at Beaverhill Bird Observatory, Alberta.
Earthworms add big slice of global grain
Why We Need a ‘Slow Water’ Movement
Scientists Rediscover Bee Species Last Seen In 1955
Wildlife ecology in a human-dominated world: Insights from migratory animals, large carnivores, and ungulate prey
Harnessing Wastewater Surveillance to Detect Livestock-Linked Viruses
The public trust foundation of the North American Model of Wildlife
Effects of Acute and Sub‐Chronic Waterborne Thallium Exposure on Ionoregulatory Enzyme Activity and Oxidative Stress in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Transfusion-transmitted Babesia spp.: a changing landscape of epidemiology, regulation, and risk mitigation
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Banner Image:
Photo credit P. S. Taylor
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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