Want to make a difference with Nature Manitoba?  We are looking for volunteers to work with our communications team.  We have short term and longer term positions available on our Communications Committee.

Short term help for our 100th Anniversary:

The Manitoba Important Bird Area (IBA) Caretaker Program and Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative (MCSI) are seeking a full-time coordinator to run these programs in Manitoba, with the assistance of two volunteer steering committees.

Melanie Dubois has a 4 year BSc with a focus in zoology, and a Master’s in Natural Resources Management. She is a certified wildlife biologist through The Wildlife Society.

By: Chris Friesen, Manitoba Conservation Data Centre

When we think of plants, we tend to think green. This is because the vast majority of plants produce chlorophyll in their above-ground parts which they use to harvest sunlight to produce their ‘food’, with water and additional nutrients obtained from the soil through the roots. However, some species have evolved ways of obtaining these resources by ‘stealing’ them from other plants!

Manitoba Important Bird Areas Program Assistant

The Manitoba Important Bird Area (IBA) Program is hiring a Program Assistant. This position is based out of Winnipeg and includes travel to various IBAs in southern Manitoba. The position is a 300-hour part-time contract at $13-$15hr depending on experience - start date May 2019.

For more information on the Manitoba IBA program, visit: http://importantbirdareasmb.ca.

Responsibilities

Photos and article by Deanna Dodgson

Found worldwide, robber flies belong to a large order of predatory flies known as Asilidae.  According to one source, their proficiency at hunting insects is what prompted beekeepers in Germany two centuries ago to dub the bee-like flies that predated their colonies as thieves, or robbers.

Above: Neoitamus-orphne basking