Vancouver Naturalist_March 2012.pdf - Nature Vancouver

Nature Vancouver
Marine Biology Section
The Marine Biology Section evening programs are held from
January through April and September through December, on
the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Unity
Church 5840 Oak St., Vancouver. These programs are open to
the public, and members are encouraged to invite their friends.
For more information and suggestions for future programs,
please contact Section Chair, Joan Lopez at 604-682-1617 or
joan.lopez@live.com.
Thursday, March 8
Diving Howe Sound Reefs and Islands
Glen and Kelsey Dennison
Join the father and daughter team of Glen and Kelsey for a talk
on underwater discoveries in Howe Sound. Starting with an
introduction on Glen's new book, Diving Howe Sound Reefs and
Islands, the pair takes you through 30 years of diving in Howe
sound and what previously undiscovered reefs hold in store for the
adventurous. Learn more about making high resolution underwater
3D maps, details on glass sponge bioherms on deep sea mounts,
and the techniques used to map and study them.
8 Vancouver Naturalist March 2012
Thursday, April 12
Hybrid Porpoises in British Columbia
Carla Crossman
Harbour porpoises are one of the most under-appreciated cetaceans
on our coastline, but they have some of the most exciting stories
to tell. British Columbia is the only known location in the world
where harbour porpoises have been known to hybridize with the
closely related Dall's porpoise. Identifying these hybrids in the
wild is extremely difficult. Carla and her colleagues at UBC and
the Vancouver Aquarium are using genetics to analyze tissue
samples taken from stranded porpoises in an attempt to determine
how often and where these hybridization events tend to occur.
Their research is also revealing how the various populations of
porpoises distributed along the B.C. coastline are related to one
another. The results of this research will be important as policy
makers develop new management plans for BC's smallest, and soon
to be everyone's favourite, cetacean. Carla is currently a master’s
student at the University of British Columbia. She is originally
from the East coast where harbour porpoises are known to terrify
many beach-goers who confuse them with sharks!
Birds. Small miracles.
Birds by Oiva Toikka.
Hand-blown Gl Art Inspired by Nature
The Yellowlegs (Mirella)
Annual Boreal Bird 2012
Puddifoot is donating 100% of proceeds from the sale
of the Yellowlegs to bird conservation programs
in the Boreal Forest.
During this time, Puddifoot is also donating
20% of all Iittala bird sales to conservation
programs in the Boreal Forest.
2375 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver, BC Canada V6M 2A3
Phone: 604-261-8141 Toll Free: 1-877-261-8141
mail@puddifoot.com