The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club
| Macoun Field Club |
The Macoun Field Club is a nature club for youth ages 8 to 18. Sponsored by the Canadian Museum of Nature and the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club, it has been providing a fun way for youth to experience natural sciences for over 50 years.
Meetings are at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden every second Saturday at 10 a.m. Members exchange news about recent observations of the natural world, then often turn the floor over to a guest for a discussion of their current natural history research, fieldwork or activities. We offer workshops on plant identification, aquatic insects, winter flora and more. We discuss hot topics and important events, such as how we misuse animals in society, and conservation of natural areas in our region.
Field trips take us all over the Ottawa region, but most often we visit the Macoun Club Nature Study Area, a square mile of the Greenbelt that the National Capital Commission has given the Macoun Club permission to research. For over 30 years, Macoun members have been exploring the Study Area: we've mapped the pattern of vegetation, made lists of the local wildlife, and watched the Study Area change as suburbs approach. New members choose trees of their own to study and on each return field trip learn a little more about the ecosystem of which they are a part.
Every year since 1951, the members work together to publish a collection of their articles, observations and drawings in a journal called The Little Bear (Ursa Minor). Produced completely through their volunteer efforts, The Little Bear is their introduction to scientific publishing. Many of Canada's top scientist first published here, when they too were curious Macouners. Occasionally, members have published original research or observations in the OFNC's peer reviewed scientific journal, the Trail and Landscape
For more information about the club, please contact:
Rob Lee: 613-623-8123
Barbara Gaertner: 613-741-2564
Diane
Kitching: 613-226-3306
