Six Streams Initiative

• taking and analysing water samples
• undertaking volunteer-based restoration projects.

AGM Featured Bill Caulfeild-Browne

• a Conservation and Stewardship Plan for the Bruce and
• a network of organizations on the Bruce Peninsula.

Biosphere Eggs

 Once again this year the BPBA offered chocolate Easter Eggs to raise funds for the ongoing work of the Association.  These fabulous Biosphere chocolate eggs are lovingly crafted each year in the early spring by our enthusiastic team for you and your family to enjoy.

As you can imagine we only make a limited quantity to ensure freshness, quality and taste, so order early next year! Your donation or purchase of Biosphere Eggs will help our volunteers work with partner organizations on a variety of projects.

To reserve your eggs for Spring 2014, please write an e-mail or send us a message by clicking here.

Join the Biosphere Association as a volunteer

•    Test the water of our streams
•    Count salamanders in the spring
•    Help with our Bayside Astronomy Program
•    Measure the Quality of our Night Sky
•    Inspire others by speaking at events, writing articles
•    Help take minutes and do other administrative tasks
•    Raise funds for the Association
•    Become your neighbourhood’s local environmental champion

Bayside Astronomy Program 

Cooler evenings herald the arrival of the fall constellations. This Labour Day Weekend was this season’s last offering of the Biosphere’s very popular Bayside Astronomy Program for 2012.
Participants found out the names of the fall constellations and how to locate them in the sky.  What is a zodiac? What’s your zodiac?
Organized by the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association’s Dark Sky Committee
Programs this year were offered Friday an Saturday at dusk at the “POD”- the open air observing deck which is a few steps north of the Lion's Head lighthouse at the harbour. We had telescopes and astronomers eager to share their knowledge. No charge. Join us next year to experience the wonder and mystery of the night sky. Program information provided on Twitter: www.twitter.com/darksky_project   If you have a Facebook account, you can find more information at the Dark Sky page: www.facebook.com/darksky.astronomy
This program was provided under the expert guidance of Doug and Paula Cunningham, two well known astronomers and our Program Manager Amanda Stanger. In a series of talks, our team and other guest speakers this summer shared their enthusiasm and knowledge. Funding for the major telescope was generously provided by the Gosling Foundation. The Biosphere Association's telescope was used for public viewing and our various guest speakers brought telescopes as well. There were people and telescopes to ensure everyone had a good time. Binoculars are also considered useful for touring our starry skies so please take yours whenever you go stargazing.

Amanda Stanger managed the Bayside Astronomy Program with the mentorship of the Dark Sky Committee. She gave “tours” of the night sky, sharing the legends of the constellations, and providing information on First Nation’s communities’ stories about the night sky. We had talks on astral navigation. The Biosphere Association hired Amanda through a federal HRSDC Canada Summer Jobs grant and support from the Scotia Private Client Group .

The Bayside Astronomy Program ran each weekend at dusk in July and August depending upon the weather of course.

You may know that parts of the Bruce Peninsula are in the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere and that the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association has been active in promoting public awareness of the importance of preserving the night sky to protect wildlife and save energy. We’ve also given many presentations on how to adopt dark sky friendly lighting practices to conserve our natural night sky. You may wonder why we are involved in creating the Bayside Astronomy Program, a new tourist attraction for Lion’s Head. Biosphere Reserves have three mandates: one, conservation, two, sustainable economic development and three building community capacity to do both. Sufficient economic activity is, of course, necessary to create the jobs that will maintain the population levels required to sustain the two local schools, hospital and other services. We believe that the Bayside Astronomy program is a form of sustainable economic development that will stimulate the local economy. Public participation in our astronomy program (which ends late in the evening) should lead to more overnight stays at bed and breakfasts and motels, and purchases in local stores. One of our key longer term goals is to create more science and environmentally related jobs for students.

On a good night, many cities now have only about 30 visible stars, but we have thousands, thanks to our community’s commendable efforts to minimize light pollution. Our sky is the perfect backdrop for seeing the Milky Way. It shines brightly with tremendous structure and contrast. Here, even our neighbouring galaxy Andromeda is visible!  So please support our informative talks, an evenings of star gazing, and other activities.    

Fundraising / Donate

Join the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association!

Does this sound good? Interested in becoming a member?

Buy Membership

One Membership $20.00 CAD Two Memberships $40.00 CAD Three Memberships $60.00 CAD

Please note that this online payment service is provided by PayPal, but you do not need a PayPal account to use VISA, Mastercard etc. Simply click on "Pay Now" and then "Don't have a PayPal account" and skip the invitation to sign up with PayPal..

...or, if you prefer to mail in your membership application with a cheque, Please click here.

Be Informed

     PROJECTS

Community Workshops: Shorelines, Coastal Wetlands, and Nearshore Waters

Our coastal areas on the Bruce Peninsula are vital to both a healthy environment and a healthy community. Come to a community workshop to learn more about the importance of our shorelines, coastal wetlands, and nearshore waters and to share your own perspective.
June 22 - 1:00 to 4:30 PM at the Municipal Offices, 56 Lindsay Road 5, Lion's Head
June 27 - 6:00 to 9:30 PM in Tobermory at the Community Centre
July 6 - 1:00 to 4:30 PM in Stokes Bay at the Community Centre
These workshops will bring our community together to identify key issues affecting these ecosystems and to discuss a community plan of action to ensure their protection for the future.

Sponsored by Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation

Project Background

Projects are made possible by our RAFFLE and other fundraising activities.

This year's raffle has been a success with odds of winning even better than last year. S. Atchison won the first prize, a week's stay in a cozy waterfront cottage valued at $1000.00.  Blue water and rocky shoreline near Rush Cove await up to four people for a week in June or July, 2013.
Second Prize, won by T Souter was a yellow Ocean Frenzy Kayak!

Click Here for more details.

Farming Community

Dark Sky

A Learning Community Initiative – Dark Sky Committee
BPBA, BPEG, the Municipal Council, other organizations and many individuals have worked for ten years on preserving the night sky on the Northern Bruce Peninsula. In 2011 the Ontario Trillium Foundation supported a free light assessment program for homeowners. Ridgewood Capital Asset Management generously provided funding for a Light Conversion Incentive program that provided homeowners with rebates to update fixtures to dark sky friendly lighting. The Biosphere Association also created a 52 page catalogue of dark sky lighting fixtures that can be found at local suppliers. The catalogue, designed for homeowners to use to retrofit their outdoor lighting, may be downloaded by clicking here:  lightingcatalogue.pdf (10 Mb). The printing of the catalogue was funded by Scotia Private Client Group . Please note that stock and prices were accurate at time of initial publishing, but they change rapidly. The catalogue should therefore be considered a general guide rather than an authoritative reference.

There are many reasons for preserving our starry night skies. View the Video Interviews of Local Dark Sky Champions and other information (please click here). The Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association (BPBA) Learning Community Initiative... 

Help us with Watersheds:
Aquatic Monitoring

From 2003 to 2005 a benthic monitoring program in three local cold-water streams monitored the health of these aquatic ecosystems. Benthic monitoring involves collecting bottom samples from the streams to identify and count the macro-invertebrates (aquatic insects) present in the water. Since some of these species are sensitive to disruptions in their environment they are good indicators of the health of the streams. The Aquatic Ecosystem Monitoring reports for 2003, 2004 and 2005 are available online by clicking on the "more" button below.

Six Streams Initiative

Last summer (2012) we began a new initiative to develop an integrated watershed plan for the Old Woman's and Stokes River watershed. It will encompass all major aspects, for example water quality and habitat, terrestrial habitat and land cover, and biodiversity. If you have Google Earth installed on your computer, you should be able to view a map with photos and other information by clicking here. If you have technical difficulties, we might be able to help - call Jeremy at (519) 377-5166.
Our project approach will involve the following steps.

1. Introductory community event to launch the project (August 2012)
   
2. Seek funding to hire person to prepare overarching plan (completed)
3. Obtain community consensus on project direction
4. Scope out project and prepare action plans
5. Apply for Trillium and EcoAction funding (completed)
6. Implement plans

We have received approval for a Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund grant of $25,000 to monitor and restore streams, with the support of area landowners and students by:

• taking and analysing water samples
• undertaking volunteer-based restoration projects.

     Forest Monitoring

In 2002, a long-term monitoring program was initiated to assess the health of forest ecosystems on the Bruce Peninsula. Sixteen monitoring plots have been established on both private and protected lands throughout the municipality to observe changes in the health of our forest ecosystems by monitoring mature tree species, seedling and sapling regeneration, decay rates, lichens, and salamanders.

     Salamander Monitoring

Since 2003, salamander monitoring protocols have been implemented at eight of the forest monitoring plots throughout the municipality. Coverboards, or layered wood, were used to monitor salamanders since they act as artificial habitat, making it easier to count them.

     Youth Involvement

Kayci Wipp of Tobermory is the 2012 winner of the Biosphere Association's UNESCO Global Citizenship Award.
(photo courtesy of Tobermory Press)
For years, the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association has provided local youth with an opportunity to gain hands-on employment experiences under the mentorship of resource professionals.