Ontario Nature Blog

Following the successful ten-year run of the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas, Ontario Nature developed a Long-Term Monitoring Protocol (LTMP) to fill important knowledge gaps about Ontario’s common and at-risk snakes. Since 2019, we’ve expanded the LTMP from nine monitoring locations to over 60 sites across the province! We recently published a Story Map where ...

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Ontario’s 2026 Budget, A Plan to Protect Ontario, arrives with familiar promises of economic resilience and infrastructure growth. But beneath the surface, a persistent gap remains: meaningful investments in nature. Similar to last year’s budget, the province continues to ignore the importance of biodiversity and nature to economic resilience, community well-being and Ontario’s long-term prosperity. ...

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Rabbits and hares are often overlooked, even though they are a crucial part of our ecosystems serving as a key food source for many species and even an indicator of climate change. “Poor rabbits. It’s the exact reason I started rehabbing them, because I felt sorry for them,” says Tallulah, founder of My Wildlife Rescue, ...

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“How about doing a moth survey at Sydenham?” “A moss survey?” Asked Roberta Buchanan, local property steward for Sydenham River Nature Reserve, who didn’t quite hear me while we were walking outside. “No, moths. Like a nocturnal equivalent to the butterfly survey. Who knows what we’ll find?” It was 2023. I knew how unique the ...

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Believe it or not, Ontario’s Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed with all-party support back in 2007. Subsequently, of course, it was undermined through numerous exemptions and approvals for harmful activities, and now, through Bill 5, the Government of Ontario is tossing it aside completely. It is being replaced by the Species Conservation Act, 2025, ...

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