| November Date: Tuesday 4th, 2025 Guest Speaker: Peter Ballin Topic: The Wisdom of Turtles link to YouTube video |
Western painted turtles, the only native freshwater turtles in British Columbia, are endangered on our coast and of special conservation concern in the Interior. We will examine the natural history of these enigmatic creatures, including who they are, their life histories, their adaptations, and Peter’s research on them over the last two decades, in and around Niskonlith Lake, which lies about 50k east of Kamloops.
Peter holds zoology degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and UBC. His research there and afterwards focused on the behavioural ecology of fishes, including field studies in Trinidad, British Columbia, and the Caribbean.
~~~
Peter instructed biology at Vancouver Community College for 35 years, including a stint teaching science education at UBC. At VCC, he served as Science Department Head, taught in the Provincial Instructor’s Diploma Program, and developed a Continuing Education Program, including a natural history section.
After his retirement in 2006 he was adopted by Thompson Rivers University. His retirement goals focus on environmental education and conservation research and advocacy. He serves as a facilitator with the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation Education, volunteers at the Vancouver Aquarium, and just stepped down from the chair position of the conservation committee of BC Nature. He belongs to the Kamloops Naturalists’ Club and Nature Vancouver.
One cold day at Niskonlith Lake the ice formed quickly, and through it he saw turtles walking along the bottom; this sparked his interest in studying the turtles there, which he has done since 2003.
See links to all recorded Presentations at
YouTube Playlist DNS Meetings Presentations
Posters Archive is a collection of Posters for DNS Meetings since 2007 by Geof Hacker and Freddie Whiting
Delta Naturalists Society 