Talks and Presentations

Hello Everyone

Join The Friends of Misery Bay on  Friday April 16th, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.. when Anna Shepperd and Donnell Gasbarrini  (a very dynamic duo)  present on Turtles of Ontario, 

THE TURTLES ARE COMING !!

Anna and Donnell will talk about why turtles matter, and about Ontario’s eight turtle species with a focus on the three species that occur on Manitoulin Island. She’ll touch on the discovery of a mass mortality event in 2012, then pass it over to Donnell who will talk about her Masters Degree research on the mass-mortality event.  

They’ll end with a few tips on how people can help turtles out on Manitoulin Island and anywhere in Ontario

FROM ANNA 

"Why do turtles matter? Turtles are globally-admired symbols of conservation. When turtle habitat is protected, the habitat of many other species is also protected. As a group, they play a key role as nutrient cyclers, seed dispersers, bioturbators, and consumers.

Turtles have been around for 200 million years, but they’re struggling to persist in the face of habitat loss, road mortality, poaching and overexploitation, and climate change."

A brief Bio for Anna

"I was born and raised in Newfoundland, so I’ve been fascinated by reptiles and amphibians ever since moving to Ontario in 2004 (trains are pretty fascinating to me in the same way!).  I’ve worked as an ecologist for Ontario Parks since 2007. In addition to turtles, my field work has included vegetation inventories, bird surveys, invasive species removal, and habitat surveys in many parks across Northeastern Ontario, just to name a few things. I don’t get out in the field nearly enough".

A brief Bio for Donnell

"I studied the Blanding’s Turtle population at Misery Bay in order to determine the likely cause of the mass mortality there in 2012. Since completing my Masters degree, I worked at the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre as the Turtle Programs Manager and am currently working as the Adopt-A-Pond Coordinator at the Toronto Zoo’s Adopt-a-Pond Program. I will always look back very fondly on my days spent slogging through the fen at Misery Bay, and I am lucky to be able to continue tracking turtles in other areas of Ontario. "

To register for this presentation please message us at friendsofmiserybay@gmail.com 

Please enter Turtles  in the subject line on your request to register