Tell Us What Protected Places Mean to You

Our thanks to the more than 4,300 individuals who have signed our protected places declaration and the 110 organizations that have endorsed it. Now we want to hear from you! Please sign our protected places guestbook and tell us why you care about protecting Ontario’s natural places because your stories bring the campaign to life. We have been incredibly inspired by what everyone has said so far. Our supporters’ passionate comments motivate us to push even harder to reach our goal of protecting at least 17 percent of Ontario’s lands and inland waters by 2020.

2018 Greeting Cards Now Available

The holiday season will be here before you know it. To help you prepare, this year’s greeting cards are ready to order! You can choose cards with a seasonal message or ones that are blank inside. Get yours today and check one more item off your ‘to do’ list. This year’s card features a photo of festive red crossbills by renowned nature photographer Robert McCaw. Proceeds from the sale of the cards support our work to protect the wild species and spaces you love, and help spread our conservation message.

See the Benefits of Fire at Stone Road Alvar Nature Reserve

This fall our conservation staff will conduct a prescribed burn at our Stone Road Alvar Nature Reserve on Pelee Island. Fire is a natural part of the ecology of grassland-alvar communities like those at Stone Road Alvar. It plays an important role in decreasing woody shrubs and increasing the number and variety of native alvar species, such as nodding onion, grey-headed coneflower and climbing prairie rose. After the burn, we invite you to visit this biodiverse and beautiful property to witness these benefits firsthand.

The 2018 Field Season Draws to a Close

Our conservation staff is busy wrapping up another successful field season. If you’ve been to Petrel Point Nature Reserve recently, you’ll notice that construction of the second phase of the wheelchair accessible boardwalk is almost complete. At Sydenham River Nature Reserve, we mapped vegetation for the restoration of farmland to biodiverse floodplains that will one day create habitat for at-risk birds such as meadowlarks and cerulean warblers. We also hosted endangered ginseng workshops that presented management and monitoring strategies to help preserve these endangered plants.

Take a Healthy Hike this Fall

Boost your health and wellness by joining Conservation Ontario’s Healthy Hikes initiative. Each year, Healthy Hikes encourages Ontarians from all walks of life to step into nature at one of Ontario’s nearly 300 conservation areas. As a hiker, you are invited to snap a fun selfie or nature image and share it on social media using the hashtags #HealthyHikes and #StepIntoNature. You can also register to track your time spent hiking at conservation areas.

Events

• Outing to Scanlon Creek Conservation Area, Saturday September 22 @ 6:30am; meet at the South Barrie GO station parking lot; for more information contact Paul Forde at 58forde@gmail.com.
• Fall Fern Walk near Singhamton with Alex Mills, Saturday September 29 @ 8:30 am; meet at the Little Lake parking lot; for more information contact Alex Mills at 705-739-1094.
• Birder Murder Mysteries with Steve Burrows, Friday October 12 @ 7:30pm at the North West Barrie United Church Hall (464 Ferndale Drive North) in Barrie: for more information visit www.bfnclub.org.
• Birding Simcoe Shores, Saturday October 13 @ 9:00am; meet at the City of Barrie Dock Road municipal parking lot; for more information contact Jim Coey at 705-543-1866.
• A Fall Hike in the Copeland Forest Tract, Saturday October 20 @ 9:00am; meet at the Little Lake parking lot and note that this is hunting season so wear bright clothing; for more information contact Dave Lord at 705-835-6642.
• The Ontario Big Year with Jeremy Bensette, Friday November 16 @ 7:30pm at North West Barrie United Church Hall (464 Ferndale Drive North) in Barrie; for more information visit www.bfnclub.org.
• Outing to Look for Lake Simcoe Migrants, Saturday November 17 @ 9:00am; meet at the City of Barrie Dock Road municipal parking lot; for more information contact Chris Evans at 705-722-1136.

• The Soil Food Web and What it Means to You with Paul Cray (Turf Mechanic), Tuesday October 9 @ 7:30pm at Queensville Holland Landing United Church (20453 Leslie Street) in Queensville; visit www.ysnatureclub.com for more information.
• The Gray Jay with Dan Stickland (Algonquin Park), Tuesday November 13 @ 7:30pm at Queensville Holland Landing United Church (20453 Leslie Street) in Queensville; visit www.ysnatureclub.com for more information.

• Butterflies: Fluttering Across the Country with James Kamstra, Wednesday October 3 @ 7:30pm; for more information contact Fern Splichal at (705)325-2952.
• Outing to Adams Nature Reserve, Saturday October 13 @ 10:00am; meet behind Zehr’s to carpool; for more information contact Marily Clark at 705-329-2845.
• Our Amazing Canada Jays: The Impossible Birds of our Country’s Northern Forests with Dan Strickland (Algonquin Provincial Park), Wednesday November 7 @ 7:30pm at the Orillia Museum of Art & History in Orillia; for more information contact Heather Ewing at 705-259-0797.

• Outing to Morningstar Mill, Saturday September 23 @ 10:00am; meet at the mill (2714 Decew Road) in St. Catharines; for more information contact Win Laar at 905-262-5057.
  

• What are Birds Doing Now? With Mark Wiersinski, Monday September 17; for more information visit the Saugeen Nature website.
• Saugeen Conservation Watershed Report Card 2012 – 2016 with Shaun Anthony, Monday October 15; for more information visit the Saugeen Nature website.

• Norfolk County Mushroom Outing, Saturday September 30 @ 7:30am; meet at Shoppers Drug Mart plaza in Fonthill to carpool; for more information contact Carol Horvat at 905-687-8562.

• A Wildlife Teacher in South Korea with Brian Dean, Thursday September 20 @ 7:30 pm at Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre in Midland; for more information contact Ken MacDonald at susan.ken.macdonald@gmail.com.
• Outing to Scales Nature Park, Saturday September 22 @ 11:00am in Orillia; cost is $20; for more information or to register contact Susan Hirst at s.hirst@rogers.com.
• Algonquin Through the Seasons with Lev Frid, Thursday October 18 @ 7:30pm; for more information contact Ken MacDonald at susan.ken.macdonald@gmail.com.
• Autumn Outing to Copeland Forest, Saturday October 20 @ 9:30am; meet at the parking lot at Third Line off Ingram Road; for more information contact Susan Hirst at s.hirst@rogers.com.

• TD Tree Day, Saturday September 22 @ 9:00am at 1203 Whistle Bare Road (South Gate) in Cambridge; for more information visit the rare website.
• Annual Walk and Run for rare, Sunday September 30 @ 9:00am in Riverbluffs Park in Cambridge; for more information visit the rare website.
• Craig Campbell Fern Walk, Saturday October 6 @ 1:00pm at the Thompson Tract trails; meet at Maple Lane trail head; for more information visit the rare website.
• Garlic Planting Party with Bob Wildfong, Thursday October 11 @ 6:00pm at Springbank Gardens (681 Blair Road) in Cambridge; for more information visit the rare website.
• Bird Photography Workshop with Adam Gray, Sunday October 14 @ 4:00pm at Lamb’s Inn (1679 Blair Road) in Cambridge; for more information visit the rare website.
• Fall Tree ID Hike with Megan Rowcliffe, Sunday October 21 @ 10:00am at the George Street parking lot; for more information visit the rare website.
• Ecology Basics Nature Hike with Dr. Ellen Esch, Saturday November 3 @ 9:00am at the ECO Centre (768 Blair Road) in Cambridge; for more information visit the rare website.
• Owl Prowl with Jason Bracey, Friday November 16 @ 7:00pm at the ECO Centre (768 Blair Road) in Cambridge; for more information visit the rare website.
• Moccasin Workshop with Christine Lefebvre, Saturday November 17 @ 10:00am at the ECO Centre (768 Blair Road) in Cambridge; for more information visit the rare website.
• Yoga in North House with Jo VanGroningen, Wednesday December 5 @ 7:00pm at North House (681 Blair Road) in Cambridge; for more information visit the rare website.
• Indigenous Food Garden Presentation with Dr. Andrew Judge, Friday December 7 @ 6:30pm at the ECO Centre (768 Blair Road) in Cambridge; for more information visit the rare website.

Upcoming Deadlines

The next issue of the Nature Network News will be sent on October 15, 2018. The deadline for submissions is October 1, 2018. Submissions can be sent to naturenetwork@ontarionature.org. Please note that events can be listed up to two months in advance – allowing others to put it on their calendar well in advance.

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