Several hundred years ago, lush, green forests covered almost all of southern Ontario. The forests were made up of trees of various species, sizes, and ages with shrubs and woodland flowers underneath. Wildlife abounded in these wooded areas. There were few openings in the forest canopy except where weather systems had downed trees or where native grasslands thrived.
Volunteer Spotlight: Noella Storry
Noella Storry has been a volunteer with The Couchiching Conservancy for over 7 years. During this time, she has filled many different volunteer roles including Property Team Leader (Prospect Marsh Nature Reserve) and Event Ambassador.
Location, location, location: House Wren Nesting Habits
Some of the more popular television programs are those in which a Real Estate agent shows a couple a number of houses from which to select their future home. There are a few such programs, each with their own particular twist, but in every case, the couple selects one house. We have a pair of birds in our yard whose antics remind me of those programs! The birds are House Wrens.
Sequester a little carbon for kicks
As an environmentalist, sometimes I get sick of environmentalists.
It’s not that what they have to say isn’t important; it is. But the steady flow of bad news is a drag. It can leave you feeling depressed and powerless. Whether or not we’re conscious of it, in this age of ecological decline, we’re all suffering.
Volunteer Spotlight: Alan Smale
Volunteerism is alive and well at The Couchiching Conservancy. We will be doing a ‘spotlight’ on a number of volunteers this year to show off their passion for protecting nature and the types of jobs they do.
Our first Volunteer Spotlight is on 15 year volunteer Alan Smale.
Spring partners; flowers and bees
With the snow disappearing, it’s a great time to get out and explore our region’s forests as they get ready for another growing season.
Bird Watching: The Hairy Woodpecker
I am often asked how to differentiate between a Downy and Hairy Woodpecker, as for many new to Bird watching it seems to be a bit of a challenge. It need not be, even though they do look much alike.
Bill Grant gives a living gift that will endure
Bill Grant left Grant’s Woods, a 52 acre forest in Orillia, Ontario, to The Couchiching Conservancy in memory of his brother Jack. When Bill passed away some months ago, he left another legacy to the Conservancy.
Seeking a Balance Between Farmers & Bobolinks
Conserving species under threat is always difficult, but especially so when their habitats are on active farmland. When a scientific assessment four years ago concluded that Ontario populations of bobolinks and eastern meadowlarks were plummeting, many farmers worried that regulations to save the birds under the Endangered Species Act might threaten their incomes.
Woodpecker: The signs of spring
This winter seems to have been a long, cold, and snowy one with many of us yearning for signs of spring