Three More Groups Join the Nature Network!

Our Network just keeps growing! We are happy to welcome three new groups this fall. They are:

Friends of Stittsville Wetlands was formed in 2023 with the mission to protect, restore, regenerate and rewild our wetlands for future generations. The group is deeply concerned about the threats to a large, local wetland complex and the recent policy changes that weaken wetland protection. Located in Stittsville, southeast of Ottawa, they will join the Ontario East region.

Ontario Eastern Bluebird Society is a province-wide charity with the multi-part mission to increase the number of managed nest box trails provide guidance to new nest box trail operators, monitor population trends, further knowledge of eastern bluebirds and provide a forum for exchanges of ideas. They will join the network as a Provincial Partner.

West Lake Community Association was formed in 2020 with the mission to encourage community involvement to help preserve the uniqueness of special lake communities, and the fragile and biodiverse ecosystem in rural Prince Edward County. They seek to preserve the natural habitat of the wildlife that is increasingly at risk from climate change and humans. Located in Prince Edward County, they will join the Ontario East region.

Welcome to these new groups. That is a total of 12 groups that joined the Nature Network in 2023, making for an amazing year of increased networking and collaboration across the province!

Conservation Awards Nominations Open

Do you know a conservation champion in your community? A great way for us all to show appreciation for the people who do so much for nature is to nominate them for an Ontario Nature Conservation Award. Our 2024 Conservation Award nominations are now open. Visit our website to read the details of the awards procedure and to take note of important dates. Nature Network groups qualify to submit nominations for conservation champions in their region.

Wetland Rebuttals

A disturbing article was published this fall, claiming that protections for wetlands impeded economic growth in northern Ontario. There were many things in this article that were concerning, and it even contained false statements of facts. Wetlands are vital to the health of our ecosystems province-wide and we couldn’t let this stand unchallenged. We do not want to see the destruction of wetlands in the north that we have seen in the south. Our Conservation Policy team and Nature Network groups teamed up to publish rebuttals to this article in two northern Ontario newspapers, The Sudbury Star and the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Herald.

Read our blog on this issue.

Clearview EcoPark Boasts Both Wildlife and Gardens

Our Ontario Nature Huronia Nature Network Groups visited the Clearview EcoPark in Stayner (link) in November and were impressed by what they saw.

The EcoPark was developed in 2014/15 by Clearview Township with the help from Stayner Collegiate High School and funding from the Nature League, Collingwood (a Nature Network group). EcoPark now boasts accessible walking trails, interpretive signs, two bird blinds, the Infinity Pollinator Garden, a memorial garden and the Clearview Community Garden which helps supports the local food bank.

The EcoPark and its sewage lagoons creates a Simcoe County birding hotspot with over 200 different species of birds using this area to migrate through and live in Clearview Township. Birds Canada newly installed a Motus Wildlife Tracking Station that uses radio telemetry from tagged birds, bats and butterflies that pass through the EcoPark to better understand the ecology of migratory animals.

Two capital projects were completed this year including a floating dock and a barn swallow structure.

The EcoPark is a unique venture that brings together many partners and sustainability efforts in a model that we hope others will follow.

Save the date!

There are two dates we have for you to block in your calendar:

Webinar on Stewardship of Natural Areas including tips and best practices: Wednesday January 31, 2024. Stay tuned for more details.

Ontario Nature’s 2024 Annual Gathering is set for May 31 – June 1, 2024, in the spectacular Saugeen Bruce Peninsula. You can learn more at ontarionature.org/annual-gathering.

Interesting Links and Opportunities

• Ontario Master Naturalists certificate course winter session and winter workshops are open for registration
• The $500,000 fight to save a Muskoka wetland
• How climate change and nature loss are interconnected
• Battery plant?

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 and allow up to a week for posting. Please send only events that are open to the public and no more than three per month.