ALBERTA BIOLOGISTS' BIWEEKLY
NOVEMBER 15, 2022
THE ASPB CONFERENCE
IN LAKE LOUISE
IS SOLD OUT.
The conference is only 15 days away!
To be put on a cancellation list you can email HERE.
ASPB Registration Renewal:
A Refresher for ASPB Registrants
Registration renewal for 2023 opens on December 1, 2022. Fees are payable through the member portal “Sign In” located at the upper right of the www.aspb.ab.ca website, and the ASPB accepts Visa and MasterCard credit card payments through the online renewal system for payment. Please note that you will receive ASPB database-generated email reminders regarding renewals (from the email address pbiol@aspb.ab.ca) on:
  • December 1 – announcing that renewals are open
  • December 31 – a reminder that fees are going up January 1 (if you haven’t already renewed)
  • January 31 – a reminder that the late fee will be applied February 1 if you haven’t already renewed. (Previously this fee had been added March 2 to unpaid registrations.)
  • March 1 – a reminder that unpaid registrants will be suspended on March 31 if you haven’t already renewed. (Previously, the suspension date was April 30.)

Three Things to Remember:
  1. Please be advised that the Board-approved increases to renewal fees for 2023 will be applied on January 1, 2023. For more information, refer to the section “ASPB fee adjustments for 2023” on the FAQ for Existing members’ page.
  2. There is a lot of detailed information for existing members on the FAQ for Existing members’ page, and we encourage you to become familiar with this information before reaching out to the ASPB administration team for help. (If you have issues logging in, refer to the “Troubleshooting Login Errors” section near the bottom of the FAQ page.)
  3. Always remember that the registration year is January 1 to December 31. You are not considered a member in good standing in 2023 until your renewal fees are paid; only members in good standing can use the protected titles P Biol or BIT after January 1, 2023.
  4. If you have applied, or intend to apply, for reclassifying from BTT,RBIT,BIT to RT BIOL, R BIOL or P BIOL, you must be good standing (annual registration fees paid) with the ASPB for your previously submitted education to be applied to your reclassification application. If you are not in good standing when your application appears on the decision agenda, a decision regarding application may be delayed. If an offer of registration is extended in the reclassification category, the registration fees in the reclassification category will be reduced by the renewal fees already paid.
CONFERENCE SPONSORS
SILVER
BRONZE
NEW
on the
JOB BOARD

Environmental Flow Needs Specialist * Ecological Field Technician * Plant Conservation Specialist * Ecologist (Senior) * Senior Wildlife Biologist * Quantitative Geneticist * Intermediate Biologist * Spatial Analyst * Project Manager * Senior Biologist * Intermediate to Senior Technical Writer *
Intermediate Environmental Monitor *
 
FIND INFORMATION ABOUT THESE POSITIONS
AND OVER 25 MORE
EVENTS OF INTEREST
NOVEMBER
Workshop:
Transboundary Grasslands Partnership
“A new partnership for grassland conservation” - November 15 and 16, 2022 at Medicine Hat, AB. For more information go HERE.
Overcoming Obstacles to Restoration
This Grassland Restoration Forum Fall Information Session will be held November 17, 2022 at the Claresholm Community Centre. Online registration is available at www.grasslandrestorationforum.ca
WiSER's 2022 Mixer set for November 24 
WiSER will host its annual virtual industry mixer on the evening of November 24, 2022. Professionals from various STEM fields will gather to network and/or seek potential employees. Individual participants can register here; companies can register here.
Wetland Knowledge Exchange Webinar
Meike Lemmer, PhD, will present on The evaluation of peatland restoration following in situ oil and gas infrastructure disturbances on November 28, 2022 between 1200 (noon) and 1300. You can register for this free webinar HERE.
EVENTS OF INTEREST
DECEMBER
ANNUAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting of the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists will be held December 2, 2022, at 08:45 MST.
The AGM can be attended in-person at the Fairmont Lake Louise hotel at Lake Louise, Alberta, or concurrently by teleconference. Registration details for in-person or teleconference attendance can be found HERE
Western Canada Conference on
Soil Health & Grazing
The Western Canada Conference on Soil Health & Grazing will be held in Edmonton on Dec 13-15, 2022. For more information and to register please go HERE.
EVENTS OF INTEREST
FEBRUARY
PCES Conference is in Calgary in February
The 2023 Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference will be held in Calgary, February 21-23, 2023. You can register HERE
NATURAL RESOURCES
TRAINING GROUP

Amphibian and Reptile Salvage Methods (Online) – November 23-24, 2022
Wildlife Survey Field Methods: Carnivores (Online) – November 23-25, 2022
Working in and About Water (Online) – November 24 & 25, 2022

For the full calendar of upcoming courses the link is here:
GRASSLAND
RESTORATION FORUM
HANDS-ON COURSES AND EVENTS
The Grassland Restoration Forum’s hands-on courses and events for 2022 are listed below. You can check out their website for details and registration on all events HERE.

November 17th, 2022: Our Perennial Gathering! GRF Fall Information Session at Claresholm. The one day Fall Information Session gathers a variety of industry and grassland stakeholders to exchange current information on grassland restoration and conservation through a variety of presentations and mini updates.
SALMTEC
 COURSES AND TRAINING PROGRAMS
 
Fall 2022 Registration Now Open! Blended Course: Grassland Vegetation Inventory (GVI): A User’s Guide , Online Content + Live Streaming Class (Dec. 2, 2022)
 
Fall 2022 Registration Now Open! Blended Course: Alberta Wetland Rapid Evaluation Tool – Actual (ABWRET-A), Online Content + Live Streaming Class (Dec. 9, 2022)
 
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/
 
Interactive classes comprise the final learning component of a Blended/Online course.
Two Words Too Many?
Drafting Termination Provisions is Delicate Work

The Alberta Court of Appeal’s recent decision in Bryant v Parkland School Division offers a good reminder of the care employers need to take when drafting termination provisions. This is in part because when a term in an employment contract can be reasonably interpreted in more than one way, courts generally prefer the interpretation that gives the greater benefit to the employee.
 
Valid termination provisions in a written employment contract can limit notice requirements to the statutory minimums or provide notice more generous than the statutory minimums but less than what an employee might be entitled to under the common law. However, an employer must use clear and unambiguous language to do so effectively. This is easier said than done; you can read more HERE

This article is reproduced here with permission from Field Law.
AAFMP Podcast:
Why is a CCP so important?
Carla Rhyant, Executive Director and Registrar of the Alberta Association of Forest Management Professionals, teamed up with podcaster Matt Kristoff (Your Forest) for a relaxed but informative chat about why continuing competence activities are important to professionals. To hear the podcast, log in HERE.
APEGA Webinar:
Canada’s Oilsands in a Net-Zero World
This presentation by Bryan Helfenbaum, P.Eng, will examine Canada's current landscape and explore many sources of innovation and technology that could lead to the oilsands not just surviving, but thriving in a net-zero world. This presentation will be brought to you by APEGA’s Edmonton Branch at 12:00 noon on December 7, 2022. Everyone is welcome to attend. Register HERE.
We regularly receive notifications from Google Scholar Alerts and other sources, which previously we have shared on Twitter and (more recently) in the BIWEEKLY. Here is the latest batch (the links are HOT):
Banner Image: Lake Louise, Alberta
Home of the 2022 ASPB Conference

The ASPB regulates the professional practice of biology in the disciplines of Botany, Zoology, Environmental Biology and Microbiology, and all sub-disciplines below them. The ASPB is the only organization for biologists in Alberta that is registered under Provincial Legislation with a mandate to protect the interests of the public of Alberta. 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 about professional development opportunities for our members and essential member-related society business; if you are a registered member of 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.