 c o n s e r v a t i o n u p d a t e s f o r m e m b e r g r o u p s |
| Ontario Nature Network News - December 15, 2005 |
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To view a copy of this newsletter online visit www.ontarionature.org/resources/nnnews.html. Ontario Nature grants permission for use of the information below in member group newsletters. Please credit either Ontario Nature or the member group. Feature! Conservation Groups Meet To Review "Bill 11" NEWS FROM THE NATURE NETWORK
NEWS FROM ONTARIO NATURE
NEWS FROM MEMBER GROUPS Central Ontario News
Southern Ontario News
Eastern Ontario News NEWS FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS UPCOMING NATURE NETWORK NEWS DEADLINES |
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Feature! On November 24, 2005 Ontario Nature, other conservation groups, academics and additional interested stakeholders met to review the McGuinty government’s proposed Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act (Bill 11). The Act received its first reading in the Ontario legislature on October 25, 2005 – a second reading is anticipated in the spring of 2006. With several months to go before the Act is finalized, there is a remaining window of opportunity for the McGuinty government to refine and strengthen this important framework for the conservation of Ontario’s protected areas system before it is enshrined in law. Led by CPAWS-Wildlands League staff and Sierra Legal Defence Fund lawyers, the meeting provided a legal perspective on Bill 11, a discussion of the Ontario Parks Board of Directors' recommendations to government, a perspective on Algonquin Park in the context of the Act as well as an analysis of how the parks management planning process will change through this legislation. Participants used the round table forum to bring a diversity of perspectives and expertise regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed Act to the forefront. The group agreed that while the new legislation represented significant improvements over the 1954 Provincial Parks Act, there were outstanding areas of concern. Below is a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed Act. Strengths
Weaknesses
Ontario Nature will continue to promote improvements to the draft legislation and encourages our members to stay involved. While the province’s formal public consultation period for the legislation has now closed, we urge you to communicate any concerns you have about the protection of Ontario’s parks before it’s too late. At any time, comments can be directed to the following people. Hon. David Ramsay Copy to: Your Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Gordon Miller |
NEWS FROM THE NATURE NETWORK |
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Greenways & Waterways - Ontario Nature's 75th AGM & Conference The Kitchener-Waterloo Field Naturalists (KWFN) will be hosting Ontario Nature’s 75th AGM and Conference on June 2 – 4, 2006 at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. A team of dedicated KWFN members have been meeting monthly for one year putting together an exciting conference “Greenways & Waterways”. Ontario Nature will open the conference with Provincial Issues Day followed with an evening BBQ to meet and greet. Saturday’s program opens with a keynote speaker followed by numerous session presentations and panel discussions to choose from throughout the day, closing with a special presentation speaker and a 75th banquet celebration. A large variety of field trips will also be available and are designed to illustrate first hand the topics discussed in the program sessions while showcasing the natural and cultural assets of the region of Waterloo. These trips include our heritage Grand River, rafting, unique geological and forested areas and visits to wetlands, areas of birding and botanical interest. There is a choice of outing for every interest. Over the next few months, we will be providing more information on an outstanding 75th Anniversary Conference. Please join us for this exciting event! |
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Doors Open to Ontario Nature Update Ontario Nature is planning a series of exciting events to celebrate its 75th Anniversary in 2006, including the Greenways & Waterways conference hosted by the Kitchener-Waterloo Field Naturalists, a special 75th anniversary edition of ON Nature and Doors Open to Ontario Nature. Doors Open to Ontario Nature will feature 75 community events that highlight the diversity, strength and commitment of Ontario Nature’s member groups. Ontario Nature would like to thank the groups who have offered to host events. It is a great opportunity help celebrate our anniversary as a federation. Let us celebrate together! Plans are underway for launching this special initiative. The Regional Coordinators will be collecting the remaining descriptions and details about your events at the upcoming regional meetings as well as in the upcoming quarterly mailing. The event descriptions are posted on Ontario Nature’s website where a special 75th anniversary section highlights all celebrations. Regional Coordinators are also working on additional publicity and would appreciate hearing your ideas. Please contact your Regional Coordinator with any publicity ideas you may have for this exciting initiative. |
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Advocate for Nature - Stay informed! Become an Advocate for Nature, and help protect Ontario’s woodlands, wetlands and wildlife. Currently, Ontario Nature has more than 2,300 Advocates for Nature - people who are willing to take that extra step by communicating directly with the government and other decision-makers about the need to protect nature. In the past, Ontario Nature's advocates have helped with campaigns that led to a conservation plan for the Oak Ridges Moraine and 2.4 million hectares of new parks and protected areas in Ontario. Ontario Nature has recently revitalized the Advocate for Nature program and will be emailing important conservation action alerts when your help is urgently needed (generally once or twice a month). Each alert will include an issue summary and a recommended action. It would be appreciated if you could pass on the action alerts to your group members and encourage them to write a letter and to sign on to the Advocate for Nature program through the Ontario Nature website (www.ontarionature.org/home/advocate.html). Some of the urgent issues we are involved in:
The more voices who join together asking decision-makers to stand up for nature, the more successful we will be. Please:
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NEWS FROM ONTARIO NATURE |
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Annual General Meeting Resolutions Ontario Nature member groups and individual members are invited to submit resolutions for consideration at the 2006 Annual General Meeting. The consideration and adoption of resolutions at an AGM allow issues of importance to members and clubs to be addressed at the provincial level, gives issues the weight of the full organization, and can be helpful in public communications and submissions to decision-makers. In order to be considered at the AGM, resolutions must conform to the following specifications:
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The Niagara Escarpment Still Needs You! We are still anxiously awaiting the Ontario Cabinet’s decision on the proposed expansion of Dufferin Aggregates’ Milton Quarry on the Niagara Escarpment, within the new Golden Horseshoe Greenbelt. Cabinet may take days, weeks or months to rule on this critically important proposal that would severely compromise the continuous natural corridor of the Escarpment and jeopardize the complex hydrological cycle in the area for centuries to come. Our colleagues at the Coalition on the Niagara Escarpment (founded by Ontario Nature in 1978) have prepared an Action Alert which we urge you to use as a basis for action -- whether a phone call to the Premier or a letter/email to him and his Cabinet colleagues: www.niagaraescarpment.org/PDF/DufferinAA.pdf. |
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Greater Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan: If you live in any of the following regions, counties or cities, the proposed Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe released at Queen’s Park on November 24, 2005 applies to YOU: Niagara, Haldimand, Brant, Waterloo, Wellington, Hamilton, Halton, Peel, Dufferin, Toronto, York, Simcoe, Durham, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, Peterborough. To see Ontario Nature’s initial response to the proposed plan, read our news release: www.ontarionature.org/news/template.php3?n_code=306. The proposed Plan is a major step toward stopping urban sprawl and making our cities and towns more compact, livable and transit-friendly. However, identification of the natural heritage system will be made at a later date, and will use the relatively weak nature protection policies of the Provincial Policy Statement under the Planning Act. To read the proposed Growth Plan itself, please visit www.pir.gov.on.ca or email or phone for a copy: placestogrow@pir.gov.on.ca , (416) 325-1210, toll-free 1-866-479-9781. In early January, Ontario Nature will have on our website our detailed analysis of the proposed Growth Plan that may give you some ideas for your own comments on the Plan, which need to be submitted by Jan. 27, 2006. Check www.ontarionature.org and click on “Conservation” then on “Smart Growth.” We will provide information on how you can file your own submission. The final Growth Plan is expected to be approved sometime early in 2006. |
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Province Stands up for Easements in Duffins-Rouge Agricultural Preserve and Across Ontario The McGuinty government recently introduced legislation that, if passed, would ensure the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve is protected and set aside permanently for agricultural use. The act would ensure that all existing conservation easements on the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve are held in perpetuity and would reinstate easements previously held and released by the City of Pickering. The legislation also contains proposed amendments to the Conservation Land Act that would provide greater certainty about using conservation easements to protect conservation values on land over the long term. Ontario Nature is very much in support of this bill and have expressed this support to the government. We have canvassed opinion from the conservation community, focusing on organizations with a direct interest and involvement in conservation easements. While Ontario Nature hopes to collaborate with the government to draft some minor amendments to the bill, we are on the whole very supportive of the legislation and applaud the McGuinty government for strengthening easements and helping to protect conservation lands in perpetuity. For more information please visit the Ontario Nature website at www.ontarionature.org. |
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Have you ever walked into a forest and noticed that the forest floor is covered in small craters and hills? Forest ecologists call this topography pits and mounds. They are created when large trees are torn from the ground during intense storms. The fallen trees leave a large "crater" or pit where the roots once stood. The root mass breaks down over time, forming a mound. These pits and mounds are very important in maintaining the biodiversity of a forest, by providing many ecological niches for both plants and wildlife. Restoration experts have begun to mimic this topography using artificially created pits and mounds dug by machines. This technique is mainly used in old agricultural fields where the flat, compacted soil is not conducive to the growth of wildflowers and trees. Ontario Nature has recently completed two such restoration projects. The first at Kinghurst Forest Nature Reserve near Hanover, and the second at the Cawthra Mulock Nature Reserve near Newmarket. Kinghurst Forest is home to expansive areas of stunning older growth forests well as a number of old agricultural fields. Cawthra Mulock Nature Reserve also has extensive agricultural fields that were used to graze cattle. In both places, the fields are relatively flat and have dry, compacted soil. They are dominated by non-native grasses that are preventing the growth of native plants and trees. This fall, Ontario Nature used the pit and mound restoration technique to re-create a more natural topography. These pits and mounds will help to improve the growing conditions in the field by trapping moisture and organic material. With the help of volunteers, the pits and mounds were planted with a variety of shrub and tree seeds. This will improve the biodiversity of the habitat and help to start the natural succession off on the right foot. If you would like more information on pit and mound restoration, please contact April Mathes at (416) 444-8419 ext. 264. |
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Ontario Nature's Youth Challenge Hey Kids! Do you love nature? We bet you’ve had a great experience with some part of nature in the last little while. Perhaps it was collecting and studying frogs at the lake this summer. Perhaps it was climbing your favourite tree in the park close to your home. Or perhaps you’ve had a memorable wilderness encounter this year. See any wildlife? Nature is everywhere, miles away from nowhere, and right in your own backyard! We’d like to hear about what you think about nature – submit an essay to Ontario Nature’s Youth Challenge Writing Contest. You can win cool prizes, and even get your essay published in ON Nature magazine! Write in and tell us why you think we need nature and a healthy environment in Ontario. The topic is: “Why Do We Need Nature?” What you need to know:
Send your original entries by April 15, 2006 to: Chair, Youth Challenge Essay Contest Committee Make sure you have a title page telling us the title of your essay, your name, address, phone number, email address, your parent’s name, what grade you’re in, and the name of your school. Good Luck! And remember, have fun! |
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NEWS FROM MEMBER GROUPS |
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Central Ontario News |
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Friends of Second Marsh Be sure to mark Saturday, February 25, 2006 in your calendar and be part of this fun event, to raise funds for the construction of the Great Lakes Wetlands Centre at Second Marsh in Oshawa. This year, we are pleased to announce that the Hon. David Crombie will be our guest of honour. The event will be held in the newly renovated Jubilee Pavilion in Oshawa on the shores of Lake Ontario. We are planning lots of fun and exciting events, including live and silent auctions, a drumming ceremony, photo op with a live animal and more! Tickets are $75 each, and sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, please contact Marilyn Cole, Friends of Second Marsh, (905) 723-5459 or campaign.secondmarsh@rogers.com. |
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The Huntsville Nature Club celebrates its 55th anniversary this fall. On November 27, l950, seventeen individuals gathered to form our club. One of our first activities was the Christmas Bird Count that December. Our club bulletin, The Chickadee, was started in l958, at the urging of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists (now Ontario Nature). An early highlight was co-hosting Ontario Nature’s Algonquin Winter Weekend starting in l967. We currently have about 75 members, including six that have belonged to the club for over 50 years! |
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Restoration of Mill Creek, Orillia The City of Orillia cleaned four culverts on Mill Creek that underpass the old railroad bed. These were almost completely blocked. The culverts date back to the 19th Century. This should alleviate spring flooding of the rail trail in the area. We are waiting for Sandy Agnew's report and over the next few months we will be developing a plan of action to continue the rehabilitation work on Mill Creek. Loon Rescue on Lake Simcoe The loon’s body was wrapped in fishing line with sinkers attached. It was taken to the OSPCA Rehabilitation Centre in Midland where it was x-rayed. The loon had ingested two fishing hooks; one was caught in its throat and the other was observed in the chest cavity. A swivel was removed from the throat of the bird. It was given an antibiotic and released back into Kempenfelt Bay. We hope that this bird will survive. It certainly would not have survived without the intervention of interested naturalists. We will make other rescue attempts if needed. Youth Environmental Conservation Award |
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Couchiching Conservancy On October 28th, The Conservancy celebrated their Save Green Spaces campaign by unveiling a 10.2 tonne corporate stone recognizing local businesses which know that green is good for business. Most of the businesses were on hand to accept their attractive display plaques. Corporate membership was recognized at three levels; Level One represents contributions of $l,000 or more and these corporate names were etched into the stone. Level Two contributions are at $350 and Level Three at $150. This was The Conservancy’s first corporate campaign and 40+ businesses have signed on, many with automatic annual renewal. The Conservancy also offers their Protect an Acre program for $25 per acre and their In Memoriam Program. In addition, The Conservancy provides monthly workshops and their major event for 2006 is Mother Earth Day. Festivities are set for May 13th at Grant’s Woods. For just $5 per person you get an entire day of family activities. Please call (705) 326-1620 for full details. The Couchiching Conservancy – Saving Green Spaces for Future Generations |
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Upcoming Doors Open to Ontario Nature Events Carden Christmas Bird Count Meet at the Carden Recreation Centre in Lake Dalrymple (see the club webpage at www.thecardenproject.com/cfn for a map) for refreshments and to organize teams at 8:30 a.m. and head out in the field by 9:00 a.m. The day will be spent outside so please dress warmly and bring your own lunch. Meet back at the Recreation Centre for a potluck dinner and socializing at 4:30 p.m. Please register with Bob Bowles in advance: (705) 325-3149 or rbowles@rogers.com. Snowshoe Hike in the Altberg Nature Reserve Meet at the entrance to the reserve at 1:00 p.m. From Hwy 401 take Hwy 35/115 north past Lindsay, Fenelon Falls and Coboconk. At Norland, turn east on City Rd. 45 and continue for approximately 10 km. The property is on the south side of the road just past Woodcock Line and a cleared farm area. There is a nature reserve sign by the entrance. Dress warmly and bring water and a snack. Hike will last two to three hours. |
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SOUTHERN ONTARIO NEWS |
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Upper Credit Field Naturalists The club continues to have monthly presentations by noted speakers on such diverse topics as birding, mushroom identification, local reptiles, forest preservation and many others. In addition, the club has introduced an exciting new program of field trips and special events aimed at individuals who want to know more about the natural world around us. As well as local birding walks, these field trips include tree identification, spring wildflower walks, animal track recognition, and amphibian walks. One of the most popular has been the Beginning Birder course - a series of presentations and practical demonstrations, focused on the novice birder. Equipment, field guides, locations, types of birdfeeders, the use of computer software were discussed. The club intends to repeat these as required in 2006. One of the club's most visible recent projects has been the Birders' Winter Checklist for the Headwaters Area. The aim was to encourage new birders - especially during the winter when the Christmas Bird Counts and feeder watches are in progress. The list has been distributed to local bird seed stores and information booths. The club meets on the last Tuesday of the month (Jan-May, Sept-Nov) 7:30 p.m. at the Orangeville Senior Citizens Centre at 26 Bythia St. Orangeville. For more information contact Liz at (905) 584-2465 or lizzies@idirect.com. |
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Niagara River Area of Concern Fish Barrier Project One of the biggest concerns with fish habitat, in addition to its destruction, is its accessibility. Theoretically, thousands of hectares of prime fish habitat may not be accessible due to private dams, weirs, crossings or publicly owned perched culverts. These obstructions also impede the transport of sediment and nutrients, and the flow of water. Fish are not able to jump over such obstacles, making them dependent on accessible waters for them to reach their spawning habitat in the spring. Obstructions within watercourses have gradually appeared throughout the Niagara River watershed with little or no public knowledge of their existence or location. Over the course of the past four years, the Niagara Restoration Council has been implementing a plan for the identification and remediation of all potential fish barriers within the Niagara River Area of Concern (AOC), and its tributaries. The Fish Barrier Project became possible with the financial assistance of the Great Lakes Sustainability Fund, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and the logistical and technical support of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority along with other supporters. The Niagara Restoration Council has removed numerous barriers, some of which require considerable undertakings to achieve. Examples of remediation techniques include the full removal of the barrier, repair of the structure causing the barrier, and the building of a fish bypass channel around the barrier. In total, there was approximately 864 kilometres (536 miles) of locked-up fish habitat when this project began. This project has removed enough barriers to unlock 404 kilometres (250 miles) of the 864 kilometres. Including the habitat that never had barriers, 558 kilometres (346 miles) of fish habitat is now open and devoid of fish barriers. |
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McIlwraith Field Naturalists Presents Conservation Award to Friends of the Coves The McIlwraith Field Naturalists recently awarded a conservation award to the Friends of the Coves Subwatershed. Both groups are part of the Nature Network. This remarkable community group has accomplished much in the conservation and ecological field since its formation and incorporation in 2000 to ensure the long-term protection, rehabilitation and stewardship of the Coves Subwatershed. A major effort of the Friends of the Coves Subwatershed, Inc. was the completion of a Subwatershed Plan, with assistance of consultants and generous funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The 59 recommendations in the Plan were endorsed by the some 70 members and also by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. After presentation to the Planning and Environment and Transportation Committees of the city of London, it was adopted as a “Guideline Document” to the Official Plan of the City. An Implementation Committee with broad representation is pursuing the recommendations, now grouped into the areas of public access, education, rehabilitation, restoration and monitoring. The Friends of the Coves Subwatershed, Inc. has accomplished a great deal since its formation and provides a superb example of an extremely successful community effort that many other subwatershed groups might well emulate! |
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EASTERN ONTARIO NEWS |
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QWC AGM a great success The big attraction at Quinte Watershed Cleanup's AGM at Loyalist College in Belleville, was the free screening of The End of Suburbia, a thought provoking movie not to be missed with reference to curbing urban sprawl and Ontario Nature's promotion of a network of cores and corridors called the Greenway. It explores the North American way of life and its prospects as the planet approaches a critical era, as global demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply, as energy prices skyrocket in the coming years, how will the North American populations react to the collapse of their dream? Hosted by Barrie Zwicker, renowned journalist, and directed and written by Gregory Green, the film has been part of the Great Lakes Film Festival, Silver Lake, Planet in Focus, and the Vermont International Film Festival. http://eos.postcarbon.org/index.php ; http://reportonenergy.com/suburbia/ We are planning to show The End of Suburbia in as many places as possible. Together with Ontario Nature's Official Plan Review Kit, Quinte Watershed Cleanup will use the movie to work with communities and partners to enhance and support a sustainable environment in the Bay of Quinte and its watershed. |
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NEWS FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS |
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New Atlas to help protect Bruce Peninsula A new atlas is expected to help protect the economic and environmental health of the Bruce Peninsula. Funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the atlas provides ‘one window’ for decision makers, landowners and the general public with information on the northern Bruce peninsula. The Atlas is intended to assist everyone interested in protecting the ecological and economic health of the Northern Bruce and in making good decisions and good choices about the future of this remarkable area. The Atlas is digitally printed in a full colour 11”x 17” format containing 38 pages. It will soon be available in branches of the Bruce County Public Library. A digital copy can also be downloaded for free via the CPAWS Wildlands League website www.wildlandsleague.org. |
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UPCOMING NATURE NETWORK NEWS DEADLINES |
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Next Issue of Nature Network News The next issue of the Nature Network News will be sent on February 15, 2006. Submissions will be accepted until February 1, 2006. Please send articles to jenniferb@ontarionature.org. Ontario Nature publishes the Ontario Nature Network News every other month with contributions from its staff and member groups. |