On a rainy Friday night in May, bird watching teams gathered on the Carden Alvar waiting for the clock to tick down to 6pm. On the signal they raced (quietly, birders race quietly) to begin counting as many different bird and animals species as they could over the next 24 …
Field Notes: Delayed Start To Invasive Species Pulls
The start of the Invasive Species field season has been full of interesting and new challenges. After the ice storm, the Stewardship team at The Couchiching Conservancy had to restructure their priorities and shift their focus towards safely opening nature reserves. The amount of debris and damage from the ice …
Calling Volunteers For Two Bio Blitzes
Bio Blitz: Eldridge Nature Reserve- June 28 from 8am- 2pm (Scroll down for information on the Bio Blitz at Mitchell Bruce Nature Reserve) Eldridge Nature Reserve was acquired by the Couchiching Conservancy in 2025. It is a stunning landscape near Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park, and other Couchiching Conservancy …
Support The Carden Challenge!
The biggest fundraiser – and best 24 hours! – of the year are upon us! For 21 years, nature lovers and birders have been flocking to The Carden Alvar to see how many species, bird, bug or bush, they can count in 24 hours. This beloved weekend, culminating in a …
Field Notes: Two Weeks At Couchiching Conservancy
Hi! We’re Darian and Ellen, and we’re students in the Ecosystem Management Technician program at Fleming College. This month, we finished up our program with a two-week placement at Couchiching Conservancy. We started our placement right after the huge ice storm, so our initial itinerary changed to allow us …
Conservation Conversations
This column was originally published in Orillia Matters on April 29, 2025 The Couchiching Conservancy protects nature in your area. Preserving green space is one of the best ways to mitigate climate change and as a staff member, I’m interested in how climate change is affecting local businesses. Perhaps because …
Conservation Conversations: Maple Syrup Version
The following article was published in Orillia Matters on April 3, 2025 Thirty years ago, tired of 80 hour work weeks, Peter Lorriman moved his young family from London, Ontario to a sugar bush in Simcoe County. Peter laughs and says he now works 120 hours a week. Though he …
To All A Good Night
With a spring of solar flares carrying the northern lights further south than usual more of us have been making an effort to enjoy the night sky. Of course when we go out into the dark we aren’t alone, we are accompanied by bats, birds, moths and more of the …
Field Notes – Solar Eclipse & Wildlife Behaviour
People across the world prepared for and celebrated the solar eclipse on April 8, but what were wildlife doing? How did their behaviour change during this rare occurance? That was the question that spurred on a few of our staff to venture out on the solar eclipse day to get …
Carden Challenge participants raise $30K & count hundreds of species!
Beautiful blue skies and warm weather greeted the 74 people who took part in the 19th annual Carden Challenge. It was fun being together in celebration of this landscape and the species who call it home. All together, participants raised an impressive $30,000 for alvar stewardship efforts. Thank you to …