Studies show that gratitude can change our lives. For the next 30 days, we’re going to express our gratitude for this amazing organization.
Get Outside: Adventures After Dark
Throw your fear of the dark aside, and follow along with Julia Wolst, as she explains the benefits and fun that can be had at night.
Tim-brrrr – exploring the Kris Starr Sanctuary
The Kris Starr Sanctuary is a mixture of alvar and Canadian Shield, with a diverse variety of species. The Head Rivers runs through a section of the property, and to the north, the property connects to the Queen Elizabeth II Provincial Park creating a vast wildlife corridor. Learn about the history of the property here.
How do you save a piece of wilderness?
The concept of a land trust came to this region in the early 1990s when a handful of motivated people were looking for new ways to preserve wilderness areas.
Notes from the Field Fall/Winter 2014
Follow along with our volunteers and Stewardship Program Manager, David Hawke and learn about what it takes to care for land.
Life on the inside: Forest interiors
Several hundred years ago, lush, green forests covered almost all of southern Ontario. The forests were made up of trees of various species, sizes, and ages with shrubs and woodland flowers underneath. Wildlife abounded in these wooded areas. There were few openings in the forest canopy except where weather systems had downed trees or where native grasslands thrived.
Neighbourhood green space is like money in the bank
Real estate agents use every tool at their disposal to get an edge in a competitive market when they are trying to sell homes.
Scarlet Sumac Comes in Two Forms
On the Carden Alvar, a different form of sumac takes over where the thin soils over limestone bedrock create more difficult growing conditions. Fragrant sumac, as its name suggests, releases a pleasant citrus-like aroma when its young leaves are crushed. This species turns red in the autumn as well, but a somewhat softer, rosier shade than its staghorn cousin.
American robin; a welcome spring visitor
American Robins are members of the Thrush family, which also includes Eastern Bluebirds, and like other members of the family they are one of the first of our backyard birds to set up house and raise a family. In just a few days after their arrival back in our area from their migration, the nest building begins. Some individuals will build in the same location as long as they live and then other members of the family will continue the tradition. The bracket attaching a coach light to our house has been a nesting location for Robins since we built the house many years ago. A pair of Robins may have three different broods each year, raising 3-5 young in each brood. Females incubate the eggs for about 14 days. Both parents will feed the young.
East Coulson Swamp Nature Reserve
Every piece of land has a story. Sometimes it’s a tale of fortunes made and lost or historic efforts great and small.
For green spaces, sometimes it’s a story of overuse and recovery but often it is a celebration of dedicated individuals who cherish the natural values of the land. This is one of those stories.
The red-shouldered hawk was once common in southern Ontario, but suffered a decline several decades ago. Through conservation efforts this magnificent raptor has made a strong comeback.
Its recovery owes much thanks to famed author Margaret Atwood, who donated 87 acres of wetland and woodland near Bass Lake in Oro-Medonte Township to the Nature Conservancy of Canada.