Ontario Nature Blog

As Canada commits to transitioning away from fossil fuels on the path to achieving net-zero carbon emissions, each province has opted for their own strategies in the name of “green energy”. Ontario’s wealth of so-called critical minerals, which are used in the production of technologies like electric cars, has been touted as the herald of ...

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Maps are a tool used by environmental organizations to tell stories more effectively. They can be used, for example, to visualize data, illustrate environmental issues, reveal trends and monitor environmental injustices. At Ontario Nature, we use maps to track candidate areas for permanent protection, create management plans for our 26 nature reserves, and develop long-term ...

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Fire is an important and long-used management tool to maintain fire-dependent ecosystems such as alvar, including on Pelee Island. Both naturally occurring (e.g., by lightning strikes) and intentionally set, traditional and prescribed burns have been used to revitalize alvar habitat, keeping it open and free of dense shrubbery, and allowing rare plants and animals to ...

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Only 30% of Ontario’s original wetlands remain intact, but many farmers and ranchers are working hard to restore wetland ecosystems on their lands. These farmers recognize that wetlands are good for agriculture. Wetlands reduce soil loss, enhance biodiversity, reduce flood and drought risk and clean the water, which benefits both farms and communities. Here are ...

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I remember the first time I saw a firefly, on a lonely Ohio road one summer night. I was about eight years old, and I’d read about them, but I never saw any where I grew up in suburban Ontario until about five years ago when I stumbled upon a cluster of them near my ...

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