2011 Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program

Congratulations to Christina Vietinghoff from New Maryland, New Brunswick for her regional win with the 2011 Toyota Earth Day Scholarship.  She played an important part in the Biodiversitymatter's Symposium in 2009 and the development of our Youth Accord for Biodiversity.  Christina travelled to Japan last year to present this Accord to NGOs and Government leaders.  Congratulations Christina.  To see more winners check out http://www.earthday.ca/scholarship/winners.php 

Last search for the Eskimo curlew

The Eskimo Curlew (Numenius borealis) is now considered to be virtually extinct.  This bird was once common in nine different provinces in Canada (And Alaska). The only place where it was not found was in B.C. Despite once numbering in the hundreds of thousands (and perhaps even in the millions), the Eskimo curlew today may well be extinct. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has decided to conduct a final evaluation of the species to determine whether its status should be moved from Critically Endangered to Extinct, reports Reuters. The last sighting confirmed by the USFWS was in 1987 in Nebraska.

Eskimo curlew drawing by Mike Leveille

Conservation at Durrell 2011 - 2015

Building on 50 years of successful conservation we are now publishing our five year conservation strategy in support of our ‘mission’ to save species from extinction.  See this mission at http://www.durrell.org/Home/Conservation//

Image of Emperor Tamarin from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

GREEN SCHOOL NATIONAL CONFERENCE- DENVER, COLORADO 2012

February 27-29, 2012

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS TIMELINE

• The deadline for submitting proposals is 5:00pm PDT on July 31, 2011
• Presenters will be notified of acceptance/decline by September 15, 2011

Click Here to submit a presentation proposal.
QUESTIONS? Please email greenpresent@nationalgreenschools.org or call 1-800-280-6218 (between 9am - 5pm west coast time).

Check out this website for :
http://www.greenschoolsnationalconference.org/call_for_presentations.php

Student Conference on Conservation Science-Bangalore

We are happy to announce that the 2011 edition of the Student
Conference on Conservation Science-Bangalore will be held on 14-16
September at the JN Tata Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science,
Bangalore, India.

Last year, more that 300 student participants attended SCCS-Bangalore,
at which 66 students presented talks and posters. The presentations
were supplemented by workshops, discussions, and a session on Who's
Who inConservation.

This year's programme is similar, and we invite your participation to
present your work, represent your organisation in the Who's Who
session, or to simply attend.

Further details are at http://www.sccs-bng.org/, but here are some important dates:

Abstract submission deadline: 15th July 2011
Early registration (Indian Rupees 1000) deadline: 31st August 2011
Spot registrations at the conference venue will cost INR 1500.

Online abstract acceptance is now open!

We look forward to your participation, and to a productive conference
in Bangalore.

Tally of species researched at Macoun Marsh from St-Laurent Academy, Ottawa, Canada

Bacteria- 16
Plants- 294
Fungi- 114
Protists- 81
Freshwater molluscs- 4
Hexapods/ Insects- 546
Other invertebrates- 137
Fish- None
Amphibians- 5
Reptiles- 2
Birds- 101
Mammals- 23
Total species count- 1324

MACOUN MARSH UPDATE (OTTAWA, CANADA)

Here are some images from today:

Image above:  Green frog male

Image above:  Virginia Ctenucha (Ctenucha virginica)

Image above: Baby American toad

      Image above: Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma)

Image above: Metallic wood boring beetle

(Dicerca divaricata)

Images by Michael Leveille

MORE IMAGES OF THE BIODIVERSITY OF YELLOWKNIFE, NWT

Muskox (Ovibos moschatus)

Summer landscape

Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena)

White-dotted prominent (Nadata gibbosa)

Large urban dragonfly

Flowers growing on rock

Raven (Corvus corax) 

Photos by Michael Leveille 2011

We Canada

We Canada is a nation-wide initiative by the Canadian Earth Summit Coalition. We are working for Canadian leadership at the Earth Summit 2012 and in global sustainable development. Our goal is to bring one million Canadian voices to the Summit and to the attention of our government to become the voice of change at the Summit.

On Canada Day, in partnership with the uOttawa Sustainable Development Office, we will invite people to join us in a WE CANADA | OUI CANADA mob by spelling out across the plaza: WE CANADA | OUI CANADA. The mob is simultaneously going to happen in multiple cities across the country. Get more info at http://earthsummit.ca/

Follow us on Twitter @OT_WECAN #wecanday

A few words on the event:
- A quick word by the We Canada Initiative and the Office of Sustainable Development from uOttawa on the Earth Summit 2012
- Human Art WE CANADA | OUI CANADA (picture!)
- A skit on the green economy - presented by the Sierra Youth Coalition
- Get a We Canada | Oui Canada handmade t-shirt!
- Find something for all senses: BBQ & bake sale; dancing & music!

See you there and bring your friends!
The We Canada Team

Please join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=230794336945976

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is an international charity working globally towards their mission of saving species from extinction. Committed to conserving the diversity and integrity of the life on earth, Durrell has developed a worldwide reputation for its pioneering conservation techniques.  This is why we at Biodiversitymatters consider the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust one of our top environmental hero organizations!  Check out http://www.durrell.org/

Who was Gerald Durrell?  Gerald Durrell OBE was a naturalist, zookeeper, conservationist, author, and television presenter. The founder of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust he was passionate about creating a reserve in which animals in need of protection could be kept and bred.  Gerald married Lee McGeorge in 1979 and following his death in 1995 Lee was made Honory Director of the Trust. She continues to drive the pioneering conservation work of the organisation forward.

Images and text elements from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (With permission)

2011 edition of the Student Conference on Conservation Science- Bangalore, India

We are happy to announce that the 2011 edition of the Student Conference
on Conservation Science-Bangalore will be held on 14-16 September at the
JN Tata Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.

Last year, more that 300 student participants attended SCCS-Bangalore, at
which 100 students presented talks and posters. The presentations were
supplemented by workshops, discussions, and a session on Who's Who in
Conservation.

This year's programme is similar, and we invite your participation to
present your work, represent your organisation in the Who's Who session,
or to simply attend.
Further details are at http://www.sccs-bng.org/, but here are some important dates:
Abstract submission deadline: 15th July 2011
Early registration (INR 1000) deadline: 31st August 2011
Spot registrations at the conference venue will cost INR 1500.

Online abstract acceptance is now open!
We look forward to your participation, and to a productive conference in
Bangalore.

THE BIODIVERSITY OF YELLOWKNIFE, NWT

Red-necked Grebe on nest

Meandering rivers

Mating dragonflies

Greater Scaup (Male)

Fritillary butterfly

Caribou

Lichens

Greater Yellowlegs

CANADIAN WILDLIFE FEDERATION CONSERVATION ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS- YELLOWKNIFE, NWT

YOUTH CONSERVATION AWARD

Brendan and Jonathan Judson from Ladysmith, B.C.

Stocking Creek Restoration Project

YOUTH MENTOR AWARD

Michael Leveille from Ottawa, Canada

Biodiversitymatters and the Macoun Marsh Biodiversity Project

Canadian Wildlife Federation Awards Night

Yellowknife, NWT
Last evening the Canadian Wildlife Federation held their Awards banquet.  I was proud to win the Youth Mentor Award for the work I have done with youth connected to the Macoun Marsh biodiversity project in Ottawa and the Second International Youth Symposium on Biodiversity.  More information to follow. 
Mike Leveille
Director of Biodiversitymatters

International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List

Image above: Great Auk (Canadian Museum of Nature collection)

The past twelve months have seen 914 species added to the threatened list by the world's authority of species endangerment, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List. See http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0616-hance_iucn_redlist_2011.html

Spongiforma squarepantsii

Scientists have discovered a colorful new species of mushroom in the rainforest of Borneo and named it after a popular cartoon character: SpongeBob. http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0617-spongebob_mushroom.html

June 26 at 2 pm - Valuing Urban Wetlands

MACOUN MARSH TOUR
with Michael Leveille and the youth of Biodiversitymatters

Location: Macoun Marsh (Beechwood Cemetery off St- Laurent Boulevard North) Ottawa, CANADA

Meeting Spot: Behind St. David and Martin Presbyterian Church on St-Laurent and Dunbarton Crescent)

We will need volunteers for this one!

NEWS FROM THE DURRELL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION TRUST

Yesterday Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust received 22 orange-tailed skinks, rescued following the invasion of Flat Island, Mauritius by the predatory Indian musk shrew.

The orange-tailed skink was discovered on Flat Island, the largest of the Mauritian islands in 1995, since then habitat modification and the introduction of non-native predators elsewhere in Mauritius has meant that Flat Island became the last refuge for this Critically Endangered reptile.

Read more at: http://www.durrell.org/Latest/News/Durrell-instrumental-in-saving-the-orangetailed-skink-from-extinction/

Top image by Nik Cole (Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust)

Happy World Oceans Day!!

This day was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008.  It is coordinated internationally by The Ocean Project and The World Ocean Network.  Our oceans are a key link to the health of our planet.  Check out http://worldoceansday.org/

MACOUN MARSH UPDATE- OTTAWA, CANADA

Here is an update of species seen today by the Grade 6-7 Students of St. Laurent Academy.  Image above: Question Mark Butterfly

Image above: Black locust flowers

Image above: Painted Turtle

Image above: Baby woodchuck 

For those studying threatened canids:

The Chicago Zoological Society offers grants up to $5,000 USD for
conservation-oriented research through the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT)
Endangered Species Fund.

The CBOT committee is now accepting proposals for projects that "will assist directly in the protection of populations of threatened and endangered species; or a specific habitat that is of high biological value or that is substantially threatened (IUCN Red List Status)."

Proposals must be submitted online by July 15th and require endorsement by an IUCN specialist group.  The CBOT committee only accepts one endorsed proposal per group.

Details on proposal guidelines, selection criteria, and the online
submission process are at: http://www.brookfieldzoo.org/czs/CBOTGrant.

Better knowledge for Mediterranean canyons and cetaceans

Conservation leading organisations join forces to improve field research on key marine habitats and species in the Mediterranean.  See http://www.iucnredlist.org/news/better-knowledge-for-mediterranean-canyons-and-cetaceans

World Environment Day- June 5, 2011

Check out: http://www.unep.org/wed/

CONSERVATION OF THE WORLD'S LAST 5 RHINO SPECIES

http://savingrhinos.org/BustRhinoHornMyth.html

Brazil's shame

Kayapo Chief Raoni weeps over the Belo Monte dam, which will flood his tribe's lands

along the Xingu River. Picture from the Support Chief Raoni Facebook Page.

Check out Rhett Butler's article on mongabay.com to learn more about the Belo Monte dam and how this will displace more than 16, 000 people by flooding 40,000 hectares of rainforest.  It is a sad day for Brazil. 

MACOUN MARSH DISCOVERIES- OTTAWA, CANADA

Here are two odd discoveries- one today and one two days ago.
1. Some spiders like to eat snails!

This photo shows a collection of small snail shells in a web.  It is a documented fact that some spider species do eat snails.  Two years ago I photographed a spider attacking a snail in a similar web. 

2. Frogs and mice seem to tolerate eachother's company!

One of my students discovered this today in a bird feeder!  What an odd couple!