© Lora Denis
Spiny softshell turtle © Scott Gillingwater
Part 2 of a 3 part blog series about the Province’s failure to uphold strong protections for our most vulnerable plants and animals. What moves more slowly than a turtle? The Ontario government when it comes to producing a recovery strategy for the spiny softshell. This threatened turtle is one of over 40 at-risk species ...
American badger © Bethany Weeks CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Part 1 of a 3 part blog series about the Province’s failure to uphold strong protections for our most vulnerable plants and animals. I came back from vacation in mid-August to face a nasty surprise on the Environmental Registry: a government proposal to strip nine species at risk of their core legal protections under the ...
Brown-belted bumblebee © Anita Gould CC BY-NC 2.0
The road to you-know-where is paved with good intentions. Unfortunately, we conservationists have headed down that road a few times too many in recent years. Take for example Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, hailed by almost everyone as the gold standard for Canada when it was passed in 2007. I have no doubt that our MPPs ...
Jefferson Salamander © Scott Gillingwater
In just a few short weeks, the Jefferson salamander will begin its spring migration after spending a long winter burrowed underground. Faithful to its home, the Jefferson will return year-after-year to the same spot to breed, travelling no more than a kilometre from home within its entire lifetime. This trek can often be a dangerous ...
Southern Ontario wetland © Sean Marshall CC BY NC 2.0
Today is World Wetlands Day – celebrated around the globe each year to raise awareness about the importance of wetlands. It is a perfect day to consider the storm that is brewing over wetlands in Niagara. Wetlands provide critical habitat for wild plants and animals, including more than 20 percent of Ontario’s species at risk. ...
Laurel Creek Conservation Area © Carl Hiebert / Grand River Conservation Authority