Indoor Lectures

Thunder Bay Field Naturalists meet on the fourth Monday of September, October, November, January, March and April at Lunan Hall, St. Paul's United Church, 349 Waverley Street, Thunder Bay. Take the sidewalk to the left of the main church entrance.

Please note that meetings begin promptly at 8:00 p.m. so that we will finish early enough to have time to socialize after the presentation.

Non-members are welcome.  A small donation at the door to help defray hall rental costs is always appreciated.

Sunday, February 26

TBFN Annual Dinner with Dale Shippam

Take Heart, and Go!

"Final Post! We Stood at The North Pole - and Drank Champagne! What a ride - at 9:21 am Dale Shippam stood at the North Pole. Who would have thought that that would happen?" This quote was taken from the Test Your Limits: The North Pole 2010 blog on April 15, 2010.

We are honoured to have Dale Shippam as our guest speaker at the Annual Dinner Meeting on February 26th! Dale is a local firefighter and has been involved in a number of exciting adventures and continues to plan for future ones. So far he’s been involved in the following:

5:30 pm at the Current River Community Centre (450 Dewe Avenue)

Several members have asked about the menu, and glutein free options.  We will be having roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, hot veggies, veggie tray and dip, tossed salad and coleslaw for those who have food issues.  There will also be meatballs (with breadcrumbs), pasta, rolls & butter, plus cake.  Hopefully that will address everyone's issues!

Also, as extra incentive to attend, we have acquired a wonderful Raffle prize of one free pass to the Dorion's Canyon Birding Festival on May 26 & 27th.  The pass entitles the winner to a birding adventure of a lifetime!  Along with the guided tours (led by several of our own members!!), breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided on the Saturday, plus on Sunday, a light breakfast and lunch.  Check out http://www.dorionbirdfest.ca/index.html for more info.  Raffle tickets will be only $5, for a chance to win this great prize!!  Another good reason to come to the dinner meeting!!

Send in your cheque TODAY, because we need to receive them by February 20th!  Once again, tickets are $20 and should be sent to:

Thunder Bay Field Naturalists

Box 10037

Thunder Bay, ON

P7B 6T6

 

Let us know if you want to pick up your tickets at the door or want them in advance!

 Thanks alot and hope to see you soon!

 Elaine Mackenzie (elainemm(at)tbaytel(dot)net)

For TBFN Dinner 

 

March 26, 2012

Deanna Ford – "A Documentary: Avian Window Collisions"

Deanna Ford is the filmmaker of a short documentary about bird/window collisions. This topic has recently gained more notice due to a lawsuit in Toronto against a series of buildings where thousands of birds have died over the last few years - a problem not confined to big cities. Deanna's documentary screened in the Toronto film festival, 8th Annual International Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival. It includes an interview with Dr. Daniel Klem Jr. who has been studying the problem for three decades and concludes that it's not just a big city issue. Following the 27 minute documentary there will be discussion about the problem and time to suggest some solutions.

April 23, 2012

Kimberly McNaughton – "White-nose Syndrome in North American Bats"

As with all wildlife, bats are an important part of Ontario's biodiversity. Eight different species of bats are found in this province, with little brown bats and big brown bats being the most common. White-nose Syndrome has been given this name because some affected bats have visible rings of white fungus around their faces. The cause of the syndrome is still under investigation. White-nose syndrome has killed more than a million bats in the northeastern U.S. It was first identified in a cave near Albany, New York, in 2006. Cases have also been found in more than a dozen American states as well as Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. In March 2010, white-nose syndrome was detected for the first time in Ontario. Kimberly will tell us about white-nose syndrome in bats, as well as the effects of wind turbines on bats.

  • An expedition to Antarctica to climb Vincon Massif, the highest mountain in Antarctica
  • An expedition to Nepal to climb Mera Peak
  • Walked the Camino De Santiago, a 900 km pilgrimage in Spain
  • Hiked the West Coast Trail in British Columbia
  • Skied to the North Pole in April 2010