Ontario Nature Blog

Earlier this summer, community science volunteers joined us to assess carbon at select Ontario Nature properties. This year, we have been working towards assessing the value of protected areas and conservation lands as nature-based solutions for climate change by modeling carbon storage of protected areas. Natural climate solutions, such as conservation or restoration, have been ...

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Ontario Nature and For Youth Initiative hosted two hikes on May 7 and July 9 at Cedarvale Ravine in Toronto for youth in the Oakwood-Vaughan and York-South Weston communities. This week’s blog is written by Leya, one of our birding hike participants. Earlier this year, I went on my first birdwatching hike with For Youth ...

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Bumble bees are important pollinators in Ontario, but it is estimated that one third of them are in decline. We need more information to better conserve them, and researchers are turning to community science to complement traditional scientific methods. Programs such as Bumble Bee Watch (BBW) are already making a huge difference by filling knowledge ...

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Where would science be without contributions from the public? While trained scientists are regarded as experts, every academic and professional scientist was, at some point, a novice themselves. In fact, some of the most important discoveries have been made with the help of everyday nature enthusiasts. These groups of keen naturalists, who excel in place-based ...

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This year, we had a slightly warmer winter than usual, leading to a number of birds being seen in the province throughout the winter, including meadowlarks, grosbeaks and warblers. Will Ontario's warmer than average mid-winter conditions and presence of warmer-season birds herald an early migration?

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