"Rare Native Woody Plants of Ontario"
with Sean Fox
A photo tour of rare woody plants with maps

Tuesday February 1, 2011
2nd Fl. Studio
Doors open 7:00 p.m. Start time 7:30 p.m.
Members: $10
Non-members: $12

Sean Fox has an extensive background in horticultural science with a particular emphasis on native plant conservation. In his current position as Assistant Arboretum Manager at the University of Guelph, Sean is responsible for the upkeep of the arboretum's diverse plant collections and conservation programs.

"Unique Native Plants of the Malcolm Bluff Shores, Niagara Escarpment"
with Mark Carabeta
Tuesday March 22 – TBG, 2nd Fl. Studio

"Native Plants in our Day to Day Lives. Changing the Culture."
with Martin Galloway
Tuesday April 5 – TBG, Garden Hall

NANPS needs volunteers to staff our Canada Blooms table: volunteer@nanps.org Attend Canada Blooms for free...well...you have to volunteer a little time to help our organization.

Let's start out the year 2011 with a big bang! Since it is International Year of Forests, it is time to shine a bigger light on forests in need of protection from human encroachment. Many North American forests are under pressure. One such case is a 107-acre (43-hectare) parcel of forest in the District of Highlands at the south end of Vancouver Island in peril to residential development.

Lying between Gowlland Tod Provincial Park and Thetis Lake Regional Park, the Mary Lake property provides an important wildlife corridor between these two large areas of parkland. The Mary Lake property provides habitat for wildlife, including a diverse array of plant species. It is a stunning example of an endangered dry Coastal Douglas fir ecosystem.

The Mary Lake Conservancy was formed by 86-year old Bob McMinn with a group of concerned District of Highlands residents that want to preserve Mary Lake and the surrounding forest land. With help from the Highlands Stewardship Foundation and the global eco-community, the Conservancy is working to save this carefully conserved and endangered ecosystem for future generations.

To protect and conserve the beautiful Mary Lake property, The Mary Lake Conservancy must raise $4.5 million. The campaign's centrepiece is an online digital map in which donors can purchase virtual square metres of the parcel, which is in the Highlands district about 15 kilometres northwest of downtown Victoria. As of today, over 17000 m2 had been purchased by supporters from as far away as Japan, Australia, France, Denmark and Scotland.

Ten bucks buys you a virtual square metre of the property. If the fundraising is successful, the land will be purchased through the Highlands Stewardship Foundation with plans to transfer it to a government body as permanently-protected parkland.

Sunday February 6, 10:30 a.m. - 12 noon – High Park, Toronto
Walking Tour: Winter Tree Identification Toronto Urban Forestry

Wednesday February 16, 12 p.m. – U of T, RW 432
Distribution and ecosystem effects of earthworms in a Central Ontario forest – are invasive earthworms a threat?
Tara Sackett, Postdoctoral fellow in Geography at UTM

Friday February 18, 3 p.m. – U of T, ES B142
Urban Environments: People, Plants, and Pollution
Will Wilson, Duke University

Saturday February 19, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. – TBG
Get the Jump on Spring
Toronto Botanical Garden's Annual Horticultural Open House
Spring into action and join NANPS for the event

Tuesday February 22, 7:30 p.m. – TBG, Floral Hall
Edwards Lecture Series: Romance with Trees
Wayne Grady and Merilyn Simonds

Saturday, February 26, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. – Harcourt United Church
Pollination Guelph Annual Symposium
Register in advance for $30 (payable in cash at the event) or pay $35 at the door. Please pre-register by sending an e-mail with the participant's name(s) to pollinationguelph@gmail.com.

Saturday February 26, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. – Kortright Centre for Conservation
Stewardship Forum 2011 This year's theme is "Reflections on the Year of Biodiversity” and the keynote speaker is Dr. Faisal Moola.

Monday February 28, 7 p.m. – TBG
Lecture - Elm Recovery Project Sean Fox

University of Toronto, St. George Campus (unless otherwise noted)
- ES B142 = Dept. of EEB, Earth Science Centre, 33 Willcocks St.
- RW 432 = Dept. of CSB, Ramsay Wright Laboratories, 25 Harbord St.

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