InfoGault June 2022

2022 Gault Research Awards

Biology students collect data on Lake Hertel

Photo: Alex Tran

This year, the Gault Nature Reserve presented five research awards to students from the McGill University Faculty of Science for projects to be carried out at the Reserve in 2022.

The awards were given for projects that complement the Reserve’s mission. Their findings will have concrete impacts for the Reserve and the society. More than that, however, the research will be an invaluable experience for these students and an important springboard for their careers. They can carry out their research thanks to the generosity of our numerous donors.

Thank you so much for your support!

Award Recipients

From left to right : Savannah Bissegger O’Connor, Emma Derrick, Maxime Guglielmetti, Kari Hollett and Maude Lachapelle.

From left to right: Savannah Bissegger O’Connor, Emma Derrick, Maxime Guglielmetti, Kari Hollett and Maude Lachapelle.

Learn about their projects

Cute as a Button

winter wren

Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis)
Photo: Daniel Jauvin

With its short tail cocked high and its narrow, pointed beak open between snaps at insects, the winter wren is preparing to sing its complex song. This round little passerine is pint-sized (only 9 g!) but full of energy. A winter wren builds its nest low to the ground—or rather its nests, since the male builds several for the female to choose from—in coniferous forests. An old stump or a tangle of tree roots is the perfect spot. Later in fall, this busy little bird will head south to the balmier skies of the United States. A few individuals do stick around, though, to live year‑round in the southernmost reaches of Quebec.

By Johanne Ménard from the Société d’ornithologie de la Vallée du Richelieu. To learn more about the SOVDR and become a member : info@sovdr.org (This text appeared in issue 25 Nature sauvage.)

A Successful 24 Hours of Science

Participants getting ready to launch a weather balloon under the supervision of Juliann Wray, student of atmospheric sciences at McGill University

Launching a weather balloon under the supervision of Juliann Wray, student of atmospheric sciences at McGill University

Photo: Alex Tran

A whole crowd of you came to join in the various activities of the 24 Hours of Science on May 6 and 7. After more than two years of pandemic postponement, it was wonderful to host school groups again! Even the sun came out to join the festivities.

Over 90 students and 250 total participants were able to learn about a variety of scientific fields, explore research at the Reserve and learn amid nature. We look forward to seeing even more of you at the next edition of 24 Hours of Science!

Learn more

Field Horsetail - Kipskol

Abenaki Specialist Michel Durand Nolett on Medicinal Plants

Field horsetail – Kipskol

Field Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

Photo: Alex Tran

The horsetail is a small plant that grows in damp spots near running water. It has a bushy look to it, and is commonly called “foxtail” by Abenaki Elders, says Michel Durand Nolett.

Field horsetail can be dried and then ground to a fine powder that is used to help stem heavy bleeding. This property is due to its high concentration of silica.

Watch the video

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This project was done in partnership with McGill University’s Indigenous Initiatives unit and the Grand Conseil de la Nation Waban-Aki. We would like to remind you that, to protect the balance of our ecosystem, you should not remove any natural items from the Reserve.

Annual Cards are Going Digital

Photo: Anne-Sophie Nadeau

The plastic annual cards have been replaced by a digital card system. In May, all annual cardholders have received their digital card in an automated email from odoo@reservegault.ca. This digital card can be saved on your phone as a JPEG and be used on your next visit to the Reserve. Your old card will work until June 30, 2022.

A Self Guided Tour of the Purple Trail

Photo: Alex Tran

Are you up for a guided tour of the Gault Nature Reserve? We have developed a self-guided tour: the Pocket Naturalist. This guide will allow you to explore the purple trail in a whole new way.

Let us guide you through your phone* as you wander in this old-growth forest, stroll through meadows, and follow the water as it flows through the mountain. For the young and young at heart, this approximately 90-min hike will invite you to look closer at the nature that surrounds you.

^{*Note: the tour can also be done in a classroom or in the comfort of your home}

Start exploring

Blast from the Past

Weather Station in the 60's

Patrick D. Baird, first director of the Gault Nature Reserve, takes a reading of weather data

Photo: McGill University

In 1960, McGill University installed a weather station in the meadow. Pictured here: Patrick D. Baird, first director of the Gault Nature Reserve, takes a reading of weather data. Nowadays, the Gault Nature Reserve contains a network of autonomous weather stations that continuously monitor environmental conditions in the forest ecosystem. These weather stations are linked via radio to a central server that records and stores the information.

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About our Blast from the Past series

As owner and guardian of the Gault Nature Reserve, we plan to celebrate the university’s bicentennial by publishing a monthly photo in InfoGault. Each photo will capture a moment from the history of this beautiful site.

Réserve naturelle Gault

422, chemin des Moulins

Mont-Saint-Hilaire (Québec) J3G 4S6

Courriel

Téléphone : 450 467-4010

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