Help Keep County Road 91
Hello Friends, especially those located near former Simcoe County Road 91 (CR91) & Clearview Concession 10, west of Duntroon:
We need your help.
Please join us in an online information session, Tuesday 26 January 2021 at 7:00pm.
Sideroad 26/27
As you may know, Clearview intends to close the western section of CR91 and transfer ownership to Walker Aggregates Inc. They propose to replace this important inter-county road by reconstructing Sideroad 26/27, currently a narrow seasonal road with a 14% grade that traverses the Niagara Escarpment's most sensitive lands comprising precious wetlands.
This would:- Degrade a cold-water trout fishery
- Destroy Escarpment wetlands
- Create a dangerously steep road
- Increase traffic on Concession 10
- Impact inter-county traffic networks
- Impact efficient commercial transportation
The kicker is that what's left of CR91 would still be full of trucks: Walker's. The Blue Mountain Watershed Trust has been fighting this action since 2015. We need to continue this fight; victory is in sight. This is your chance to find out about the issues and what we need to do in preparation for a major hearing before the Environmental Review Tribunal of the Niagara Escarpment.
Sideroad 26/27 is a seasonal road that connects Grey Road 31 to 10th Concession.
We need your help.
We are an all-volunteer registered charity. Our members work (and work hard!) for free; we need money to pay for experts who will testify—who will “speak for the trees” as Dr. Seuss once wrote. The Watershed Trust has party status; the Niagara Escarpment Commission leans on us for expert testimony, studies, witnesses and cross-examination, as concerns conservation.
They need us, too.
Please confirm your attendance by Registering by 11:59pm on Monday January 25, 2021.
Nature Network News
Conservation updates for member groups.
Looking Forward to 2021
As we head into a new year, we remember all the amazing things we accomplished for nature in 2020 despite unprecedented challenges. We could not have done it without you, our members, followers, funders, partners and sponsors. In the coming year, we will continue to support a science-based approach to conservation and we will fight alongside you to protect our precious environment. Read our new blog to learn about the exciting projects we have planned for 2021!
Explore the Wildlife and Habitats of Stone Road Alvar
Join our conservation staff, partners and researchers on February 2, 2021 for a free webinar on the post-burn species monitoring at our Stone Road Alvar Nature Reserve on Pelee Island. In 2018, we conducted a prescribed burn on the property and since then we have been monitoring the burn's effect on the area's species at risk. During the 1.5-hour webinar you will learn about the unique ecosystems found on Pelee Island and about restoration work on local conservation lands. Register now to secure your spot for this enlightening session!
Funding for Tree Planting Now Available
Tree Canada is inviting all land owners and conservation organizations to apply to its National Greening Program, which supports large-scale tree planting projects across Canada. The program provides funding for the purchase of trees to reforest properties to enhance biodiversity and create habitat for wildlife. Tree Canada is a national charity with multiple programs dedicated to planting and nurturing trees in urban and rural environments of all sizes. If you are interested in having a National Greening Program planting on your land, submit an online proposal by January 25, 2021.
Join the Canadian Bat Box Project
Do you have a bat box on your property? If so, researchers with the Canadian Bat Box Project want to know about it. They are collecting data on Canada's bats and they invite everyone to help by submitting information about the species using local bat boxes. If you don't have a bat box on your property but would like to help, please consider installing one. The Canadian Bat Box Project provides guidance on how to install bat boxes and how to determine if they are being used. The data collected will help researchers determine which species use bat boxes and the box designs they prefer. For more information contact Karen Vanderwolf.
Check Out the Winter 2020 Issue of ON Nature
The winter issue of ON Nature, our quarterly award-winning magazine, is now available! Explore Ontario's wild species and spaces with us by reading about how a warming planet will impact Ontario's iconic big cat, a cross-cultural conservation campaign that is supporting lake sturgeon recovery efforts, and why we have reached the tipping point for Ontario's permafrost ecosystem. ON Nature is a member supported magazine. For $50 per year you can help support Ontario Nature's work protecting wildlife and habitats, and we will mail you a print magazine.
Become an Advocate for Nature
Tens of thousands of people are raising their voices as advocates for the protection of Ontario's wild species and wild spaces People who are willing to take that extra step by communicating with the government and other decision-makers about the need to protect nature. Will you join them? As an advocate for nature you will receive emails about important conservation issues and easy ways you can take action when your help is urgently needed.
Dear Migs,
I hope you were able to join us yesterday evening for the live discussion Protecting Ontario’s Environmental Future. If so, you were one of more than 1200 people who joined us live - what a way to kick off this year! If you weren’t able to attend then don’t worry - the session was recorded and is available to watch on Youtube now.
It was a truly inspiring evening, and I’m very grateful again to my special guests, David Crombie, Anastasia Lintner and Anne Bell for their uplifting and informative words.
As David said so eloquently last night, it’s not too late to protect Ontario’s environmental future, but we need to get organised. Together, we have real power to fight for what’s important, which is why we all need to stand up and make our voices heard, at every level of government and in every community.
As a first step, would you take three minutes to take part in this survey, to help us get to know more about you and how we can work together to protect Ontario’s environment? This will help us better support local groups, develop information and resources and drive this movement forward.
We heard it loud and clear last night: Ontario’s environment is Yours to Protect. Thank you for being part of the movement.
In solidarity,
Tim Grey
Executive Director