Provincial Election Campaign

Ontario is headed for an early election. The provincial election will be held on February 27, 2025. Now is the time to assess the candidates and parties, and their environmental platforms and commitments. We must make our voices heard about the urgent need to address the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. That can be achieved through a fair and just economy where people prosper.

Please help make the environment central to this election. Candidates must hear that voters will not stand for continued biodiversity loss and climate inaction. Together, we can be the voice for wild species and wild spaces in Ontario.

Ontario Nature has many resources to help you learn about issues and with tips for taking action, including:

• Election Webpage
• Election Action Toolkit
• Recording of Election Webinar

Nature Network Group Anniversaries

This is a banner year for Nature Network group anniversaries! Congratulations to all 33 of these groups on achieving milestones this year! You are the backbone of Ontario Nature and are doing many wonderful things for wild species and wild spaces.

There are many 30 and 40 year anniversaries, so there must have been something special happening in 1985 and 1995!

• Bert Miller Nature Club of Fort Erie: 30
• Birds Canada: 65
• Blue Mountain Watershed Trust Foundation: 30
• Durham Region Field Naturalists: 70
• Essex County Field Naturalists: 40
• Four Seasons Conservancy: 30
• Friends of Mashkinonje: 25
• Friends of Misery Bay: 30
• Friends of Murphy’s Point Park: 30
• Friends of Sauble Beach: 25
• Friends of Short Hills Park: 30
• Huntsville Nature Club: 75
• Huron Fringe Field Naturalists: 40
• Land Over Landings: 20
• Liberty Allotment Garden: 30
• Little Forests Kingston: 5

• Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists: 40
• Nature’s Calling Environmental Education: 15
• Nith Valley EcoBoosters: 10
• North American Native Plant Society: 40
• Orillia Naturalists Club: 45
• Parry Sound Nature Club: 45
• Penokean Hills Field Naturalists: 30
• Peterborough Field Naturalists: 85
• Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory: 30
• Ruthven Park National Historic Site: 30
• Saugeen Nature: 50
• Seniors for Nature Outdoor Club: 40
• The Lennox & Addington Stewardship Council: 30
• Trumpeter Swan Conservation Ontario: 50

Huron Nature Group Rebranding at 40!

The Huron Fringe Field Naturalists held their first meeting in April 1985 with 45 people in attendance. Forty years later, the group will mark the anniversary with a new name and logo.

Now known as Huron Bruce Nature, the organization is hosting a public open house Saturday, April 26 at 1 p.m. at the Point Clark Community Centre. Displays will feature the history of the group along with its programs and projects.

Article and photo courtesy of Christine Roberts.

Attend an Atlas-3 Sappy Hour!

Sappy Hour is a webinar series aimed at providing additional information on the third Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas (Atlas-3). Each Sappy Hour event is an hour-long and generally includes a 20- to 30-minute presentation followed by a Q&A. Upcoming topics include Early Results (Feb 25), Dealing with Gaps (March 11) and Trivia Night (April 8). You can register for upcoming Sappy Hours. Recordings from previous Sappy Hour events can be found on the Atlas YouTube channel.

Before You Go 

• Have you seen the Trillium Declaration? It is a well articulated response to the challenges faced from the U.S. and what we should do. Ontario Nature has supported it, and we encourage you to consider doing the same.
• Do you know a conservation champion in your community? Show your appreciation for their efforts by nominating them for an Ontario Nature Conservation Award. We are accepting nominations for our 2025 Conservation Awards until March 24.
• Try out our newest nature quiz to test your birding skills!
• Need some extra hands with your group activities this year? Submit your volunteer postings by February 25 for the March edition of our Volunteer Board Newsletter.

Events 

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

To submit your public events to our online calendar, email 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.