As 2021 comes to a close and we look forward to ringing in 2022 The Couchiching Conservancy has an incredible bounty to be grateful for, and we invite you to share the feeling.
This year, The Conservancy was able to continue its essential work despite the ongoing challenges brought on by the pandemic. The Citizen Science program continued to turn out incredible amounts of high-quality data on the health of lands and waters in our region, thanks to our volunteers. The Nature Reserves in our care continued to thrive and house species at risk, with the next generation of birds, reptiles and mammals appearing in the spring. And, my fellow staff have remained as dedicated as ever to the cause of conservation, despite the challenges of working from home, and the shifting sands of pandemic policies coming at them thick and fast.
All this is to say, that we did it. We continued our work, through it all, our sterling volunteers, our thriving nature reserves and our staff brought another successful year to a close thanks to the support of our members, donors and partners. This year, more than most it gives me hope.
Our sterling volunteers, our thriving nature reserves, and our staff brought another successful year to a close thanks to the support of our members, donors and partners.
I know that The Couchiching Conservancy is only one of dozens of land trusts in Ontario, and well over a thousand in North America alone. Moreover the land trust movement is one of hundreds of different movements that fight for the earth. There are groups fighting for clean air, clean water, and stopping deforestation across the globe. There are people dedicated to improving the lives of specific animals, like turtles, there are associations facing down the complexities of improved environmental legislation and enforcement, multitudes working in environmental education and so much more! The ripples of our combined work reach around the earth and will be the reason humanity is successful in facing down the climate crisis.
Next year can be better than this one, and the year after; better still as world leaders have agreed at Cop 26 that 1.5 degrees of warming is the target cap for global warming. They have also agreed to meet annually around the climate crisis, rather than merely every five years. Their meeting was not perfect, or enough, but it gives the one species that can save the world, a real foundation to build on and speed forward into the coming year with renewed vigor to protect our precious home.
It gives the one species that can save the world a foundation to build on.
As the drama of essential international meetings, targets and agreements play out on the world stage, The Couchiching Conservancy will be here protecting the special natural places in the Couchiching region, forever.
Please, join me in celebrating the success of this marathon year, the dedication of our land trust community, the work of our volunteers, the generosity of our donors and members, and the bright future we have to look forward to this holiday season.
Courtney Baker is the Administrative Assistant at The Couchiching Conservancy, a local land trust dedicated to protecting nature for future generations.