DNS Monthly Meeting Tues. December 7th, 2021 (on Zoom only)
Speaker: Christian Sasse
Topic: Creative astrophotography and hummingbirds in slow motion (links to YouTube recording of Zoom presentation)
Dr. Christian Sasse’s passion encompasses both eagle photography and astrophotography. His academic background as an electrical engineer and physicist, particularly his knowledge of optics and the physical properties of light, has shaped his photography. His photography uniquely captures colors and patterns due to his keen sense of how objects reflect, refract, diffract and transmit light.
Dr. Sasse runs a popular FaceBook and YouTube channel where he uses innovative techniques to bring wildlife and astronomy to his subscribers – an experience that immerses his viewers into an active dialogue during his live events. He is now the astronomer-in-charge for iTelescope.
In 2017 and 2018 Christian’s photography was featured in National Geographic articles on astrophotography and eagles and by NikonUSA
PREVIOUS DNS Monthly Meeting: Tues. 02 Nov, 2021
Speaker: Kate Paton
Topic: Wild Vancouver, finding Hope and Joy in Nature (links to YouTube recording of Zoom presentation)
Kate Paton – ethical wildlife, nature and scenic photographer, New Zealander living in Vancouver BC Canada.
Wild Vancouver – promoting ethical nature and wildlife behavior and photography through talks, blog and social media posts. I never give out locations of any of the wildlife I watch. I do report some birdlife if I think its in the birds best interest but I never disclose any owl or endangered wildlife species locations. I always respect the environment I’m in – usually a Metro Vancouver regional park, I don’t litter, I take out what I bring in, I stay on all the marked trails, I never disturb, stress or bait any wildlife or birds. I do not wear camouflage or use hides. You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube PacificNorthwestKate
Books by Kate Paton:
Previous DNS Monthly Meeting: Tues. 05 Oct, 2021
Speaker: Diane & David Reesor
Topic: The Islands of Birds and Icebergs: Newfoundland and Iceland (links to YouTube recording of Zoom presentation)
PREVIOUS DNS Monthly Meeting: Tues. 01 Jun, 2021
Speaker: Dr. David Bird
Topic: The Canada Jay as Canada’s National Bird (links to YouTube recording of Zoom presentation)
As an Emeritus Professor of Wildlife Biology and Director of the Avian Science and Conservation Centre of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Dr. David Bird has published 200 peer-reviewed papers and supervised 50 graduate students on a wide range of wildlife themes, including endangered species, toxicology, captive propagation of birds of prey, human-wildlife conflicts, and more recently, the application of UAVs (drones) to wildlife research and conservation. Until his retirement in 2012, he taught several university-level courses, including ornithology, wildlife conservation, ethology, and scientific communication.
He has written and/or edited several books, the most recent ones being The Bird Almanac: A Guide to Essential Facts and Figures on the World’s Birds in 2004, Raptor Research and Management Techniques in 2007, Birds of Canada in 2010, and two newer versions, Birds of Eastern Canada and Birds of Western Canada in 2013.
Dr. Bird is a past-president of the Raptor Research Foundation Inc. (an international organization devoted to birds of prey), past-president of the Society of Canadian Ornithologists, an elected Fellow of the American Ornithologists Union, a former member of the Board of Directors of the American Birding Association, and an elected member representing Canada on the prestigious International Ornithological Committee. He currently sits on the boards of Unmanned Systems Canada, an organization dedicated to the use of unmanned vehicles, and Bird Studies Canada. Besides his innumerable public lectures and radio and television appearances, Dr. Bird was also a regular columnist on birds for The Gazette of Montreal and continues to write a column for BirdWatcher’s Digest magazine.
For more information on Dr. David Bird, visit his website https://www.askprofessorbird.com/
PREVIOUS DNS Monthly Meeting: Tues. 01 Jun, 2021
Speaker: Dale Hjertaas
Topic: On Safari in Kenya and Tanzania (this will be recorded and posted on YouTube)
Dale Hjertaas went on safaris in Kenya and Tanzania to visit some of the famous wildlife reserves as well as less known and out of the way places. A highlight of his trip was time he and his daughter spent with the Hazda, a hunter-gatherer culture in Tanzania. He will speak about the wildlife and the experience, focusing on the Masai Mara, the Ngorongoro Crater, the Hazda people and Lakes Nakura and Naivasha. He will also discuss the safari experience and the social and ecological impacts of the safari.
PREVIOUS DNS Monthly Meeting: Tues. 04 May, 2021
Speaker: Deborah Jones
Topic: Rain Gardens for Salmon (link to YouTube video of presentation)
What do gardens have to do with salmon?! Learn exactly what rain gardens are, the many benefits they provide, and why they’re essential for healthy ecosystems (especially salmon streams). Enjoy photos of some of North Delta’s 29 school and community rain gardens, then get ideas for quick ’n’ easy ones you can do yourself.
Deborah Jones has a BA in Urban Studies, a Masters of Library Science, and worked for Vancouver Public Library for over 30 years.
She and husband Ib Nielsen joined the volunteer group Cougar Creek Streamkeepers in 2004, after noticing illegal tree-cutting on the banks of the most productive salmon stream in North Delta. They put their gardening experience to work on a restoration planting project along that streambank.
One project led to another, and then another, and another ….
Deb now serves as volunteer Rain Gardens Coordinator for the Streamkeepers, overseeing the maintenance of 29 school and community rain gardens created since 2006 in collaboration with the City of Delta, Delta School District, Pacific Salmon Foundation, Nature Trust of BC and others. She also advises the Nature Trust on their rain garden grant program.
PREVIOUS DNS Monthly Meeting: Tues. 06 Apr, 2021
Speaker: Martin Gregus Jr.
Topic: Living Amongst Polar Bears (link to YouTube video of presentation)
Join me for a unique story and a once in a lifetime experience as myself and my team set out to explore a remote corner of the Hudson Bay. Camping with the Arctic’s apex predator we got an inside look at the summer lives of 27 polar bears that fed, nursed, and played within feet of our camp.
His article on this experience was recently published in Canadian Geographic. You can find it at: https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/among-bears
Martin Gregus Jr. is the youngest member of the Gregus Creative Group. Currently living in Vancouver, Martin was born into a family of artists in Bratislava, Slovakia.
He can see things and stories far beyond the reality of everyday life; a gift which is reflected in his wildlife photographs which are full of detail and natural dynamics. The creative transformation of nature and the environment into graphic and color symbols are some of the elements that give his work endless visual power. Aside from spending hours crawling in mud; custom made photography equipment, hides and remote cameras often help Martin get the perfect shot.
PREVIOUS DNS Monthly Meeting: Tues. 02 Mar, 2021 on Zoom
Speaker: Dave Doroghy
Topic: Show Me the Honey: Adventures of an Accidental Apiarist (Zoom presentation recorded on YouTube)
Short bio (by Elizabeth Perrin):Dave Doroghy is an international Sports Marketing Executive who has worked on two consecutive winning Olympic Bids – a unique distinction. Altogether he has 25 years of experience in acquiring sponsors for major international sports initiatives and professional teams in Canada and around the world.
He is also the author of a very successful book “Show me the Honey: Adventures of an Accidental Apiarist” and it is his experiences as a beekeeper that he will be sharing in his presentation.
So, how did a Sports Marketing Executive end up keeping bees on a houseboat in Ladner? Dave’s sister is a beekeeper and she recognized that the habitat around Dave’s home provided great foraging for bees so she gave him a beehive and thousands of bees, starting him on the adventures that would ultimately lead to his book. Given the importance of bees in our ecosystem, beekeeping is an excellent hobby to get involved in but not one to be taken lightly as Dave will make clear in his presentation.
The book has a foreword by Rick Hansen with whom Dave travelled across Canada in 1986 as the Sponsorship Coordinator for the Man in Motion World Tour, the beginning of Dave’s career in sponsorship sales.
Longer Bio:
When Dave Doroghy’s sister gave him 15,000 honey bees as a Christmas gift, his practical knowledge of beekeeping would have fit on the proverbial backend of an Apis mellifera.
He spent the next two years learning everything he needed to know to keep that beehive alive and well—he attended a beekeeping conference, joined a bee club, and even went to bee school.
But bad things still happened—he sustained multiple stings, wasps attacked his hive, he fought an ongoing battle with killer varroa mites, and even lost his queen—twice!
In Show Me the Honey, Doroghy recounts his often tension-filled misadventures in beekeeping with self-deprecating humour and lightheartedness. Whether it’s the impending chaos of transferring tens of thousands of insects to an outyard, the horror of discovering bees on the inside of his beekeeping suit, or just wondering if he will end up with even an ounce of honey for all his efforts, Doroghy shares the joy, the surprises, and the less-acknowledged financial sting of keeping bees.
Above all, he relishes in the details of keeping a hive and getting to know the fascinating little creatures that inhabit those mysterious wooden boxes.
Dave Doroghy is an International Sports, Marketing Executive who has worked on two consecutive winning Olympic Bids – a unique distinction.
Altogether, Dave has 25 years of experience in acquiring sponsors for major international sports initiatives and professional teams in Canada and around the world.
Dave was the Director of Sponsorship Sales for London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympic Summer Games. (2003—2004). He also helped drive sponsorship sales for Vancouver’s successful bid to host the 2010 Olympic Winter Games (2002—2003). He then was appointed Director of Sponsorship Sales for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games (2005—2010) where he led the team that raised a record breaking $756.2 million in domestic sponsorship revenue.
In spring 2013, Dave wrapped up a 2.5 year sponsorship consulting engagement with the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, where he helped the Organizing Committee to acquire the Games first sponsors, write the Games sponsorship business plan and assist in the hiring the Games sponsorship sales team.
Dave’s rich marketing and sponsorship background includes stints as Vice President of the NBA Vancouver Grizzlies and the NBA Memphis Grizzlies as well as various senior management positions over a six-year period with Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment, owners of the NHL Vancouver Canucks and the General Motors Place (Rogers) Arena.
Dave began his sponsorship sales career in 1986 when he traveled across Canada with the Rick Hansen Man in Motion World Tour as the Sponsorship Coordinator. This led to his engagement as Sponsorship Sales Executive for the 1994 XV Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia for three years.
Prior to his career in Sports Marketing, Dave worked in the advertising agency business and in broadcasting, as a radio announcer.
Delta Naturalists Society 