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Northern Connections

Woodland Caribou Paul Tessier

Northern Connections is a partnership between Ontario Nature, Environment North, The Anishinabek of Gitchi Gami, Northern Ontario Sustainable Communities Partnership (NOSCP), The Sault Naturalists of Ontario, and Michigan, Food Security Research Network, and Dr. Constance Russell, Lakehead University. Together, our goal is to build strong networks in the Far North to support conservation and community sustainability efforts.

The Northern Challenge

Northern Ontario has been endowed with a landscape of global significance. Some of the most important forest, lake and wetland ecosystems in the world stretch in a band across our northern regions. Interspersed along this landscape are organizations dedicated to the conservation of Ontario's wildlands and the sustainable development of the north.

However, the northern conservation community faces different challenges than those faced by groups in southern Ontario. The geography of the North means that many organizations act in isolation. This isolation obstructs collaboration and dilutes the full potential of a northern voice for conservation.

Making Connections

Through the Northern Connections collaborative, Ontario Nature is taking a lead role in bringing together northern conservation groups and building a community for the wise use of Northern Ontario's landscapes and resources. 

With support from the Trillium Foundation, over the next several years, Northern Connections will:

• Build forums (both physical and virtual) to bring conservation minded individuals together
• Use online networking and collaborative technology to help northern organizations work more effectively together
• Build capacity among northern groups through workshops, seminars and other opportunities to build on collective experiences
• Utilize our enhanced network of organizations to reach a greater number of people with news and information regarding Ontario's wild species and wild spaces
• Share lessons learned regarding effective collaboration and networking

Climate Change: Moving Towards Adaptation Conference

Ontario Nature’s Northern Connections Program, along with partners Environment North and the Lakehead University Student Union will be hosting a one-day conference in Thunder Bay, on Climate Change Adaptation in northern Ontario.

The conference will feature presentations by local and provincial leaders in climate change adaptation research and action, with keynote speakers Elizabeth May (via Skype), leader of the Green Party as well as Dr. David Pearson (via Skype), Co-chair of Ontario’s Expert Panel on Climate Change Adaptation. There will also be interactive workshops, a field trip to a local water treatment plant, and a networking social to follow.

The conference will be held at Lakehead University on March 3, 2011. For more information, visit www.environmentnorth.ca.

For more information about Northern Connections, contact Peter Rosenbluth, Northern Connections Coordinator at peterr@ontarionature.org or visit the Northern Connections website at: www.nconnections.ca.

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