With the return of the monarch butterfly, begins the start of the monarch monitoring season for the Couchiching Conservancy community science program. Monarchs are Endangered in Canada1 , and face various threats across their range including habitat loss, pollution (herbicides and insecticides), extreme weather, and disease 2. Our monarch monitoring …
Ontario’s Ash Species, Threats, and Ecology
Introduction Ash trees (Fraxinus sp.) are a foundational tree species around Lake Couchiching and throughout the entire Great Lakes Region. They are observed in large numbers in a wide variety of ecosystems, including moist forests, meadows, alvars, floodplains and swamps. In aquatic ecosystems, the fallen leaves of many ash species …
Exploring the Wonders of Wintergreens
The warm days of summer are highly valued by naturalists and outdoor enthusiasts in the Great Lakes Region – some perks include warm hiking days, peaceful canoe outings, observing Ontario’s vast selection of migratory birds, and for botanists, ample opportunity for plant-identification. After fall’s vibrant colors, the lack of plant …
Notes From the Field – 2022 Recap
Check out what the Couchiching Conservancy Community Science teams and stewardship staff have been up to in 2022. We also have focused Notes from the field for Winter, Spring and Summer. On March 25, Aiesha and Toby set up acoustic monitoring devices on a tree overlooking a wetland. These devices …
The Church Woods Nature Reserve: Protecting urban wild spaces
Walking through The Church Woods Nature Reserve on a spring day is a sublime experience. Spring ephemerals such as Blue Cohosh, Trout Lily, White Trillium, and Red Trillium colour the forest understory beautifully. If you look closely though, you’ll notice a few things are amiss, thick patches of invasive garlic …
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 …
Re-defining Ecological Perspectives: An Indigenous-Led Bioblitz.
Join Gary Pritchard of Curve Lake First Nation and principal consultant, 4 Directions of Conservation. On the shores of the Black River in Treaty Territory 20 and Williams Treaties, Gary will teach us about decolonizing conservation and learning to value all of our relations. All life deserves a space on …
In Praise of Small
If there was one Couchiching Conservancy trail that could be considered micro – it would be the Periwinkle trail. It is our shortest trail at a mere 0.15km, at the Grant’s Woods Nature Reserve on Division Road West in Severn. Grant’s Woods is the home of The Couchiching Conservancy’s office …
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 2019
Photo: Kim Trudeau
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