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 …
Goodbye to The Villager
It is with gratitude that The Couchiching Conservancy submits its last Villager article. The Villager has been a staple in The Conservancy’s communications for years and we are so fortunate to be a part of the community of readers and writers touched by The Villager over the years. The magazine …
Rare 400-acre opportunity + a rare sighting
It was June 5, 2022 and I was testing my car along Alvar Road, listening for birds that I could add to my square for the Breeding Bird Atlas project. A distance along the road, I heard a Hermit Thrush singing very near the road. The Hermit Thrush song may …
Local family raises funds & has fun for the Carden Challenge
The Campbell Blue Jays, a family team from Oro took part in the Carden Challenge for the first time. Here is their story. We have always enjoyed walking on Couchiching Conservancy nature reserves, especially Grant’s Woods and Scout Valley. We also love enjoying wildlife in natural spots and it is …
Thank you! The 18th Carden Challenge
14 teams and 66 participants searched for as many species as possible from Friday, May 27 at 6:00pm to Saturday, May 28 at 6:00pm, while raising money to help the Conservancy protect the Carden Alvar. All together they counted 247 species and raised over $33,000 for alvar conservation efforts! See …
My First Carden Challenge
I remember my first Carden Challenge; how could I forget? It was the first time I woke up pre-dawn for something that wasn’t an international flight. Although, that something did have wings. I’d opted to participate in the Conservancy’s largest fundraiser of the year, a 24-hour birding and biodiversity marathon …
Passport to Nature is here!
The Couchiching Conservancy is inviting you to get out, connect and protect nature through the popular Passport to Nature program. This year the conservancy is offering a hybrid program of in-person events, virtual seminars and downloadable activities. New for this year are the Family Fun Collection of downloadable activities, two …
Notes from the Field: Fall 2021
While most of our Community Science monitoring activities have finished until next spring, the work of Land Stewards and Maintenance teams never stops. This fall, Val Holt and Laurie Stanford picked up the mantle of stewarding Church Woods for the very active group of volunteers living around this popular nature …
Notes from the Field: Summer 2021
Monarch Monitoring Begins: Canadian Conservation Corps Interns Ryan and Claire, along with staff member Aiesha – have spent numerous days mapping out milkweed habitats and setting up new monarch monitoring sites at two Conservancy Nature Reserves. The new protocols for this pilot project are currently being tested in the field …
Notes from the Field – Summer 2020
Wolf Run Alvar is a land-locked 303-acre nature reserve on the northern edge of Carden’s prime alvar habitat. Because the property is so difficult to access, it has become an annual tradition for Tom Wilson (Carden Field Naturalists) to lead a fall tour. This year presented even more challenges than …