Nature Moncton Nature
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**The missed presentation
from Josh Christiansen on amphibians last week is rescheduled for tonight,
Tuesday evening, September 22, with the write-up below.
If folks coming to the
meeting can again find some fresh mushrooms, place them in a paper bag and store in the fridge for shroom chatter during
the second part of the meeting after the main presentation.
****SEPTEMBER MEETING PRESENTATION
Stressful Cityscapes or Pockets of Paradise? How
Forest Retention May Buffer the Impact of Urbanization on Salamanders
Date: September 22, 2026 7:00 PM
Place: Rotary Pavilion, Mapleton Park
Presenter: Joshua Christiansen
Urbanization is one of the greatest challenges
facing our world’s wildlife. As New Brunswick’s urban centers continue to grow,
it is important we understand how our growth impacts the wildlife we share our
backyards with. MSc graduate Joshua Christiansen investigated the influence of
urbanization on the behavioural and thermal ecology of the Eastern Red-backed
Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. In
this talk, Joshua will discuss his findings on the influence, or lack thereof,
of urbanization on this species’ behaviour and thermoregulation and what this
means for amphibian conservation in our urban centers.
Joshua
Christiansen is a Research Associate in the RBG Labs at Mount Allison
University. He holds a BSc in Biology from the University of Regina and an MSc
degree in Biology from Mount Allison University. Joshua studied bats in his
undergrad years but made the big switch to herpetofauna for his master’s where
he studied the behaviour and thermal ecology of Eastern Red-backed Salamanders
in urban and non-urban forests. He is now working on a field guide to the
amphibians and reptiles of Atlantic Canada.
Don’t
miss the chance to learn more about these mysterious inhabitants of our urban
yards.
All are
welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.
**Jane
LeBlanc had to go whale watching for work on Monday (she is a guide for cruise
ship guests), and they had a banner day from St. Andrews with “Cruisin' with
the whales." They saw harbour porpoises, minke, humpback and
finback whales. Most unusual!
**Shannon Inman photographed two of our
prime blooming fall flowers which are so welcome to seasonal nectar/pollen seekers along
the road: a goldenrod species and butter-and-eggs toadflax.
In their
Harvey yard, John Inman photographed a distant Baltimore oriole,
a white-banded potter wasp, and one of the two resident sharp-shinned
hawks mantling a blue jay prey.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton