After the organization’s latest successful presentation on Oct. 20, Nature Moose Jaw, formerly known as the Moose Jaw Nature Society, is planning to host its next presentation on Friday, Nov. 17 at The Kiwanis River Park Pavilion & Lodge.
All current presentations hosted by Nature Moose Jaw are currently held free of charge in an effort to draw more people to the organization and build it back up after a decline caused by the pandemic.
For the organization’s next presentation, guest speaker Jordan Rustad from the University of Regina will be presenting the results of her ongoing wildlife research project, The Regina Urban Wildlife Project.
“Jordan Rustad is working on a research project in Regina, in conjunction with the University of Regina and the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in determining urban wildlife and habitat use inside the city (of Regina),” said Rich Pickering, Nature Moose Jaw’s president.
“They’re using trail cams, which they call bio-monitoring stations, to see how many species are there, when they are there, and (to determine) if there are certain areas in town being used as corridors.
“Her work is in Regina, but there’s a possibility of starting a similar project in Moose Jaw,” explained Pickering. If successful, Rustad’s research project may expand to include a similar effort in Moose Jaw and potentially more locations.
One possible application for her research includes city planning decisions, and her work will provide the first hard numbers regarding local wildlife populations.
“We have lots of wildlife in the city, but we don’t have hard numbers on them. That’s what would be nice to determine,” said Pickering. “That goes back to the reports of coyotes in the valley, the cougar in the valley… it would be nice to bring in some trail cams to determine something, but that’s a project for down the road.”
After posting an announcement on social media, Pickering said his page received an assortment of wildlife pictures from local residents that included deer, raccoons, and other wild animals in and around Moose Jaw.
The previous event held Oct. 20 focused on a presentation by Dr. Ryan C. McKellar, who is the curator of paleontology at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Regina. His talk focused on local paleontology and around 25 people attended the presentation.
Toward the end of the talk, one small child was prepared to test Dr. McKellar’s extensive knowledge at great length. “He kept asking all these questions, and his dad had his head in his hands, going ‘oh no,’” Pickering said. “It was great; (the child) asked lots of really good stuff.”
That’s exactly the kind of reception Nature Moose Jaw is hoping to make at its monthly meetings.
The upcoming Nov. 17 presentation will follow the same format as the previous meeting.
“We’re trying to build the organization back up, so we’re trying to appeal to a diverse group (of people),” said Pickering. “Right now, (the target demographic) is just anyone who is interested in wildlife.”
There’s no need to register in advance, and everybody is welcome to drop in and listen to the presentation. Questions are welcome and all guests are invited to ask about anything they may want to clarify. “Please feel free to attend,” Pickering announced.
For the time being, events will be held at the Kiwanis Lodge on the upstairs level. The indoor facility allows the events to take place year-round, but venue options might change in the future.
The Kiwanis River Park Pavilion & Lodge is next to the skating oval and can be found by following River Drive into the Wakamow Valley.
Further events will be planned on a once-a-month basis and will take place on the third Friday of each month.
To contact Nature Moose Jaw, Rich Pickering can be reached at [email protected].
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