© Lora Denis
Sydenham River © David Coulson
The Sydenham River Nature Reserve is Ontario Nature’s first riverine reserve. Acquired in December 2016, the property is located within the Carolinian Life Zone that stretches from Windsor to Toronto. It is an area that includes some of the most significant habitats and threatened plant and animal species in Ontario.
Baptist Harbour shoreline © Smera Sukumar
On a pleasantly windy day on the north Saugeen Bruce Peninsula, volunteers and conservation staff gathered at our Baptist Harbour Nature Reserve to clean up the shoreline. With water lapping at the dolostone, shorebirds flying overhead and the orange cedars surrounding us, we explored the property in search of washed up garbage and evidence of ...
Periwinkle © Robert Sproule CC_BY_2.0
One challenge every land trust faces is managing invasive species. Invasive plants and wildlife are often accidentally brought to Ontario from other parts of the world and, in the absence of natural predators and competitors, crowd out native species. Some familiar invaders include dog-strangling vine, emerald ash borer and garlic mustard.
Cawthra Mulock Nature Reserve © Camille Tremblay-Beaulieu
The most optimistic souls wore shorts, and the more pessimistic – or perhaps realistic – wore long pants and rubber boots. For the first half of the event, Ontario Nature staffers, Stephanie Muckle and Smera Sukumar, led of the group of attendeesdown a winding trail to a bridge that gave way...
September 2, 2016–Smera Sukumar (On maternity leave)
Fen at H.N. Crossley Nature Reserve © Smera Sukumar
The perk of being in conservation is the amount of time I spend outdoors. I had the pleasure of visiting 15 of Ontario Nature’s 26 nature reserves this summer. These pockets of wilderness across Ontario are special habitats that we manage and protect. Conservation staff hosted 12 events on our nature reserves, reaching over 300 ...
Laurel Creek Conservation Area © Carl Hiebert / Grand River Conservation Authority