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Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 10:00 AM
Meadowlily Nature Preserve in London, ON, CanadaOut for the Count 2021: Colin's Hike
Register here for a 1-hour session with our Stewardship and Outreach Coordinator, Colin Johnson and volunteer, Chelsea Hicks-Webster as they give a quick naturalist hike followed by tips on plant and animal identification using iNaturalist and Seek phone apps. Giving a great jumping off point for the "Out For The Count BioBlitz". This will take place at Meadowlily Nature Preserve and is great for beginners and families. Please ensure you read the Overview and Guidelines located in the Resources tab, or visit the Out for The Count home page for more information on the Out for the Count event! -
Sunday, September 19, 2021 at 11:00 AM
Online via ZoomHawk Cliff Woods Migration Weekends: Bicycling with Butterflies
The Hawk Cliff Woods Migration Weekends (formerly Hawk Cliff Weekends) is back! This year, we are offering two virtual presentations leading up to the weekends. Although, we won't be together in person, we strongly encourage you to visit Hawk Cliff Woods during the weekend of September 18-19 and 25-26 to see the hawk and Monarch migration on your own. Want to learn more about the Hawk Cliff Woods Migration Weekends? Check out this video introducing the events history and the partners behind it.For the second presentation in the series, we welcome Sara Dykman, author of "Bicycling with Butterflies", to recount her inspirational journey of 10,201 miles (~16,417 km) on a beat-up bicycle from Mexico to Canada and back with the Monarch butterfly migration in 2017, followed by a Q&A.
We will be drawing names at the end of the presentation and one lucky attendee will be going home with a copy of Sara's book! You won't want to miss out.
Sara Dykman is the founder of beyondabook.org, which fosters lifelong learners, boundary pushers, explorers, and stewards. She works in amphibian research and as an outdoor educator, guiding young people into nature so they can delight in its complicated brilliance. She hopes her own adventures—walking from Mexico to Canada, canoeing the Missouri River from source to sea, and cycling over 80,000 miles across North and South America (including the monarch migration trip)—will empower young and old to dream big.
Sara's book is available for purchase at Chapters Indigo and locally at Oxford Book Shop.
Sara has waived her speaker fee in the name of supporting TTLT and getting people excited about Monarchs! To learn more about the Butterbike project or to support Sara's efforts, please visit http://www.beyondabook.org/.
Hosted in partnership with Hawk Cliff Raptor Banders, St. Thomas Field Naturalist Club, and Volunteers of Monarch Watch
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Saturday, September 25, 2021 at 02:00 PM
Near Ross's Woods in Ingersoll, ON, CanadaRoss's Woods Celebration
Landscape photos of Ross's Woods by Daria Koscinski, Cardinal by Terry Parker.
We are excited to announce our newest project in land conservation: Ross's Woods! Ross's Woods was acquired as our 20th property in our 20th year. In honour of this, we invite you to come join us in celebration as we embark on this journey to ensure that Ross's Woods stays protected and conserved forever.
Please click here to learn more about this nature reserve and how you can help.
The nature reserve was named after Ross Snider, an avid birder and well-respected bird rehabilitator who was known to have lived a "Life with Birds." He always made sure to share his passion and knowledge for wildlife through informative and exciting presentations with live birds held for students, church groups, youth organization meetings, and naturalist clubs. We would like to thank the Snider Family for hosting our celebration event!
Fittingly, Ross's Woods is a 23-hectare (56-acre) nature reserve that is part of the Five Points Woods Wetland Complex and is an important wildlife refuge. The mixed deciduous/coniferous forest contains unusual habitats such as stands of hemlock and many large mature trees of various species. Streams support cold-water fish species, and spring-fed provincially significant wetlands furnish essential habitat for amphibians and turtles. Rare species of dragonflies, butterflies, birds, and plants make their homes here. Ross's Woods and adjacent lands are regularly visited and inhabited by 150 bird species, at least 35 of which are priority species in Bird Conservation Region 13, and at least 2 which are Species at Risk. This area has been identified as a significant area where wintering birds gain shelter from adverse weather conditions. A groundwater-fed stream remains open most of the winter, providing birds with water for drinking and bathing.
This event is subject to COVID-19 guidelines at the time. Please ensure that you practice social distancing and masking. Passing the COVID-19 screening questionnaire and proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 will be mandatory to attend the event. To help with flow of traffic at the event please try to complete the questionnaire before you arrive and have a copy of your vaccination certificate available.
This event has limited capacity - RSVPs are required for attendance. Hope to see you there!
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Sunday, September 26, 2021 at 02:00 PM
Meadowlily Nature Preserve in London, ON, CanadaPassport to Nature: Knitting in Nature
Knitting and other needlecrafts are therapeutic and relaxing. Enjoy them even more by being outside in beautiful scenery. Bring a folding chair, your current project, and join Sarah Hodgkiss and fellow needlecraft enthusiasts for two hours of crafting outside. All levels welcome. This event is subject to COVID regulations at the time. If necessary, this event will be held as a webinar.
Photo by Kandyce Affleck.
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Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at 06:00 PM through October 02, 2021
Westminster Pond Centre in London, ON, CanadaBiodiversity Boss 2021
Do you have what it takes to be a Biodiversity Boss?
Biodiversity Boss Conservation Training is a skills development program offered by Thames Talbot Land Trust. Participants learn about conservation and restoration in the context of Canada's Carolinian Zone, including hands on activities in restoration, invasive species management, and Ecological Land Classification.
Are you:- curious about conservation, restoration, and ecology?
- looking for fun, hands-on, skills building experience?
- comfortable being outside in nature, off trail, whatever the weather (and potentially with bugs)?
If so, consider joining us and earn your Biodiversity Boss badge!
What to Expect
This free program is designed to be participatory, hands-on, and fun. Participants learn about different conservation issues and take part in important restoration and conservation projects. Along the way, they learn to ID various native and invasive plant and animal species. At the end of the program, participants are presented with their Biodiversity Boss badge.
This program is for anyone interested in learning about conservation, but is a great tool for those looking to get into the environmental field and want to learn some of the typical skills used. The classes are taught at a high school level.
The schedule
There will be two one hour webinars followed by a day of hands-on field training.
Date Class September 28 at 6pm (1 Hour) Webinar 1: Introduction to Thames Talbot Land Trust and the Biodiversity Boss program, and Introduction to Ecosystem Restoration September 30 at 6pm (1 Hour) Webinar 2: Introduction to Tree Identification, and Introduction to Invasive Species in Ontario October 2nd from 10am to 4pm Field day, learn hands on skills in: Tree Identification, Invasive Species Management and Ecological Land Classification Please indicate whether you are attending some or all parts of the Biodiversity Boss program with the check boxes in the RSVP form below.
Photos by: Ric Symmes, Cathy Quinlan, Brenda Gallagher, Melaine Franke
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Wednesday, September 29, 2021 at 06:00 PM
Westminster Ponds Centre in London, ON, CanadaVolunteer Appreciation and BioBlitz Wrap Up Events
What a year 2021 has been!
We'd like to give a very special thank you to you, our volunteers, for continuously ensuring that our efforts in conservation, protection, and restoration are successful! To celebrate and recognize all of your hard work, on Wednesday, September 29, 2021, we are hosting our annual Volunteer Appreciation event at Westminster Ponds!
What better way to celebrate our volunteers than with some delicious food, lawn games, and an awards ceremony for our Out for the Count: BioBlitz Fundraiser. Yes - you heard that right - two events in one night!
Photo (right): Volunteers at Meadowlily Nature Preserve after pulling Garlic Mustard by Colin Johnson.
Schedule
6:00 pm to 7:00 pm - Volunteer appreciation dinner with live music provided by Ian Bell at 6:45pm.
7:00 pm to 7:30 pm - Out for the Count: BioBlitz awards and wrap-up announcement. Desserts will also be served from 7:00 pm onwards.
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm - Time to celebrate!
If you can make it to this event, please RSVP below to confirm your spot, and let us know if we'll be seeing you for just the volunteer appreciation dinner, or if you're staying for the BioBlitz awards ceremony and socializing as well.
This event is subject to COVID-19 guidelines at the time. Please ensure that you practice social distancing and masking. Passing the COVID-19 screening questionnaire and proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 will be mandatory to attend the event. To help with flow of traffic at the event please try to complete the questionnaire before you arrive and have a copy of your vaccination certificate available.
Looking forward to seeing everyone!
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Sunday, October 03, 2021 at 02:00 PM
Near MeadowWoods in Rodney, ON, CanadaMeadowWoods Celebration
Landscape photos of MeadowWoods by Stan Caveney, Butterfly by Jane Bowles.
Come join us in celebration of the completion of the MeadowWoods land conservation project as part of our Vision 20/20 Campaign!
Thanks to Stan and Anita Caveney for the donation of this 105-acre parcel of land, and to the generosity of our donors and supporters, we have been able to ensure the protection and conservation of this important natural refuge. It lies within a large coastal wildlife corridor formed by a chain of steep wooded ravines and valleys stretching along 100km of Lake Erie shoreline in Elgin County. This nature reserve is home to a great diversity of native flora and fauna, including 200 species of migrant and resident birds. Many rare species are found here. Among these are birds, dragonflies, reptiles and amphibians. Although some of the land was previously farmed, it has been restored to native meadows and wetlands. These early successional habitats greatly enhance the species diversity of the vegetation communities present.
This event is subject to COVID-19 guidelines at the time. Please ensure that you practice social distancing and masking. Passing the COVID-19 screening questionnaire and proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 will be mandatory to attend the event. To help with flow of traffic at the event please try to complete the questionnaire before you arrive and have a copy of your vaccination certificate available.
This event has limited capacity - RSVPs are required for attendance. Hope to see you there!
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Saturday, October 16, 2021 at 02:00 PM
Five Points Forest in Putnam, ON, CanadaPassport to Nature: Forest Fungi
Learn the names and life stories of many woodland fungi with Greg Thorn, enthusiastic mycologist and naturalist, while hiking at Five Points Forest.This guided field trip is subject to COVID regulations at the time. If necessary, this event will be held as a webinar.
Photo by David Wake.