ALBERTA BIOLOGISTS' BIWEEKLY

JANUARY 1, 2024

SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES

JANUARY

A Wetland Knowledge Exchange Webinar:

Taking the permafrost’s pulse

On January 23, 2024 Dr. Catherine Dieleman will present a webinar on "Taking the permafrost’s pulse – Insights from seven years of a simulated permafrost thaw resource pulse". Registration for this free webinar can be found at: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/2fc19741-0171-42a4-a85e-9ab3bb3df510@b2bb2713-1bbb-453d-bdd8-640c1565430e

Field Law Annual Webinar:

What are the key legal trends and the

operational implications for regulators?

Presented by Katrina Haymond, KC, Gregory Sim and James Casey, KC, this popular annual webinar is a comprehensive review of key cases from across Canada that will address topics including:

·        Delay in discipline proceedings

·        Assessing credibility and preparing reasons

·        Sexual abuse cases

·        Challenges to bylaws

·        Procedural fairness requirements in the registration process

·        ...and much more!

Who should attend? This webinar on January 31 between noon and 1330 is designed for anyone who wants to stay current with the most important legal cases and trends affecting professional regulators including staff at all levels, council members, committee members, and tribunal members. The cost per attendee is $100. 

SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES

FEBRUARY

Event Notice and Call for Abstracts:

Perspectives on measuring

and monitoring biological effects

in impact assessment

A symposium co-sponsored by The International Association for Impact Assessment – Western and Northern Canada (IAIA-WNC) and the British Columbia Association of Professional Biology (APB) will be held February 6, 2024 at the Simon Fraser University Wosk Conference Centre in downtown Vancouver. Remote participation will be available.

If you are interested in presenting at this event, please submit a brief abstract to info@professionalbiology.com by January 3, 2024. Abstracts should be no more than 250 words; submissions should also include a talk title, author list, and all author affiliations. We are currently targeting 10-15 min speaking slots, plus time for questions. Abstract acceptance will be based on alignment with the event theme and subject to available time slots. Speakers will be required to attend in-person; registration will be open at later date.

For more detailed comments about the symposium theme, please read HERE.

10th Annual Native Prairie

Restoration/Reclamation Workshop

Registration is now open for the 10th Native Prairie Restoration/Reclamation Workshop on February 7 and 8, 2024, at Saskatoon. The schedule is online and you can register HERE.

Standard Track & Sign Evaluation

With David Moskowitz, on February 24 & 25, 2024 in the Edmonton Area (details disclosed at a later date). This 2-day field-based workshop is an unparalleled opportunity to learn from one of North America’s top wildlife trackers. It offers an opportunity for naturalists, field biologists, and outdoor enthusiasts of any skill-level to advance their abilities in wildlife track and sign identification and interpretation, and potentially earn an internationally recognised Track and Sign Certification from Tracker Certification North America. Find more information and register HERE.

GRASSLAND RESTORATION FORUM

Grassland Restoration Forum Webinar

Tuesday January 30^th, 12:00-13:00 MST



Register here to receive a link to the webinar:

https://grasslandrestorationforum.ca/events/grassland-restoration-forum-webinar/

Title: Quantification of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with native plants in natural and disturbed grasslands. A project update.

Presenter: Adriana Morrell, Ph.D. Faculty, School of Agriculture Sciences Scientific Lead, Mycology Lab Lethbridge College

NATURAL RESOURCES

TRAINING GROUP

For course details and the full calendar of upcoming courses the link is here:

https://nrtraininggroup.com/schedule/

SALMTEC

 COURSES AND TRAINING PROGRAMS

******

SALMTEC Seminar: Land Use Interpretation

Live online seminar January 23, 2024

SALMTEC Seminar: Technical Report Review

Live online seminar February 21, 2024

SALMTEC Seminar: Landscape Analysis

Live online seminar March 19, 2024

Winter 2024 Registration Now Open!

SALMTEC Blended Course: Alberta Wetland Rapid Evaluation Tool – Actual (ABWRET-A)

Online Content + Live Streaming Class (April 26, 2024)

Winter 2024 Registration Now Open!

SALMTEC Blended Course: Grassland Vegetation Inventory (GVI): A User’s Guide

Online Content + Live Streaming Class (April 12, 2024)

SALMTEC Blended Course: Biophysical Foundations

Online Content + Live Streaming Class (April 12, 2024) + Field Training Date (May 2024)

SALMTEC Seminar: Hydrologic Principles and Wetland Design

Live online seminar April 23, 2024

SALMTEC Seminar: Preliminary Wetland Boundary Delineation

Live online seminar May 22, 2024

Ongoing

SALMTEC Online Course: Wetland Policy Basics

Online

Ongoing

SALMTEC Snackable Learning Course: Understanding ACIMS Tools (Alberta Conservation Information Management System)

Online

Ongoing

SALMTEC Snackable Learning Course: Alberta Soil Information Viewer

Online

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.

The Alberta Remote Camera Steering Committee (RCSC)

is seeking input on survey design and data management tools

The RCSC aims to address the need for tools, standards, and training materials, and to provide opportunities for sharing knowledge among remote camera users. For the past year, the RCSC has developed multiple documents that provide guidance on the types of metadata that should be collected and how it should be reported, and offer recommendations on survey design, deployment methods, and data management. The RCSC is looking for feedback on the usefulness of these resources, and for input on developing future resources, and would appreciate readers taking five minutes to complete this brief survey. As a thank-you, everyone who completes the questionnaire has the option of being entered into a draw for a $50.00 MEC gift card.

ABMI looking for a remote camera data scientist

Are you a scientist with expertise in data management and remote camera technology? Are you passionate about the role of technology in biodiversity monitoring and management? The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute’s (ABMI) Information Centre and Remote Camera Steering Committee (RCSC) are seeking an exceptional Data Scientist to support the development of a decision support tool. For posting details, please refer here:

https://abmi.ca/home/careers/career-listings/Remote-Camera-Decision-Support-Tool---Data-Scientist.html

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):

Estimation of fine-scale vegetation distribution information from RPAS-generated imagery and structure to aid restoration monitoring

Audio data compression affects acoustic indices and reduces detections of birds by human listening and automated recognisers

The taphonomic impact of scavenger guilds in peri‐urban and rural regions of central and southern Alberta. Part I–Identification of forensically relevant vertebrate …

A global synthesis and assessment of free-ranging domestic cat diet

Not Fit for Purpose: Oil Sands Mines and Alberta's Mine Financial Security Program

Water depth influences survival and predator‐specific patterns of nest loss in three secretive marsh bird species

12% of bird species driven to extinction

Effect of Agricultural Chemical on Native Plants of the Northern Great Plains

Climate-sensitive forecasts of marked short-term and long-term changes in the distributions or abundances of Northwestern boreal landbirds.

Mission Monarch: engaging the Canadian public for the conservation of a species at risk

A Brief Note Concerning Canvasbacks

Scientists-fear-fatal-chronic-wasting-disease-could-jump-species-barrier-to-humans

Vegetation type and trail use interact to affect the magnitude and extent of recreational trail impacts on plant communities

Dall's sheep horn growth and harvest management in the Mackenzie Mountains, Northwest Territories, Canada

Physiological and behavioural performance metrics of Athabasca rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) across varying thermal regimes in the Athabasca river …

Grazing and right-of-way affect native rangeland 12 years after pipeline construction in southern Alberta

Peregrine falcons shift mean and variance in provisioning in response to increasing brood demand

Movement Ecology, Survival, and Territorial Dynamics in Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) Over a Cyclic Population Decline

Female little brown bats require both building and natural roosts in a mountainous environment with short summers

Singing silver‐haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans)

Banner Image:

Could be a tough winter...

(photo courtesy of 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.