Please join us November 25, 2024 at 7 PM at St. Mark’s Church for a talk on Getting to know the moon by Curt Nason.

Change in Speaker for next week:

April Nason has had to cancel her trip to New Brunswick, and her presentation on sea turtles scheduled for next week. Her dad Curt Nason has offered to step in and give us a presentation on astronomy in her stead.Abstract: Getting to Know the Moon

For centuries the Moon has been an inspiration for poets and lovers, a scourge for some astronomers, and a scapegoat for human misbehavior. Let us learn about its origin and its features, the role it plays in the tides and eclipses, and examine some information we have often taken as fact. Can it really turn blue or blood red? Does it really get supersized? Does the full Moon make us crazy or grow hair and fangs? Where is the Man in the Moon, and is he having an affair with Wilma Flintstone?

Bio

Honoured to be the namesake of asteroid 10052 Nason

Let’s Talk Turtles – CANCELLED

Interested in the night sky for over 60 years, but still feels like a 10 year old when stargazing

Long-time member of Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and Saint John Astronomy Club

34-year career in Health Physics with NB Power

Please join us November 25, 2024 at 7 PM at St. Mark’s Church for a talk on Turtles given by April Nason, BSc, DDS, MAEd.

April will be presenting on Monday, November 25 about the four species of sea turtles present in Atlantic Canada. Her presentation will focus on the unique anatomy of the leatherback sea turtle, the most common sea turtle in Canadian waters, and the historic work of the Canadian Sea Turtle Network. She will also discuss cold stunned hard shell sea turtles, a phenomenon that is on the rise in our region, and what you can do to help save the lives of these turtles.

April grew up in Saint John NB allergic to everything. At the age of six, her parents brought home pet turtles hoping they’d live longer than the weekly goldfish. Twenty-three years later, those turtles had solidified her fate as a “turtle girl”. She completed 3 years of her marine biology degree from UNBSJ before being accepted into dental school at Dalhousie University, during which she was granted her B.Sc. While practicing as a dentist, she missed school and her marine passion so went back to complete a Masters degree part-time. First, she started in the MSc program at Dal but after some wonderful advice, switched into the Lifelong Learning Education program at MSVU where her thesis focused on finding the love between people and turtles. On June 17, 2022 she retired as a dentist and started her second career as the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Canadian Sea Turtle Network. She has spent the past two years talking turtles throughout Canada and beyond.

September 23, 2024 at 7 PM

St. Mark’s Anglican Church 4 Needle St

The good, the bad and the beautiful: a story of underappreciated slimy things in our waters

This story begins about 2.7 billion years ago, in a world devoid of plants, animals, and many other forms of life. We’ll delve into the evolutionary history of algae, examining what sets them apart from other photosynthetic organisms, such as plants. We’ll explore the diverse forms of algae and their crucial ecological roles, and conclude by addressing some common misconceptions that have tarnished algae’s reputation.

Our presenter will be Meghann Bruce, a professor at UNB SJ. She has spent the last 10 years chasing aquatic life in the lower St. John R., including that nasty ‘Blue Green Algae’ you may have heard about.

Mushrooms! Field Trip

September 28, 2024        10 AM until over

Meeting place:  Parking lot behind Tim Hortons (638 Main St, Sussex)

Mushrooms always seem to capture the interest of naturalists, especially in fall.

Nature Sussex will sponsor a mushroom outing with Nelson Poirier on Saturday, September 28 starting at 10 AM meeting at Tim Hortons, Sussex with car-pooling & departure from there.

The weather preceding the event dictates whether we will have a boom or bust sleuthing session however, the timing is right for most years.

Nelson asks that participants gather any mushrooms they can find up to 3 to 4 days before and place them in a closed paper bag in the refrigerator labelled ‘do not eat’. Bring them along for review and discussion as this allows for more of a variety of specimens than would be found in one habitat. If weather happens to be foul that day, we can find a roof and still appreciate the gathered treasure.

Bring your enthusiasm, comradeship, and mushrooms and let’s enjoy Mother Nature’s bounty.

October 28, 2024        7:00 pm    St. Mark’s Church Sussex Corner

Our guest speaker for October 28, will be Alfredo Justo, a mycologist and mushroom expert from the New Brunswick Museum.  Alfredo will explore New Brunswick’s mushroom diversity from witch’s fingers to giant puffballs, poisonous amanitas, death angels and edibles.  Members and visitors are encouraged to bring specimens for a show and tell after the talk.

Membership Meeting Archive

Our next Nature Sussex meeting will be Monday, April 29, 2024 at 7 PM at St. Mark’s Anglican Church.

You are cordially invited to join us for Nature Sussex’s last monthly meeting before our summer break.

Monday, May 27, 2024 at 7pm

St. Mark’s Anglican Church Hall

7 PM Business meeting

7:30 PM guest speaker: Dr. Diana Hamilton of Mount Allison University will present a talk on Shorebirds.

Diana is currently the head of the biology department at Mt. Allison and has done a lot of research on shorebird migration in the Bay of Fundy. Work is focused primarily on mudflats in the upper Bay of Fundy and rocky intertidal systems in the outer Bay of Fundy.

The speaker is Jamie Simpson who will be presenting a talk on the Acadian forest.

Jamie has an MSc Forestry and a law degree. He has written 3 books, one of which is called “Restoring the Acadian Forest.” He teaches Environmental law at Dalhousie University and has won numerous awards in his areas of expertise.

You are cordially invited to attend the next Nature Sussex meeting which will be held on Monday, February 26, 2024 at St Marks Anglican Church, 6 Needle Ave, Sussex Corner, NB. The meeting begins at 7:00 pm.

Following the business meeting, a lively and informative discussion and presentation on:

The Wolf in the Maritimes presented by Dr. Graham Forbes

An overview of evidence on the presence of wolves in New Brunswick, from written accounts to bounties to pelt exports and ending with the Tracadie Wolf. (Spoiler Alert: the data are NOT great, rather confusing, and open to interpretation…which is always fun.)

About the presenter Graham Forbes, PhD: Director of Graduate Studies, Director, NB Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Graham was President of the Fredericton Nature Club the last 16 years, is Professor in wildlife at the University of New Brunswick, and has worked on a range of species, such as bears, deer, mustelids (weasels), rodents, shrews, bats, birds, and even Furbishs’ Lousewort.

You are cordially invited to attend the next Nature Sussex meeting which will be held on Monday, January 22, 2024 at St Marks Anglican Church, 6 Needle Ave, Sussex Corner, NB. The meeting begins at 7:00 pm.

Following the business meeting:

Everyone from amateur naturalists to avid nature journalists are welcome to enjoy a talk by Ellen MacGillivray, Education Outreach Coordinator (Kennebecasis Watershed Restoration Committee) who is a lifetime nature lover who began in 2021 to document her observations in handmade journals. Creating journals from scrap materials has allowed her to practice sustainability while combining her love of nature with her love of art. Ellen will discuss nature journaling basics, tips & tricks, and provide insight into sourcing sustainable scrap materials to elevate the ‘artsy’ factor in your own journaling practices.

Christmas Bird Count

You are cordially invited to attend the next Nature Sussex meeting which will be held on Monday, March 25, 2024 at St Marks Anglican Church, 6 Needle Ave, Sussex Corner, NB. The meeting begins at 7:00 pm.

Following the business meeting, a lively and informative discussion and presentation on

New Brunswick glaciation: an examination of glacial features using LiDAR Imagery,

You are cordially invited to attend the next Nature Sussex meeting which will be held on Monday, March 25, 2024 at St Marks Anglican Church, 6 Needle Ave, Sussex Corner, NB. The meeting begins at 7:00 pm.

Following the business meeting, a lively and informative discussion and presentation on

New Brunswick glaciation: an examination of glacial features using LiDAR Imagery,

By: Serge Allard

 -will discuss the glacial history of the region and view bare-earth LiDAR images and field photographs of a variety of glacial sediments and landforms.

 About Serge Allard: Manager of the New Brunswick Geological Survey (South), Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development, Fredericton. 

• graduate of the University of New Brunswick. – B.Sc. Geology 2000, M.Sc. Geology (Quaternary Geology) 2002
• worked for the NB Geological Survey for 24 years, mostly as a surficial geologist and at times as an industrial minerals geologist, policy analyst, and currently as a manager (since 2018).

You can also email dianne.mcfarlane@yahoo.ca 

Thank you  for participating in the worldwide annual Christmas Bird Count

It’s that time of year again for the Sussex area Christmas Bird Count.  It’s on December 16 2023. If interested in helping out please call Dianne at 506-433-3734 to arrange any routes that are left also if  your interested in counting birds at your feeders  that would be very helpful too.

Nature Sussex September Meeting

Monday, September 25, 2023, 7:00 PM

Following the business meeting, a lively and informative discussion and presentation on feeding birds will be delivered, led by our president Denis Doucet. This will be our final meeting of 2023, as traditionally there is no meeting held in December because of the holidays. Our first meeting of the new year is scheduled for
Monday, January 22nd, 2024.

Denis has been feeding birds off and on since the 1980s. He worked several years in nature stores and once owned a business where he sold bird feeders, birding optics, and feed. He hopes to lead discussions touching on the ins and outs of feeding birds, what types of food and feeders are most effective, and how to minimize the attraction of certain “undesirables” in particular cases. Emphasis will also be placed on avoiding disease transmission in wild birds, given the current situation with certain illnesses occurring in our region.

You are cordially invited to attend the next Nature Sussex meeting which will be held on Monday, November 27th, 2023 at St Marks Anglican Church, 6 Needle Ave, Sussex Corner, NB. The meeting begins at 7:00 pm.

Flora, fauna and History of Kent Island, NB

Speaker: Naturalist Gart Bishop

Learn some history of the island and its animal and plant life at the most explored location in New Brunswick.

Gart will tell the story of how Kent Island, 6 km from Grand Manan, came to be a wildlife sanctuary owned by an American college. Gart will also inform us about the island’s petrels, albatrosses, rare flycatchers, muskrats, hares and some of the flora.

Everyone is Welcome!

Meeting on Monday October 23 at 7 PM at St. Marks Anglican Church hall in Sussex Corner.

Good Morning – Change to Field trip location for Nature Sussex.

A slight change to the location of the geology tour scheduled for next Saturday, October 14th.

Meet at parking lot behind Tim Hortons (Main Street location) at 9am. We can car pool from there as parking might be limited in some spots

Duration: 2hr+

Higher than normal water levels on the Upper Hammond and its tributaries means getting to and viewing the Hanford Brook area fossils is not a possibility this fall but our geologist guide (Steve Rossiter – DNRED/MRNDE) has found a couple of alternative sites to explore in the Waterford area, centering around the various rock outcrops and sinkholes of the area and how these formed.

Short hikes into the sites but uneven ground so bring good footwear and perhaps a pair of rubber boots in a pack (just in case the sites are more damp than usual ). If the impending storm does not rip the leaves off the trees, the foliage should be breathtaking on the drive to the sites. Might want to bring a camera.

Please forward this to all that you might think interested but it would be great if those thinking of coming could email me so we have a estimate on numbers as well as emails in case plans change between then and now.

Kelly

kellyhoneyman@xplornet.ca

(506) 832-7582

Geology of the Sussex Area Field Trip

Date/Time: Saturday, October 14, 9am – noon – THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN UPDATED – SEE ABOVE

Geologists Steven Rossiter and Sue Johnson, Department of the Natural Resources and Energy Development department will lead a tour of the surficial (relating to the Earth’s surface) geology around the Sussex area including fossils and massive folds (anticlines) of the bedrock around Hanford Brook.

As with most outdoor treks, there will be some uneven ground in the approaches to some sites. Good hiking boots and perhaps hiking poles would be a good idea.

Meet at the parking area behind the Tim Hortons on Main Street, Sussex for an opportunity to car pool with other members.

As the weather can be quite unpredictable at this time of year, I’d ask that if you are at all interested in this outing, please email me at kellyhoneyman@xplornet.ca or call me at (506) 832-7582 so that postponement or additional tour details can be passed along efficiently.

Thank you

Kelly Honeyman, Nature Sussex Field Coordinator

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

St. Marks’ Anglican Church Hall, 4 Needle Street, Sussex Corner

Guest speaker Denis Doucet, President of Nature Sussex

Please join us for the first Nature Sussex meeting of this new season. It will be a time to get together, renew our membership, and share stories of what has likely been a busy summer in nature for many of us. Following the business meeting, there will be a presentation on:

Flower Flies

Did you know? Flower Flies (Family Syrphidae), also known as Hover Flies are a crucial part of our ecosystem. As pollinators, they are likely second only to bees in overall importance. Moreover, New Brunswick is home to well over 200 species of the flies! Many are strikingly patterned; and, if that isn’t enough, the larvae of some species are important predators of pests such as aphids. What’s not to love? Come find out more about these fabulous fly friends in a richly illustrated talk which is sure to please. There will also be a little musical surprise at the end of the presentation.

April 24, 2023 We invite you to Nature Sussex’s April 2023 meeting. The meeting will be on Monday evening, April 24th at St. Mark’s Anglican Church, 4 Needle St in Sussex Corner. Masks are encouraged, but not required. The meeting begins at 7 pm and the presentation at 7:30 pm.

Did you know that:

• New Brunswick has over 140 species of dragonflies and damselflies, which is more than is found in all of Europe.
• A species of dragonfly that occurs in New Brunswick and is widespread globally actually has the longest migration of any insect, even further than the Monarch butterfly.
• The order Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) is one of the oldest groups of insects found on the planet. They have been around for more than 300 million years!

Come and learn more about this fascinating and important group of insects that are dragonflies in a rich presentation using imagery, notes, quotes, and anecdotes. This engaging, visually stunning, and thought-provoking presentation will be provided by our own Denis Doucet, new President of Nature Sussex.

Since the mid-1980s, Denis has been a naturalist and avid nature photographer, observing, studying, and photographing dragonflies and other living things. He currently resides in Sussex Corner and works at Fundy National Park as a Heritage Interpreter, a job he loves and has done with Parks Canada for close to a quarter-century. He has taught Ornithology at l’Université de Moncton (1999-2003) and is a former assistant zoologist, then zoologist with the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre (ACCDC, 2003-2009). He has also worked as a naturalist with The Irving Eco-centre la Dune de Bouctouche from 1996-2001 and as a long-time hiking and nature guide with Fundy Hiking and Nature Tours (1995-2008). His images of birds and insects have been published in more than a dozen nature guides and books, including Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East by Dennis Paulson (Princeton Field Guides, 2011), A Field Guide to Flower Flies of Northeastern North America by Jeffery Skevington and Michelle Locke (2019), the Flower Flies of Minnesota by Scott King (2021), the Second Atlas of Breeding Birds of the Maritime Provinces (many authors, 2015), The Beetles of North America by Arthur V. Evans (2014), Pacific Northwest Insects by Merrell Peterson (2018) and the forthcoming (2023) Butterflies of Maine and the Canadian Maritime Provinces by Philip deMaynadier, John Klymko, Ronald G. Butler, W. Herbert Wilson Jr., and John V. Calhoun, among others.

March 27, 2023

You are cordially invited to Nature Sussex’s March, 2023 meeting. The meeting will be held on Monday evening, March 27th at St. Mark’s Anglican Church, 4 Needle St in Sussex Corner. Masks are not required but encouraged. Our speaker will be Ben Whalen, who is the project manager with the Kennebecasis Watershed Restoration Committee (KWRC). In addition to all the valuable watershed monitoring and restoration work this group has been conducting in the region for several decades, did you know the KWRC has recently been installing bat houses throughout the watershed to help with the recovery of our endangered bat species? Ben will be delivering a lively and engaging presentation that will give an overview of many projects including this one that the KWRC is conducting. The talk will begin at 7:30 and there will be plenty of opportunity for discussion and questions throughout the evening. A short biography of our speaker: Ben Whalen started working with the KWRC in 1995 as a Habitat Technician and worked here for three summers after he received his diploma in Environmental Technology at NBCC Miramichi. After pursuing various contracts and other opportunities in his field, he returned to the KWRC as Project Manager in 2007. Ben loves the fact that he can work in his field and make a positive difference here in his hometown. Ben and his wife, Michelle, raise their two children and attempt a garden while living in Sussex. Ben also loves to reap the rewards of his work as an avid angler and can often be found wading down local streams casting a line as often as he can be found measuring their depths and widths. His familiarity and passion for the Kennebecasis watershed have proven to be an asset for the KWRC and he wants to continue to improve the watershed while also improving local communities.

March 25, 2023

Details on Owl Prowl

Scott Makepeace, avid birder and lead Biologist with DNR will meet members at the parking lot behind the Tim Hortons in Sussex (638 Main St) at 8pm on Saturday, March 25. He’ll talk a bit on owl life history and then group will car pool for drive out to area south of Picadilly Mtn where we’ll do some calls.

In case of snow, the date will be pushed to April 1st, same time/place. Questions ? Call Kelly at 636-1982 during day or 832-7582 at night.

February 27, 2023

Come join Nature Sussex for our monthly meeting! The meeting will be held on Monday evening, February 27th at St. Mark’s Anglican Church, 4 Needle St in Sussex Corner. The meeting will begin at 7 pm. All are welcome!

Topic: Pollinator Garden at Fundy National Park

Beginning at 7:30 pm Neil Vinson will be delivering a lively, informative presentation on a wonderful project that is the pollinator garden in Fundy National Park.

Neil Vinson:
Originally from Halifax, NS, Neil has been living in Moncton since graduating from the Maritime College of Forest Technology in 2014. Shortly after graduation, Neil started working in resource conservation at Fundy National Park, where he is now in his ninth year. Neil’s love of plants and birds started in school but flourished during his time spent at Fundy. In his day-to-day work, Neil conducts forest bird monitoring, battles with invasive plants, and measures forest growth in permanent sample plots. Neil has been involved with Fundy’s 400m2 native plant pollinator garden since its inception in 2019 – adding new species, knocking back overly-aggressive ones, weeding, and performing general maintenance. Through this work, Neil has developed a passion for gardening with native plants and spreading the word on the importance of reintroducing our native species back into our urban landscapes.”