Grove Rove - Conducting Natural Heritage Surveys

with ecologist Mark Heaton

This month's Grove Rove is a special treat for Grove enthusiasts. Ecologist, Mark Heaton is in the process of conducting research of Gillies Grove and we’ve aligned our Rove to coincide with one of his research weekends. Drawing on his expertise in natural heritage system planning and habitat conservation Mark will share what he looks for when studying an ecosystem and how certain findings can be used to support conservation efforts. He will also explain why it is important to zoom out and look at the bigger picture!

The walk will focus on “Conducting Natural Heritage Surveys”.

Topics covered will include:

• survey ethics
• Geographic Information System mapping resources
• monitoring equipment
• data analysis techniques

It is recommended that attendees load their cell phones with the following apps:

Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab - appkingo

AND

Seek (iNaturalist)

About Mark:

Mark Heaton is a retired Fish and Wildlife Biologist with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Western Ontario, who spent 34 years with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) before transitioning to roles as a Senior Biologist for Ontario Streams and a consulting Ecologist for Symbiosys Ecology. Throughout his extensive MNRF career, he evaluated thousands of development and resource planning proposals under major provincial and federal legislation to avoid and mitigate environmental impacts on fish, wildlife, and wetland habitats. Mark possesses deep expertise in natural heritage systems planning, stream and wetland restoration, and specialized wildlife management. His decades of leadership and dedication to habitat conservation and river rehabilitation have been recognized with numerous prestigious honors, including the 2017 Latornell Leadership Award and the 1998 Roderick Haig Brown Award.

1. What: Grove Roves - guided community forest walks
2. Date: Saturday June 13 - Theme: Conducting Natural Heritage Surveys
3. Time: 10:00am-12:00pm
4. Location: Gillies Grove, Arnprior
5. Distance: 2 kms or less. There will be opportunities to shorten your experience and head back to the parking lot, if a shorter trek is what you prefer.
6. Cost: If you would like to make a donation, we would be happy to put it towards the Save the Grove, Again initiatives for protecting this forest from current threats of development.

No registration necessary.

Together we can find a better way!