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© Lora Denis
December 2, 2021–Anne Bell
Habitat•Land-use planning•Ontario Nature•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 ...
“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” – Aristotle Every living being has a story to tell. As an artist and nature enthusiast, Lisa Vanin tells the stories of the natural world through her art. Her unique art style transports her audience to a world ...
Boreal caribou © Peupleloup CC BY-SA 2.0
I grew up in Rossport on the north shore of Lake Superior in Ontario. The summers brought tourists from all over, and many visited my dad’s pottery shop. Many tourists said they came to paddle Lake Superior and see the caribou, which inhabited the Slate Islands off the shoreline behind our house. I felt proud ...
I’ve been working to protect boreal caribou and their habitat for nearly 20 years. I’ve conducted field research, published peer-reviewed papers and talked to thousands of people about the plight of this majestic animal in Ontario. Over the years, boreal caribou have been subjected to an onslaught of legislative and policy decisions that have threatened ...
It is interesting how readily nature advocates can be dismissed as tree huggers or bleeding hearts – as if caring about our fellow creatures were somehow improper. Rachel Carson herself was belittled as being too sentimental and emotional – even hysterical – in her fight to raise awareness about the deadly impacts of pesticides on ...