2017 AGM
Join us for our AGM and Manitoba Wolves presentation on March 20th
Our annual general meeting will take place on Monday, March 20th at 7pm at the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre (340 Provencher Blvd) on the second floor (Salle Antoine-Gaborieau).
Following the meeting (at about 7:30pm) will be a presentation about Manitoba wolves from Daniel Dupont. Daniel was scheduled to present this talk in October, but due to illness he coudn't make it. There was so much interest in his presentation we asked him to speak at our AGM.
AGM Agenda:
- Welcome and declare meeting open
- Approval of Agenda
- Approval of Minutes of last AGM 21 March 2016
- President’s Report
- Treasurer’s Report and Report of the Auditors
- Approval of Treasurer’s Report
- Report of Nominations Committee – Slate of Board Members and Officers for 2017
- Election of Board Members and Officers
- Presentation of Awards
- Other Business
- Meeting Adjourned
- Feature Presentation – Daniel Dupont “Manitoba Wolves”
Admission: Free for NM members. $5 for non-members. Pay at the door.
Nominees – Executive
President - Jack Dubois: Jack was born and raised in Winnipeg, graduating from the University of Manitoba with a B.Sc. (Zoology/Botany) in 1972. He is recently retired from his position of Director of the Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection Branch, Manitoba Conservation, where he worked for ten years. Previous employers have been the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature and Parks Canada. Jack has been active for many years in community issues in Manitoba and has taken active roles on many boards including the Manitoba Eco-Network Inc., Wapusk National Park, Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation, Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre, Churchill Northern Studies Centre, The Fur Institute of Canada, and the Manitoba Naturalists Society, as Nature Manitoba was known then. Jack and his family like to canoe and otherwise spend time in remote areas of Manitoba. He is also known to do a little hunting, fishing, spelunking and bird watching in his spare time, when not at their cabin on Hecla Island.
Executive Vice President - Roger Turenne: Roger joined the MNS in 1986, has been a frequent presenter at the Indoor Program and, at various times, has been active in the Outdoor Committee, the Parks Committee, the Environmental Action Committee, and as a trip leader. He is an avid photographer and wilderness traveler. He was active for many years in the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, working for wilderness protection. Prior to his retirement and active involvement in the conservation movement, Roger was a policy advisor to the Government of Manitoba, and before that, served as a Canadian diplomat in Europe and in Africa. He is the author of a book on the Franco-Manitoban community and does occasional freelance work as a political analyst for Radio-Canada. Roger joined the Nature Manitoba board in April 2008 and served as President from 2009 to 2012. He currently chairs the Newsletter Committee and the Communications and Promotions Committee.
Vice President - James Whitelaw: James Whitelaw has a B.Sc. (Ecological Sciences) from the University of Edinburgh and a Ph.D. (Zoology) from the University of Liverpool. He was a staff scientist at the Royal Society Aldabra Research Station and worked on urban nature conservation projects in London. He was a member of the management committee of the Scottish Wildlife Trust (Tayside), on the regional committee of the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, and was for seven years chairman and secretary of the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, Tayside Branch, before fleeing back to Canada in 2004. James has been a Nature Manitoba member since 2004 and has greatly enjoyed the bird outings, indoor meetings and workshops. James is a keen birder and is interested in all aspects of natural history and environmental issues. He enjoys his family, his dogs, and his birding trips. He has been moved on by the military in Venezuela, detained by the army in Ecuador, and robbed at knifepoint in Gambia, and is looking forward to more birding adventures.
Treasurer - André Laberge: André joined Nature Manitoba in 1991 and has been involved in the Outdoor Committee, trip leader workshops, Victoria Beach cabin, and has previously served as treasurer. He has also been involved with the Mantario program as a committee member, trip leader, and contributed extensively to the rebuilding of the cabin. He enjoys hiking, backpacking, travelling, and has passed his love of canoeing onto his family. André attended St. Boniface College and is a certified financial planner who has been practicing for 20 years.
Secretary - Alain Louer:Alain has been a member of Nature Manitoba since 1996, attracted by his great love for the outdoors. He knew joining would lead to opportunities such as hiking the Mantario trail, and now feels the accomplishment of doing so. He went to the Mantario cabin for the first time, as a participant, during the 2001 summer program, the year the cabin rebuilding was completed. He chaired the Mantario Committee for several years, and is also active in the outdoor program with hiking, canoeing, skiing and snowshoeing. Although far from an expert, he enjoys the learning experience of our birding and botany outings, the Discovery Evenings, the Workshops and the Garden Tour. Alain is a government worker and has been a volunteer for the Union Nationale Française since 1994.
Nominees – Director
Christian Artuso: Christian Artuso has a Ph.D. in Environment and Geography from the University of Manitoba. His thesis examined how Eastern Screech-Owls are affected by human population density. Christian works for Birds Studies Canada, managing Manitoba projects such as the Golden-winged Warbler Survey and the Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas. Christian joined the Nature Manitoba Board in 2008 and is involved with the Manitoba Avian Records Committee (MARC). Christian regularly leads bird outings and participates in numerous bird surveys such as the Manitoba Nocturnal Owl Survey (MNOS), Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and Christmas Bird Count (CBC). He has published many articles on Manitoba’s avifauna and recently received the Cliff Shaw Award for outstanding contributions to the Blue Jay. Christian is passionate about conservation and committed to public outreach, regularly giving presentations at venues ranging from schools to scientific conferences. Christian enjoys traveling and wildlife photography. He has photographed over 3,000 species of birds and his photos appear in many magazines and books
Gerald Farthing: Gerald grew up in the Interlake area of Manitoba, later moving to Winnipeg where he has lived for most of his adult life. He has multiple university degrees in areas of History, Economics, Natural Resources Management, and Public Administration/Political Science. He is currently retired after having served over 30 years with the provincial government, his last position being Deputy Minister of Education for 15 years. Gerald also has considerable board experience, having been on the Board of the Churchill Northern Studies committee, York University’s Learning for a Sustainable Future, as well as being the Chair of the European Steering Committee on Education for Sustainable Development under the United Nations Economic Commission from 2011 to 2016. Gerald has visited every province and territory in Canada, and he especially enjoyed the time he spent visiting communities in northern Manitoba and Canada including the Yukon, Northwest Territories. Gerald also enjoys paddling, hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, swimming and reading.
Lily Woo: Lily initially joined Nature Manitoba in 2014 because of her interest in a mushroom field trip offered as part of our Workshop series. This has since turned into her participating at numerous workshops, canoeing, backpacking, hiking, and camping trips. She enjoys the many experiences that Nature Manitoba offers, from learning outdoor survival skills/tips when tripping with experienced members/leaders, to the friendships gained along the way. She contributes back to the organization by means of continued support through membership renewal, volunteering in garage sales, and acting as an unofficial Nature Manitoba ambassador by spreading the word about our organization. She is a professional engineer practicing in the Province of Manitoba.
Manitoba Wolves Presentation
The boreal shield in eastern Manitoba is home to wolves and a prey guild composed mainly of moose, white-tailed deer and beaver.For the past few years, Daniel has been following wolves in eastern Manitoba to determine kill and predation rates of wolf packs in eastern Manitoba through kill site investigations. Daniel will discuss how wolf prey selection can vary among packs and between seasons and how this affects our understanding predator-prey dynamics in Manitoba.
Presented by: Daniel Dupont Ph.D. student, Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Wildlife Biologist, Manitoba Sustainable Development