The Piping Plover's have returned to the same spot at Sauble Beach! My children spotted them yesterday (May 4, 2008). Here are a couple of photos:

Click to view full image:

kltpzyxm

Want a weekend get-away that will flex your artistic muscles while learning about the Bruce Peninsula Ecology and helping to ensure the survival of migratory birds? The Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory has just released their Summer Workshops schedule, with a roster from watercolors to quilting to geology and yes, even birdwatching ...

• Spring Migration - Hitting The Peak with Ted Cheskey (May 9 - 11)
• Sketching Wildflowers & Painting Orchids In Watercolour with Lin Souliere (May 30 - June 1)
• The Art Of Landscape Quilting with Bev White (September 19 - 21)
• Geology And Landforms Of The Bruce with Daryl Cowell (September 26 - 28)
• Photographing Nature - Developing A Photographic Style with Rob Cotton (October 3 - 5)

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It's nearly planting season, and for this year, why not plant a little science in your garden and help out our pollinating friends:

Help our Bees! Plant a Sunflower in your Garden!
By watching and recording the bees at sunflowers in your garden, you can help us understand the challenges that bees are facing.
It takes less than 30 minutes.
It's easy. Free Sunflower seeds for planting.
No knowledge of bees required!

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All that beautiful crystaline speckled snow out there, here's something we probably already knew: It's ALIVE! No, seriously ...

Scientists have long known that the ice crystals in clouds which become rain or snow need to cling to some kind of particle, called ice nucleators, in order to form in temperatures above minus 40 degrees Celsius.
But they did not realize, until now, that the most active particles involved in this process are living ones, Christner said.

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Not that I expect it is any great surprise, but research published today out of UI-Chicago Biology Dept is fingering videophilia and the general shift to a sedentary home-based digital lifestyle for the downward trend in both our use and interest in natural spaces, and in our general public health:

The biologists examined figures on backpacking, fishing, hiking, hunting, visits to national and state parks and forests. They found comparable statistics from Japan and, to a lesser extent, Spain. They found that from 1981 to 1991, per-capita nature recreation declined at rates from 1 percent to 1.3 percent per year, depending on the activity studied. The typical drop in nature use since then has been 18-25 percent

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Apropos to recent discussions inspiring massive trash and dune conservation, and just to show that ideas can be put to practice anywhere, even here, an item posted by Costa Rico's Lapa Rios Ecolodge, telling the tale of their preparations to meet all guidelines for a Certificate in Sustainable Tourism:

This complete, and rigorous, certification system, which is the only certification endorsed by the Costa Rican government, awards hotels 'leaves' on a scale of one to five based on their sustainability achievements -- much like the Mobile star rating which evaluates hotel services -- The CST bases its judgements on four factors:

1. Biological-physical: How does a property impact and/or protect its surrounding environment
2. Services and Infrastructure: How do the property's operations (including product use and disposal, water and energy management, etc.) affect the environment
3. Social-Economic environment: What impact does the property have on nearby communities to promote/provide education to its staff and community and to work with community service providers
4. External client: How does the property promote and teach responsible tourism with guests who visit

Currently, the CST is not mandatory for all properties in Costa Rica. For this reason, it is imperative that the consumer take an active role in looking for properties that are indeed participating in the certification process.
[ Lapa Rios Ecolodge ]

Yeah, I know, I'm always the last person to know about anything around here:

"With the reduction to one bag of garbage for collection beginning January 1, 2008, the Committee stresses the importance of increasing household recycling as much material as possible."
[ South Bruce Peninsula Crier ]

Over the last few years there's been a good deal of effort going into protecting the dunes in Sauble. There are the new walkways, the parking posts/fences and all the signs saying to keep off the dunes, etc. But still, every time I walk down the beach or drive down the lakeshore, without a doubt there is someone cutting through the dunes to get to the beach from their car, picnicking in the dunes or just strolling through them. Why is this? I mean, there are plenty of signs and such saying to keep off them and why, and you have to pretty much hop a fence to get on them (from the road). Yet, still, people continue to do this. Why is there such little respect towards the dunes? What more can we do to protect them?

From Wiarton Echo
Wednesday September 26, 2007

The Town of South Bruce Peninsula has formed a Pesticide/Herbicide Committee to recommend to council whether it should consider placing restrictions and regulating the usage of pesticides in the Town of South Bruce Peninsula. The committee consists of councillors Yvonne Harron, Wray Lamont, Dan Kerr and residents Dr. John Carter, Randy Brough and staff liaison Julie Kanmacher. The committee has met to discuss issues such as the cosmetic use of pesticides, pesticide use near water sources, the needs of golf courses, pure ground source water resources, and the concerns of residents using, sand points and shallow wells for their drinking water.