ALBERTA BIOLOGISTS' BIWEEKLY

JANUARY 15, 2024

ASPB Fee Renewal Schedule

Is Now Posted Online

Full information about the 2024 membership fee schedule is available on-line. The Board-approved fee increase for 2024 will apply to all renewals beginning January 01, 2024.



SPECIAL NOTE:

Late renewal fees will apply on

February 01, 2024


More detailed information is available HERE.

Webinar:

Multi-agency collaboration

on burrowing owl

monitoring and recovery


Speakers at the upcoming edition of the Native Prairie Speaker Series webinar (noon on January 25) will discuss feature multi-agency collaboration on burrowing owl monitoring and recovery. The speakers (all of whom are Alberta-based) include Troy Wellicome (Adjunct Professor, University of Alberta & Senior Species at Risk Biologist, Canadian Wildlife Service); Stefano Liccioli, (Senior Species at Risk Biologist, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas); and Graham Dixon-MacCallum, (Conservation Research Population Ecologist, Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo).


Registration is free (GO HERE). The presentation is hosted by Caitlin Mroz-Sailer, Stewardship Coordinator, Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan. 

BUILDING YOUR

CAREER?

See what's new on the

BIOLOGISTS'

JOB BOARD


Intermediate Wildlife Biologist

 

Electrofishing Instructor

 

Wetland Ecologist (Authenticating Professional)

 

LakeWatch Technician (Seasonal)

 

Vegetation Lead Biologist

 

Environmental Planner

 

Intermediate Botanist 

 

Rare Plant Lead

 

Intermediate Soils Scientist

 

Aquatic Biologist

 

  FIND INFORMATION

ON THESE AND

MANY OTHER POSITIONS

HERE

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

Alberta Wetlands:

From Classification to Policy

AQUALITY has announced the dates and registration for the following wetlands course: January 23 - 24, 2024. This 2-day course will be taking place online via Zoom on January 23 - 24, 2024, from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm each day. The comprehensive course is designed to help consultants, industry professionals, resource managers, not-for-profit organizations, and government regulators understand the theoretical component used in wetland assessments. If you or any of your colleagues are interested in registering, you can visit our website at http://www.wetlandpolicy.ca/alberta-wetlands-from-classification-to-policy to register and obtain further information.

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 [email protected] 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.

SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES

MARCH


Cochrane Ecological Institute Symposium:

Wilderness, Wildlife and Human Interaction

The Cochrane Ecological Institute is hosting its Annual Symposium on March 2, 2024. This year's focus is on Wilderness, Wildlife and Human Interaction and features a lineup of speakers including author and bison expert Wes Olson, founder of the Foothills Bison Restoration Society Mike Judd, and Joe Duff from the WildLife Canada Society. The event will be held at the Bragg Creek Community Centre, opens at 9:30 am and runs until 5:00 pm. It features information booths, concessions, an art exhibit and a silent auction. Tickets are $30.00 per person and all proceeds support the Cochrane Ecological Institute. You can register HERE.

Alberta Wetlands:

From Classification to Policy

AQUALITY has announced the dates and registration for the following wetlands course, as follows:

March 27-28, 2024

This 2-day course will be taking place both in person (Edmonton) and online via Zoom on March 27-28, 2024, from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm each day.

This comprehensive course is designed to help consultants, industry professionals, resource managers, not-for-profit organizations, and government regulators understand the theoretical component used in wetland assessments. If you or any of your colleagues are interested in registering, you can visit our website at http://www.wetlandpolicy.ca/alberta-wetlands-from-classification-to-policy to register and obtain further information.

GRASSLAND RESTORATION FORUM

Grassland Restoration Forum Webinar

Tuesday January 30th, 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


Technical Writing for Professionals – Online, February 5-6, 2024

https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/technical-writing-for-professionals-online-february-5-6-2024/

 

Lake Management Techniques – Online, February 6-7, 2024

https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/lake-management-techniques-online-february-6-7-2024/

 

Avian Nest Sweeps and Monitoring Methods – Online – February 13-14, 2024

https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/avian-nest-sweeps-and-monitoring-methods-online-february-13-14-2024/

 

Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Courtenay, 13th February, 2024

https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/electrofishing-certification-online-self-paced-courtenay-13th-february-2024/

 

Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & North Vancouver, February 13th, 2024

https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/electrofishing-certification-online-self-paced-north-vancouver-february-13th-2024/

 

Experimental Design in Ecology – Online, February 13-14, 2024

https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/experimental-design-in-ecology-online-february-13-14-2024/

 

Species at Risk – Online, February 20-21, 2024

https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/species-at-risk-online-february-20-21-2024/

 

Wetland Restoration Techniques – Online, February 20-22, 2024

https://nrtraininggroup.com/events/wetland-restoration-techniques-online-feb-20-22-2023/

 

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.

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):


Restor (y) ing Land Use Governance and Bull Trout Well-being in Alberta

 

Legacy coal mining impacts downstream ecosystems for decades in the Canadian Rockies

 

Status and Management of Freshwater Fisheries Resources in Western Canada (Alberta and British Columbia)

 

Oil sands restoration with warmadapted trees improves outcomes under moderate but not severe warming scenarios

 

Prairie grouse and wind energy: the state of the science

 

Apparent fatal winter tick (Dermacentor albipictus) infestation in captive reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)

 

A Comprehensive Biogeochemical Assessment of ClimateThreatened Glacial River Headwaters on the Eastern Slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains

 

Historical Land Use Changes and Lichen-Rich Ecosites near Fox Creek,

 

A new species of Versteria (Cestoda: Taeniidae) parasitizing Neogale vison and Lontra canadensis (Carnivora: Mustelidae) from Western Canada

 

Panel Probit Models Applied to Stated Preference Auctions: A Cost Discovery for Ecosystem Services through Wetland Restoration in the Canadian Prairies

 

Aversive conditioning increases short-term wariness but does not change habitat use in black bears associated with conflict

 

Where has all the honey gone? Scientists point to factors in declining yields

 

One landscape, many habitats for supporting bird diversity in a mixed-use landscape in east-central Alberta

 

Toxicity of surface water and pore water from an oil sands pit lake (Lake Miwasin) to Daphnia

 

Cryptic genotypic and phenotypic diversity in parapatric bumble bee populations associated with minimum cold temperatures

 

A new species from the middle Rocky Mountains of North America, with notes on morphologically similar sympatric species

 

Potential landscape connectivity for invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa) across the northern prairies of North America

 

New conservation agreement in southern Alberta preserves endangered Prairie grasslands

 

How CRISPR could tame new crops

 

Break the period taboo in fieldwork

 

Extreme drought impacts have been underestimated in grasslands and shrublands globally

 

Interannual controls on riparian plant health in a dryland river

 

Viral community distribution, assembly mechanism, and associated hosts in an industrial park wastewater treatment plant

 

A Review of Cougar Biology and Management in British Columbia

 

Banner Image:

Setting remote cameras in 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.