Spring 2010
Another busy year has left the CBEMN with further success stories of environmental monitoring and community involvement. The 2010 Saint Mary’s University BioBlitz was held this year on June 4th at Crystal Crescent Beach, Provincial Park. CBEMN participated in the public education events with demonstrations on water filtration and watershed models which were very effective at visually explaining runoff in our watersheds to children and young teens. Please visit the BioBlitz website for further information on this year’s events.
We have been involved in a number of events this spring, including participating at a conference of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C, and by also attending a workshop held by the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute regarding concerns over conservation and recovery of the Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora (ACPF) and the development of a monitoring program. CBEMN continues to collaborate with many stewardship groups and with numerous water monitoring sites throughout Nova Scotia.Click here for an updated map of the Environmental Stewardship Groups in Nova Scotia.
The equipment bank continues to grow with a newly purchased YSI 650 multi-probe and radon detector. As summer progresses, equipment borrowers have included Clean Nova Scotia, Eastern Shore Forest Watch, Halifax Trails Association, Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute, Nova Scotia Nature Trust, Sackville Rivers Association and the Sierra Club of Canada. We look forward to this season of monitoring projects and will continue to support local environmental monitoring efforts. The position of CBEMN Community-University Liaison throughout the summer will be a communal position held by Melissa Healey and Ashley Shelton. Any equipment bank inquiries or requests can be sent to the Network’s email and either Melissa or Ashley will send a response as quickly as possible.
Sarah Weston (formerly the Community-University Liaison with the CBEMN) will continue working with the CBEMN as the new CURA H2O Proposal Coordinator, and will be coordinating the proposal development meetings this summer. All future correspondence regarding the CURA H2O proposal should be forwarded to Sarah.
As an on-going project, the development of a water tool-kit prototype, coordinated by Dr. Conrad, has received funding through Nova Scotia Youth Conservation Core to test the equipment this summer. Field testing of monitoring equipment will involve collaboration with community stewardship groups to seek input and feedback regarding the tool-kit. Undergraduate students, Ashley Shelton and Melissa Healey, will be coordinating the testing efforts. Emma Garden spent the fall and winter months researching and developing a water monitoring certification training program, which is to be piloted in the Fall 2010. For more information and past developments on this project, please see the spring 2009 and the winter 2010 newsletters located below for further information.
