Summary of Presentations On Different Geological Topics, Including Wildflowers
Summarized on this page are some of the past presentations that I (Andy Fyon) have delivered, which explore the value and importance of geology, the relevance of geology to people, and the influence of geology on some plant types and plant communities.
The presentations are listed chronologically, from most recent to oldest. I have linked to some of the actual presentations. Note that the presentations site on an external website: Authorstream.com . If the performance of the Authorstream website degrades, you may find that the responsiveness of the presentation on your browser may also suffer. Also, to view the presentation, you may need a Flash-enabled browser.
Please let me know if you have difficulty seeing any presentation. Note, not all presentations are posted.
New Story-telling Series:
Black, white and brown - And I Am Not Talking About Chocolate!: During this story-telling session, I share my experiences with black bears, grizzly bears, and polar bears.
a) December 9, 2021: Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa.
Far North Experience - First Impressions: During this story-telling session, I share my first visit to a First Nation community and first time on a First Nation reserve. That community was Bear Skin Lake First Nation. It was an overwhelmingly positive experience that set the tone for the next 15 years of my visits to remote, fly-in First Nation communities across northern Ontario.
a) September 9, 2021: Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa.
Presentations:
Spring From Winter Hibernation: In this presentation, we will look at the transformation from winter to spring, including some of the different spring wildflowers. Why are spring wildflowers different? Many emerge and flower when there is still snow on the ground. They are protected from the cold by wearing a fur coat. Others create their own heat and act like a plant furnace. One of the most common spring wildflowers depends on ants to disperse its seed! Can you guess what that wildflower is? Many spring ephemeral wildflowers emerge, bloom, and set seed before the trees leaf out - and then they disappear until the next spring. Join us as we spring from winter hibernation into that lovely time of the year when green life returns and wildflowers emerge to add colour to the Earth.
April 17, 2023: Zoom presentation to Bayshore and Beyond, Ottawa, Ontario.
April 25, 2023: In-person presentation at Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario.
April 27, 2023: The Redwoods Retirement Residence, Ottawa, Ontario.
Ontario Roadside Stories: Ontario roads are home to many roadside monuments, statues and features. In this series, I highlight some of these roadside attractions and share the story of how they came to be and how it relates to the local community. This first presentation includes:
Ontario Roadside Stories #3: Apples (Colburne, Ontario) and Silver (Cobalt, Ontario). Ottawa West Community Support, March 1, 2023.
Ontario Roadside Stories #2: Bears (Winnie The Pooh), Minerals (Timmins Porcupine Gold), and Dangerous Trees (Reesor Siding Labour Incident: One of the bloodiest clashes in Canadian labour history)
February 16, 2023: The Redwoods retirement Living, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
February 28, 2023: Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (only Bears (Winnie The Pooh) and Minerals (Timmins Porcupine Gold).
Ontario Roadside Stories #1: Apples, Minerals and Trees: The Big Apple feature (Colburne), the Cobalt Headframe (Cobalt); Guy-Paul Treefall statue (Porquis Junction / Iroquois Falls) and the forest industry.
March 1, 2023: Ottawa West Community Support, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (only Colburne Apples and Cobalt Minerals).
January 24, 2023: Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
January 19, 2022: The Redwoods retirement Living, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Plant-Substrate-Climate Relationships: Changing Rules In A Changing World: Climate is an important factor influencing plant diversity and distributions, but, climate is not the only important factor. Within a climatic area, substrate geology is also an extremely important factor that influences plant diversity. As a geologist, I am fascinated by plant-substrate relationships. My presentation will touch on several distinctive plant-substrate-climate relationships that illustrate the influence of geology and climate on plant diversity. I will also speculate on the impact of a changing climate on plant diversity in some areas. The presentation will touch on several geographic areas, including: a) limestone barrens along the west coast of the island of Newfoundland; b) Calcareous habitat and Arctic Disjunct Flora, Southern Headland, Pukaskwa National Park; c) alpine plants on the ice-free landscape in front of the Athabasca glacier, Alberta.
Ottawa Valley Rock Garden & Horticultural Society (OVRGHS), November 12, 2022
Climate Change - 2022 Update: This presentation examine our present state of climate change in light of the three recent reports by the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change, including a discussion of what we can do as individuals and what we need to do collectively to influence local, national and global changes.
May 9, 2022: Ottawa West Community Support, Ottawa, Canada.
Spring is Near: In this presentation, I (Andy Fyon) follow the path from the end of winter into spring. We start with a video that touches our senses of sight and hearing as we watch the snow melt away to feed a roaring river, a marsh with spring peeper frogs, and culminates with the trees bursting out into leaf. We hear a few spring songbirds along the way. We look at a few wildflowers that use some unusual tricks to survive the unpredictable spring weather and burst into bloom on the forest floor.
February 16, 2022: Ottawa West Community Support, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
January 20, 2022: Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Insights Shared With Me By Far North First Nation People: In this presentation, I (Andy Fyon) share some insights about the reality of the remote First Nation people to help raise our awareness and understanding of life in this remote First Nation communities. These insights were shared with me while visiting and working with these remote communities between 1999 and 2015.
May 19, 2022: The Redwoods retirement Living, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
February 23, 2022: Belonging In Bayshore, Ottawa, Canada.
March 2, 2021: Pinecrest-Queensway Community Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
June 11, 2021: Ottawa West Community Support, Ottawa.
June 17, 2021: Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Recreation Group, Ottawa.
April 23, 2021: Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
December 3, 2020: Earth's Tums and Calcareous Plants (Calcareous Substrates and Calcicolous Plants): a heavily modified version of the original presentation delivered via Zoom to a group of Senior Citizens at the Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario. The heavily modified presentation touched on three topics, supported by photos of plants, landscape, birds, and animals: Topic 1: Geology influences location and types of some plants; Topic 2: Limy soil stresses plants, so how do lime-loving specialized plants survive; and Topic 3: Two examples of limy soils and plants.
November 30, 2020: Earth's Tums and Calcareous Plants (Calcareous Substrates and Calcicolous Plants): Presented to the Horticultural Societies of Parkdale and Toronto via Zoom. The presentation touched on five topics: Topic 1: Geology influences distributions and types of some plants; Topic 2: Calcicolous (calciphile) plant adaptations: what and why?; Topic 3: Calcareous substrates and plant examples; Topic 4: Does a calcicolous plant care how the calcareous substrate formed?; and Topic 5: Local environment factors.
October 22, 2020: Wilderness: (Not) Lost In The Barrens: Canada's Tundra. Presentation via Zoom to a group of Senior Citizens at the Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario. The presentation touched on the following topics: Topic 1: What is tundra?; Topic 2: Where does tundra occur?; Topic 3: What are some Tundra features?; Topic 4: What lives on the Tundra?; Topic 5: Why is tundra important?
March 2, 2020: “Copper” - a Hands-on Discussion: Presented to a group of Senior Citizens at the Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario. One of a series of hands-on discussions to introduce copper minerals and the relevance of copper in our daily lives by considering items made of copper metal.
February 4, 2020: Climate Change: Part 1: Our Grandchildren's World : Presented to a group of Senior Citizens at the Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario. This presentation summarized the factual data outlining the recent increase of greenhouse gases and the dramatic increase in global mean temperature since the industrial revolution. Evidence including calculation of carbon added to the atmosphere since the industrial revolution, model temperature calculations, variations in solar intensity, and carbon isotopic fingerprint of atmospheric carbon strongly implicate historic human activities, such as the burning of hydrocarbon fuel, as the predominant factor responsible for the recent increase of CO2 in the modern atmosphere, the increase of global mean temperature, and climate change since the industrial revolution.
January 30, 2020: Climate Change: Part 1: Our Grandchildren's World : Presented to a group of Senior Citizens at the Redwoods Retirement Residence, Ottawa, Ontario. This presentation summarized the factual data outlining the recent increase of greenhouse gases and the dramatic increase in global mean temperature since the industrial revolution. Evidence including calculation of carbon added to the atmosphere since the industrial revolution, model temperature calculations, variations in solar intensity, and carbon isotopic fingerprint of atmospheric carbon strongly implicate historic human activities, such as the burning of hydrocarbon fuel, as the predominant factor responsible for the recent increase of CO2 in the modern atmosphere, the increase of global mean temperature, and climate change since the industrial revolution.
January 29, 2020: Rocks and Minerals I Love To Eat (Or Put In My Mouth) : Presented to a group of Senior Citizens at the Ottawa West Community Support centre, Ottawa, Ontario. This was the completion of a presentation started in October 2019. To illustrate the use of minerals in the culinary, dental and health industries, we reviewed the use of feldspar in the processed food industry, fluorite in the dental and municipal water industries, and limestone, which is the mineral calcite, in the health industry.
November 21, 2019: Alien Landscapes: Salt, Shrimp, Birds and Soap - Alkali Flats!: Presented to a specific group at the Redwoods Retirement Residence, Ottawa, Ontario. This presentation reviewed some of the physical and chemical features of the amazing alkali lakes and alkali flats that occur in Saskatchewan (Chaplin) and Yukon (Takhini salt flats). The ecological and commercial role of these unusual habitats were examined, including the presence of brine shrimp, birds, and halophyte (salt tolerant) plants.
November 20, 2019: Alien Landscapes: Salt, Shrimp, Birds and Soap - Alkali Flats!: Presented to a specific group at the Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario. This presentation reviewed some of the physical and chemical features of the amazing alkali lakes and alkali flats that occur in Saskatchewan (Chaplin) and Yukon (Takhini salt flats). The ecological and commercial role of these unusual habitats were examined, including the presence of brine shrimp, birds, and halophyte (salt tolerant) plants.
November 12, 2019: Alien Landscapes: Salt, Shrimp, Birds and Soap - Alkali Flats!: Presented to a specific group at the Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario. This presentation reviewed some of the physical and chemical features of the amazing alkali lakes and alkali flats that occur in Saskatchewan (Chaplin) and Yukon (Takhini salt flats). The ecological and commercial role of these unusual habitats were examined, including the presence of brine shrimp, birds, and halophyte (salt tolerant) plants.
October 21, 2019: The Secret Colours of Some Minerals: Presented to a specific group at the Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario. This is a totally hands-on activity where we look at the different colours of the mineral quartz (the chameleon mineral), seen in day light: clear crystal quartz, milky quartz, amethyst, citrine, rose quartz, and smoky quartz. We then use ultraviolet light to look at the secret fluorescent colours of fluorite, feldspar, sodalite, ruby and calcite.
October 17, 2019: Alien Landscapes 1: Bad Dinosaurs, Bad Cowboys, Badlands! Presented at the Redwoods Retirement Residence, Ottawa, Ontario. Canada is blessed with so many fantastic landscapes, but some look absolutely foreign and alien. The badlands of western Canada are spectacular. The are awesomely colourful. They are home to poisonous rattlesnakes, black widow spiders, and scorpions. They contain some of the world’s most amazing and abundant dinosaur fossils. They are habitat for some very specialized plants. The badlands are even the subjects of some famous Canadian landscape paintings. Believe it or not, the badlands were even used by bad cowboys who hid stolen cattle and horses in caves dug into the soft rock.
October 16, 2019: Rocks and Minerals I Love To Eat (Or Put In My Mouth) : Presented to a group of Senior Citizens at the Ottawa West Community Support centre, Ottawa, Ontario. This was the first part of a presentation to illustrate the use of minerals in the culinary, dental and health industries. We reviewed the use of quartz (silica) in the processed food industry and halite (salt) in the processed food industry and to meet road safety outcomes.
October 8, 2019: Alien Landscapes 1: Bad Dinosaurs, Bad Cowboys, Badlands! Presented at the Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario. Canada is blessed with so many fantastic landscapes, but some look absolutely foreign and alien. The badlands of western Canada are spectacular. The are awesomely colourful. They are home to poisonous rattlesnakes, black widow spiders, and scorpions. They contain some of the world’s most amazing and abundant dinosaur fossils. They are habitat for some very specialized plants. The badlands are even the subjects of some famous Canadian landscape paintings. Believe it or not, the badlands were even used by bad cowboys who hid stolen cattle and horses in caves dug into the soft rock.
October 2, 2019: Alien Landscapes 1: Bad Dinosaurs, Bad Cowboys, Badlands! Presented at the Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario. Canada is blessed with so many fantastic landscapes, but some look absolutely foreign and alien. The badlands of western Canada are spectacular. The are awesomely colourful. They are home to poisonous rattlesnakes, black widow spiders, and scorpions. They contain some of the world’s most amazing and abundant dinosaur fossils. They are habitat for some very specialized plants. The badlands are even the subjects of some famous Canadian landscape paintings. Believe it or not, the badlands were even used by bad cowboys who hid stolen cattle and horses in caves dug into the soft rock. Join me to look at some features of the amazing badlands of western Canada.
November 16, 2018: Shake, Rattle and Roll: Geological Hazards, Ottawa Area. Will be presented to senior citizens of the Olde Forge Recreation Program, Ottawa, Ontario. A discussion of five natural geological hazards that occur in the Ottawa area (e.g., earthquakes, Leda Clay landslides, floods, sinkholes, and groundwater contamination).
November 14, 2018: Volcanoes: Life in The Hot Lane. Will be presented to senior citizens of the Wednesday Group , Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario. Discussion of volcanic eruptions, past and recent, and their impact on human society (e.g., climate, inventions, art, safety, aircraft).
November 5, 2018: Five Geological Materials That Changed The Course of History. Presented to senior citizens of the Monday Group, Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario. A discussion of the geological materials that characterized tool development during the Stone Age, Copper Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Cpal/Hydrocarbon Age and the impacts on human society and the Earth.
October 29, 2018: Shake, Rattle and Roll: Geological Hazards, Ottawa Area. Presented to senior citizens at Redwoods Retirement Residence, Ottawa, Ontario. A discussion of five natural geological hazards that occur in the Ottawa area (e.g., earthquakes, Leda Clay landslides, floods, sinkholes, and groundwater contamination).
October 24, 2018: Geology: Seven Effective Applications. Presented to senior citizens at the Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario. A discussion of the value and relevance of geology with examples related to public health and safety, biodiversity, environment geochemical baseline, engineering infrastructure, economy, and land-use planning.
October 16, 2018: Volcanoes: Life in The Hot Lane. Presented to senior citizens of the Tuesday Group , Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario. Discussion of volcanic eruptions, past and recent, and their impact on human society (e.g., climate, inventions, art, safety, aircraft).
April 23, 2018: Presentation to the Senior Citizens, Monday morning program, Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, K2B 7J1. Presentation title: Rocks and Minerals I Love To Eat (Or Put In My Mouth) (a discussion of some rocks and minerals that are used in processed food or for culinary purposes, dental hygiene, and to help address an upset stomach).
This presentation examines the link between rocks and minerals and food we eat, dental hygiene, and one medicinal example. The presentation was delivered by Andy Fyon on April 23, 2018, to a group of Senior Citizens, through the Olde Forge Community Resource Centre. It is part of a series of geologically-based presentations created and delivered by Dr. Andy Fyon, to Senior Citizen groups in the Ottawa, Ontario, Canada area to engage, entertain and help inform the audience about the relevance and value of geology. I am not a food or medical expert. Information presented is readily available from Internet sources. My role is to synthesize the technical information and present it in a story form to engage, entertain, and inform.
March 22, 2018: Presentation to the Senior Citizens, Redwoods Retirement Residence, Ottawa, Ontario, K2H 9B1. Presentation title: Wild Rocks - Wild Plants: Bog Monsters (a discussion of some carnivorous plants that grow in a bog).
This presentation defines four types of wetland, considered some of the geological processes that created bogs, two key factors of a bog that influenced the adaptation of plants that live in a bog, and four different carnivorous plants that live in a bog - bog monsters (if you are an insect). The presentation considers Sundew, Pitcher Plant, Butterwort, and Bladderwort. This is one of a series of geology-related nature presentations that I deliver to engage, entertain, and inform non-technical audiences, like Senior Citizens.
Click here to see Wild Rocks - Wild Plants: Bog Monsters.
March 7, 2018: Presentation to the Senior Citizens, Wednesday lunch program, Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, K2B 7J1. Presentation title: Wild Rocks - Wild Plants: Bog Monsters (a discussion of some carnivorous plants that grow in a bog).
Location: Community Resource Centre, 2730 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON, K2B 7J1
This presentation considers some of the geological processes that created bogs and the different habitat that supports some very unusual carnivorous plants - bog monsters (if you are an insect). The presentation considers the insect-trapping and subsequent insect digestion adaptations of Sundew, Pitcher Plant, Butterwort, and Bladderwort. This discussion is a small part of the Senior Citizen lunch program offered by the Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. This is one of a series of geology-related nature presentations developed by Andy Fyon to engage, entertain, and inform non-technical audiences, like Senior Citizens.
February 26, 2018: Presentation to the Senior Citizens, Day Program, Ottawa West Community Support. Presentation title: Geological Story of Some Iron Minerals.
Location: 1137 Wellington St West, Ottawa, Ontario, K1Y 2Y8
Presentation summary: This presentation, delivered to senior citizens, is intended to raise understanding about the metal iron and three minerals that have been used as a source of iron: magnetite, hematite, and pyrite. This is a non-geological audience and this is not a highly technical geological presentation. It is a form of story-telling combined with hands-on examination of the minerals. The presentation reviews some common uses of iron that are familiar to many senior citizens. Then, some very basic properties of the three minerals are reviewed before each mineral is examined in a hands-on session. Some lore and additional uses of each specific mineral are reviewed. This volunteer presentation was delivered by Dr. Andy Fyon at the Wellington Street West centre, as part of their day-program.
February 20, 2018: Presentation to the Senior Citizens, Monday day program, Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, K2B 7J1. Presentation title: Burning The Future: Fossil Fuel and Climate Change.
Location: Community Resource Centre, 2730 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON, K2B 7J1
Presentation summary: On Feb 20/18, I met with a group of Senior Citizens at the Olde Forge Community Resource Centre to discuss the geology and geological history of fossil fuels, the influence of fossil fuels on human history, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere over the past 800,000 years and the correlation with past glacial and interglacial periods, the correlation between the Industrial Revolution and CO2 concentration in the modern atmosphere, and the influence of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere on public policy and Climate Change. The topic of Climate Change is a topic that frequently surfaces during my discussions with this group of Senior Citizens. This was one of a series of volunteer geological presentations that I deliver to senior Citizens in the Ottawa area.
February 5, 2018: Presentation to the Senior Citizens, Monday day program, Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, K2B 7J1. Presentation title: Geological Story of Some Iron Minerals.
Location: Community Resource Centre, 2730 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON, K2B 7J1
Presentation summary: This presentation, delivered to senior citizens, is intended to raise understanding about the metal iron and three minerals that have been used as a source of iron: magnetite, hematite, and pyrite. This is a non-geological audience and this is not a highly technical geological presentation. It is a form of story-telling combined with hands-on examination of the minerals. The presentation reviews some common uses of iron that are familiar to many senior citizens. Then, some very basic properties of the three minerals are reviewed before each mineral is examined in a hands-on session. Some lore and additional uses of each specific mineral are reviewed. This volunteer presentation by Dr. Andy Fyon was delivered at the Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, as part of their Monday day-program.
October 16, 2017: Presentation to the Ottawa Lapsmith and Mineral Club, Presentation title: Geological Influences On Some Plant Communities.
Location: Room 22, 1000 Brookfield Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 6J1
Presentation summary: The presentation starts with the geological context for terrestrial plants, provided through a brief history of the evolution of terrestrial plants, from: algae; to non-vascular, non-flowering, seedless, bryophytes; to vascular, non-flowering, seedless plants (e.g., Lycophytes (Club-moss)); to vascular, non-flowering, seed plants called Gymnosperms (e.g. conifer trees); to vascular, flowering, seed plants called Angiosperms. This context is followed by examples of geological processes, which created landscapes and habitats, that influenced the locations and types of plant communities. Using examples from Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, the presentation covers: a) Alvar; b) Glacial meltwater valley; c) Ottawa River Channels and bogs; and d) Gros Morne ophiolite and its poisonous rock chemistry. To view the presentation, you may need a Flash-enabled browser.
June 29, 2017: Presentation to Durham Master Gardeners. Presentation title: Earth, Fire, Water, Air - geology and Plant Communities.
Location: Parkwood Estates Carriage House, 270 Simcoe St N, Oshawa, ON L1G 4T5
Presentation Summary: Geological processes create landscapes and habitats, which influence the locations and types of plant communities. Using examples from Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, the presentation covers: a) Correlation - causality - exceptions; b) Soil nutrients and plant foothold; c) Substrate conditions (acidic / alkaline or limey); d) Alvar; e) Glacial influences; and f) Poisonous rocks. To view the presentation, you may need a Flash-enabled browser.
February 18, 2017: Presentation to the St. Stephen's Anglican Church Men's Breakfast Group.
Presentation title: Geoscience - “7” Effective Applications (With Apologies To Stephen Covey)
Location: St. Stephen's Anglican Church, 930 Watson St, Ottawa, ON K2B 6B9.
Presentation Summary: Geology influences us every day, in many different ways. In addition, the application of geoscience information is essential to guide many of the complex decisions that face society. The presentation uses examples that draw on the work of the Ontario Geological Survey: a) Biodiversity, Habitat, and Geology; b) Climate Change – Agriculture, Drought Management and Geology; c) Public Safety: Geology and Landslides; d) Public Health: Groundwater and Geology; e) Environmental Geochemical Baseline: Groundwater Quality and Geology; f) Engineering Infrastructure: Road Corridors; g) Economy: Metals and Geology; and h) Land Use Planning: Geology Identifies Vulnerable Aquifers.
February 16, 2017: Presentation to Ottawa Valley Rock Garden + Horticultural Society
Presentation title: Life on, and in the Rocks: Manitoulin Island Geology and Flowering Plants
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Presentation summary: The 450 million year geological history of Manitoulin Island has a major influence on the location and types of plant communities on the island. Sand dunes, alvars, rich deciduous forest floor, and karst habitats and their flora are considered in a geological context. To view the presentation, you may need a Flash-enabled browser.
More geology and wildflower presentations are available at: Andy Fyon's Channel at Authorstream