Episode 3

full
Published on:

7th Jun 2022

Amazing Lichens with Frances Anderson

Join Frances Anderson and I in the woods in Southwestern Nova Scotia with a couple of hand lenses. We spend a fascinating morning of lichen discovery in an area of forest on the South Shore of Minamkeak Lake near Bridgewater. 

Former librarian Frances Anderson began studying lichens in 2000. Since then she has explored thousands of kilometers of back woods in Nova Scotia, discovered lichen species new to the province and to the Maritimes, written and co-authored over a dozen papers on lichens and a field guide designed to bring (sometimes mysterious) lichens to the general public. She is a Research Associate at the Nova Scotia Museum.

Frances explains what lichens are, how they reproduce, and what roles they have within the ecosystem, how they can assist in air pollution monitoring, some applications in medicine, and also Frances talks about how much we still don’t know about lichens! 

You can find supplementary photos of some lichens that go with the audio on our facebook page.

Episode Resources:

If you are interested in purchasing a hand lens, France recommends this type: A 10x magnifying Hastings triplet lens (but maybe avoid the ultra cheap ones).

The book : Common Lichens of Northeastern North America by Troy McMullin and Frances Anderson. (If you are in Canada, Frances will send you a copy for $40 CAD + shipping. Send me a message through Shared Ground facebook page and I will put you in touch.)

Eagle Hill Institute  (in Maine)

Bioblitz Mi'kma'ki (Nova Scotia) facebook page

City Nature Challenge

An article about the decision to halt the logging of the 3 parcels to the North of Minamkeak Lake

Bridgewater Watershed Protection Alliance

Another source of information on the watershed and potential Wilderness Area: this eco-action page

Show artwork for Shared Ground

About the Podcast

Shared Ground
for thriving forests
Meet knowledge holders, foresters, naturalists, activists, scientists, visionaries, and outdoorsy people of all stripes to share delight in the wonders of forest ecosystems.
We talk about issues of forestry, conservation and interconnected topics, and discover sustainable, ecological, respectful ways of relating to the forest.
Maintaining and regenerating forest ecosystems is one of the most important necessities of our time, and contributes to everything from carbon sequestration to healthy children.

Join Amanda Bostlund as she meets with various folks in Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia) and beyond to talk about forests as our shared ground, for all species, humans and not. We explore the incredible value of thriving forests, methods and mindsets for their protection, and regenerative solutions for how we interact with and within them.

One of the main purposes of this podcast is to hear opinions, perspectives and ideas from many different people, and not to treat any of them as the be all and end all. What you hear does not necessarily represent the opinions of the host. The hope is that you consider whatever content you hear for yourself and enjoy the journey of making sense of these complicated, interconnected issues of our time.

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Podcast artwork was generously provided by Andrew Danylewich of ADJA Studio and Gallery: https://www.adjagallery.com/
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