Mystery plant quiz for the week

The answer to the mystery plant posted on April 9th was Harbinger of spring (Erigenia bulbosa), which is a provincially rare plant in Ontario - ranked S3 by the Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC).

The NHIC is government agency responsible for maintaining records and data on all provincially rare flora and fauna in the province of Ontario.  Biologists, planners, ecologists, foresters and other professionals use their information and data to monitor, track and develop policies for protection and preservation purposes.  The NHIC is linked to a network of Conservation Data Centers (CDC).  In Canada, each province typically has it's own  CDC.  For example, in Alberta the CDC is the Alberta Conservation Information Management System (ACIMS).  Alberta has approximately 458 provincially rare plants that are tracked by the ACIMS, where Ontario has over 720 tracked by the NHIC.  To be listed as provincially rare in the province plant species must fall within a specific criteria related to the number of records, populations or occurrences.  Extremely rare plants may have only 1 - 5 records, populations or occurrences for the entire province and are ranked S1, very rare plants have 6 - 20 records, populations or occurrences with a rank of S2 and rare plants have 21 - 100 records, populations or occurrences with an S3 rank.

Unfortunately, at the present time, no rare plant or vegetation survey protocols exist for Ontario, so professionals are unable to ascertain how and where to search for rare plants while conducting baseline surveys.  The University of Alberta in partnership with the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute are currently investigating new survey methodology for rare plants.  EARTHQUEST shall be putting forth a rare plant survey protocol shortly and has incorporated it into the content of some of the plant certification courses.  Stay tuned until further notice as we continue to prepare this much needed document.

This week's mystery plant may be in bloom.  The photo depicts seed pods which develop after the flowers fall off.

Let the plant hunt begin!

The 2013 field season officially began on March 9th with flowering Skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus feotidus), but it has been a late spring with only 18 species recorded so far for the month of April.  

This year we hope to break several landmark records to add to our massive 88 231 record database; 

i. 100 000 records total and 

ii. 1300 taxa for all provinces in Ontario

Provincially rare plants to hunt for this year are;

1.       Butternut (Juglans cinerea); S3?/END/END – Norfolk & Hamilton Counties

2.       Sharp leaved goldenrod (Solidago arguta); S3 – Lanark County

3.       Green milkweed (Asclepias viridis); S2 – Norfolk County

4.        White prairie orchid (Platanthera leucophaea); S2/END – Essex County

5.       Dense blazing star (Liatris spicata); S3 – Essex County

6.       Perfoliate bellwort (Uvularia perfoliata); S3 – Norfolk County

7.       Sweet pignut hickory (Carya ovalis); S3 – Brant & Norfolk Counties

For the first time since we began the Plants of Ontario project in 2006 we've been able to construct regionally rare plant (R1 - 3 ranked) lists for Ecoregions 6E (Mixed deciduous forest region) and 7E (Carolinian forest region).  This list includes 1101 taxa for 7E and 942 taxa for 6E.  We also greatly appreciate UTM coordinates for any R1 - 3 ranked plants you may encounter while performing field surveys/investigations this year.  I'll be posting the regionally rare plant list on the EARTHQUEST website, so that you may download it and know which plants to hunt for over the next several weeks.  

If you find any S1 - 3 ranked plants I would appreciate UTM coordinates for our SAR plants of Ontario book.  I also plan on conducting a site visit to some natural areas in search of targeted plants on the hunt list above or regionally rare plants from the official EARTHQUEST regionally rare plant lists.  Site visits will be announced periodically.  The first site visit may be to Sudden bog in Waterloo county for the month of May.  If you'd like to attend please let me know.  

We were also able to produce a master plant species list for the Grand River Conservation Authority on 637 species of vascular plants, including locally rare (L1 - 3 ranked) plants within their watershed.  We hope to do the same for the Bruce Trail Conservancy's Bruce Trail and the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority.

This week's mystery plant emerged from the ground today.  Please let me know what it is - species common/latin name and S (provincial) rank by next week.  We'll continue these mystery plant quizes as the spring/summer progresses as they are an excellent way to prepare you for field investigations and practice your field ID skills.

Paying it forward; from monkeys to environmental consulting

When I was in university environmental jobs were at a minimum and it was harder to find work.  My solution to this dilemma was to work at odd jobs, not related to my field to save up the money to travel to an exotic destination and volunteer, or take a field course.  One of my first field courses was in primate social behaviour and reproductive biology with The School for Field Studies.  I studied endangered Panamanian tamarin (Saguinus oedipus geoffroyi) monkeys (a juvenile female is depicted below).

I also volunteered for Earthwatch studying tropical rainforests and observed Black mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta paliatta) like the adult female below.

This was a great way to "get your feet wet".  I explored Central America, lived with indigenous people, studied 6 species of primates and eventually started organizing international expeditions myself.

Along the way, I met some great people who assisted me with enhancing my scientific skills in research, orchestrating logistical details and people skills.  In particular, I am grateful to have met Mr. Steve Rinder.  At the time, Steve was working at Novack's in London, Ontario, Canada.  When I told him about my desire to put together research/conservation expeditions to Panama to work on the tiny 33 hectare island of Isla Tigre on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal he was estatic.  He saw that I needed help organizing the program, so I hired him as a consultant.  He opened my eyes to the world of ecotourism.  He also introduced me to Dr. Jane Goodall as he knew I was fascinated by Chimpanzees.  Steve was kind enough to write an article about his experiences with EARTHQUEST in Panama for Planeta.

If you're really interested in ecotourism or studying primates abroad try investigating these sites;

• Broad reach
• Maderas Rainforest Conservancy

EARTHQUEST also works with the Maderas Rainforest Conservancy to run primate programs in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

In April, 1999 I led an expedition into the Peruvian Amazon in search of primates, mammals and a newly formed ecological preserve called Curyiaco, located 300 kilometres in the interior from the rustic gold mining town of Puerto Maldonaldo.  I was fortunate to recruit Mr. Sean Donovan on that team.  Logistically, this riverboat excursion was very challenging.  The troubles began when I mistakenly forgot my camera at the international airport in Lima, Peru.  The airport authorities had to evacuate the premises because my camera was in a water proof Pelican case, which resembled something carrying a bomb.  Sean was very helpful to me while on this trip, coming to my aid to assist with logistical details and alleviating the "bomb scare" for Peruvians.

Sean later signed up to my expedition to Nepal in late August, 2001 and was equally beneficial to the team and myself there.

I recently met Sean again after he spent more than a decade teaching English in Japan, where he met and married is lovely wife.

Since Nepal, I have trained or prepared hundreds of people in the biological sciences and for employment in the environmental industry.  Many of which found fantastic jobs with environmental consulting firms, Conservation Authorities, provincial, federal government jobs and non-profit organizations.

I owe part of my success with building the careers of my students to people like Sean and Steve. Through Sean and Steve I have been motivated to assist people like Emily Thorne.  Emily is currently looking for work in the environmental field.  Tiffany Gilchrist took my GIS certification course and recently found employment with Stantec.  As her first environmental consulting firm I felt Tiffany should be well informed about the pay range for consultants and presenting a professional resume to potential employers.

Other former EARTHQUEST Biological Field School students have been the source of a great deal of pride and satisfaction because they too have used their EARTHQUEST training to continue building their careers.

I am forever grateful and appreciative of all the help I've received over the years; through my struggles and successes.  My hope is to continue to pay it forward.  I would encourage and challenge you to find ways to pay it forward as well.  It can be as simple as opening a door for a stranger, giving somebody a compliment, or contributing to your local food bank.

In my view, this is how we can all make the world a better place to live.

It is job hunting time, so if you need some help revamping your CV, how to apply to environmental jobs, how to handle interviews, etc. simply contact me or visit the EARTHQUEST website.

By: Dave Jolly