The Couchiching Conservancy has a goal to effectively monitor and care for the thousands of acres we protect in this region, and as we settle into the 21st century, that order has been supersized.
Partly we are victims of our own blessed success in acquiring new habitats, thanks to all of you. But the odds are also ratcheting up against biodiversity in our region, due to daunting factors such as climate change and the development of unprotected lands.
We have events for you to go outside and play this fall!
I know, I know, it can be shocking at first, maybe even a little upsetting, but when the leaves begin to change colour there is magic in the air
How birds keep cool in summer heat
During one of the very few really hot days we had this summer, a lady asked me how birds keep cool during those conditions.
They have a number of methods of beating the heat.
Art at Grant`s Woods: “Art is Where You Find It”
The Couchiching Conservancy land trust has partnered with the Orillia Museum of Art and History to present a special event of installation artworks along the trails of the Grant’s Woods Nature Reserve. Funding for this project was generously provided by the Ontario 150 program.
Over 2,000 sign 17% Pledge to Protect Nature
In 2016, The Couchiching Conservancy undertook a project called the 17% Pledge. Thanks to a grant from the Gosling Foundation, Kelcey McLean and I were hired as this year’s Engagement Organizers.
Property Monitoring Special: Who wants to be a scientist?
Who doesn’t want to be a scientist? It is one of the most intriguing jobs on earth. Nothing else has that same sense of wonder and discovery applied to it.
A Wild Partnership with the Ganaraska Trail
As we work to protect the Black River Wildlands just east of Washago, I have become aware of how much time I have wasted in a car to get to places I perceived to be pristine escapes.
Featured Bird: Cuckoos (Not Just on Clocks!)
I also was delighted by the farm houses, because in those days, most had a cuckoo clock.? I was also thrilled, with a little help, to pull the long chains which wound up the clock mechanisms. Little did I know that there was a real bird called a Cuckoo!
Passport to Nature: “Passport Please”
Have you ever lost or misplaced your passport? Anxious moments for humans. Do you ever wonder who carries out passport control for Mother Nature? She was here long before “we” put up these artificial borders.
A tale of two adventurers, not long from now
Weekend hikers and paddlers, your attention please.
I give you two scenarios: Sally and Sid…