ALBERTA BIOLOGISTS' BIWEEKLY
JANUARY 15, 2023
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ASPB Registrant Renewal
Renewal 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 remember that late fees will apply beginning February 1, 2023.
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P. Biols. wanted
for regulated committees
The ASPB is always looking for active and enthusiastic registrants to serve on our several working groups, especially on our regulated committees (Registration and Discipline). You can learn more about these opportunities by contacting the ASPB Executive Director, Dean Falkenberg, HERE.
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Canadian Biology Olympiad 2023
The Canadian Biology Olympiad is a nation-wide organization involved in the selection of four secondary school students, talented in the field of biological sciences, to represent Canada at the International Biology Olympiad (IBO). This year will be the 34th IBO and it will be held in July in Dubai, UAE.
Details about the Canadian competition for 2023 will be available in January. Competitors must be residents of Canada and be Canadian Citizens or Landed Immigrants and will be students of a regular secondary school for general education in Canada. More details can be found on the WEBSITE or by EMAIL. The Alberta-based student winners from the 2022 competition can be seen HERE.
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES
JANUARY
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Back to Botany Basics
The Alberta Native Plant Council is hosting the first of its new monthly lunchtime webinar series, focusing on botany basics. Join us on January 18, 2023 as Laurie Hamilton presents useful native plant resources and Ann Willyard helps us to learn to love those Latin names. You can register HERE .
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BUILDING YOUR
CAREER:
See what's new on the
JOB BOARD
Intermediate Field Biologists
Spatial Analyst
Wildlife Biologists
Senior Technical Writer
Head of Wetland Services
Wildlife Technician
Junior Field Biologist
Senior Biologist
Manager of Practice
Senior Fisheries Biologist
Wildlife Resource Specialist
Quantitative Geneticist
FIND INFORMATION ABOUT THESE POSITIONS
AND OVER 30 MORE
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES
FEBRUARY
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Field Law Part 1: (Edmonton)
Labour, Occupational Health + Safety
Field Law annually presents its Year in Review, a complimentary series of virtual and in-person events which focus on legal updates for management and employee groups.
CALGARY IN-PERSON SEMINAR SOLD OUT
In-person in Edmonton
Wednesday, February 1
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
2500 - 10175 101 ST
Cost: Complimentary
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Field Law Part 1: (Webinar)
Labour, Occupational Health + Safety
Field Law annually presents its Year in Review, a complimentary series of virtual and in-person events which focus on legal updates for management and employee groups.
Thursday, February 2
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Cost: Complimentary
If you are unable to attend at the scheduled time please register and a link to the recording will be sent to you.
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Field Law Part 2, Year in Review
Privacy, Human Rights, Employment
Field Law annually presents its Year in Review, a complimentary series of virtual and in-person events which focus on legal updates for management and employee groups.
IN-PERSON SEMINAR
Calgary SOLD OUT
Wednesday, February 15
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
400 - 444 7 AVE SW
Cost: Complimentary
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Field Law Part 2, Year in Review
Privacy, Human Rights, Employment
Field Law annually presents its Year in Review, a complimentary series of virtual and in-person events which focus on legal updates for management and employee groups.
IN-PERSON SEMINAR
Edmonton
Wednesday, February 15
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
2500 - 10175 101 ST
Cost: Complimentary
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Field Law Part 2, Year in Review (webinar)
Privacy, Human Rights, Employment
Field Law annually presents its Year in Review, a complimentary series of virtual and in-person events which focus on legal updates for management and employee groups.
Thursday, February 16
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Cost: Complimentary
If you are unable to attend at the scheduled time please register and a link to the recording will be sent to you.
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GRF WEBINAR
Comparison of Seeding Methods
to Restore Native Grassland Vegetation
A comparison of four seeding methods to restore native grassland vegetation in SE Alberta, presented by Kathryn Edwards (Sr. Project Mgr, Summit) on February 16th, 2023, 12:00 – 13:00. Registration will be active mid-January through the Grassland Restoration Forum website HERE.
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Northern watershed planning councils
collaborate on February conference
Alberta's northern watershed planning and advisory councils will host the Water Management in Alberta’s Boreal conference on February 15-16, 2023. The Athabasca Watershed Council, the Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance and the Lesser Slave Watershed Council have extended an invitation for two days of learning, exploration and discussion of water management issues, challenges and partnerships to be held at the Pomeroy Hotel in Grande Prairie. Details and registration will be listed on Eventbrite in mid December.
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PCES Conference is in Calgary
The 2023 Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference will be held in Calgary, February 21-23, 2023. You can register HERE
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES
MARCH
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GRF WEBINAR
Restoration of Annual-Brome
Invaded Mixedgrass Prairie
Anabel Dombro (University of Alberta) will discuss the containment and restoration of Annual-Brome Invaded Mixedgrass Prairie Using the Herbicide Indaziflam, on March 14, 2023, 12:00 - 13:00. Registration will be active mid-January through the Grassland Restoration Forum website HERE.
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GRF WORKSHOP
How to Use Range Plant Community Guides
This one-day, classroom-based course in Calgary in March (date and venue tbd) will teach participants how to use the Range Plant Community Guides and introduce the Recovery Strategies for Development in Native Grassland Manuals planning process. These tools will provide valuable context to interpret results of data collected for AEP Conservation Assessments – Strategic Siting and Pre-disturbance Site Assessments for Industrial Activities on Native Grassland. Registration will be active mid-January through the Grassland Restoration Forum website HERE.
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES
MAY
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School of Fish Workshop:
Fishes of Alberta - Field Identification
This fish ID course will be instructed by Shona Derlukewich, B.Sc., P. Biol., at Mount Royal University in Calgary on Saturday, May 6, 2023, from 1300h to 1630h. The cost per student is $100; pre-payment by etransfer to hold seat, non refundable after April 22, 2023. Field guides are included in the workshop cost and will be provided to participants upon arrival. Additional details (map for parking and room number) will be supplied to registered participants. To register, email Shona Derlukewich and for more fishy details check out the WEBSITE.
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Responsible Recreation:
Pathways, Practices and Possibilities
Recreation and adventure tourism opportunities and activities are expanding globally. However, empirical measures of impacts are often difficult to obtain. This two-day conference hosted by the Columbia Mountains Institute will be an excellent opportunity to network and learn about current thinking on increasing outdoor recreation activities and the effect on wildlife and ecosystems. This event on May 9 and 10, 2023 will be a hybrid event, with both in-person and online participation. The call for proposals is open until February 3, 2023; go HERE for more information.
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UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
CONTINUING EDUCATION
BMC246 - Water Quality
Start Date: January 24, 2023
BMC252 - Environmental Issues in Indigenous Communities
Start Date: April 18, 2023
BMC265 - Environmental Impact Assessments
Start Date: June 30 2023
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NATURAL RESOURCES
TRAINING GROUP
Fish Habitat Restoration – Prescription Development – Online, January 17, 2023
Avian Nest Sweeps and Monitoring Methods – Online, January 18-19, 2023
Fish Habitat Restoration – Instream Techniques – Online, January 18-19, 2023
Experimental Design in Ecology – Online, January 24-25, 2023
Technical Writing for Professionals – Resumes and Cover Letters – Online, February 1, 2023
Technical Writing for Professionals – Online, February 2-3, 2023
Lake Management Techniques – Online, February 7-8, 2023
Environmental Field Skills Program (EFS) – Self Paced – February 13 – June 12, 2023
Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Courtenay, 14th February 2023
Ichthyology – Online, February 14-15, 2023
Amphibian and Reptile Salvage Methods (Online) February 15-16, 2023
Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & North Vancouver, 16th February 2023
Snorkel Survey Techniques – February 16th (Online) & March 7th (Courtenay)
For the full calendar of upcoming courses the link is here:
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SALMTEC
COURSES AND TRAINING PROGRAMS
Navigating the Alberta Soil Information Viewer Video Short (free). Reg. Link:
Interactive classes comprise the final learning component of a Blended/Online course.
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The Angst of Biologists
Lorne Fitch, P. Biol., is a Professional Biologist, a retired Fish and Wildlife Biologist and a past Adjunct Professor with the University of Calgary. He shared with The ASPB BIOS BRIEF his observations about the challenges of practicing as a professional biologist in a world where society's desire for endless growth may often threaten the sustainability imperative:
Two biologists from a consulting firm had asked to meet with me, as they had been hired by an oil company to discuss my concerns with a well-site location on the headwaters of an East Slopes trout stream. Some years previously I had done a comprehensive survey of this stream – physical habitat, aquatic invertebrates, water chemistry, and trout population age and growth – and had used that information to register my concerns over the construction of a well-site in the steep valley.
As I invited them into our boardroom I noticed they had brought along a folder enclosing a rather thin report. They began the discussion by asserting that their results indicated there would be no concerns: no sediment, no disruption of stream flow, no leakage of drilling fluids, no change in trout habitat, and no impacts on trout. To support this, they handed me their report – a few pages at best – based on their assessment. I asked when they had done the work and how long it had taken, to which they replied it had taken them an afternoon (on a short stretch of stream) to refute my findings and concerns.
In response, I ripped the report in half and tossed it across the table. This was not the first time – and nor would it be the last time in my career – that I have observed and experienced the angst seems forever a part of our profession: the pro-development faction will hate you for rocking the boat and the environment-first community will criticize you for not rocking it more. It is virtually impossible to find stable middle ground.
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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):
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Banner Image:
Lynxes in winter
Byrdyak
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.
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