The Annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC)

Every winter, from December 14 to January 5, bird counts are taking place.  This annual event is the Christmas Bird Count (CBC).  First started in 1900, the counts take place throughout Canada, US, and many countries in the Western Hemisphere.  It is organized by the National Audubon Society, and carried out by volunteers. 

Birds are counted on any one day within these 3 weeks, within a specified 24-km diameter circle, over a 24-hour period.  To find and participate in a bird count, check here.  Data from these counts over the years can be accessed here. 

Bird counting enables a great number of people to go out and collect population and distribution data.  It is because of this community effort, and the enthusiasm of bird watchers and volunteers that there are data for birds over time.  The data that have been collected and amassed over the years has become an important source of information for scientific research and conservation biology. 

Books and Reviews on Amazon

When I want to find out more about a what a particular book is about, or browse through books on a specific topic, the first resource that comes to mind which helps me do all this is Amazon.

Amazon is an American-based, international online retailer.  While they today offer customers a wide range of products to purchase at discounted prices through their website, they started off with, and was led to fame with selling books.

In addition to being an online bookstore, they enabled customers to participate in writing book reviews and ratings, and posted these alongside professional editorial book reviews.  While customer product reviews may be seen as the norm today with other websites that advertise and sell products, it was a novel idea at the time when there was nothing like this around.  Amazon may inarguably be one of the first, if not the first to do this.  As a result of this long-standing service, and the large customer base, Amazon has become the go-to resource for book reviews.

Open Access Scholarly Articles through the DOAJ

In recognition of Open Access Week, a global event that occurs in October each year, I wanted to write about the Directory of Open Access Journals, which is celebrating its 10th year this year.

The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is an online directory that provides access to peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly articles published from open access journals.  The DOAJ defines "open access" using the Budapest Open Access Initiative's (BOAI) definition, as resources that are made freely available to individuals or institutions for use, which includes reading, downloading, printing, copying, and distributing.  The aim of the DOAJ is to increase the visibility and use of open access articles, thereby promoting their impact and usage.

The editorial control review process maintains the high quality standard of articles that are included in the directory.  As of this posting, there are 9919 journals, over 1 million articles, and 122 countries.  The directory can be searched by keywords and publication year, and can be browsed by journal title, subject area, and country of publication.

The influence of open access on society is enormous.  It has the potential to remove barriers to accessing information, and contribute to the development of research, benefiting users, researchers, and society at large.

Barcoding Earth's Diversity

Last month I wrote about the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL), a resource for accessing information for the various species on Earth.  Another initiative that is also attempting to build a centralized library for the diverse species on Earth is the International Barcode of Life Project (iBOL).

What this project aims to do is to genetically identify and catalogue species through DNA barcoding.  DNA barcoding is a method of using short segments of DNA to identify species.  As DNA will vary from species to species, using a common section of the DNA for each species will differentiate between them, thereby identifying the species in question.  These DNA barcodes are stored in digital format and can be accessed through the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD).

This project was officially launched on September 25, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario.  An international collaboration of more than 25 countries have been committed towards working on Phase 1 (2010-2015), with Canada, specifically, the University of Guelph, leading the way.  While the DNA library is being populated with barcodes, scientists hope that one day mobile devices will be available to read the barcodes in the field.

I first heard about DNA barcoding in my university biodiversity class in the early 2000s.  It's exciting to hear how far this idea has come.  By being able to quickly and accurately identify species, this resource will have huge impacts on species conservation, food inspection, and human health.

Cataloguing Earth's Diversity

An ambitious goal of creating an accessible, centralized, comprehensive resource for every species on Earth came into being in 2008 with the unveiling of the first 30,000 pages from the Encyclopedia of Life. 

The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) is an international collaborative project between scientists, international organizations, research institutions, and the general public.  Here on this site, you can find for each species, information about their classification, biology, ecological patterns and behaviour, evolution and systematics, molecular biology and genetics, and conservation status.

The goal of EOL is to create pages for each of the estimated 1.9 million known species on Earth by 2017.   The website has grown dramatically since its launch with the additions of new partners and multimedia content.  Today, there are over 200 global collaborators, and more than 1 million pages of species content created. 

Through documenting and aggregating together our current knowledge of all life on Earth, this resource can help us identify gaps, and create new opportunities for research.  Through understanding species patterns and connections, this resource can help us with conservation efforts to preserve the diversity of species on Earth.  With many more species still yet to be discovered, as well as continually building on our current knowledge of known species, this resource will only continue to grow.  The Encyclopedia of Life is a testament to global collaboration of making information about Earth’s biodiversity freely available and accessible.

Certifying Responsible Forest Management

Do you ever notice the "FSC" label on the back of some envelopes in your mail?  The "FSC" refers to the Forest Stewardship Council and it means the paper product came from forests that were grown, harvested, and sold with environmental, social, and economic issues in mind.

The Forest Stewardship Council is a global, non-profit organization that promotes best practices for responsible forest management.  They do this through their forest certification system, which recognizes sustainable forest management around the world.  Through this process, they also inform consumers about products that come from well managed forests as these products will carry the FSC-certified label.

If you have FSC-certified products, like the ones found in your mail envelopes, you can track the license code back to the company responsible for that particular product by searching the FSC Certified Database.  You can also search for FSC-certified products through the FSC Marketplace.
 
For more information about the Forest Stewardship Council, forest management standards and certification, check their website at http://www.fsc.org.  They also have representative offices worldwide.  For information specific to Canada, check http://ca.fsc.org.

A View From Space: an Astronaut's Enthusiasm for Our Planet

Canadian astronaut and Commander Chris Hadfield captured the world's attention and hearts during his 5-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).  While on board the ISS, he had been snapping photos of Earth and sharing them in real time with the rest of the world. 

Through his lens, we were able to see the vastness of Earth's beauty.  Yet through his lens, we were also reminded of a planet with bountiful but limited resources.  It is a reminder of the only home we have, and of a planet that we should respect and cherish.

Though not the first astronaut to take photos from space, his use of social media, and his ability to engage with the world made him stand out.  He connected to us from space through his breathtaking photos and poetic tweets.

As of this posting, Chris Hadfield has over 1 million Twitter followers and is still tweeting and sharing photos even after his return to Earth.  Though his mission had ended, and his retirement just around the corner, we could only hope that we'll see more of his enthusiasm for space and of our planet Earth.

You can check Chris Hadfield's photos here:

• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AstronautChrisHadfield
• Tumblr:  http://colchrishadfield.tumblr.com

A Key to Identifying Flowers

I first heard of Newcomb's Wildflower Guide while studying biology in university.  It was a highly recommended book and used widely by field biologists. 

Newcomb's is a plant identification book that uses a logical key system to identify flowering plants, shrubs, and vines of Northeastern and North-central North America.  Other plant identification books may group plants by the colour of the flower, which will inevitably have you flipping through the pages until you identify your plant in question.  This book on the other hand, provides a key system that will help you identify your plant according to its structural features.  This is how the identification process works:

• answer 5 questions, which are grouped according to flower type, plant type, and leaf type, and determine the corresponding 3 digit number
• find the 3 digit number in the locator key
• turn to the page where the plant is described, and confirm your plant by the text description and illustration

This book provides a key system that is systematic and efficient, and is accompanied by detailed illustrations of plants.  As a student studying biology, I have used this book in the field and found it to be an indispensable reference tool.  Though no longer a student, I still continue to use it during my pastime nature walks.  I highly recommend this book, for amateurs, experts, and nature lovers alike.

Volunteering in Canada

Many organizations throughout Canada rely heavily on the contribution of volunteers.  The work that volunteers do are diverse, ranging from hands-on field work such as planting trees and collecting donations, to office work such as managing the reception desk and sitting on the board of directors.  Many programs and services may not exist without the ongoing support and commitment of volunteers.

Appreciating the vital role that volunteers play in supporting communities locally and around the world, they are officially recognized in Canada through National Volunteer Week.  National Volunteer Week is celebrated annually, and this year it takes place from April 21 to 27.  It is a chance to give thanks to those who have given back to the community.

If you're not currently a volunteer, and are looking for volunteer opportunities, Volunteer Canada has tools to help you locate volunteer positions in your area that matches your skills and interests.

Whether you're currently a volunteer, or are looking for volunteer work, you are helping to make the world a better place with your generosity, time, and dedication.

Happy National Volunteer Week!

The CWF Africa to the Americas Expedition

On January 23, 2013, four rowers left Dakar, Senegal to row unassisted across the Atlantic Ocean to Miami, United States on an estimated 60-100 day voyage.  This is the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) Africa to the Americas Expedition, and the rowers participating in this journey are:  Canadian Olympic Gold Medalist Adam Kreek, Canadian Filmmaker Markus Pukonen, American Adventurer Pat Fleming, and American Author Jordan Hanssen.  Armed with scientific and communications equipment, they are collecting ocean data for scientific research.  Additionally, they have been actively documenting and sharing with the world their first hand experiences of their expedition.

The crew have successfully passed their halfway mark earlier this month.  You can follow along with their expedition through the OAR Northwest website, as well as the sponsoring organization, Canadian Wildlife Federation, website.  Between their alternating rowing and sleeping shifts, the crew have been busy collecting data, blogging, uploading photos and videos, as well as taken time to participate in media interviews.  There is a map that tracks their voyage, educational resources that can be used for the classroom, as well as data they’ve collected that can be accessed and reviewed.

This is an incredible expedition, combining science and adventure.  It’s also incredible that with today’s technology, they're able to provide to the world, a glimpse in real time, of what life is like out in the ocean.

Green Living Tips from the Queen of Green

Last month I wrote about the 3 Rs, and how following this can help lessen one's impact on the environment.  To integrate more green activities into our daily lives, David Suzuki's Queen of Green is here to help.

Affiliated with the David Suzuki Foundation, the Queen of Green provides practical information to help people lead greener lives.  On this website, she provides information on everyday household dilemmas, product recipes, and how-to videos.  The topics are varied, from cleaning and composting, to recipes for creating your own cleaning products, to videos demonstrating how to create your own cosmetics products.  If what you're looking for is not here, you can submit your questions, where they will be answered on her blog, FAQ page, and Metro News column.

The Queen of Green's motto is to adopt a green lifestyle that is easy for everyone.  Through these practical guides, we can all take that step and transition ourselves towards green living.

The 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Helping out the environment can be easy as 1, 2, and 3, and it is by following the 3 Rs:  reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Reduce is listed first, and this is because of all the 3 Rs, this one has the most impact -- reducing our consumption of products and the waste that we produce will help decrease the amount of items we throw away to the landfill.  Reuse follows next because whatever we cannot reduce, we can try to give it a second life by reusing them again.  For whatever we cannot reruse again, we recycle them so they can be made into new things.  Finally, if we simply cannot recycle them, the last alternative is to send them to the landfill.

In Toronto, there is a website that helps residents with exactly all this.  The city's Solid Waste Management website provides information and news about its collection services.  There is also an online tool, Waste Wizard where you can search for items to see how you can properly dispose of them.  This includes information about items that are safe and can be picked up at the curbside or apartment (such as recyclables, organics, and garbage), as well as items that are hazardous or cannot be picked up, and need to be dropped off at specific depots located within the city for disposal.  To help with reuse, the Solid Waste Management website provides a list of some charities that accepts donated items.

Helping out the environment doesn't always mean to do one huge thing in order to make an impact.  But if everyone can do small things consistently, like following the 3 Rs, the combined efforts of all our actions do make an impact.