In search of creepy crawlers
by James Paterson
From Toronto to Thunder Bay, Ontario Nature staff have been travelling across the province in search of snakes, salamanders and other creeping, crawling and slithering wildlife. As part of the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas project, conservation staff have conducted workshops, presentations and field surveys to increase awareness of and gather data about this unique group of creatures. The goal is to learn more about where reptiles and amphibians can be found and their population sizes, largely through observations that members of the public submit. Read the full article…
Beetle mania
by Peter Gorrie
After nearly a decade of destruction due to a voracious, invasive insect, a glimmer of hope is stealing into Ontario’s gloomy ash forests.
The emerald ash borer has already destroyed most of its host trees in southwestern Ontario, specifically Essex County where this creature entered the province nine years ago. On its own, and with help from humans moving firewood and other wood products, the brilliantly coloured beetle has expanded its range eastward past Toronto. Read the full article…
Climate change economics
by Peter Rosenbluth
Many in the environmental community found that the recent provincial election was as notable for what was not discussed as it was for the points of contention. Absent from most debates was any discussion of conservation in an era of climate change. While candidates crossed swords over, for example, the applicability of the HST to the price of gasoline, no one considered the near future impacts of global warming on the enormous, yet fragile, northern ecosystems. Read the full article…
Follow the leader
by Joshua Wise
This summer, the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation took a bold stance to protect the Big Trout Lake watershed by ratifying a watershed declaration and consultation protocol aimed at preserving 1.3 million hectares of boreal lakes, rivers, forests and wetlands that form the spiritual, as well as physical, centre of the community. Read the full article…
Carbon credit swap
by Allan Britnell
Most of us have known for years that trees are good for the environment, particularly because of their ability to sequester greenhouse gases spewed by cars and the other conveniences of our lives. Yet, until recently, no one knew precisely just how much carbon forests could store. But a detailed analysis published in the August 19, 2011, issue of the journal Science has cleared the air on how significant a factor forest-carbon capture is. Read the full article…
Meet our board: Freeman Boyd
John Hassell You are a farmer with a PhD in philosophy. I would think that’s a rare combination. How did it come about?
Freeman Boyd I was raised on a farm in southwestern Ontario, which my family sold when I was 10. Later, during the back-to-the-land movement in the 1970s, I bought a piece of land in Grey County, which I converted into a farm and then worked for 25 years. Read the full article…
Picture perfect
by Sharon Oosthoek
If a sasquatch were suddenly to walk out of the forest, you should try to squeeze off a few pictures, jokes nature photographer Robert McCaw. More typically, though, the best images are a result of planning, patience and a solid understanding of the habits of the animal you are trying to photograph. Read the full article…
Residents on our reserve
by Gerard Keledjian
It’s confirmed. Nesting peregrine falcons are living on what will soon be Ontario Nature’s newest nature reserve, Malcolm Bluff Shores. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) recently verified that a pair of peregrine falcons, which Ontario Nature staff discovered by accident, is nesting in the Midhurst area, the only documented nest in a natural setting in that area. The falcons – designated as threatened on the Species at Risk in Ontario (SARO) List – use various parts of the cliff in the reserve for perching and hunting, so the whole cliff face is considered to be critical habitat. Read the full article…
