BEN # 91

[Adolf Ceska]

BBBBB    EEEEEE   NN   N             ISSN 1188-603X
BB   B   EE       NNN  N
BBBBB    EEEEE    NN N N             BOTANICAL
BB   B   EE       NN  NN             ELECTRONIC
BBBBB    EEEEEE   NN   N             NEWS

No. 91                               February 11, 1995

aceska at freenet.victoria.bc.ca        Victoria, B.C.
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 Dr. A. Ceska, P.O.Box 8546, Victoria, B.C. Canada V8W 3S2
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UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA - BOTANY/ENVIRONMENT
From: "Hugues B. Massicotte" <hugues at unbc.edu>

The  Faculty  of  Natural Resources and Environmental Studies of
the new University of Northern British Columbia  offers  3  main
B.Sc.  options  for the scientifically and biologically inclined
candidate. The B.Sc.  in  Natural  Resource  Management  can  be
accomplished   with  4  different  majors  (Forestry,  Wildlife,
Fisheries, Recreation & Tourism). The recognition  that  manage-
ment  of  any  natural  resource  has implications for all other
natural resources is a primary  driving  factor  in  the  under-
graduate  curriculum  for  this  degree.  The  Forestry major is
designed  to  meet   national   and   provincial   accreditation
standards.

The  B.Sc.  in  biology  offers  4  different  majors  (Biology,
Fisheries, Plant Science, Wildlife) and this program is designed
to present the major concepts of  contemporary  biology  at  the
molecular,   cellular,   organismic,  population  and  community
levels.

A third B.Sc. program in Environmental  Science  also  offers  a
broad-based curriculum to help candidates deal with contemporary
complex environmental questions and issues.

At  present,  a  M.Sc.  program  is  already available and it is
anticipated that a Ph.D. program should be in place by 1996.

For more specific information on these  programmes,  one  should
contact the office of the registrar at UNBC at (604) 960-5555.

Faculty

Dr. Josef  Ackerman,  bio-fluid mechanics related to the ecology
      and evolution of plants and animals, and  implications  of
      these processes in environmental systems.
Dr. Lito  Arocena,  geochemistry  of  natural  processes in ter-
      restrial environment (cation balance in forest ecosystems,
      soil mineralogy and  chemistry,  acid  mine  drainage  and
      industrial wastes.
Dr. Max  Blouw,  ecological  genetics and behavioural ecology of
      fishes and shellfish.
Dr. Darwyn Coxson, plant environmental physiologist  (functional
      diversity, plant survival strategies, nutrient cycling).
Dr. Keith  Egger,  molecular  approaches  to the study of fungal
      biodiversity, particularly forest mycorrhizal  communities
      and population genetic structure.
Dr. Arthur Fredeen, plant ecophysiology (acclimation and adapta-
      tion  of  understory  plants to light, stomatal physiology
      and photosynthesis in boreal forest species.
Dr. Fred Gilbert, management, habitat requirement and impacts of
      human activities on wildlife populations.
Dr. Michael Gillingham, population and wildlife ecology, modell-
      ing, plant-herbivore interactions and behavioural ecology.
Dr. Allen Gottesfeld, surfacial ecology of Northern BC,  fluvial
      geomorphology, terrain analysis, watershed processes.
Dr. Kevin  Hall,  periglacial  processes, glacial sedimentology,
      Quaternary environments.
Dr. Alex Hawley, animal and human interaction with the  environ-
      ment.
Dr. Daniel  Heath,  molecular approaches to address questions in
      the evolution and ecology of fishes.
Dr. Peter Jackson, atmospheric science including mesoscale  wind
      flow,    micrometeorological   measurements,   atmospheric
      fluxes.
Dr. Winifred Kessler, ecological studies to  support  integrated
      land and resource management.
Dr. Kathy  Lewis,  role  of  disease  in  natural disturbance of
      ecosystems, disease epidemiology, population  genetics  of
      root disease fungi.
Dr. Staffan  Lindgren, chemical ecology of forest insects, espe-
      cially bark beetles, forest pest management.
Dr. Hugues Massicotte, botany, forest and microbial ecology with
      emphasis on structure and function of mycorrhizal associa-
      tions and rhizosphere organisms.
Dr. Katherine Parker, wildlife biology  especially  plant-animal
      interactions,  nutritional  and physiological ecology, and
      bioenergetics.
Dr. Ellen  Petticrew,  aquatic  science  especially   limnology,
      hydrology and sedimentology.
Dr. Michael  Walters, ecological and ecophysiological aspects of
      northern and montane  forests,  shortgrass  prairies,  oak
      savannas and tropical forest systems.
Roger  Wheate,  cartography,  GIS,  remote  sensing  and digital
      imaging.
Jane Young, plant adaptation in aquatic  ecosystems,  functional
      morphology and anatomy.


NEW MONOGRAPH OF ELDERBERRY (SAMBUCUS)

Bolli, R. 1994. Revision of the genus Sambucus. - Dissertationes
      Botanicae,  Band  223, J. Cramer in der Gebruder Borntrae-
      ger, Berlin - Stuttgart. 227 p. + 29 plates.  ISBN  3-443-
      64135-0 [soft cover]

The taxa recognized in the new classification of the genus are 9
species,  8  subspecies  and  2  varieties. Richard Bolli treats
North American elderberries, Sambucus canadensis and S.  cerulea
as  subspecies  of Sambucus nigra (subsp. nigra and subsp. ceru-
lea). North American members of Sambucus  racemosa  complex  are
all  treated  as  Sambucus racemosa var. melanocarpa. The author
suggests the North American origin of Sambucus racemosa from  an
ancestor  of  S.  nigra subsp. canadensis and advocates treating
Sambucaceae, Viburnaceae and  Adoxaceae  as  separate  families.
[Sambucaceae  and  Viburnaceae are traditionally considered as a
part of Caprifoliaceae.]

The publication can be ordered (no price given) from

   Institut fur Systematische Botanik
   Universitat Zurich
   Richard Bolli
   Zollikerstrasse 107
   CH-8008 Zurich
   Switzerland


US NATIONAL WILDERNESS CONFERENCE
From: Terje Vold <tvold at mfor01.for.gov.bc.ca>

The 6th interagency US National Wilderness Conference  was  held
in  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico last November, 1994. The conference,
whose theme was "The Spirit Lives," also  marked  the  30th  an-
niversary  of  the 1964 US Wilderness Act. One of the objectives
of the conference was to develop an interagency  strategic  wil-
derness  action  plan; this plan should be completed in the next
few months.

The conference was co-sponsored by  the  four  US  agencies  who
manage  designated  wilderness areas: the US National Park Serv-
ice, the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land  Management,  and
the  US  Fish  and  Wildlife  Service;  and also by the National
Biological Service and the Society of American Foresters.  About
750 people attended the conference (over 1000 wanted to but many
could not due to space limitations).

British  Columbia  participants  included  Dennis Moffatt, Brian
Dyck and Kris Kennett from BC Parks,  and  myself  (Terje  Vold)
from  the BC Forest Service. Brian presented a joint BC Parks/BC
Forest Service paper, and a poster display was set  up  on  BC's
Protected Areas Strategy.

The conference covered many themes including:

-the role  of  wilderness as core areas in maintaining biodiver-
      sity,  and  in  the  ecological   management   of   larger
      bioregions (like ecoregions or ecosections)
-the importance of the recently passed California Desert Protec-
      tion  Act  which  increases  protected areas in 25% of the
      state from 2.5 million ha to about 5.7 million  ha  (about
      45%  of  the  overall  desert area) - a 3.2 million ha in-
      crease. By comparison, there has been a  2.2.  million  ha
      increase  in  BC  over the last 2 years. The Act creates 3
      large parks and  designates  69  smaller  Bureau  of  Land
      Management and US Forest Service wilderness areas.

Some of the keynote presentations:
Stewart Udall,  writer  and conservationist, former US Secretary
      of the Interior, provided  an  introductory  talk  to  the
      conference on "Why are we here?"
Max Peterson,  former  Chief  Forester of the US Forest Service,
      now VP with the  International  Association  of  Fish  and
      Wildlife  Agencies,  provided  a  "Wilderness Perspective"
      since the first National Interagency Wilderness Conference
      in 1983.
David Brower, well-known conservationists, previously  with  the
      Sierra Club, spoke on "Wilderness Stewardship - How are we
      doing?"
Gaylord Nelson,  a  former  US senator, now a counselor with the
      Wilderness Society, talked about  "Environment-Population-
      Sustainable Development".
Ed Grumbine,  Director  of  the  Sierra  Institute and author of
      "Ghost Bears"  discussed  "Future  Trends"  in  wilderness
      preservation.
Roger Kennedy,  Director  of  US National Park Service, gave his
      vision of wilderness preservation within the national park
      system.
Joe Feller, a law professor at Arizona State  University,  spoke
      about "Grazing and Wilderness in Conflict"
Jerry Asher,  a  Bureau  of Land Management resource specialist,
      spoke about invasive alien plants and how this can  "Crush
      the Wilderness Spirit".
Ron Pulliam,  Director  with  the  National  Biological  Survey,
      discussed how  the  NBS  intends  to  provide  information
      needed to manage and conserve biological resources.
Ed Zahniser,  writer  with the National Park Service, and son of
      the author of the 1964 US Wilderness Act, Howard Zahniser,
      gave  a  personal  first-hand  account  of  his   father's
      struggles in getting the Act passed 30 years ago.
John Roush,  president  of  the  Wilderness Society, spoke about
      "The Biological Values of Wilderness".
Bruce Vento, congressman who chairs the subcommittee on national
      parks, forests and public lands,  spoke  on  "Barriers  to
      Wilderness Preservation".
There  were  many more speakers at the conference as well, and I
can provide a summary of talks I attended to anyone wanting more
information.


SUMMER JOBS IN FOREST ECOLOGY: PACIFIC NORTHWEST
From: Charles Halpern <chalpern at u.washington.edu>

DESCRIPTION: Field crew and crew leader positions are  available
to  assist  with  ecological  studies  of alternative methods of
forest harvest in the Gifford Pinchot  (Washington)  and  Umpqua
(Oregon)  National  Forests.  Tasks  will  include  establishing
permanent  plots,  sampling  understory  vegetation,   measuring
trees, assessing site characteristics, quantifying amounts/types
of  coarse  woody debris, and additional measurements to charac-
terize vegetation composition and structure.  The  locations  of
the  study  sites  and the nature of the field work will require
extended periods of camping near field sites or  in  staying  in
bunkhouses. We will work 8-day periods with 5 days off.

QUALIFICATIONS: Familiarity with the flora of western Oregon and
Washington;  previous  experience  in sampling forest understory
vegetation or coursework  in  botany  and  ecology;  ability  to
identify  plants  and  collect/catalog  specimens;  attention to
detail and legible handwriting; ability and willingness to  work
long hours under harsh field conditions.

SALARY:   $1400/month  or  more,  depending  on  experience  and
qualifications.

DURATION: 12 June through early- to mid- September 1995

CLOSING DATE: 21 March 1995. We will continue to accept applica-
tions after that date only if positions remain open.

TO APPLY: Send HANDWRITTEN letter of interest; resume; copies of
either college transcripts or professional work products; and  2
letters of reference to one of us:

MELORA GEYER  (for work in Oregon)
Department of Forest Science
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR  97331
E-mail: geyerm at ccmail.orst.edu    Phone: 503-737-6105
Phone days and hours: 2:00-5:00 pm

SHELLEY EVANS  (for work in Washington)
Division of Ecosystem Science and Conservation,
College of Forest Resources, AR-10
University of Washington, Seattle, WA  98195
E-mail: saevans at u.washington.edu    Phone: 206-685-9553
Phone days and hours: 7:30-9:30 am (Tu), 11:30-1:30 (W), 
       5:30- 7:30 pm (Th)