Natural Wonders
More than a glorious stretch of the Niagara Escarpment, protecting Malcolm Bluff Shores is a gift for our descendents.
By Allan Britnell
Photography by Robert McCaw
Standing atop the Niagara Escarpment on the Bruce Peninsula, looking out at Colpoy’s Bay, visitors are treated to an impressive vista. From a clifftop stretch of the Bruce Trail, you can spot peregrine falcons soaring overhead and spy tiny, centuries-old cedars clinging to the dolostone rock face. Far below are the undulating swells of Georgian Bay.
Oasis of nature deserves new status
By Caroline Schultz
Rouge Park, North America’s largest urban park and a sanctuary for plants, animals and people, may become a national park if Ontario Nature and other groups have their say. That designation would confer greater protection on this oasis of nature located at the east end of Toronto.
The big spill
By Douglas Hunter
As the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico continued to unfold throughout the summer, Canadian scientists began considering the consequences of this unprecedented environmental disaster on the bird species that depend on the gulf region as a major winter stopover and migratory pathway.
The road to recovery
By Amber Cowie
Life in the fast lane is hazardous for all species, but navigating southern Ontario’s dense network of roads takes an especially high toll on small animals, such as turtles, snakes and salamanders. Aware of the danger cars pose to the rare Jefferson salamander, the City of Burlington recently adopted an enlightened approach to making road crossings safer for the small amphibian, which Ontario’s Endangered Species Act lists as threatened.
Rosemary Speirs: Standing up for nature
—As told to John Hassell
I have been involved with many Ontario Nature campaigns during my 10 years on the organization’s board of directors. Looking back, I’m proud of the milestones that we have reached along the way. When the mayor of Pickering openly flouted conservation easements by selling 1,600 hectares of land to developers, we took up the cause and were able to get the easements reinstated. That was a good fight, which set an important precedent.
One of-a-kind protection
By Sharon Oosthoek
Walpole Island First Nation has a long history of taking care of the rare ecosystems that make up its six delta islands at the head of Lake St. Clair. Now a group of residents is building on that history with the creation of the first Aboriginal land trust in Canada to receive charitable status.
Ontario Nature’s biodiversity Watch List
By John Hassell
Nearly 200 species of plants and animals in Ontario are classified as at risk meaning that they are in danger of becoming extinct – either locally or globally. In recognition of the International Year of Biodiversity, Ontario Nature has identified 10 species that highlight the loss of biodiversity and raise awareness about species at risk in Ontario.
