Ontario Nature Blog
Receive email alerts about breaking conservation
and environmental news.
© Lora Denis
February 24, 2022–Anne Bell
Campaigns and advocacy•Protected Places•Species at Risk•Stewardship and restoration
Adult and juvenile bald eagles © Doug Greenberg CC BY SA 2.0
On June 2, 2022, Ontarians will head to the polls to elect our next provincial government. As citizens, we have a responsibility to ensure that nature conservation is a major election issue. Candidates and political leaders must hear from all Ontarians demanding clear commitments and action plans to effectively address ongoing biodiversity loss and the ...
Point Pelee National Park, Marsh boardwalk © Daveynin CC BY 2.0
February 2, 2022 marks the fiftieth anniversary of World Wetlands Day. This annual event is intended to raise awareness about wetlands to reverse their ongoing decline. Alarmingly, almost 90 percent of Earth’s wetlands have been degraded since the 1700s. This fact mirrors the historic wetland loss we’ve witnessed in Ontario. South of the shield, the ...
January 20, 2022–Guest blogger
Environmental Education•Nature Network•Stewardship and restoration•Youth
Cleanup, July 2021 © Junction Creek Stewardship Committee
In July 2021, Junction Creek Stewardship Committee (JCSC), a grassroots environmental organization in N’Swakamok/ Sudbury, spearheaded a free month-long program for youth aged 13 to 17 to provide accessible nature-based activities that facilitated meaningful connections with nature: Empowering Youth for Junction Creek. The program included activities like outdoor hikes, tree planting, art projects, and discussions ...
December 15, 2021–Jenna Cardoso
Climate Change•Indigenous Relations•Protected Places•Stewardship and restoration•Wetlands•Wild Species
James Bay peatlands © Ray Ford
Ontario’s peatlands store the most carbon in the country – more than all the other natural ecosystems in Ontario combined – making these terrestrial wetland ecosystems an essential nature-based climate solution. Yet, only 10% of peatlands are protected in Canada. What Are Peatlands? Peatlands are wetlands such as bogs and fens. Peat is created in ...
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 ...
Paswe Protected Area © Carter Dorscht