It was October 1st, 2016, with one whole hour to spare before heading back to the campground just west of Carden, Ontario. I wondered where I should head out for a hike. Given the vastness of the near-by Carden Alvar landscape in terms of natural and recreational resources, I thought I would make a decision on-the-fly as to where to explore.
Carden Challenge Raises Over $23,000
Nearly 50 local birdwatchers topped off the busy month of May by participating in the 12th annual Carden Challenge, an event that combines skills, tenacity, and friendly competition for a good cause. The combined efforts of eleven participating teams raised over $23,000 in pledges and donations for the Carden Alvar programs of the Couchiching Conservancy.
Protecting Habitat on the Carden Plain
Alvar environments boast ecological communities that are incredibly rare and worth protecting for future generations. Regionally, the globally-significant Carden limestone plain is an area of large, diverse, and relatively un-fragmented habitat including alvars, shrublands, grasslands, forests, and wetlands.
Protecting our lake’s lifelines
Headwaters are like the foundation of a building, and if they are compromised, so is the entire watershed. If the headwater stream stays cold year-round, it is of primary importance because it provides the larger, lower portions of the river with a steady base flow of clean water.
We have a group of volunteers testing these headwaters through a Water Quality Project.
Protecting a Species at Risk on the Carden Alvar
The Couchiching Conservancy, along with partners such as Earth Rangers, have been tackling threats which endanger Bobolinks. One of the greatest threats relevant to Carden is loss of critical grassland habitat. As southern Ontario becomes intensely developed, prime Bobolink habitat is at risk. Ecosystems within the Carden Alvar remain as a sanctuary where conservation efforts can be focused in order to preserve this critical bobolink habitat.
Exploring and learning on the alvar
Each year hundreds of people head to the Carden alvar in droves. They are drawn by the landscape and species, but also by two special events hosted by The Couchiching Conservancy featuring the alvar and taking place in late May and early June – Carden Challenge and Carden Alvar Nature Festival.
Continuing to bring key habitat under protection
One of the organization’s key goals is to move beyond isolated islands of green by linking protected areas to create critical masses of natural habitat with connecting corridors.
In other words: bridge building.
For years now, the Conservancy has been at work with various partners on the Carden Alvar to protect this globally-rare ecosystem. The alvar — a limestone plain with shallow soil or no soil at all — lies just east of Lake Dalrymple and it has garnered interest around the world. Protecting it would be a good thing, but if it is isolated with no solid linkages to the northern shield territory, it will be devalued.
Geology around “Prairie Smoke” on the Carden Alvar
The following article has been prepared by Derek Ford, with photos by Heather Ewing and Ulrich Kretschmar. It looks at the geology of the alvar, with pictures of many of the unique features of the area.
The Carden Alvar…”a bit north east of here”
The Carden Plain is part of the “Land Between,” an area bordered by the Canadian Shield and Great Lakes Lowlands. An alvar is characterized by a limestone base with a small or no amount of soil. The birding in this area is world renowned and it is recognized as an Important Birding Area. Also, it supports unique plants that adapt to the harsh conditions of wet springs and very dry summer conditions. An open alvar vista in bloom will take your breath away with its delicate, harsh beauty.
A brush with the bluebird of happiness
The bluebird is doing well in Carden, thanks to two things: first, a local man named Herb Furniss has spent the last few decades building and distributing white bluebird boxes throughout the region, quietly making a huge difference for these little birds; second, Wylie Road rolls through an area where more than 6,000 acres of grassland, forest and wetland has been conserved as natural habitat.