Parry Sound Nature Club
Parry Sound Nature Club Events
Regular presentations are the third Wednesday of each month. Special events are held year round.
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January 17th, 7:00pm
Why Did the Turtle Nest on the Road
Mary St. Centre, 24 Mary St, Parry Sound
The unique rocky landscape of Eastern Georgian Bay is home to several turtle species that are at-risk from the use and development of roads. In particular, female turtles are especially vulnerable to road threats because of their nesting behavior. Join Jenna to learn about the region's unique turtle nesting habitat and the Maamwi Anjiakiziwin Project's new, collaborative approach to protect these turtles during road construction. This presentation highlights the partnerships, insights, methods, and key findings from a 3-year road ecology project
February 7th, 7:00pm
Films That Make You Think: Tiny: A Story About Living Small
Mary St. Centre, 24 Mary St, Parry Sound
TINY is a documentary about home, and how we find it.
The film follows one couple’s attempt to build a Tiny House from scratch, and profiles other families who have downsized their lives into houses smaller than the average parking space.
Through homes stripped down to their essentials, the film raises questions about sustainability and good design.
February 21st, 7:00pm
The State of the Bay
Mary St. Centre, 24 Mary St, Parry Sound
Hot off the press! The Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere (GBB) released a new State of the Bay ecosystem health report this summer. For the third edition of the report, it was clear that a deeper understanding of the changes happening to the lands and waters would be created by bringing together stories from elders, knowledge holders, researchers, and scientists. Join Katrina Krievins, Aquatic Conservation Programs Manager with GBB, to hear about the new approach to State of the Bay utilizing "Two-Eyed Seeing" or "Seeing Both Sides". Learn about the changes in Georgian Bay and how you can help!
March 6th, 7:00pm
Films That Make You Think: The Magnitude of all Things
Mary St. Centre, 24 Mary St, Parry Sound
When Jennifer Abbott lost her sister to cancer, her sorrow opened her up to the profound gravity of climate breakdown. Abbott’s new documentary The Magnitude of All Things draws intimate parallels between the experiences of grief—both personal and planetary. Stories from the frontlines of climate change merge with recollections from the filmmaker’s childhood on Ontario’s Georgian Bay. What do these stories have in common? The answer, surprisingly, is everything. For the people featured, climate change is not happening in the distant future: it is kicking down the front door. Battles waged, lamentations of loss, and raw testimony coalesce into an extraordinary tapestry, woven together with raw emotion and staggering beauty that transform darkness into light, grief into action.
March 20th, 7:00pm
Trees for Turkey
Mary St. Centre, 24 Mary St, Parry Sound
Though we often see Wild Turkeys on the ground, these “strange but endearing” birds sleep in tree branches at night. This behaviour, known as roosting, is the research focus for Kayla Martin, a master’s student at Trent University. Kayla will tell us if turkeys pick specific roost trees to stay sheltered from the elements.
April 17th, 7:00pm
Ants of the Tropics and Parry Sound Area
Mary St. Centre, 24 Mary St, Parry Sound
Leaf-cutter Ants, Army Ants, Turtle Ants! Trips to central and south America can and should be full of awe-inspiring ant observations.The tropics are blessed with an amazing diversity of ant species. But who knew we had Amazon Ants raiding the nests and kidnapping the young of other ant species right here in Georgian Bay.
Come and hear about the fascinating natural history and behaviours of some of these tropical ant species, as well as some ants that just might be in your backyard.
May 15th, 7:00pm
History of Invasive Carp
Mary St. Centre, 24 Mary St, Parry Sound
There's the story we hear on the news any time invasive carp threaten to break through the electric barriers put in place in Chicago to stop them from reaching the Great Lakes about how these voracious invasive fish arrived in North America - and then there's the story we don't know of what events led a cadre of fisheries experts from a small Arkansas county to import the continent's most notorious invasive species. Andrew Reeves is an award winning environmental writer whose first book Overrun: Dispatches from the Asian Carp Crisis was reviewed everywhere from the Wall Street Journal to the Literary Review of Canada.
June 19th, 7:00pm
Things That Sting
Mary St. Centre, 24 Mary St, Parry Sound
Mark and Joanne are the beekeepers of Muskoka Craft Honey, managing 100+ colonies with apiaries located across Muskoka and Parry Sound. A graduate of the Niagara College beekeeping program, Mark has been working with honeybees and other stinging insects for 10+ years. Their presentation will focus on the most common stingers located in our region and give some context to who and what they are. In addition, they will have products available for those seeking a sweet treat.