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© Lora Denis
December 2, 2021–Anne Bell
Habitat•Land-use planning•Species at Risk•Stewardship and restoration
Blanding's turtle, threatened © David Allen CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The Auditor General of Ontario’s report, Protecting and Recovering Species at Risk, is not reading for the faint of heart. Released on November 22, 2021 the audit sets out in excruciating detail the Government of Ontario’s abject failure to exercise its duty to protect the province’s most vulnerable plants and animals. The review spans the ...
September 24, 2021–Guest blogger
Habitat•Protected Places•Stewardship and restoration•Wild Species
Lake and forest near Catchacoma © AFER
Driving along a rural road in central Ontario, it’s easy to feel immersed in the forests of the Canadian Shield. Surrounded by tall pines, one could forget that you’re on a road, built by humans to get between destinations, winding and connecting our towns across the landscape. Roads are incredibly useful, but as industrial activities ...
Mer Bleue © Joe CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
In Ottawa, municipal politicians are backing a project that would build a multi-lane artery across a section of the city’s Greenbelt, fragmenting habitat and impacting the edge of a wetland complex known as Mer Bleue. Alternatives exist, but city officials favour this one due to a purportedly lower construction cost. The landowner is the federal ...
West Credit River brook trout © Steve Noakes
The Coalition for the West Credit River is fighting to protect a sensitive wild brook trout population in the West Credit River. It is threatened by the proposed Erin Wastewater Treatment Plant which will dump over 7 million litres of sewage effluent into its coldwater habitat every day. Here’s what you need to know: 2. ...
Display of 80 anthropogenic debris pieces found in a single nest © Melina Damian
When you think of a bird’s nest, what’s the first image that comes to mind? Probably a bunch of sticks and leaves bundled together – right? Unfortunately, for birds that live in urbanized areas, they often use anthropogenic debris (otherwise known as garbage) to build their nests. This can result in entanglement or ingestion and ...
Laurel Creek Conservation Area © Carl Hiebert / Grand River Conservation Authority