Enter our Photo Contest!
Photo contest entries accepted until September 30th
Summer is here and now is the perfect opportunity to get out to the Park and shoot some prize winning photos! And on those rainy days, you can stay dry and rummage through your favorite shots of Birds Hill Park. There is no fee, and you can enter as often as you like! See our contest tab accessible from our HOME page for all the details, and be sure to pass it along to all your friends!

Welcome New Board Members
Two new directors elected at 2010 AGM
We were happy to welcome Cary Hamel and Bob Betcher to the Board of Directors at our 2010 AGM. Both bring a keen interest in preserving the natural heritage of Birds Hill Park. We look forward to learning from their experience and working together toward common goals.

Special thanks to outgoing Board member Brent DePape for his many contributions throughout his term, particularly redevelopment of our website and his key role in establishing our communications program. Brent also served as vice-president and participated actively in the development of our Adopt-a-trail and Legacy Bench program policies. He will continue in his role as webmaster.

Have your say!
Two opportunities to give input on the future of the Park
Manitoba Conservation is developing a management plan to set long-term direction for Birds Hill Park. The plan will include guidelines for environmental protection and recreational use. Informal open houses will be held in the Park on June 19/20 and July 17/18 and will provide opportunities for public input. Take advantage of this occasion to express what you feel to be the most important considerations going forward. And feel welcome to contact us to share your thoughts and ideas. Read more.

What is Biodiversity?
Speakers clarify important concepts
Drs. Raf Otfinowsky and Chantal Ouimet shed light on the topic of Biodiversity as the guest presenters in our first Speaker Series event of 2010. The pair offered an engaging discussion on terrestrial and aquatic environments and the many eco-niches within these worlds. They emphasized that biodiversity is much more than a variety of species and includes the added dimensions of differing roles, functions and pathways. They also shared examples of the various values of habitats and landscapes and described some of the measures that help us monitor biodiversity such as niche temperatures and moisture levels, and the oxygen level and turbidity of water. Listen to a podcast about the Vanishing Tall-grass prairies, featuring Dr. Nicola Koper from the University of Manitoba.

Next Speaker Event
Our second event to raise awareness of the International Year of Biodiversity will feature Dr. Bob Wrigley on Thursday November 4th. “Dr. Bob” will draw on his longstanding love of Birds Hill Park for recreation and as a research site for his work on mammals (as a curator of the Manitoba Museum) and insects. He’ll provide insight gained through creation of a Manitoba biodiversity inventory and share some of his findings from field work done in Birds Hill Park. Further details will be available on our website at FriendsOfBirdsHillPark.ca.

Re-sheduled! Annual Park Cleanup and Barbeque
Heavy rains at the end of May caused us to re-schedule our 9th Annual Park Cleanup and Complimentary Barbeque. Mark your Calendar for our new date, Sunday October 3. If you know of a youth group that might like to join us, please Contact Us to learn about the benefits of participation.

Reminder
Don't forget that you you help support the work of Friends every time you use our CO-OP number with gas purchases at Red River Co-op stores. Membership #501077.