Meetings will be the first Tuesday of each month.
Hybrid Meetings are now planned for in-person and on-line via Zoom.
In-person meetings will be at All Saints Anglican Church, 4755 Arthur Dr, Ladner.
DNS Meetings 2022
DNS Meetings 2021
DNS Monthly Meeting: Tues. June 6, 2023, starts 7:30 pm
Speaker: David Hoar
Topic: Crossing the Lydekker Line: Sailing through the West Papuan Islands
DNS Monthly Meeting: Tues. May 2, 2023, starts 7:30 pm
DNS Members (3 Speakers)
1. Jack MacDonald – Barn Owl Box Videos
2. Peter Ward – Opera Singers of BC
3. Thea Beckman – Digital Flash Cards – Bird ID and more
NEXT DNS Monthly Meeting: Tues. April 4, 2023, starts 7:30 pm
Speaker: Dan Varland
Topic: Turkey Vultures – Love at Second Sight!
Turkey Vultures are essential to the environment and beautiful in their own way. Dan will share facts on the natural history of the species, including distinguishing characteristics, related species, and behaviour, including movement patterns, roost sites and longevity as revealed by recent tagging studies.
Dan Varland is Executive Director of Coastal Raptors (coastalraptors.com), a Washington-based non-profit focused on research and education programs leading to conservation of birds of prey.
He earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Zoology from Eastern Illinois University and a Ph.D. in Animal Ecology from Iowa State University. For 11 years Dan taught biology at community colleges in the Midwest.
Dan moved to Hoquiam, Washington in 1993 and worked until 2009 as wildlife biologist for the timber company Rayonier. Since 1995, Dan has been surveying and banding raptors on Washington’s coastal beaches.
In 2009, he founded and became the Executive Director of Coastal Raptors, a not-for-profit organization focused on research, education and conservation programs for raptors in coastal environments. In 2018, Dan was given the Exceptional Service Award by the Raptor Research Foundation for his volunteer service to the organization. Dan was co-editor of a book on raptors in human-altered landscapes and has co-authored 20 scientific publications and two book chapters.
Previous DNS Monthly Meeting: Tues. March 7, 2023
Speaker: Kieran Cox PhD
Topic: Human Impacts on Marine Ecosystems (linked to YouTube recording of Zoom presentation)
Marine noise pollution is now ubiquitous along British Columbia’s coastal line. The species that reside within these ecosystems contend with the direct and indirect effects of anthropogenically modified soundscapes. The release of this pollution and the ecological effects it elicits occur unimpeded, as no comprehensive federal or provincial laws regulate ocean noise in British Columbia.
This issue is of national concern as the prevalence and severity of marine noise pollution are projected to increase rapidly and expand further into northern British Columbia due to approved resource projects and expanding coastal developments.
Dr. Kieran Cox is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow of the Earth to Oceans Group at Simon Fraser University. This post-doctoral fellowship seeks to support early-career scientists to conduct and communicate world-class research that informs conservation and management issues relevant to Canada.
PREVIOUS DNS Monthly Meeting: Tues. February 7, 2023, starts 7:30 pm
Speaker: Sharon MacGougan
Topic: Miyawaki Forest – Celebrating Biodiversity (linked to YouTube recording of Zoom presentation)
Planting the First Miyawaki “Pocket Forest” in Western Canada
The Garden City Conservation Society and Richmond Senior Secondary’s Green Team recently planted the first Miyawaki “Pocket Forest” in Western Canada. These biodiverse forests can exist in small spaces and could be a perfect addition to our city parks and other protected lands. At the meeting we’ll share a Power Point presentation documenting the steps of our process from start to finish. Could this kind of forest be part of the answer to the big question – how to mitigate ecological loss? We hope so.
Our society also engages in stewardship activities on the bog area of the Garden City Lands (GCL), including a successful shore pine rescue, and sphagnum moss research, transplant and propagation in collaboration with Kwantlen Polytechnical University. Time permitting, we’ll show a short video of our most recent sphagnum moss project on the GCL.
Sharon MacGougan
Sharon is President of the Garden City Conservation Society, director of the Tir-na-nOg Theatre School
and Casa Meshiko Cultural Society; White Crane kung fu instructor, member of the International Council of Dance (UNESCO) and accredited teacher of Aztec dance. Sharon has a deep love of the natural world and is committed to the idea of “good measure”, something that she learned from her father at a young age. Always give back a little bit more!
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PREVIOUS DNS Monthly Meeting: Tues. January 3, 2023, starts 7:30 pmSpeaker: David and Diane Reesor
Topic: The Okavango Delta in Botswana (linked to YouTube recording of Zoom presentation)
Once each year the Okavango Delta in Botswana is the largest inland untouched delta in the world. Annual flooding brings the migration of Africa’s animals, some former rivals, to drink together in the same waters. Diane and David will present images of the local people, colourful birds, wild dogs on the hunt and feeding their pups – and lions teaching their cubs to get their feet wet in river crossings.
Delta Naturalists Society 
