| September Indoor Meeting
The first indoor meeting of the 2003/04 season was well attended with about 75 people turning out to hear Paul Pratt, Naturalist with the City of Windsor, talk on Snakes, Insects and Birds of the Ojibway Prairie. Paul explained that this complex consists of 5 natural areas located close to downtown Windsor. It includes Ojibway Park, Tallgrass Prairies Heritage Park and Black Oak Heritage Park for a total of 315 acres, all operated by Windsor's Department of Parks and Recreation. As well an additional 230 acres of prairie and savannah nearby constitute the Ontario Provincial Nature Reserve owned and operated by the OMNR. Finally there is the 260 acre Spring Garden ANSI. Paul also mentioned that efforts are underway to add another 290 acres. Paul, who was originally from Sarnia has been at Windsor since 1975. In her introduction Janet Bremner mentioned that Paul's passion was birding and that he has won many awards and recognition for his accomplishments in that field, and he has traveled extensively pursuing that interest. As well he is a consummate nature photographer and has authored many articles on natural subjects. Paul commenced by explaining that in both Canada and the U.S.A. as much as 99% of the original tall grass prairie has been lost. He said if you look at the location of where wheat and corn is grown in North America you can see where the prairie once was, since these are the ideal locations for those crops, which are really grasses. He then proceeded to explain that while there are many grasses in a tallgrass prairie there are really more flowers than grasses. He described how the various flowers appear starting in early May with such flowers as Yellow Stargrass with its tiny yellow flowers, Wild Lupines and Two-flowered Cynthia to Ohio Spiderwort, Butterfly Milkweed, Flowering Spurge, Field Milkwort, Ladies Tresses, Eastern Prairie White Fringed Orchid through later months until by the end of July or early August the complex is a sea of flowers. Finally by Fall the goldenrods and asters appear with their beautiful colours. He pointed out that this is quite different than woodland flowers which need to bloom early before the foliage reduces sunlight reaching them. Paul then talked about the insect life of the prairie complex. He showed a picture of a gorgeously coloured leaf hopper, a tiny insect that would not normally be noticed. He also showed may photos of butterflies as there are some 50 plus species of them in the area. They included such butterflies as the Spicebush Swallowtail, Grey Hairstreak, Spicebush Swallowtail. the Eastern Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail and Tiger Swallowtail. He mentioned the Edwards' Hairstreak where ants hide the caterpillar to protect it until it transforms into the butterfly. They do this in a symbiotic relationship as the ants also benefit by eating secretions from the caterpillar. He suggested planting dill as a way of attracting butterflies as they will lay eggs on it. He also talked about seeing butterflies feeding on mud puddles in a group. Apparently this is done so they can ingest minerals which females need to produce eggs. It is passed on in their sperm. Other animal life in the prairie complex includes some 50 species of dragonflies, moths, spiders (such as the crab spider which doesn't spin a web but hides in a flower for its prey), frogs, toads, snakes,and a variety of mammals such as shrews, voles, the whitefooted mouse, chipmunks, and the quite rare Grey Fox. Amongst the snakes are the Red-bellied Snake, the rare Butler's Garter Snake and surprisingly a population of Massassauga Rattlesnakes. This appears to be a local phenomena as you have to get up into the Bruce peninsula before they appear again. Paul said the had glued a tiny transmitter to a Massassauga Rattler in order to track its movement. Paul indicated that there were not a lot of prairie birds at the complex as the area is not large enough to sustain them. Amongst birds he did mention that they saw increasing numbers of over the last ten to twenty years are Turkey Vultures, Coopers Hawk, Red-bellied Woodpeckers and theTufted Titmouse, although this last bird has been particularly hard hit by West Nile Virus. Paul closed by emphasizing that people should come and visit and that even in the autumn the prairie is beautiful. Our thanks to Paul for a great talk on this prairie treasure. Gord Catterson For a closer look at this complex visit www.ojibway.ca for details on what is there and some great photography. |
| The Reach for Unbleached! Office Paper Buying Club
Walk Your Talk: If you care about the environment, do something to help! YOU Can Help the Environment: Order Recycled, Chlorine Free Paper The Office Paper Buying Club makes it easy. Sometimes we don't realise that simple things make a big difference. You Make A Difference When You Buy Chlorine Free, Recycled Paper. Every 40 cases of paper sold through the Buying Club: - Lowers water pollution by one third. Buying Club members can choose between Badger 100% recycled or New Life 80% recycled copy paper. The performance of both is guaranteed by the mills. Both sheets are acid free and excellent copy paper for all equipment, including photocopiers, laser and inkjet printers. New Life $57.25 a case, plus taxes and delivery. Certified 80% recycled including 60% post consumer, certified old growth and chlorine free by Chlorine Free Products Assn., union made in Canada by Rolland. Badger $60 a case, plus taxes and delivery. 100% post consumer, process chlorine free, not certified, union made in the USA, slightly less opaque. Prices are below those in major retail chains for paper that is still chlorine bleached and has only 30% recycled content! Here's how it works: 1) Place your order: NOTE NEW CONTACT ritchlin@rfu.org or phone 604-879-2992. Include your complete address (delivery address for 9-5 Monday to Friday), phone #, fax, and email. 2) Receive an invoice: We will fax you an invoice for the paper, delivery, taxes. 3) Please pre-pay: NOTE NEW CONTACT. After we invoice you, put your cheque in the mail to Reach for Unbleached!, #708-207 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 1H7. (The Club operates on pre-payment, which keeps our expenses low) 4) Receive your paper: The paper is delivered to your door approximately two weeks after order deadline. 5) Spread the word: Tell your friends and associates that you use chlorine-free, recycled paper. When everyone Walks the Talk, the industry will make more environmentally sound paper. Why a Bulk Buying Club Lower the price and simplify access to environmentally preferable paper. á Prove to manufacturers and distributors that a market exists. á Create enough demand to convince mills that this is the kind of paper they should make. Quarterly order deadlines February 28, May 31, August 31, Nov. 15 (delivery approximately 2 weeks after deadline) The Buying Club is possible through the charitable activities of Reach for Unbleached! and the efforts of Paper Choice, an independent supplier of environmentally preferable papers. Your prepayment is essential to keep prices as low as possible. Jay Ritchlin Program Director |
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The FON Board of Directors has accepted two new groups into the Nature Network. There are now 125 member groups! We would like to welcome the Carden Field Naturalists who are now part of the Huronia region and Operation Migration as a Provincial Partner. The following article relates to the above. The Cameron Ranch project was an important one for the Carden Field Naturalists. |
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The Cameron Ranch, the heartland of the Carden Plains, has been recently purchased by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) with the help of nature clubs and individuals in Ontario in order to protect this special area. On Saturday, June 21, 2003 the Carden Field Naturalists hosted a special day to allow Federation of Ontario Naturalists members and other naturalists to visit and learn more about this unusual area. The ranch is a 3000 acre parcel of alvar land on limestone bedrock located at the center of the Carden Alvar which is part of the greater Carden Plains which extends east from Matchedash Bay across Simcoe County through the City of Kawartha Lakes to Burnt River. The long purple styles of three-flowered avens wave in the gentle breeze like plumes of smoke over the prairie and unusual species of flora are in bloom all around you. Spring songs of Eastern meadowlarks, brown thrashers and the wolf whistle of the upland sandpiper fill the air while an endangered subspecies, the Eastern loggerhead shrike nests nearby. This is a typical mid-June morning at the Cameron Ranch. The tours were guided by Bob Bowles, President of the Carden Field Naturalists, and club member Ron Reid, while the rest of the club members were on hand to welcome and explain more about this great natural area. The Carden Field Naturalists, |
| Kawartha Highlands Signature Site gets park designation
After years of public consultation, the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site has finally been designated as a provincial park. At 36,000 hectares, the spectacular Kawartha Highlands site becomes the largest - and one of the newest - protected areas south of Algonquin Park. The site came under the public spotlight because of an earlier proposal to designate it as a Recreation Reserve under legislation that "died on the order paper" this past spring (see Seasons, Spring and Summer 2003). In recognition of the long history of pre-existing recreational uses within the Signature Site planning area, including private cottages, lodges and hunt camps, the provincial government has proceeded with the enactment of new and parallel legislation, namely the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site Park Act. The conservation community widely denounced the Recreation Reserve bill, and view the new act as a significant improvement. What is really important about the new Kawartha legislation is the overriding commitment in the act to protect the site's ecological integrity and to complete a management plan within two years. FON believes that the sensitive natural features of Kawartha can be safeguarded through proper management planning and zoning and through the clear commitment in the act to safeguard its natural systems. The Kawartha Highlands are located in the lake-studded region of central Ontario, and combine rock barrens, wetlands, old forests and alvar habitat; the area is home to a number of rare and sensitive species, including the five-lined skink - Ontario's only lizard. The site is the first of nine Signature Sites to be officially regulated, and will be protected from commercial logging, mining and hydroelectric development. All-terrain vehicle use will be strictly limited, and dedicated funds have been allocated to help in the establishment and management of the park. Gregor Beck |
| 2003 Volunteering in the Near North for the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas Project
Tony Roach, Paul Carter and Diane Haselmayer spent a week at the summer cabin of Doug and Geri Payne gathering data for the atlas in the area around Sharp Rock Inlet in Temagami. There weren't any roads or hiking trails in the area so most of our time was spent bushwhacking. We left Sarnia at the crack of dawn on a beautiful July Saturday headed for Temagami. Doug was waiting for us on the dock of the marina on the Temagami access road. We loaded up his boat with our supplies for the week (mostly snacks and Paul's salad makings) and after a 45 minute boat ride we arrived at the cabin that we would use as our headquarters for the next week. There to greet us were Geri and the Payne's three red setters - Flash, Sally and Kersee (our chef and food tasters respectively). The Payne's cabin is on a small island in the southeast corner of Sharp Rock Inlet. The area is quite isolated - only a few cottages on islands in the lake - nothing along the shore of the mainland. Their island is small, but there were a few species of birds observed - Tree Swallows, Pine Warblers, a pair of Yellow-rumped Warblers that were nesting, Cedar Waxwings, a pair of Song Sparrows nesting and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. We were fortunate to have perfect birding weather for five days, although it rained all day on the sixth day and was still raining when we left the following morning. Our routine was to get up at 5:00 a.m. - usually to the sound of Tony's morning swim and loud invitation, "Come on in the water's fine". (Paul and I always resisted Tony's invitation to test out the lake at that early hour). Around 5:45 Doug would start up the motor and we would climb in the boat and travel to the area to be birded that morning. We would be bushwhacking by shortly after 6 a.m. The terrain that we had to cover was especially difficult due to the many large trees which were down from a recent storm. We did point counts until the bird song started to die down, usually around 10:00 am and then spent the time looking for breeding evidence. At noon Doug would arrive and rescue us from the mosquitoes, deer flies and black flies and take us back to the cabin for lunch and a swim before we headed off again in the afternoon. Our major efforts were concentrated on four large islands in the area - Beaver Island, Deer Island, Horseshoe Island, and Red Pine Island. In addition to providing data for the atlas, Doug and Geri will use the information we gathered to try to preserve these islands in their natural state and prevent future development. We were able to spend a lot of time in the field because we would arrive home for lunch and supper to wonderful meals prepared by Geri. A few of our birding highlights were: finding a female Bufflehead with one fledged young (there were only two reports of confirmed breeding for Bufflehead from the first atlas), hearing an amazing number of Swainson's Thrushes and Winter Wrens and seeing a Gray Jay. Mike Cadman and his staff should be commended for coming up with such interesting opportunities to work on the Breeding Bird Atlas of Ontario. Diane Haselmayer |
| FON member group representatives and presidents
As you may be aware, the Federation of Ontario Naturalists (FON) has received a generous grant from The Ontario Trillium Foundation to place three staff in southern, central and eastern Ontario. The goals of this exciting project are to provide support to the Nature Network (FON's member groups) by establishing and supporting regional conservation hubs, as well as to develop a communications strategy to increase the profile of the Nature Network and FON. Building Ontario's Nature Network project will provide support to FON member groups through the regional coordinators who will provide support to Nature Network groups and act as information conduits between the provincial and local levels. The Coordinators will serve as resource people for information on provincial and local conservation issues. Supporting the Nature Network will involve answering inquiries, providing conservation expertise and problem-solving advice to member groups. The media campaign developed to support Building Ontario's Nature Network will communicate the message of nature protection to a wide spectrum of people across Ontario, and will help to promote a conservation ethic that honours responsibility and care for the environment. . I am the regional coordinator for your area, based out of Hamilton. In my new role as regional coordinator, I am interested in talking with your group to describe the project in more detail including the benefits to your group, and to gather your ideas on how I may provide the best support to your group. I would appreciate having a meeting with your Board and would also be able to give a short presentation at one of your monthly group meetings, if your group is interested. I will be contacting you over the next couple of weeks to set up a meeting time. If you have any questions about the meeting please contact me at jenniferb@ontarionature.org or 905-527-9477. . I look forward to meeting with your group! . Sincerely, |
| Pollution Watch
The 2001 pollution data is now available from PollutionWatch. The PollutionWatch website which was originally launched in 2001 and modelled after the US Scorecard, is a project of the Canadian Environmental Law Association, Environmental Defence Canada and the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy. It allows you to access pollution data in your community. We encourage you to visit the PollutionWatch at www.pollutionwatch.org. Fe de Leon, Researcher |