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Events Calendar 2008
Volunteer for Nature Legend:
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Wetland Restoration
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Survey or Research
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Habitat Creation
/ Improvement
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Trail Maintenance
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Where you will stay (when applicable):
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Simple:
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Often camping, and participants will be asked to bring a tent. It is also recommended that participants bring a sleeping mat. Cooking and washing facilities are basic, and showers may not be available everyday.
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Standard:
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Dormitory style accommodations. Facilities usually include bunk-beds and showers.
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Superior:
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Cottages, hotels and field study centers. Showers and beds are available (usually in twin or single rooms) as well as separate eating areas.
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Click on the title of the event you wish to attend and you will be taken directly to our online registration page.
Trip Details:
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Signs of Spring at Kinghurst Forest, May 16-18, 2008
Hone your species identification skills with Ontario Nature conservation staff and the Saugeen Field Naturalists during the second annual amphibian and songbird survey at Kinghurst Forest Nature Reserve. This 281 hectare reserve, Ontario Nature’s third largest, is a special place that offers nature lovers a rare glimpse into Ontario’s natural past. Spend the day looking for salamanders, frogs and interior forest birds, and the evening conducting an “owl prowl” on the reserve.
Host:
Ontario Nature |
Special Features: Old Growth Forest |
| Accommodations: Simple |
Dates: May 16-18, 2008 |
| Closest Town: Durham |
Cost: $240 |
| Meeting Time: 5:00 pm |
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Wildflowers in the City Family & Youth Event, June 8, 2008
Continue with the revitalization of the East Don River by helping the Friends of the Don East plant native wildflowers in Taylor Creek Park. Marsh marigolds, Canada anemones and Heart-leafed asters are some of the species that you will be planting in this popular park in east Toronto. Come out for the morning, and learn about the urban renaturalization efforts of the Friends of the Don East, then spend the afternoon exploring the park and viewing some of the past plantings undertaken by community volunteers. Everyone welcome!
Host:
Friends of the Don East |
Special Features: Taylor Creek Park |
| Accommodations: |
Dates: June 8, 2008 |
| Closest Town: Toronto |
Cost: Free |
| Meeting Time: 10:00 am |
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Niagara Glen Tracks & Trails, June 19-22, 2008
Join the Niagara Parks Commission in their efforts to preserve the Niagara Glen Nature Reserve, a Carolinian forest that contains one of the largest concentrations of Species-at-Risk found anywhere in Canada. Help preserve this special place by marking hiking trails and closing unsanctioned spur trails to keep visitors’ feet on the path and away from its vulnerable habitats and species. Enjoy a guided tour of the reserve and a visit to the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory, home to more than 2000 free-flying tropical butterflies.
Host:
Niagara Parks Commission |
Special Features: Butterfly Conservatory |
| Accommodations: Standard |
Dates: June 19-22, 2008 |
| Closest Town: Niagara Falls |
Cost: $300 |
| Meeting Time: 5:00 pm |
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Mucking Around at Mulock Family & Youth Event, June 28, 2008
Calling all mud-loving kids! Bring your friends and family to Cawthra Mulock Nature Reserve to explore the little-known wildlife that calls this nature oasis home. Spend the day helping Ontario Nature conservation staff and local experts identify and count the freshwater shellfish and insect larvae found in the wetlands and streams of the area. Learn about these often overlooked species and their important role in keeping habitats healthy, and go on a guided tour of the reserve to experience its natural beauty first hand.
Host:
Ontario Nature |
Special Features: Freshwater Shellfish |
| Accommodations: |
Dates: June 28, 2008 |
| Closest Town: Newmarket |
Cost: Free |
| Meeting Time: 9:00 am |
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The Invaders of Mulock Family & Youth Event, June 29, 2008
Help preserve the diverse habitats of Cawthra Mulock Nature Reserve by joining Ontario Nature conservation staff to remove invasive periwinkle and buckthorn colonies that are displacing the reserve’s native vegetation. This 108-hectare property encompasses woodlands, wetlands and several open fields that provide a much-needed refuge for wildlife in an area of intense agricultural and urban development. Help stem the spread of these exotic invaders, then enjoy an interpretive tour of other conservation work taking place on the reserve. Everyone welcome!
Host:
Ontario Nature |
Special Features: Diverse Habitats |
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Dates: June 29, 2008 |
| Closest Town: Newmarket |
Cost: Free |
| Meeting Time: 9:00 am |
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Wetland Walkways, July 4-6, 2008
Learn about boardwalk design and construction while reducing visitor impacts on the vulnerable Salford Swamp, a provincially significant wetland on Lawson Nature Reserve. In the company of Ontario Nature stewardship staff and members of the Ingersoll District Nature Club, you will continue a boardwalk building project that was started in 2007, and spend an evening learning to identify the various frog species that call the Lawson Nature Reserve home.
Host:
Ontario Nature |
Special Features: Salford Swamp |
| Accommodations: Simple |
Dates: July 4-6, 2008 |
| Closest Town: Ingersoll |
Cost: $150 |
| Meeting Time: 5:00 pm |
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Weeding at Willoughby, July 12 & 13, 2008
Experience the Caledon Hills naturally. Come out to Ontario Nature’s Willoughby Nature Reserve and lend a hand with removing invasive periwinkle and lily-of-the-valley that have become established in the reserve’s forest. These garden-plants-gone-wild are crowding out the forest’s native species, and damaging its fragile habitats. Learn methods for controlling invasive plants on your own property, and find out which native Ontario plants you can use to create an ecologically sound and healthy garden.
Host:
Ontario Nature |
Special Features: |
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Dates: July 12 & 13, 2008 |
| Closest Town: Caledon Village |
Cost: $50 |
| Meeting Time: 9:00 am |
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The Jewels of Pelee Island, July 28 - August 1, 2008
Ontario Nature’s Stone Road Alvar Nature Reserve on Pelee Island is home to an outstanding array of rare habitats and species. Join Ontario Nature conservation staff and local experts as they conduct an inventory of Stone Road Alvar’s invertebrate inhabitants. You will learn how to identify the butterfly, dragonfly and other insect species found on the reserve while collecting important data that will inform future management plans. Enjoy a visit to the Pelee Island Heritage Centre and a tour of the Pelee Island Winery.
Host:
Ontario Nature |
Special Features: Alvar Habitats |
| Accommodations: Simple |
Dates: July 28 - August 1, 2008 |
| Closest Town: Leamington |
Cost: $340 |
| Meeting Time: 5:00 pm |
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St. Lawrence Crayfish Crawl, August 8-10, 2008
Visit the mighty St. Lawrence River, and learn about some of its lesser-known inhabitants. Under the guidance of invertebrate experts from the Bishop Mills Natural History Centre, you will learn how to identify and monitor the crayfish species that call this “Great Canadian River” home. Enjoy a guided tour of the Bishop Mills Natural History Centre and a chance to explore its fascinating exhibits. To learn more about the centre and its hosts, visit www.pinicola.ca/bmnhc.htm.
Host:
Ontario Nature |
Special Features: St. Lawrence River |
| Accommodations: Simple |
Dates: August 8-10, 2008 |
| Closest Town: Brockville |
Cost: $240 |
| Meeting Time: 5:00 pm |
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Quarry Bay Alvar Adventure, August 18-22, 2008
Come out to Quarry Bay Nature Reserve on the southwest shore of Manitoulin Island, and experience what has been described as some of the best alvar sites remaining in the world. These unique and rare habitats boast an astonishing diversity of plant, bird and invertebrate life. In the company of Ontario Nature conservation staff and local experts, you will help identify and count aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate species such as butterflies, dragonflies, snails, crayfish and mussels, while learning about Ontario’s alvars and their unique inhabitants.
Host:
Ontario Nature |
Special Features: Alvar Coast |
| Accommodations: Simple |
Dates: August 18-22, 2008 |
| Closest Town: Meldrum Bay |
Cost: $340 |
| Meeting Time: 5:00 pm |
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Blazing Trent's Trails, August 25-31, 2008
Come out to Trent University's Nature Areas, and learn boardwalk design and construction skills while helping to protect this important wildlife preserve. You will be building a boardwalk that will allow visitors to safely view its amazing array of habitats and species with minimal impact. If time permits, you will also create viewing points over the adjacent Trent Canal. Spend a day in Petroglyphs Provincial Park, discover the Canadian Canoe Museum, and relax with a BBQ in the Kawartha Lakes.
| Host: No host information provided |
Special Features: Petroglyphs Provincial Park |
| Accommodations: Superior |
Dates: August 25-31, 2008 |
| Closest Town: Peterborough |
Cost: $385 |
| Meeting Time: 5:00 pm |
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Battling Buckthorn Family & Youth Event, September 13, 2008
Join Ontario Nature and the Niagara Parks Commission for the third Battling Buckthorn event at Queenston Heights Forest. You will be helping to preserve this Carolinian forest’s native trees by continuing the European buckthorn removal work that was begun by Volunteer for Nature participants in 2007. To learn more about the Niagara Parks Commission and their efforts to preserve and enhance the natural beauty of the Falls and the Niagara River corridor, visit www.niagaraparksnature.com.
Host:
Niagara Parks Commission |
Special Features: |
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Dates: September 13, 2008 |
| Closest Town: Niagara Falls |
Cost: Free |
| Meeting Time: 9:00 am |
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Forging Footpaths, September 17-21, 2008
“A garden of wildflowers” is how Petrel Point Nature Reserve is often described. Located on the Bruce Peninsula near Red Bay, Petrel Point boasts numerous distinct plant communities, many of them rare. Help Ontario Nature conservation staff preserve these delicate habitats and plant species by repairing and extending a boardwalk that will allow visitors to safely view the reserve’s beautiful and rare inhabitants with minimal impact.
Host:
Ontario Nature |
Special Features: Oliphant Fen |
| Accommodations: Simple |
Dates: September 17-21, 2008 |
| Closest Town: Red Bay |
Cost: $250 |
| Meeting Time: 5:00 pm |
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Willoughby Trail Marking & Bridge Building, October 3-5, 2008
Tucked into the beautiful Caledon Hills is Willoughby Nature Reserve, a 48-hectare property that’s home to White-tailed deer, Great horned owls, Eastern bluebirds and Pileated woodpeckers. In the company of Ontario Nature conservation staff and local experts, you will be marking hiking trails and building a bridge across one of the creeks that flows through the reserve. Enjoy a guided tour of this special place, and learn to identify some of the native plant species found there.
Host:
Ontario Nature |
Special Features: Caledon Hills |
| Accommodations: Simple |
Dates: October 3-5, 2008 |
| Closest Town: Caledon Village |
Cost: $150 |
| Meeting Time: 5:00 pm |
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