Winter campus biodiversity: A snowshoe/walking tour

Join us for a guided tour to explore winter biodiversity on Loyola campus. It’s the quietest season of the year, but nature is still around us if you know how to look. If weather permits, we’ll take snowshoes (10 pairs available for free), giving participants a chance to try this quintessentially Canadian way of getting around in winter, but if you prefer to walk, that will always be an option

About the your guide

Dr. Emma Despland is a full professor in the Department of Biology at Concordia and a Fellow of the Loyola Sustainability Research Centre and of the Science College. Her research focuses on plant-insect interactions, the cornerstone of all terrestrial ecosystems, and asks questions about why insects choose to eat the plants they do, how social interactions contribute to the survival of larval insects, and how insect outbreaks explode and then collapse. Her academic interests are broad, diverse and multidisciplinary, ranging from insect nutrition and physiology, to animal behaviour, chemical ecology, outbreak dynamics and nature conservation. Another interest touches the role of scientists in informing policy in the face of the current climate and biodiversity crises. She is also deeply committed to nature education and helping people develop a connection to the natural world.

Emma also collaborates with UrbaNature, a local non-profit organization headed by Lisa Mintz, whose mission is to provide environmental education in urban and suburban settings. They facilitate the human connection with Nature, wherever it is found, ensuring their programs are available to all, especially vulnerable populations. UrbaNature will be providing the snowshoes for this event.