The 9th year of Passport to Nature is in the books! This year we reached over 350 participants with a hybrid program of in-person events, virtual seminars and downloadable activities. Visit https://couchichingconserv.ca/passport-to-nature/ to learn more about how to get out – connect – protect. Below is a recap of this year’s events! A big thank you to the sponsors who made it possible, including Jackie Ramler – Raymond James Executive Wealth Advisory, Cuisinart, Sojourn, Parklane Landscapes, Quayle’s Brewery, Lake Country Physiotheraphy, Orillia Home Hardware, Scott Inc Design+Build, Family of Angela Rehhorn and Sojourn Outdoors.
June 10th, 2023: Grassland Bird Walk
For our first in-person Passport to Nature event of the year, participants embarked on a Grassland Bird Walk at Turnbull Ranch, led by expert naturalist Ginny Moore, to learn about the Carden Alvar and some of the species who call it home.
Species they heard include: Catbird, Vireo, and Sandhill Cranes. Species they saw include: Bobolink, Meadowlark, Sparrows, Blue Heron, Starling, and a bear!
August 5th, 2023: Paddle Party on the Black River
This event, led by Phil Careless, took place at the Ron Reid Nature Reserve – one of our wildest properties, at 729-acres. Participants paddled from the Rosebush Landing to the foot of Ragged Rapids and back, while attempting to identify species from the level of the river. We had absolutely perfect weather, and even a breeze to keep bugs away!
August 20th, 2023: Fascinating Forests
Another Passport to Nature event took place at Adams Nature Reserve, this time Fascinating Forests led by Naturalist Chase Moser. Participants hiked through the forest as Chase led a captivating tour, providing all kinds of information about the trees, geology, forest floor and mushrooms which are sprouting up everywhere!
The weather was grey and cast the forest in moody lighting to start but brightened up with sunshine by the end.
September 10th, 2023: Foraging for Fungi Photos
For this event, we were joined by naturalist and community scientist David Cowl to ‘Forage for Fungi Photos.’ Participants embarked on a mushroom hunt through Grant’s Woods Nature Reserve to identify a diverse range of fungi on the forest floor, and learn why foraging with a camera is a much more sustainable option.
October 1st, 2023: Painting in the Wildlands
On a beautiful October day, we were joined by Doug Cooper, a well-known artist from Washago, to do some painting in the Wildlands.
This 3-hour outdoor acrylic painting workshop took place at the Alexander Hope Smith Nature Reserve, providing stunning vistas to inspire our participants.
September-November: 30th Anniversary Art Contest
We held an art contest in celebration of our 30th anniversary! Staff narrowed the entries down to top four finalists, and then opened it up to the community for public voting. Congratulations to the winner, Kelsey Nicholls! you can now shop her beautiful design on our online merchandise shop! You can also check out Kelsey’s other artwork on her website.
January 27th, 2024: Children’s Story Walk
We teamed up with the Orillia Public Library for a Children’s Story Walk through the forest. Also celebrating Family Literacy Day, the library staff chose a special nature story to read page by page as families hiked through beautiful Scout Valley. The kids were also looking for unique natural features along the walk by following our scavenger hunt, and finished the walk off at Regan House with a warm cider and a craft!
Look at these happy faces!
February 11th, 2024: Books n’ Beer Club
This was our second Passport “book club” event. For this outing, participants read “Empire of the Wild” by award-winning author Cherie Dimaline of the Georgian Bay Métis community. While exploring East Coulson Swamp, a local Nature Conservancy of Canada trail, event leaders guided a chat about the novel while working up a thirst to continue the discussion at Quayle’s Brewery!
Digital & Self-Guided Events
We had a number of events that were available as digital & self-guided, year-round. These included:
- Experience the Carden Alvar & Experience the Wildlands road trip packages
- Three seasonal ‘Saving Nature’ Missions: Summer, Autumn, and Fall.
- Three digital downloads: Birding by Ear, Conservancy Trails 101, and a Family Fun Collection
Autumn ‘Mission Possible’
THANK YOU!
To the businesses who have supported this program and our conservation efforts. To our wonderful committee for bringing this program to life: Kathy Hunt, Janet Machan, Jamie Ross, Jane Sloley, Susan Crowe, Sarah Papple, Tanya Clark and Madeleine Fournier. To our volunteer photographers Nicole Rulff, Joseph Horne, and Cassie Pellerin. And to our Board of Directors for all of their support! And to our talented event leaders who share their time and expertise.
Sponsorship
Each year we offer a variety of events and activities through the year to connect people to nature. Over nine years we have grown and adapted the program and at the core of the program is the goal to offer these events and activities at no cost or low cost. That’s where sponsorship comes in. Caring businesses sponsor events and in return we include them in the Passport to Nature booklet and marketing.
Have a business or know a business that could help? Please send them our info package! We sometimes also have kind offers from individuals to help us cover the cost to run this program – and yes, we can absolutely use the assistance.
See the sponsor info package (and a sneak peak of the 2024-25 program!) here
2024-25 Passport to Nature
This year marks the 10 year anniversary of the Passport to Nature program! Our committee is hard at work planning for the 2024-25 program, and you can sign up to our newsletter to be informed of the launch.