Past Lectures

SERIES TWELVE (2015 – 2016)

September 2015 – Topic: What the Heck is a Biosphere Reserve?
Rebecca Launchbury, Executive Director, Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Fund

October 2015 – Topic: Ancient Cedars of the Niagara Escarpment
Peter Kelly, Coordinator, Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark

November 2015 – Topic: Fossils of the Niagara Escarpment
David Rudkin, Assistant Curator of Invertebrate Palaeontology, Royal Ontario Museum

January 2016 – Topic: The Griffin House, A National Historic Site.
Anne Jarvis, Historical Interpreter Griffin House

February 2016 – Topic: It’s a Surprise
Dr. David A. Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens

April 2016 – Topic: Bugs
Marvin Gunderman, aka “The Bug Man”, from the Department of Biology at McMaster University

 April  2016 –  Topic: Randle Reef
Chris McLaughlin, Executive Director Bay Area Restoration Council

SERIES ELEVEN (2014 -2015)

October 2014
The Risk of Public Participation in Saving The Escarpment – Monte Dennis, Vice President of CONE, (Coalition on the Niagara Escarpment) will speak on the challenges of SLAPP suits against citizens or organizations attempting to protect the environment.

November 2014
The Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System: Making the Vision a Reality – David Galbraith, Head of Science at Royal Botanical Gardens. Just what makes this area so special and interesting, the history of protection and establishment of protected areas, and the potential to better link up and protect nature right here in Hamilton and Burlington.

March 2014
Legacy of a Lost Lake: The living legacy of Lake Iroquois – Mark Stabb, Central Ontario Program Director for the Nature Conservancy of Canada. A virtual tour of glacial Lake Iroquois and what it left behind 13,000 years ago when it drained in a massive outburst flood.

April 2014
The Bruce Peninsula: Living in a Biosphere Reserve Community – Sean Liipere, Program Manager for the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association. Explore what it means to be a biosphere reserve community and how this designation has helped foster a culture of stewardship on the Bruce Peninsula. It will share the stories of the region’s rich and irreplaceable natural environment, as well as those of a community dedicated to safeguarding its future.

SERIES TEN (2013-2014)

Sept. 2013
Birds of Prey – Sandra Davey, Mountsberg Raptor Centre

Nov. 17, 2013
Biological Battleground: Invasive and Endangered Species of the Niagara Escarpment -Kyle McLoughlin – Experienced Wilderness Guide and Naturalist

Feb. 9, 2014
The House With the Parapet Wall – John Terpstra. Author John Terpstra explores themes in his new work exploring specific architectural forms in Hamilton.

March 23, 2014
Restoration of Trumpeter Swan Populations – Liz Benneian – co-founder of the four-member Trumpeter Swan Coalition.

April 6, 2014
That’s Amore – Opening Your Eyes to Hamilton’s Waterfall Wonders – Jon Wells – Award-winning Hamilton Spectator journalist speaks about his experience taking a “FAM” tourism tour of some of Hamilton’s waterfalls and natural wonders.

May 4, 2014
Toxic Challenges in Hamilton and What You Need to Know – Lynda Lukasik –  co-founder and current Executive Director of Environment Hamilton.

SERIES NINE (2012-2013)

Sept. 30, 2012
Fungi : Friend or Foe – Kyle McLoughlin – Experienced Wilderness Guide and Naturalist

Oct, 21, 2012
What Do Birdwatchers Do? – John Black – Past President of Ontario Field Ornithologists – Co-Author of “Niagara Birds”

Dec. 2, 2012
My Favourite Hikes Along the Bruce Trail – Beth Kummling, Exec. Dir. Bruce Trail Conservancy

Feb 10, 2013
Origins of the Niagara Escarpment Plan – Corbin T. Cambray, former NEC Commissioner

Mar. 24, 2013
The Cootes to Escarpment Plan – Brian Baetz – Environmental Engineer, McMaster University, Member of the Cootes to Escarpment Planning Team.

Apr. 14, 2013
Rehabilitation of Escarpment Quarries – Moreen Miller – President of the Ontario Stone and Gravel Association.

May 5, 2013
The Wild Orchids of the Bruce Peninsula- Walter Muma

SERIES EIGHT (2011 – 2012)

October 23, 2011
The Wonders of Long Point, one of Canada’s World Biosphere Reserves – Stuart Mackenzie – land bird program coordinator for the Long Point Bird Observatory

November 13, 2011
Jon’s Journey – Experiences in Exploring the Natural Areas of Hamilton – Jon Wells – Award-Winning Reporter for the Hamilton Spectator

December 4, 2011
Creating Ecological Improvements within the Red Hill Valley since the Construction of the Red Hill Parkway – James Rockwood – Environmental Coordinator, Public Works Department, City of Hamilton

January 22, 2012
The Formation of the Niagara Escarpment – Professor Nick Eyles – Expert on glaciations and ice sheets Author – Ontario Rocks, Canada Rocks Advisor and participant with CBC’s Geologic Journey and Host of Geologic Journey – World

February 12, 2012
Trails Along the Niagara Escarpment Utilized in the War of 1812 – John Bryden – former journalist for Hamilton Spectator, Globe and Mail and Toronto Star, Former MP, Historian, Author and Researcher

March 18, 2012
The Niagara Peninsula Hawk Watch – Mike Street – Hamilton Naturalists’ Club. A local expert on Hawk Migrations Developer and Hamilton-Wentworth Coordinator of ONTBIRDS

April 29, 2012
The Natural Treasures of Carolinian Canada – Lorraine Johnson –Editor / Author, City Farmer Lecturer- York University

May 13, 2012
The Effects of Climate Change on the Ontario Wine Regions – Anthony Shaw – Professor, Department of Geography, Brock University

June 10, 2012
Escarpment Parks and Open Spaces: Effective Management Planning – Susan Cooper – Natural Heritage Advisor, Land Use and Planning Department, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

SERIES SEVEN (2010 – 2011)

May 15, 2011
Discovering the Spring Wildflowers in Hamilton’s Natural Areas Dean Gugler, Hamilton Naturalists’ Club

Apr. 10, 2011
The Ugly but Beautiful Turkey Vultures of the Niagara Escarpment Christopher Hamilton, Conservation Hamilton

Feb. 6, 2011
Healthy Hamilton Watershed Action Plans Jamie Overy, Hamilton-Halton Watershed Stewardship Program

Sun. Nov. 28, 2010
The Halton Conservation Lands and Parks on the Niagara Escarpment – Bob Edmundson and Hassaan Basit, Conservation, Halton

Sun. Oct. 24, 2010
The Wooley Mammoth – Dr. Hendrik Poinar, McMaster University

June 07, 2010
The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake – Sean Liipere, Communications Officer and Species-at-Risk Technician, Bruce Peninsula National Park

May 16, 2010
The Bruce Coast Lighthouses – Betty McKillop, President, Bruce County Light House Association

Apr. 18, 2010
Fossils of the Niagara Escarpment – Peter Russell, Curator, Earth and Environmental Science Museum, University of Waterloo

Mar. 07, 2010
The Vanishing Turtles of Southern Ontario – Erin Nadeau, Co-ordinator Adopt-A-Pond Program,Toronto Zoo

Jan. 17, 2010
Geology of the Niagara Escarpment – Beth Kummling, Executive Director Bruce Trail Conservancy

SERIES SIX (2009)

Sept. 20, 2009
The Building Of The Welland Canals – Moving Ships Over The Niagara Escarpment, Robert Williamson

Nov. 8, 2009
The History Of The Hamilton Naturalists Club – 90 Years Of Protecting Nature, Jen Baker – HNC’s Program Co-Ordinator For Head Of The Lakes Land Trust

Dec. 6, 2009
Dragonflies And Damselflies – Ways To Start Observing Them And Using Them For Conservation, Brenda Van Ryswyk – Natural Heritage Ecologist, Conservation Halton

 SERIES FIVE (2009)

Jan. 25, 2009
Protecting the Monarch Butterfly from Southern Ontario to Mexico, Adrienne Brewster, Curator And Entomologist, Wings Of Paradise Butterfly Conservatory

Mar. 08, 2009
Crooks Hollow –A Study of Change, John Aikman – Local Historian, Curator of the Educational Archives and Heritage Centre of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board

Apr. 19, 2009
Keeping The Edge – The Future of Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment, Chris McLaughlin, CEO, Niagara Escarpment Foundation

June 07, 2009
The Insects Of Ontario – With Emphasis on the Dundas Valley, Marvin Gunderman (The Bug Man), Biology Dept., McMaster University

SERIES FOUR (2008)

Sept. 28, 2008
Hamilton Conservation Authority Celebrating 50 Years of Conservation, Chris Hamilton, HCA

Oct. 19, 2008
Carolinian Forest Depicted Through Tapestry, Lorraine Roy

Nov. 23, 2008
The Portage Options of the First Nations People through the Dundas Valley, Bob Henderson

Dec. 7, 2008
Updated Information on “The City of Waterfalls”, Joe Hollick

SERIES THREE (2008)

May 4, 2008
Amphibians of Hamilton and the Importance of Vernal Pools, Bruce McKenzie

April 13, 2008
The Last Stand – Ancient Cliff-face Forests of the Niagara Escarpment, Peter Kelly

March 2, 2008
The Eramosa Karst – An Urban Park In Hamilton, Marcus Buck

January 20, 2008
In Praise of Winter – Images of the Dundas Valley, Eleanore Kosydar

SERIES TWO (2007)

September 9, 2007
Celebrating 40 Years of Development – The Story of the Bruce Trail, Beth Kummling

September 30, 2007
Birding in the Dundas Valley, Robert Curry

October 21, 2007
The Cultural Development of the Escarpment Edge from Mt. Albion to Ancaster, Robert Williamson

November 18, 2007
The Rocks Beneath My Feet, Sue Vajoczki

SERIES ONE (2007)

May 6, 2007
Viewing the Niagara Escarpment through the Eyes of a Nature Photographer, John MacRae

April 22, 2007
Efforts of Niagara Escarpment Commission to Protect & Preserve the Niagara Escarpment, Brian McHattie

March 18, 2007
Waterfalls of Hamilton Located Along the Niagara Escarpment, Joseph Hollick

February 25, 2007
The Warpath: The Ancaster Escarpment Edge as the Road to War in the 18th Century, John Bryden