Category: Ontario Parks
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Ontario Provincial Parks Malaise Program Results!
Back in 2014 we deployed Malaise Traps in 51 Ontario Provincial Parks with the help of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) in a large experiment to assess arthropod diversity. We completed our analysis last year after sorting ~250,000 specimens and putting another ~750,000 through bulk analysis. That was a job indeed!
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Ontario BioBlitz at Riverwood Conservancy and the Credit River Watershed
It’s that time of the year again – Ontario BioBlitz time! This year we will be surveying the Credit River Watershed. A number of BIO staff along with researchers, students and citizen scientists are volunteering their time this weekend – June 11 and 12th, 2016 – to try to find as many species as they…
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A Recap
This has been, by far, the most eventful summer I have had at BIO. My last summer here, in 2014, I was deployed on the BIObus for our trip out west and got so see some pretty amazing things, but this year has been far more jam-packed. I have been out in the field for…
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The Tans Will Fade, but the Barcodes Will Last Forever
Hello again everyone, This will be my final blog of the season, as the summer wraps up and all the students head back to school. This past week was my final week working in BIO as a student, but luckily for me I get to come back as a full time employee! My summer at…
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Thoughts on the 6th iBOL Conference
Hello loyal blog followers! I am happy to talk about my past week with everyone but I also have to inform you that this will be my last blog of the summer. This last blog signifies that the summer is almost over; it’s almost time to get back to school and watch the days get…
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Messing Around With Monarchs
Hello my faithful readers, I just got back from a fun filled weekend in Bruce Peninsula where we were trying to capture monarchs with the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy. Unfortunately the Queen narrowly avoided escape but we did manage to catch about 40 monarch butterflies. Our goal was to tag their wings with a small sticker…
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Flexin’ My Mussels and Saying Bye to BIO
Last month Dan, Danielle and I trekked down to Chatham, Ontario to collect some samples for the freshwater mussel project that I’ve been working on for the last year. We collaborated with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans as they were working on monitoring the mussel populations for their projects and were able to help…
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Oodles of Odonates at Awenda Provincial Park
This past week, the BIObus visited Georgian Bay Islands, Six Mile Lake, and finally Awenda Provincial Park, nestled at the tip of the Penetanguishene (meaning “land of white, rolling sands”) Peninsula in Georgian Bay. This park has both a rich geological as well as cultural history, with the area having been inhabited by humans as…
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Plenty of Pollinators and Ample Amphipods: Georgian Bay Islands and Six Mile Lake
It is yet again time for a quick update on the comings and goings of the BIObus! Thanushi, Kate and I spent this past week visiting and sampling in three different parks: Six Mile Lake Provincial Park, Georgian Bay Islands National Park and Awenda Provincial Park. With glorious weather and beautiful sample sites, it was…
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BIO Blitzes BioBlitzes
Hi everyone, I recently got back from another fun weekend of BioBlitzing – this time in the Ojibway Prairie Complex (OPC). The OPC is the equivalent of a gold mine for discovering species that are new to science or Canada.