ABMI Remote Sensing Scientist Jen Hird presented as part of Google Earth Outreach’s Geo For Good lightning talk series on January 27. This event has now ended. Across the field of biodiversity monitoring, technological advances are making possible new kinds of observation and analysis. Some of the biggest changes have come from the deployment of [...]
Happy holidays from the ABMI!
Best wishes for a safe, restful, and hopeful holiday season as we look ahead to the promise of a new year. Thank you for your ongoing support; we at the ABMI look forward to connecting with you again in 2022 and—from webinars and WildTrax features to wetland inventories and website enhancements—sharing all the ways we’re [...]
Antifreeze and sunblock: How mosses survive an Alberta winter
The following is a guest post from Krista Williams, bryologist with the ABMI. In case you missed it, check out Krista’s recent webinar on the wonderful world of bryophytes here. Meantime, here’s another reminder of why these tiny plants are so a-moss-ing… Mosses are peculiar little plants—barely noticeable yet incredibly intriguing. They lack many of [...]
Join us for an a-moss-ing webinar!
Mosses are easily overlooked, but they’re hugely important to Alberta’s ecosystems. From filtering water and serving as food and habitat to better-known species, to maintaining soil and—in some places—even outstripping the primary productivity of the forest canopy far above, these tiny, unsung plants are full of surprises. On November 3rd @ noon Mountain Time, join [...]
Taking it littoral-y: Untangling what shapes Alberta’s boreal wetland plant communities
The ABMI is happy to continue its regular feature in BIOS, the newsletter of the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists. The following post is adapted from a version that originally appeared in the Autumn 2021 issue. Here at the ABMI, we spend a lot of time thinking and talking about biodiversity. It is, after all, [...]
Join us for a mite-y webinar!
ABMI acarologist—that’s someone who studies mites and ticks—Dr. Lisa Lumley presented Mites in Alberta as part of our It’s Our Nature to Know webinar series. Lisa outlined the ABMI’s mite research, and why collecting data on mites in the province is important to Albertans and helps to support land-use decision making. “Oribatid mites are the [...]
Runner-up Stories from the “What Does Biodiversity Mean to You?“ Essay Contest
In 2020, Alberta Views Magazine and the ABMI partnered for the “What Does Biodiversity Mean to You” Essay Contest. The ABMI is a proud sponsor of this competition and we hope it fosters further conversation about how Albertans view and engage with biodiversity. Please note that the views of the authors are their own and [...]
Explore the wondrous world of Alberta’s lichens
On June 29, ABMI lichenologist Dr. Diane Haughland presented Lichens of Alberta, the second in our It’s Our Nature to Know webinar series. Diane studies the taxonomy and ecology of Alberta’s lichens, and her team is responsible for identifying thousands of lichens from across the province each year to help track changes in Alberta’s biodiversity. [...]