Upcoming Meetings

We meet on the first Tuesday of every month except July and August at 7:30 p.m. in the Arnprior Public Library, 21 Madawaska St.

Tuesday, September 7: After a summer of nature close at hand and field trips, we turn our attention to the skies and learn about astronomy from expert Brian McCullough.

Tuesday, October 5: David Seburn talks about turtles.

Upcoming Field Trips

New members and guests are welcome both to our meetings and field trips. All trips start at 08:30 from the Arnprior Canadian Tire parking lot unless otherwise noted. Carpooling is encouraged. For more information on our field trips or to register please contact our field trip coordinator by clicking This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

NOTE: If you join a field trip, be aware that other participants may take your picture, accidently or intentionally. So the photo may end up on the mfnc.ca or other websites. It'’s a normal part of sharing field trip fun and information. If you don'’t want your photo used this way, tell the trip leader or the field trips coordinator at the address above.

Saturday, August 28: We'll be hiking Kennelly Mountain, led by Eleanor Thomson of E.R. Thomson Botanical Surveys, to look at botany and general natural history. No snowshoes this time.

We'll leave Arnprior at the regular time and place (see above), and drive to the mountain for a leisurely ramble on the trails in the morning to look at plants and anything else people may fancy. After lunch back at the cabin, we can go back out to explore another area if desired.

A bit of rain won't stop us, so bring rain gear if it looks like it might be needed. The forecast calls for exceptional sunny, warm weather though.

Past Field Trips and Meetings (2010)

Saturday, August 14: The Young Macs headed out for a Dragonfly Day at the Morris Island Conservation Area up the Ottawa River.

Saturday, July 10: The Club hosted a hike and interpretive tour through the northern reaches of the March Highlands and we invited members of the Ottawa Field Naturalists to join us.

Sunday, June 13: The focus was earthworms – leaf litter and soil in some forests are disappearing, and the Shaw Woods was no different. This could have a lot to do with alien species of earthworms in our area, says Rob Lee, who has made a study of them. As well, Eleanor Thomson helped us look at the plants, and Dr. Kathryn Lindsay the birds, of this old-growth forest.

Tuesday, June 1: How do plants find their “niche,” a place where they are adapted to survive and prosper? Polar bears or codfish can move around to flourish, but plants can’t, so what counts most as they seek an ecological home? We found out from Prof. Lonnie Aarssen of the Queen’s University biological field station and editor of Ideas in Ecology and Evolution. Big isn't always best, when it comes to plant size.

Saturday, May 22: The 8th Annual Renfrew County Natural History Day was held at the Calabogie Community Centre. Attendees from all the Valley nature clubs learned about Renfrew County's natural history through displays, talks and nature hikes.

Tuesday, May 4: We learned about some of the most complex and visible parts of the insect world – dragonflies and damselflies – from Colin Jones of the Natural Heritage Information Centre in Peterborough. As we head into mosquito season, this was an opportunity to learn about these predators who make mosquitoes one of their favourite targets.

Saturday, May 1: We launched our revised trail guide and invited everyone to join in and take a stroll down the Macnamara Nature Trail in the Nopiming Game Preserve on Saturday May 1 at 11 a.m.  Club president Michael Runtz and officials from Nylene Canada Inc. led a mini field trip to take in spring flowers, migrating birds and the whole explosion of life that comes to the Ottawa Valley in May. This was also an important opportunity to say thank you to Nylene, which for years has granted permission for this trail to run through its property. This company has showed enormous civic spirit and concern for the natural world and it was time we let them know we appreciate it.

Monday, April 5: Club president Michael Runtz took us on our annual Owl Prowl.

Saturday, February 27: Club wildlife expert Fergus Nicoll led the Young Macnamaras to Ryan Zimmerling‚s farm in Stewartville to meet local birds and show how a bird bander entices them in, holds them safely, and gathers scientific information - all in less than 10 minutes! And we learned how to identify birds using calls, coloration and habitat. This was our biggest Young Mac turnout so far, with eight young people on hand with their parents.

Saturday, February 20: Club naturalist Gord Vogg took us into the Nopiming Crown Game Preserve for animal tracks and signs, winter plant and tree identification, winter mushrooms and even evidence of insects!

Saturday, January 16: We were invited to the Thomson cabin trails for snowshoeing, x-country skiing and winter ecology. We learned about the natural world in winter from two of the club’s most longstanding members.

Past Field Trips (2009)

Saturday, December 26: Teams of enthusiastic birders set out on the annual Arnprior-Pakenham Christmas Bird Count.

Sunday, November 8: A team of Macnamara Field Naturalists took part in the annual Macnamara Trail maintenance blitz.

Saturday, November 7: The Young Macnamaras hit the trail. Families with children and teens explored seasonal change on the Macnamara Trail.

Saturday, October 3: Our own fungi foray under the wing of MFNC's George White, "fun guy" extraordinaire.

Tuesday, September 29-Friday, October 2: Fall Fungi workshop at Queen's University Biological Field Station. Richard Aaron provided hands-on identification, and the ecology, uses and etymology of fungi in this 2½-day workshop.

Saturday, September 19-20: The Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists invited all MFNC members to their first BioBlitz at the Nature Conservancy's Bell Property.

Saturday, September 12: Carp Ridge hike through the diverse landscapes of the Forsyth property landscapes, with some of the ridge’s oldest trees, and a spruce plantation which has attracted a growing population of birds, mammals, and amphibians.

Saturday, August 22: Mike Runtz led us on our annual Wolf Howl in Algonquin Park.

Saturday, August 15: Outdoors teacher Alicia Salyi launched the first excursion of the Young Macnamaras with an insect-identification foray to nearby locations.

Saturday, June 27: Marshall Bay Paddle. We joined Steve Duffield on a paddle downstream from Arnprior on the Ottawa River to explore the bays and marshes. We searched for marsh wildlife and checked out plants along shore.

Saturday, May 30: Bioblitz day on the Macnamara Trail. With the natural riches of Arnprior’s Nopiming Game Preserve, and the membership expertise of the Macnamara Field Naturalists’ Club, it was only a matter of time before we had a Bioblitz on the Macnamara Trail which winds through the Nopiming. Members of the Club and the public hiked the Trail to compile the longest list we could of all its species – not only birds, trees and flowers, but the insects, mosses, liverworts, fungi, reptiles and amphibians that make up the less obvious but important parts of the ecological web.

Saturday, May 23: The Shady Nook Recreation Centre in Pembroke hosted this year's Renfrew County Natural History Day. There were displays, talks on everything from grasslands birds to the American eel, pollinators and fungi and an update on natural history from the Ministry of Natural Resources. Experts led participants on field trips to a local sugar bush, old growth forest, and a wetland.

Saturday, April 18: Club members gathered at the Fitzroy Harbour Community Centre for the club’s inspirational spring banquet. This was a feast for body and mind, with guest speaker Mike Cadman of the Canadian Wildlife Service and dinner catered by the Fitzroy Harbour St. George’s Anglican Church meal team.

Saturday, March 21: Ornithologist Ryan Zimmerling took us on a “Spotluck Birding Drive” to see what was flying in the early days of spring. Our focus was early migrants trickling back from southern climes.

Saturday, February 21: Naturalist Gord Vogg and man about the winter forest Steve Duffield led a walk into one of the club’s favourite natural areas, the Nopiming Crown Game Preserve.

Saturday, January 17: We enjoyed a winter trek on skis and snowshoes along the Thomson cabin trails.