February 10, 2022: Additional COVID-19 Prevention Measure
At the February 8, 2022 Nature London Board of Directors Meeting it was decided to ask participants in Nature London events to complete and pass the Government of Ontario Covid-19 self-assessment at home (https://covid-19.ontario.ca/self-assessment/) no more than 24 hours before the start of an event and, if unable to do this, to please advise the event leader and refrain from attending the event.
While this is effective immediately, it is understood that some people who have already registered for an event may not become aware of this additional request prior to attending the event—especially during this phase-in period. In this regard, please note that if you have not completed this voluntary self-assessment it will not affect your ability to participate in the event.
This additional request is aimed at further enhancing our efforts to protect ourselves and our fellow participants from infection at Nature London events, in addition to the protocols currently in place respecting vaccination status, physical distancing, and wearing of masks when required.
Thank you for your cooperation and assistance in ensuring that Nature London events will continue to be healthy, safe, and fun.
Gordon Neish, President
November 1, 2020: Update on the Nature London Annual Conservation Awards Banquet
While our traditional Awards Banquet has been precluded by COVID-19 this year, the Nature London Board is pleased to announce that aspects of it will continue. Again this year, we will be recognizing individuals and organizations for their contributions to the club and to the cause of conservation. At the November 20 meeting, we will present the W.E. Saunders Award of Merit ahead of Chris Earley’s presentation. Our other award winners will be recognized at one of the meetings in 2021. As well, those “attending” the November 20 meeting will be entered into a draw for several sure-to-please door prizes. To top it off, for a five-day period prior to the 20th, we will be holding an online auction for some great items via the Nature London website. Stay tuned to the website and the mid-November E-News for more details!
Bernie Vandenbelt, Past President
October 1, 2020: Registration Required for Zoom Meetings
To protect our Zoom meetings from unwanted intruders we will asking participants to preregister for future Zoom meetings which, for the time being, will be restricted to members and guests invited by members. This means that the links to the meetings will no longer be posted on the Nature London website.
We are currently working out the mechanics for this to run smoothly, so stay tuned for further developments.
Gordon Neish, President
August 28, 2020: Nature in the City 2021 Cancelled
Sadly, Nature in the City 2021 has been cancelled. Fingers crossed…it will be back again in January 2022. See you all then.
Pat Tripp, Nature in the City Coordinator
August 14, 2020: Resuming Nature London Field Trips with Caution
You are likely aware that most of Ontario, including the Middlesex-London Health Unit region, entered Stage 3 of the COVID-19 reopening plan on July 17, 2020 (https://www.ontario.ca/page/framework-reopening-our-province-stage-3); consequently, the Nature London Board is proposing to cautiously resume field trips.
The current provincial guidelines limit outdoor gatherings to a maximum of 100 people, provided individuals continue to maintain physical distancing of at least two metres with people from outside their households or social circle. For all practical purposes, this is not feasible or desirable for our field trips, and we propose to begin with groups restricted to members only and no larger than 10.
To reduce the need for contact, we are setting up a registration process that will be accessible at the Nature London website. During this process, we will ask you to agree with the Nature London waiver (in line with past practice but doing it as a paperless process) and, in addition, we will ask you complete a COVID-19 self-assessment: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/self-assessment/.
Our Field Trips Coordinators (fieldtrips@naturelondon.com) are starting to organize field trips and would be pleased to hear from potential leaders and about potential places to go hiking and observing. Naturally, at this point we are most interested in locations where social distancing recommendations can be maintained.
We will ask all participants to bring with them a mask and hand sanitizer as part of their kit. The use of the mask will be mandatory outdoors when you cannot keep a distance of at least two metres from people who are not in your household or social circle.
We expect that many of you are anxious to get out again exploring nature with a knowledgeable guide and like-minded nature enthusiasts, and we hope that this cautious approach will enable this to happen safely.
Gordon Neish, President
August 1, 2020: Safe Hiking at Cedarcroft
The Cedarcroft Committee would like to invite you to visit our little piece of paradise this summer. Please follow the available public health advice including physical distancing by keeping at least two metres from others, wearing a face covering when physical distancing is not possible, and washing or sanitizing hands regularly. We want everyone to stay safe and healthy.
For a little entertainment, Evelyn has shared the following amusing anecdote from Cedarcroft:
The Cedarcroft Committee
June 22, 2020: Extraordinary General Meeting
Due to the pandemic, an extraordinary resolution to dispense with an audit for 2019-2020, originally intended to be addressed by the membership on April 17, 2020, has not been addressed.
To deal with this important piece of business, and to provide an opportunity for a brief update and feedback session on Nature London’s activities, we are proposing to convene a Zoom videoconference for Nature London members on Wednesday, July 15, 2020 beginning at 7:00 pm. Additional details may be found HERE.
Gordon Neish, President
May 28, 2020: Request for Field Observations
As you know, COVID-19 has forced Nature London to cancel all field trips this summer. As a result, there are no field trip reports! With spring migration at its peak, we are sure that many of you are out in the field birding alone or in (socially distanced) small groups. In the absence of reports from our usual field trips, we are asking that you send us short notes of interesting excursions or observations that you have made this spring. The length is up to you and accompanying photographs would be welcome but not at all essential. Let’s share our interest in birds, butterflies, wildflowers in this way. The submissions may be edited for use in the summer Cardinal which we hope to produce in August.
Submissions should be sent to outings.editor@naturelondon.com by the end of June. (Submissions received after that may be used in future Cardinal issues.)
The Cardinal Committee
May 13, 2020: Friday Evening Meetings are back . . . virtually!
Nature London is going to attempt to resume its Friday evening meetings virtually using Zoom, a cloud-based video conferencing tool, which has gained a lot of popularity during the pandemic.
Dr. Brock Fenton, Professor Emeritus, Department of Biology, Western University, has kindly agreed to be our first virtual speaker at a Zoom Conference on May 22, 2020 starting at 7:30 pm. The topic will be Bats: Good, bad, astonishing.
Details on how to join a Zoom meeting and additional points of protocol will appear with each meeting in the Nature London website Events Calendar.
We realize that virtual meetings aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it is a way for Nature London to regain some momentum and, bearing in mind that this will be a first attempt and we’re on a learning curve, we hope it will prove to be a worthwhile and enjoyable experience for those who participate.
Gordon Neish, President
April 17, 2020: Circulation of The Cardinal and the COVID-19 Pandemic
As everyone is more than well aware, it is definitely not business as usual as we grapple with the new and very not-normal circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In order to minimize the venturing forth and possible risky contact that Nature London volunteers might
experience while performing related tasks, the Spring 2020 edition of The Cardinal will not be delivered by mail and will only be available to members on the Nature London website. We are certainly hopeful this action will only be necessary for the Spring edition.
Going forward, Nature London will be monitoring the situation and following the recommendations of the Public Health authorities. Future decisions will be made accordingly.
We greatly appreciate the patience and understanding of Nature London members as we work to circulate
The Cardinal while keeping our volunteers safe and well.
The Cardinal Editorial Committee
April 15, 2020: Vote on Proposed Audit Dispensation Delayed
The vote on the extraordinary motion dispensing with the Nature London financial audit for 2019-2020, originally scheduled for the 17 April 2020 Indoor Meeting, has been postponed due to the meeting cancellations necessitated by the covid-19 pandemic. An eighty percent (80%) majority of those present at a meeting is required to pass the motion. If it is possible to have a meeting sometime prior to 31 August 2020, a meeting will be convened to address this and other Nature London business. In the meantime, the Board of Directors will be looking for alternative ways to address this requirement.
Gordon Neish, President
April 4, 2020: Nature London Events and Activities Cancelled
Due to the ongoing severity of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, in Canada, and globally, and the consequent uncertainty as to when the requirements for physical distancing can be relaxed, please be advised that all Nature London events and activities previously scheduled for 2020 are cancelled until further notice.
To keep in touch please check this website periodically and sign up to receive Nature London’s News & Events (“Nature London” info@naturelondon.ca) if you haven’t done so already.
We apologize for any inconvenience, but this is a situation where better safe than sorry applies. Thank you for your understanding.
Gordon Neish, President