Guest Speaker: Robert Burcher

Robert Burcher is a photographer, writer, historical researcher and wilderness explorer who has been fascinated by John Muir, the Scottish-born American conservationist and Sierra Club co-founder, for decades.

The discovery of an abandoned historical plaque in the Epping Conservation Area in the Beaver Valley galvanized Robert to action. The plaque honoured the fact that John Muir had lived in Meaford for two years during the late 1800s. That was the beginning of a 30-year research project culminating in a book called My Summer of Glorious Freedom. The book was a discovery process of tracing Muir’s 1864 wanderings in Southern Ontario using plant specimens that he had collected.

Robert recently led a group of MPFN members on a pilgrimage to the John Muir cabin site. This month’s meeting will give Robert a chance to tell us the full story of Muir’s time in Ontario.

The good news is that Robert will have several copies of his book for sale at Thursday’s meeting! It’s been out of print for some time as the first couple of printings sold out. The book was recently read and discussed by the MPFN Nature Book Club and received unanimous thumbs up. The book will sell for $40. Payment can be made by cash, cheque or e-transfer.

We will once again be fundraising at Thursday’s meeting by selling our 50/50 tickets. 1 chance for 2 dollars, 3 chances for 5 dollars.

We will also be running our GREAT NATURE BOOK SALE. You can bring along any used nature books you’d like to donate. Books donated will be resold for what the buyer thinks they’re worth with all proceeds going to club operations.

Paul Riss is an award-winning ad director/documentary filmmaker (CBC Docs “Rare Bird Alert”) /Punk Rock Birder.

Paul Riss rather stands out in a crowd of birders. He puts the lie to the myth that birdwatching is just for “tiny old ladies with blue hair and Tilley hats”. He’s a hardcore birder. He’s also a big punk rock fan.

On New Year’s Eve 2010, Paul Riss kissed his wife at midnight, then went outside to look for a pigeon. The pigeon he spotted was outside of the music venue Lee’s Palace in Toronto, where the likes of Nirvana and Canadian punk veterans D.O.A have played. It was the first of 234 different birds he would see that year and was the start of his “Big Year”, a challenge birders give themselves to see as many birds as possible within one year and specific geographical borders.

Paul combines his love of bird watching with his other passions – punk rock and tattoos. He already had several bird tattoos, like the flock that runs down his right arm and reproductions of his two favourite birds (a Brown Thrasher and a Marsh Wren). But he decided to indelibly commemorate his Big Year by tattooing the names of each of the 234 birds on his body. He’s hoping his Big Year will inspire a new generation of young birders to take up the hobby.

“Maybe they will identify with a guy like me who still goes to punk shows, is covered in tattoos and doesn’t look like their mom or dad or grandparents,” Riss says.

 

Annual Joint Meeting of the Four Area Naturalist Clubs (Carden, Orillia, Midland-Penetanguishene, Barrie). Carden Recreation Centre, Lake Dalrymple (closer to the date we’ll see about organizing carpooling for this event).

Thurs. May 16, 2024 7:30 PM Wye Marsh

Author Edward Struzik.  He has written several books including “Swamplands: Tundra Beavers, Quaking Bogs and the Improbable World of Peat” and two books on wildfires; “Firestorm: How Wildfires Will Shape Our Future” and “Dark Days at Noon: The Future of Fire”.  We’re calling Ed’s presentation “Wetlands and Wildfire”, two topics that he believes are strongly related. 

 

 

Thurs. Mar. 21, 2024, 7:30 PM Zoom Presentation

 Bob Bell, author; Out of the Lymelight and Into the Sunlight: Birding as Therapy for the Chronically Ill.  Bob tells a moving and interesting story of his personal experience with lyme disease and birding. 

Thurs. Feb. 15, 2024, 7:30 PM Zoom Presentation 

Emily Conger, The Algonquin to Adirondacks Corridor Project; A2A Collaborative; our provincial government wants to build superhighways for cars. Emily and the A2A Collaborative are working on building a biological superhighway for wildlife.