Dear OFNC Members,

It has been a long time since we have been able to meet in person, whether at our monthly meetings or on field trips. We all hope these activities will resume sometime. Meanwhile, we wanted to make sure all members were aware of the many digital nature learning and appreciation resources available through the club.

We now have one digital event on offer and are working on others. See below. If you have special expertise on virtual nature events and would like to volunteer assistance, please let us now. We have a small working group whom you can contact at bm.ofnevents@gmail.com.

Did you know that our fabulous quarterly newsletter, Trail and Landscape, is now available online? As a club member, you receive the current number in the mail. However, via the Biodiversity Heritage Library, you can now look at all issues from 1997 through 2019 online. You can find the link under Publications, Trail and Landscape, on the OFNC’s website, OFNC.ca. Also on the Trail and Landscape tab, you will find links to T&L articles of special interest including special local guides to some flora and fauna.

The Canadian Field-Naturalist, the peer-reviewed scientific journal the OFNC publishes, is also available online. OFNC members have subscriber-limited access to the four most recent issues. Consult the website to find out how to see these.  However, all issues of Canadian Field-Naturalist or its forerunners are available online to anyone, going all the way back to — 1880!! The wealth of history in this collection is astounding.

The OFNC’s website is itself a very fine resource. Have a browse through to read about the club’s programs, committees and activities. Look for the blog under news and events. The Fletcher Wildlife Garden section has great information about the site and about wildlife gardening. You’ll find links to its very own blog, too. You can sign up to receive a notification whenever a blog entry is posted. Look for an offering of nature quests to try outdoors. Click the button on the trillium banner for details.

Follow the OFNC on Twitter, @OttawaFieldNat.

There are two lively, friendly Facebook groups associated with the club. If you’re a Facebook user, look for the “Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club” group. You’ll need to ask to join it, but you should be in quickly. Both members and non-members post there. Be sure to look for the group’s guidelines documents. There is now a Nature Quest event available there. Please check it out and join in! It runs from May 30 to June 7.

The Fletcher Wildlife Garden has its own Facebook group. Look for Friends of the Fletcher Wildlife Garden. Both of these Facebook groups have discussions and information for naturalists.

Very best wishes to you and your family. Please continue to enjoy nature.

Bev McBride