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ALBERTA BIOLOGISTS' BIWEEKLY

NOVEMBER 1, 2024

Board Elections:

The Voting Platform Closes

Monday November 4 at 5:00 pm

VOTE HERE

SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES

JANUARY

Great Plains Fishery Workers

Announce dates for annual workshop

The 2025 Great Plains Fishery Workers Association Workshop will be held in Fort Collins, Colorado, January 14, 2025 - January 16, 2025. A formal presentation schedule will be distributed as the conference gets closer, but if you are interested in presenting at this year's workshop, please contact alex.jouney@state.co.us or alexander.townsend@state.co.us. 

SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES

FEBRUARY

Native Prairie Restoration/Reclamation Workshop

The 11th Native Prairie Restoration/Reclamation Workshop and the Prairie Fire Summit 2025 will take place February 11-13, 2025 in Regina. The theme is "Collaborative Approaches to Prairie Conservation", and here is the Draft Program . Registration is open.

The Call for Abstracts is also open: the deadline for oral presentations was October 15th, 2024 but an extension may be granted if requests for approvals within your organization need more time. Contact Carolyn (pcap@sasktel.net) to discuss). The Call for Presentation Abstracts can be found here, and the Call for Poster Abstracts can be found here.

TRAINING PROVIDERS

GRASSLAND

RESTORATION FORUM

The GRF Perennial Gathering!

This year, the GRF Fall Information Session at Claresholm, Alberta, takes place on November 14. 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. The theme this year is CASE STUDIES.

Check out our website for more details, and to register for all events: https://grasslandrestorationforum.ca.

NATURAL RESOURCES

TRAINING GROUP

Avian Nest Sweeps and Monitoring Methods – Online – November 5th – 6th, 2024

Avian Nest Sweeps and Monitoring Methods – Online – November 5th – 6th, 2024 Natural Resources Training Group (nrtraininggroup.com)

Wetland Assessment – Online, November 5-6, 2024

Wetland Assessment – Online, November 5-6, 2024 Natural Resources Training Group (nrtraininggroup.com)

Avenza Maps for Planning, Navigating & Collecting Data for Environmental Use – Online – November 5th, 2024

Avenza Maps for Planning, Navigating & Collecting Data for Environmental Use – Online – November 5th, 2024 Natural Resources Training Group (nrtraininggroup.com)

Catching Salmon Smolts — Effective use of Rotary Screw Traps in Rivers – Online – November 6th, 2024

Catching Salmon Smolts — Effective use of Rotary Screw Traps in Rivers – Online – November 6th, 2024 Natural Resources Training Group (nrtraininggroup.com)

Planning & Designing Fish Habitat Assessments – Online – November 13th, 2024

Planning & Designing Fish Habitat Assessments – Online – November 13th, 2024 Natural Resources Training Group (nrtraininggroup.com)

Amphibian Survey and Collection Methods – Online – November 14th, 2024

Amphibian Survey and Collection Methods – Online – November 14th, 2024 Natural Resources Training Group (nrtraininggroup.com)

Fish Habitat Restoration — Instream Techniques – Online, November 19-20, 2024

Fish Habitat Restoration — Instream Techniques – Online, November 19-20, 2024 Natural Resources Training Group (nrtraininggroup.com)

Drone Applications in Environmental Surveying – Online – November 19th, 2024

Drone Applications in Environmental Surveying – Online – November 19th, 2024 Natural Resources Training Group (nrtraininggroup.com)

Bird Nest Surveys — Beyond Standard Approaches – Online – November 20th, 2024

Bird Nest Surveys — Beyond Standard Approaches – Online – November 20th, 2024 Natural Resources Training Group (nrtraininggroup.com)

Ichthyology – Online, November 26-27, 2024

Ichthyology – Online, November 26-27, 2024 Natural Resources Training Group (nrtraininggroup.com)

Identification and Control Methods of Common Weeds in Western Canada – Online – November 26th, 2024

Identification and Control Methods of Common Weeds in Western Canada – Online – November 26th, 2024 Natural Resources Training Group (nrtraininggroup.com)

For the full calendar of upcoming courses, and course details, follow this link:

https://nrtraininggroup.com/schedule/

COLUMBIA MOUNTAINS INSTITUTE

of Applied Ecology

Revelstoke BC

QGIS Level I & II – Online

Dates scheduled according to student schedules.

ESTI

The Environmental Sciences Training Institute

The Environmental Sciences Training Institute is excited to host backpack electrofishing certification training in Alberta and British Columbia this September. This one-and-a-half day course serves to certify participants in backpack electrofishing safety, fish handling methods, equipment, and fundamentals of electrical theory.

Please contact efishing@esticanada.com with any questions or to book a custom delivery. Learn about our Efishing program here. 

View our in-person course calendar at

https://esticanada.com/shop/

Nest Sweep Protocol: Online – Self-Paced

Online Courses

SALMTEC

 COURSES AND TRAINING PROGRAMS

******

NEW! Preliminary Wetland Delineation On Demand Seminar

SALMTEC is pleased to announce that they have a new offering: Preliminary Wetland Delineation On Demand Seminar.

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

Online Content + Live Streaming Class

Fall 2024 Registration Now Open!

SALMTEC Blended Course: ABWRET-A Blended Course

Online Content + Live Streaming Class, Fall 2024 Registration Now Open!

SALMTEC On Demand Hydrology & Wetland Design seminar. For more information please go here: https://salmtec.com/product/wetland-design-hydrology/

SALMTEC Offers several shorter online courses:

Wetland Policy Basics – Online Course

Understanding ACIMS Tools – Online Course

Alberta Soil Information Viewer – Online Course

Land Use Analysis OnDemand Seminar

Technical Report Review OnDemand Seminar

Landscape Analysis OnDemand Seminar

NEW! Preliminary Wetland Delineation - OnDemand Seminar

VISIT THE SALMTEC CONNECTOR 

THE SALMTEC 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.

Field Law’s

Coffee & Counsel

Join Field Law for a complimentary webinar series where you can connect with their legal team for unscripted discussions about legal issues relevant to organizations operating in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. The team will of course be sharing legal perspectives, but Field Law also wants to hear from our members and readers - questions that can guide the conversation and help them understand the issues that matter most to you.

With the evolving nature of work arrangements, it's crucial for HR professionals to understand the distinctions between independent contractors, dependent contractors, and employees. Misclassification can lead to significant legal liabilities and financial penalties, so whether you are an employer or HR professional, this complimentary webinar on Thursday, November 7, 2024 will provide valuable information and practical tips, including: 

• How do you distinguish between an independent contractor, a dependent contractor, and an employee?
• What legal tests are used to determine proper worker classification?
• What are the consequences of misclassifying a worker?
• What practical steps can be taken to minimize the risk of misclassification?

This complimentary webinar will be held between noon and 1:00 pm (MT). You can register HERE.

A Note From Field Law About

Supporting Community Vision

Participate in the 2024 Field Law Community Fund Program by casting your vote for the ideas you believe will make the most impact in your community. For more information about the Field Law Community Fund Program and the amazing ideas vying for support, check out the website and Cast Your Votes Now!

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):

Danger signs for nature’s carbon sink

Has river regulation damaged the Peace-Athabasca Delta?

The highly repetitive genome of Myxobolus rasmusseni, an emerging myxozoan parasite of fathead minnows

Towards repeated clear-cutting of boreal forests-a tipping point for biodiversity?

Negative density-dependent dispersal of the mountain pine beetle in Alberta

Bob Creek Ranch Legacy Continues Through Collaboration Between NCC and the Waldron Grazing Cooperative

Swan River First Nation and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) collaborate to advance conservation on Alberta's Boreal Landscape

Roost characteristics and fidelity of silver‐haired bat maternity colonies in a floodplain cottonwood forest

The prenatal assimilation of minerals and metals in nestlings of a small passerine bird

Soil Conservation Policy in Canada: Adrift… ?

Trap cropping for insect pests in the Canadian Prairies: a review and a case study

Migration leads to nursery herd formation: evidence from a wild wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) population

Identification and prioritization of road sections with a relatively high concentration of large wild mammal-vehicle collisions in Gallatin County, Montana, USA

Invertebrate-biased diet of burrowing owls in a newly-restored coastal grassland

Response of boreal songbird communities to the width of linear features created by the energy sector in Alberta, Canada



Study extent influences the predictions and performance of species distribution models: a case study of six amphibian species at the edge of their geographic …

Forest Cover Influences the Predictions Made by Species Distribution Models: A Case Study of American hazelnut (Corylus americana)

How butterfly species richness and diversity are affected by weather in the Beaverhill Natural Area

Same trait, different genes: pelvic spine loss in three brook stickleback populations in Alberta, Canada

Microbial Degradation of Pesticides in Agricultural Environments: A Comprehensive review of Mechanisms, Factors and Biodiversity

Wildlife Corridors in Biodiversity: Boon or Bane

Open Library of Bioscience

Space‐for‐time substitution misleads projections of plant community and stand‐structure development after disturbance in a slow‐growing environment

Widespread Evidence for Rapid Recent Changes in Global Range and Abundance of Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

Can strategic integration of cultivated pasture legumes into temperate agricultural systems provide stability to honey bee populations and associated industries?

Alberta wells dataset: pinpointing oil and gas wells

Native-grasses-that-will-revitalize-your-sad-water-wasting-lawn

Rejoicing as salmon return after dam removal

Short-term survival and growth of 32 native boreal plants on treated oil sands tailings

Oncorhynchus mykiss (rainbow trout)

When-Golf-Courses-Go-Wild

Restoring historical moose densities results in fewer wolves killed for woodland caribou conservation

Leveraging how animals learn in conservation science: Behavioral responses of reintroduced bison to management interventions

Assessing species at risk legislation across Canadian provinces and territories

Differential responses of woodland caribou to fire and forestry across boreal and montane ecosystems—a literature review

The primacy of density‐mediated indirect effects in a community of wolves, elk, and aspen

Biodiversity measures of a grassland plant-pollinator community are resilient to the introduction of honey bees (Apis mellifera)

How fire science must change

Multiple invasion routes have led to the pervasive introduction of earth worms in North America

2024 CONFERENCE SPONSORS

This week’s banner photo:

Sticky Situation!

"The abilities of plants to camouflage themselves with their surroundings is astonishing. These round-leaved sundews were almost unnoticeable within the cover of peat."

2023 photo (cropped) by Victoria Adams-Parsons, submitted to 

the 2023 ASPB photo contest.

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.