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The Museum of Natural History, The Climate Change Action Fund and The Environmental Monitoring Assessment Network are giving individuals the opportunity to participate in 100 years of history started in the Nova Scotia school system. Project Description Dr. A. H. MacKay was the Superintendent of Nova Scotia Schools more than one hundred years ago. While in this position MacKay had 1,500 schools from around the province participate in phenology, the study of naturally occurring events and their timing. From 1897- 1923, 107 natural events were observed every year and their dates recorded in school ledgers. These observations included flowering events, fruiting events, bird migrations, agricultural events and weather events. Children noted when the first Mayflowers bloomed in their area and when migrations of geese left in the fall. One hundred years later we are asking schools, individuals and community groups to repeat 40-50 of these observations. By comparing our results and the historic MacKay results we will look for evidence of climate change. Plants and animals integrate the effects of climate change factors over time. They are sensitive indicators of heat precipitation, wind, photo period and humidity. These factors coupled with historic and present day weather data should be able to give us a sense of climate change and weather trends over the last 100 years. The historic MacKay records spanning 26 years have recently been digitized and placed on the Web through a cooperative project led by the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History and the Environmental Monitoring Assessment Network. Students reporting for this current project will e-mail their results and use touch tone phone systems to report the data. This data will then be transferred directly onto digital maps in real time. This project will resurrect a climate change network initiated at the turn of the 20th century. Having schools and communities track these seasonal events will promote a greater understanding of the regional effects of climate change. The MacKay data has set a benchmark. By collecting these observations 100 years later we will have an effective tool to understand and measure climate change. What I Need From You I must emphasize that this effort is not to duplicate other fine phenology projects such as Plantwatch. What I am looking for are individuals or naturalist organizations around the province who can become regional contacts. The contact would provide identification support and assist if possible in some of the school visits. This project provides the resources and a wonderful opportunity to foster future generations of naturalists. If you know of specific teachers or individuals who may be interested please pass this information along to them. If you would like more information please contact me. I thank you in advance for your time and attention, Elizabeth Kilvert Mackay Data Project Coordinator Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History 1747 Summer Street Halifax, Nova Scotia B3N 3A6 Phone: (902) 424-7370 Fax: (902) 424-0560 kilverea@gov.ns.ca -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The preceding message was posted on Sustainable Maritimes (sust-mar) -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- A word from our lawyers ... Don't forget ... COPYRIGHT material, such as newspaper/magazine articles cannot be posted on sust-mar without the owner's permission. It's against the law. CROSS-POSTINGS (messages from other lists) are also discouraged. In either case, why not tell us something about the issue in your own words? Or ... send a clipping along with the URL where the original can be found, or directions how to join the list it came from? Takes a few more minutes, but makes for a more interesting sust-mar ... :)
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