November 2022 conservation updates for Ontario Nature’s 155-plus member groups and their members.
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November 2022 conservation updates for Ontario Nature’s 155-plus member groups and their supporters. Together, we are the voice for nature. Please share this monthly newsletter with members of your group.

sprawl

 

Nightmare Bill Proposed

The Government of Ontario is proposing disturbing law and policy changes through Bill 23. These changes will undermine environmental protection across the province and will severely constrain our collective ability to engage in municipal planning decisions. This Bill 23 backgrounder summarizes our chief concerns.

As if Bill 23 wasn’t bad enough, the provincial government is now proposing to open lands in the Greenbelt for development. See this joint statement from the Ontario Greenbelt Alliance Steering Committee opposing the proposal.

We would appreciate your help in raising awareness about these law and policy proposals. They spell disaster for the farmland and natural areas that sustain us, and will stymie societal efforts to address the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss through enlightened environmental planning and decision-making.

Please sign and share our Action Alert that will send your concerns to the ministers involved and your local MPP. You may also want to read and share our blog: Bill 23 – What You Need to Know.

Nature Network groups, we are drafting letters to respond to each of the elements of the proposed bill that we will be circulating for your support over the next month, so please keep your eyes on your inboxes for those.

Environmental Defence has also collated this list of rallies being held against the bill and associated greenbelt changes that you may want to attend to show in person that this matters!

Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve

 

Ojibway National Urban Park

The Ojibway Prairie Complex in Windsor is a true gem – no other site in Ontario supports such a high concentration of rare species. Significant effort over several decades has led to an opportunity to create an Ojibway National Urban Park. There are currently two processes being proposed for this, one through a private members' bill (Bill C-248) and the other through a process started by Parks Canada to create 30 national urban parks across Canada by 2030. Local nature groups, including Nature Network members The Friends of Ojibway Prairie, the Essex County Field Naturalists’ Club and the Canada South Land Trust, have been actively participating in both processes in hopes of steering collaboration toward an outcome that everyone can be proud of. Creating the park through strong legislation that prioritizes ecological integrity, maximizing the park boundaries, fostering partnerships with Indigenous communities and robust community consultation are among the objectives being advocated for.
  • Friends of Ojibway submission to the Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development regarding Bill C-248
  • Ontario Nature’s submission to the Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development regarding Bill C-248
Story and photo submitted by the Friends of Ojibway Prairie. 

2022 Youth Summit High Park Bird Watching Hub

 

Youth Summit: Thank You for Your Support!

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Nature Network groups that sponsored a young person to attend the 2022 Youth Summit for Mother Earth. This year, 31 member groups sponsored youths across Ontario. Held September 24 and 25, the re-imagined summit brought together 36 young leaders and four youth mentors virtually or in-person at one of our four hubs to network with each other, learn about important topics such cultural humility and discuss environmental issues in their communities.

Your generous support made this possible! Sponsoring groups can expect to receive their sponsor packages, including information about the youth they sponsored, in December.




invasive phragmites, phragmites removal

 

Let’s De-Phrag the Marsh!

Friends of Second Marsh received $35,000 from the provincial Great Lakes Local Action Fund in support of their Let’s De-Phrag the Marsh! project. The funding will be used to help in the fight to eradicate invasive phragmites from Second Marsh in Oshawa, the adjacent McLaughlin Bay Wildlife Reserve and their watersheds. Phragmites is an invasive, non-native plant that requires human intervention to control its impact on the environment and prevent its spread. If left unchecked, it squeezes out native plant biodiversity, grows to up to five meters high, obscures views, creates fire hazards and offers little food or shelter to native wildlife.

Article and photos submitted by Friends of Second Marsh

Midland painted turtle

Help Us Protect Wetlands

Mark your calendars! November 29th is Giving Tuesday, a day for Canadians to give to the causes that mean the most to them. If you give to Ontario Nature this Giving Tuesday, you will be helping us to protect wetlands, which are vital for conserving biodiversity and adapting to the impacts of climate change. But you don’t have to wait until November 29th! When you donate today your gift will be matched with a donation from our friends at Quest Nature Tours (up to $7,500). Together, we hope to raise $30,000 towards protecting our essential wetlands in Ontario.

To learn more about Ontario Nature's wetlands campaign, please consider joining us November 22 at 2:00 p.m. for our "Working Together for Ontario's Wetlands" webinar. This session will highlight the immense value of wetlands, the threats they are facing and the work being done by Ontario Nature, local groups and dedicated individuals to protect these critical ecosystems. Register for the webinar.




Ojibway Prairie Nature Reserve

Interesting Links and Opportunities

  • Ontario Nature Protected Places team developed this amazing report on measuring Carbon Stock Assessments to Support Conservation. You can also watch the webinar about this work.
  • See all our information and resources on Bill 23 and Greenbelt proposals on our Bill 23 campaign webpage.
  • FLAP and Nature Canada are doing a Rally for Bird Friendly Ontario on November 15.
  • The annual Christmas Bird Count is just around the corner!  Make sure you are signed up to participate in your area.
  • Miss an issue of the Nature Network News? No problem, you can still read past issues of the Nature Network News on our website!
downy woodpecker at feeder

Events

See our events calendar for a complete listing of events organized by Ontario Nature and Nature Network groups. 





To submit your public events for the online calendar, send them to noahc@ontarionature.org at any time and allow up to a week for posting. Please send only events that are open to the public and no more than three events per month.


Submit and Share!

We want to include more content from the network and will feature a story or two each month from network groups, as well as other resources. We encourage you to share your stories and links by sending to naturenetwork@ontarionature.org.

Ontario Nature publishes the Ontario Nature Network News every month with contributions from our member groups and staff. We grant permission for use of the information above in member group newsletters. Please credit either Ontario Nature or the member group when appropriate.

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Photos © Noah Cole, Friends of Objiway Prairie, Emma Horrigan, Friends of Second Marsh, Bill Kendall, Tom Preney, Tina DaPuglet