Clarence Tillenius (1913 -2012)

Coming to Winnipeg this August... by John P. Morgan, President, Prairie Habitats Inc. (Argyle, Manitoba) Western Canada’s he first “prairie” conference I ever attended was in Windsor, Ontario – not exactly everyone’s idea of a First North American Tprairie haven! Ecologist Jackie Thompson and I got off the plane in sultry, steamy, smoggy Windsor early one August day in 1990, and soon found ourselves at the Prairie Conference Ojibway Tall Grass Prairie. It was just across the St. Clair River from downtown Detroit, Michigan. Brilliant orange Butterfly Milkweed, vivid purple Tall Blazing Star, and the magnificent white candelabras of Culver’s Root produced a show of tall grass prairie wildflowers out of some kaleidoscope fairy tale. Big Bluestem was already over 2 metres tall, and would reach over 3 metres by summer’s end. Cicadas of many species celebration filled our ears with deafening, almost tropical, sounds. “Aof epic proportions...” Two hundred acres of diverse tall grass prairie and oak savannah miraculously had survived in downtown Windsor, in the middle of some of the most heavily urbanized parts of North America. Amazingly, we were to learn that much of southern Ontario once was tall grass prairie. Now it’s almost all gone – just like here in Manitoba, and across the rest of its North American range. Western Prairie Fringed Orchid (Platanthera praeclara). Manitoba For four days we were saturated with exciting, stimulating has more of this spectacular and new information from prairie specialists from all over endangered prairie species than the rest of North America combined. (continued on page 5...) Ian Ward IN THIS ISSUE... North American Prairie Conference ............... p. 1 & 5 A.G.M. Award Citations ............................... p. 10-11 President’s Corner ...............................................p. 2 Outdoor Activities ........................................ p. 12-13 Member Profile: John Morgan .............................p. 3 Bird News .................................................... p. 14-16 Encounters of the Natural Kind ............................p. 4 Cross-Canada Hiker Journeys Across MB ...........p. 17 Just Say “No” to Peat Moss .................................p. 4 The IBA Program in Manitoba ...................... p. 18-19 Have You Seen a Franklin’s Ground Squirrel?... p. 6-7 Weed to Spot: Red Bartsia ................................p. 20 Clarence Tillenius (1913 -2012) ...........................p. 8 The Manitoba Herps Atlas .................................p. 21 Mantario Summer Program 2012 ........................p. 8 Naturalists needed for Ridgewood Bioblitz ........p. 22 A.G.M. President’s Report .......................... p. 9 & 20 Nature Manitoba Workshop Series 2012 ...........p. 23 President’s Corner by Donald Himbeault Canada Post Publications Mail Sales The Nature Manitoba Product Agreement No. 0040069231. “Department Store” Issued 6 times a year as the official s your new President, and this being publication of Nature Manitoba. Subscriptions are a benefit of membership. my first time writing this column, I See backpage for membership details. Athought I would start with a brief Opinions are those of the writers and not introduction. I was born and raised in necessarily the organization as a whole. Winnipeg, where an active involvement in Scouts Canada throughout my youth first Office and Library sparked my appreciation for nature. I went on to study, for perhaps way too long, 401 - 63 Albert St. Winnipeg, R3B 1G4 Mechanical Engineering, which has led to Phone/Fax: .......................(204) 943-9029 opportunities for my family and I to live in Email: [email protected] various locations across Canada including Website: ............www.naturemanitoba.ca Waterloo, Quebec City, and Beausejour, eventually returning to Winnipeg. While Office Administrator ............ Susan McLarty this part of my life was largely about “harnessing the powers of nature for the Office Assistant.............. Deanna Dodgson benefit of mankind”, as engineering is sometimes described, my true “passionate Hours: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm about nature” side always remained. Hence, I Monday to Friday joined Nature Manitoba a few years ago, and later volunteered as a board member, to more I joined Nature Nature Manitoba News fully exercise this passion. “ Manitoba... to more fully exercise this Newsletter Editor ................... Tommy Allen In looking at the tasks at hand as President, I Email: [email protected] think of the comment that Past President Roger passion for nature.” Editorial Committee: Tommy Allen Turenne made in his report to the membership at Donna Danyluk the last AGM (see page 5). He described Nature Roger Turenne Manitoba as the “department store” of environmental groups, offering a wide diversity of programs and activities ranging from publishing books to organizing Advertising rates are available by field trips. Roger also cautioned that with this comes the challenge of contacting the editor. Rates are reduced if maintaining the quality and high standards of these diverse programs, almost all the ad appears at least two times. of which are run by volunteers. Classifieds are also available for only 15$. One strategy that I believe will help us meet this challenge is to stay focused on Submission deadline is the first day of the our mission and objectives, which appear on the back page of each issue of the month prior to the newsletter publication. newsletter. I believe these objectives are relevant and will help guide the Board Deadline for the July / Aug. 2012 issue is through the many decisions it will be making in the future. In our objectives, I June 1, 2012. see keys words like awareness, appreciation, education, and preservation. In his presentation “Revelations of a Young Naturalist” at our AGM, Brock Houndle This newsletter is printed on Enviro 100 quoted a passage by Peter Tilden written for park interpreters, and it reminded 20lb paper which is 100% Post Consumer me of a similar quote that exemplifies our mission: Recycled and FSC certified. “Through education, comes understanding, 2012/2013 Executive through understanding, comes appreciation, through appreciation, comes preservation, President ....................... Donald Himbeault through preservation, comes protection.” Exec. Vice-President .................Jack Dubois Vice-President .................. James Whitelaw – 1984, Chief Naturalist Dennis Carter, Shenandoah National Park Treasurer ............................. Sean Worden As you plan your outdoor adventures this summer, keep in mind the ways you Secretary ..................................Alain Louer can help contribute to Nature Manitoba’s mission. In fact, this issue of the Past President ..................... Roger Turenne newsletter shows why “passion for nature” is in high demand – check out the opportunities available with the IBA program (pages 18-19), Manitoba Herps 2012/2013 Board Members Atlas (page 21), a bioblitz in the Charleswood area (page 22), and even taking Jerry Ameis, Christian Artuso, note of ground squirrels (pages 6-7)! Scott Falkingham, Michele Kading, I look forward to my time as President, and hope you all make the most of your Rose Kuzina, Can Li, Les McCann, Rommel Molod, shopping experience at our “department store”. Richard Staniforth Page 2 Nature Manitoba News Vol. 4, Issue 3 - May / June 2012 by Tommy Allen Photo: Nelson Ridgeway Welcome New Members! as Feb. 15th 2011 - Apr. 14th, 2012: e P sio Jordan Becker pl n Linda Cameron o a Chris Hay e t John Hebert e Benita Kliewer P Rene Laberge John & Pat Lumley Carol Martin Shauna McQuarrie JOHN Michelle Mico Shelagh Parken MORGAN Stan Skrypetz David Strong Ted Wakefield, Theresa Gerelus . & Stephanie Wakefield A .. b e ohn o r before it was Morgan u u a shopping Giant Garage Sale Jhad been t at mall, or a polo set on becoming a N field. John served Sat. April 28th, 2012 biologist almost since on the board of the 9:30-noon at the Westminster his birth in Barrie, Ontario. MNS, and after provocation United Church. Donations His father was in the military, and their from a pessimistic government bureau- are accepted at the church family moved almost every year, but only crat, joined forces with Marilyn Latta to (basement) on Friday evening, once did they leave the prairies. John and start the Habitat Committee. The commit- his father loved exploring the outdoors, tee’s ‘discovery’ of the largest untouched between 6-9pm, or call the office and when John wanted to try canoeing, prairie in Manitoba came from an infrared at 943-9029 to drop it off there in they built their own in satellite image that John advance. No TVs or monitors. the basement. found, and led to the If you are reading this after ooking back, we establishment of Mani- The family moved to the sale: THANK YOU to all were nuts...” toba’s Tall Grass Prairie Winnipeg when John’s “L of the volunteers who helped Preserve, near Tolstoi. dad retired in 1967. At with the 2012 Garage Sale, the edge of the city, in St. Charles, they In 1987, John and Carol, along with their as well as to all of those who enjoyed Sturgeon Creek and its wildlife. two daughters, decided to move out of the donated items for sale. John also spent his summers at his sister’s city onto a small farm, and begin a fishing lodge in northern Saskatchewan. business in prairie restoration. They found their ideal land just outside of Argyle, and John got his Zoology/Ecology degree at Prairie Habitats Inc. was born.

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