CANADIAN NATURE FEDERATION CONFERENCE REPORT '81 
     
     South of 45 in '81: A Naturalist's View 
     
    
   
   
    
     The 1981 Canadian Nature Federation Conference held at the University of 
     
     Guelph in early May was indeed a memorable one. Guelph, a city of 60,000 is 
     
     located in a lush agricultural belt about an hour's drive from Toronto. Spring 
     
     was just bursting forth with trees budding, grass greening, and amphibians and 
     
     migrating warblers providing morning and evening choruses. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The emphasis of the conference was to introduce us to the 'Carolinian' 
     
     elements of the flora and fauna of the region. Many of 
     
     these Carolinian species are typical of areas much 
     
     further south, and in Canada are found nowhere else 
     
     than the southernmost part of Ontario. For several 
     
     days before and after, field trips fanned out from 
     
     Guelph to nearby ponds, woodlands and floodplains to 
     
     let Visiting naturalists meet first hand with local 
     
     birds, animals, amphibians, reptiles, ferns, trees, wild- 
     
     flowers and geological features. other excursions 
     
     travelled further afield to places like the Elora Gorge, 
     
     the Niagara Escarpment and Point Pelee. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
        
     
        
     
       
     
       
     
        
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
        
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     The symposium presentations complemented 
     
     well the field trip schedule. Various talks 
     
     traced the development of Ontario's geological 
     
     foundations, the establishment of present-day vegeta- 
     
     tion forms and the make-up of bird, mammal and herptile ',‘ H 
     
     populations. A number of sessions focussed on problems 
     
     confronting naturalists in their continuing efforts to 
     
     preserve habitat for wildlife. Positive directions and 
     
     roles were suggested for those concerned with strategies 
     
     for preservation. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Other conference highlights included numerous displays 
     
     and a Superb Nature Art exhibit featuring works by wildlife 
     
     artist Robert Bateman. Conference proceedings climaxed 
     
     with a banquet at which Robert Bateman showed a spectac- 
     
     ular series of slides taken on a recent trip to the 
     
     Falkland Islands and Antarctica. 
     
    
   
   
    
     At the annual general and special meetings new 
     
     bylaws were adopted and a number of resolutions passed. 
     
     (See elsewhere in this issue for a summary.) Diane 
     
     Griffin stepped down as President after serving for 
     
     two years. She was replaced by John Willms, a Toronto 
     
     lawyer specializing in environmental law. 
     
    
   
   
    
     All in all the 1981 CNF Conference was a tre— 
     
     mendous success. Those of you who missed it (as 
     
     well as those of you who didn't) should begin 
     
     planning now for next year's conference in 
     
     Calgary during the first week of July 1982. 
     
    
   
   
    
     - by Winnie Cairns, “~F~“ 
     
     Representative Director from the P.E.I. 
     
     Natural History Society to C.N.F. 
     
    
   
   
    
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