“I’m glad that they are named, and I’m glad that they are much loved.”

I haven’t dug so deeply into field guides since my first semester as an undergraduate, when I needed to learn as much as possible for my Field Biology courses in Central New York. Lately I’ve been feeling like that version of myself all over, having moved 3,000+ miles (that’s 5,000+ km, guys) to an extraordinarily new environment. I’m delighted to find that there is as much new biodiversity to be found as there is enthusiasm for it.

All this to say, to list the new information I gained from this presentation would require more time than the presentation itself. As a sampling: I particularly enjoyed learning that there are areas of British Columbia with unexpected high biodiversity, as my thesis will bear heavily on the statistics thereof. That geology is directly related to the plant and lichen ecology of a given place is also new information that may help inform the geographic foci of my research; ditto the occurrence of specialist vegetation as a hotbed for niche specie.

Biodiversity indexing is a useful tool for understanding which areas are representative of the province and overall geography of Canada, and therefore are likely to merit protected area designation or management through other effective conservation measures. Understanding this process is integral to developing my understanding of the data I encounter and utilize, and lends me an appreciation for the work already done to validate it. If this body of information on the Robson Valley is any indicator, there are more delightful surprises forthcoming, and I anticipate them, hopefully, with the quiet and fervent love that Dr. Bjork conveys for his subject. .

If the content were not enough, Dr. Bjork’s presentation style, in my view, is the paradigm we should all strive for. He was well-versed in his subject as well as being an eloquent speaker; my margins were filled with poetic phrases such as “floristic checklist” and “electronic herbarium;” even “exploratory taxonomy” has a beautiful cadence. His expressive language and engaging photos lent much to the presentation and made it easy to pay attention. The enthusiasm with which he regards and conveys his research is clear in his presentation of such. These factors combined created an environment in which it was easy to follow a topic foreign to myself, and likely many other audience members.

As questions arose, Dr. Bjork was equally adept at providing responses. In some instances, he was able to articulate multiple theories in detail, but in understandable terminology. In others, he led by stating he was not an authority in the species in question (woodland caribou), but spoke to his understanding of the situation from his perspective with room to suggest his specialization was not the place for the answer.