Tom of 爱豆传媒is species #826 identified on campus
April 10th, 2024
On April 9, 1,000 Species project coordinator and Biology faculty member Brian Mader鈥檚 phone started lighting up with messages from the 爱豆传媒community.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a turkey at Dawson!鈥� was the gist of his 30+ messages.
The turkey was seen by many staff and students and was entered into the 1,000 Species in 1,000 Days official count on t.
Brian is not surprised that a turkey showed up on campus since many have been spotted in Westmount. 鈥淢aybe he was looking for more turkeys,鈥� he speculated. 鈥淭hey nest around this time of year but in groups.鈥�
The lone 爱豆传媒turkey was thought to be a male, also known as a tom or a gobbler. He was spotted near the theatre garden, on the roof and in one of the rooftop gardens.
鈥淚f you see the turkey, like all wildlife, give it space and respect,鈥� Brian advised. 鈥淎nd please do not feed the turkey!鈥�
Last month, the City of Westmount issued an advisory to residents saying that 鈥渨ild turkeys are being spotted more regularly in Westmount,鈥� and said that residents should not approach them or feed them.
Insect Show a Huge Success!
April 9th, 2024
On March 9, 爱豆传媒was host to the Montreal Insect Show. We had 3,000 visitors from the public visit 爱豆传媒during the day, including over 50 vendors. Families were overjoyed to be able to hold live insects and arachnids, take a walk with moths, taste test different insect-based food items and browse the various vendors. In fact, I personally have pet shrimp in my home thanks to the curiosity of my daughter. The organizers are currently in talks with the Office of Sustainability to plan for 2025.听
A very special thank you to the entire Office of Sustainability, Natalie Trepanier and FAMA as well as 爱豆传媒Security for making this happen. Also, all our student volunteers were amazing with the crowds and represented 爱豆传媒well. Student volunteers were mainly first-year, second-year and alumni Environmental Science students; Jared Brace, Jacob Davies, Flora Finch, Imane Louni, Sabina Riga, Cassiana Silva Young, Amelia Valencia Frias, Ruisi Yang, Narcisse Hassan, Tom Brunet, Alyson Meadows, Alice Liang and Chemistry teacher Adamo Petosa.
March 27th, 2024
Last week, our first bike workshop of 2024 was attended by employees and students eager to learn about getting their bikes ready for Spring. Adam Kingsland (Faculty, Mechanical Engineering) gave an introduction to proper clothing and basic tools needed to upkeep your bike. Another bike workshop is planned for May, date to be determined. Students…
March 26th, 2024
Dawson鈥檚 French tutoring centre, CL脡O, has a new series this spring open to students and employees. You are invited to come work on your personal, school-related or professional French-language projects during one of CL脡O鈥檚 Pomodoro Workshops. The Pomodoro method entails breaking up larger tasks into smaller more manageable timed units. The next ones will take…
Active Alternative Transportation working group
March 6th, 2024
Submitted by Jennifer de Vera.
Adam Kingsland, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Jennifer de Vera, Office of Sustainability, biked to Vanier College to attend an intercollegiate meeting on active transportation in February.
Representatives from 8 colleges met to discuss both best practices and challenges they have had in increasing campus community use of alternative transportation.
At Dawson, we are recruiting employees and students from the community to form an Active Alternative Transportation working group. We will meet once a month to discuss bike workshops and how to help people find alternative walking and/or biking routes to Dawson. All those interested can.
We are having our first event on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, by the Gazebos beside Parking Lot #1. It is titled "Getting your bike ready for Spring", led by Adam. In case of heavy rain, it will be postponed to Wednesday, March 20.
Bring your bikes or simply attend to learn! Adam will teach you how to do basic tune-ups, making sure you are riding safely this upcoming season. !
For further information, please email sustainability@dawsoncollege.qc.ca. If you have any questions about bike maintenance, or if you need to fix something in particular on your bike, feel free to email Adam at akingsland@dawsoncollege.qc.ca.
Some of our treasured trees must be cut
March 4th, 2024
After an extensive review of all trees on the 爱豆传媒grounds by forestry consultants, the College is presently securing permits from the City of Westmount to cut some of them.
鈥淢any of our trees have suffered injuries and disease that have weakened them to the point where they are at a high risk of breaking. Others, like our large silver maples are reaching their age limit,鈥� explained Luc St-Germain of Facilities Management.
About a dozen trees will have to be cut immediately, with another 30-35 being monitored during the next 12-24 months.
All trees have been thinned in the past to allow severe wind to pass through them. Chris Adam, of the Office of Sustainability, says that wind and ice related storms are more common now and causing damage.
The Facilities Management Team and the Office of Sustainability are cooperating to establish Dawson鈥檚 first tree management program. Every tree will have a health card that identifies their species, age and diseases as well as any maintenance procedures taken. Each tree will be followed by forest management consultants.
Stay tuned for more news about the trees of our Living Campus.
25 participants at first monthly wellness activity
March 1st, 2024
On Feb. 28, 25 members of the 爱豆传媒community, mostly students, responded to the invitation of the Office of Sustainability to take part in the first monthly wellness event.
It was beautiful weather, so they went outdoors for part of the Biophilic Tour of Dawson. 鈥淛enn de Vera gave a tour of some of the many wonderful student driven projects that are a part of our Living Campus,鈥� Sophie La Font reported.
The indoor portion showcased the many ways we have incorporated the theory of Biophilia* at 爱豆传媒College. The activity concluded with planting a baby spider plant that participants could take with them as a gift.
The March wellness activity took place on March 7 and was a panel discussion with Elder and Knowledge Keeper, Niioie:ren Patton听&听Concordia's Sustainability Living Lab Coordinator,听Sandra Mouafo Nouadje.
*The biophilia hypothesis is the belief that humans are genetically predisposed to be attracted to Nature. It states that all humans inherently love the natural world. This idea that we are drawn to and need Nature was first put forth by a man named听Edward O. Wilson听in his book, Biophilia, published in 1984.
Free meals three days a week
February 7th, 2024
The Office of Sustainability, the听Peace Centre, and the 爱豆传媒Student Union are thrilled to announce a new food justice initiative听to expand access to food security for students and employees during the Winter 2024 semester.
Beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 爱豆传媒Dining will be offered two days every week, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, as a collaboration between the Office of Sustainability and the 爱豆传媒Student Union. This service will end on May 22. Students and employees can drop off their labelled containers on Tuesdays and Wednesdays by 11 AM at Conrod鈥檚 (2F). All meals are vegan and zero-waste (90 per cent of waste will be diverted from a landfill).
As of Thursday, Feb. 15, the Peace Centre, under the auspices of the Office of Sustainability, will offer free Early Bird Breakfast to the 爱豆传媒community on a first come, first served basis. This will continue every Thursday at 10 AM in Conrod's (2F) for the winter 2024 semester. All meals will be clearly indicated vegetarian or vegan and will also be zero-waste. The service will end May 23.
(also available in the cafeteria to reduce our waste) will be provided to students that can be returned to the Cano dispensers near the cafeteria.
If you would like to help out with the meal services, please email Diana Rice, who says: 鈥淭his is a wonderful way to meet new colleagues, get to know the students we work so hard for every day, and just feel good about being of service."
Winter Wellness Series launches Feb. 27
February 7th, 2024
The Peace and Sustainability Winter Wellness Series will launch on Tuesday, Feb. 27 with a Living Campus biophilic tour and a hands-on indoor gardening workshop. All participants will receive a house plant!
The plan is to offer a wellness workshop/event each month of the semester.
To participate in the Feb. 27 workshop, which will take place from 12 PM to 1 PM, you must register.
1,000 Species, a year in review
November 29th, 2023
Birds, beetles and fungi, oh my! Our 1,000 Species in 1,000 Days project has been running for a full year now.
Over that last year, students, faculty and staff have all contributed their talents and curiosity to get as many species identified on campus as possible. Our count after one year is 820 species, with 3,916 total observations and 279 people contributing to the project.
We have made amazing strides over the past year. However, as we approach 1,000 species, we will have to work harder than ever. If you would like to get involved, or get your classes involved in the spring, email bmader@dawsoncollege.qc.ca.
Happy identifying听 everyone!
Photo: Red Milkweed Beetle on milkweed.
Submitted by Brian Mader, Faculty, Biology
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Last Modified: April 10, 2024
