Welcome to the May e- Newsletter! As you will soon see, it will focus on the Annual Carden Challenge, a major fundraiser for stewardship in Carden.

I remember the first Carden Challenge. It was initially, a great disappointment for me, unable to participate, as I was just recovering from major surgery and could not handle the rigors of the 24 hour marathon! As I was bemoaning the fact, it occurred to me that maybe I could play a role in it from home. After discussion with my wife Bonnie, we invited each of the teams to come to our property during the day. It was a great success, as each team was able to add 4-5 species which they had not been able to acquire anywhere else. That invitation continued right up until last year when Covid 19 upset the tradition. We have been able to meet and enjoy the time with celebrity birders and Carden supporters. Many thousands of dollars have been raised over these past 15 years, thanks to the initiative of creating and organizing the annual event by Ron Reid and Janet Grand, and the entire Conservancy team! Hopefully next year we can make our property available again to all the teams.

As a very young boy, I had two pictures on my bedroom wall. On the left, a wonderful colour image of an Eastern Meadowlark, on the right a framed picture of one of my heroes, Captain Syl Apps' of the Toronto Maple Leafs, holding the Stanley cup. The pictures have long gone!

The picture of the Meadowlark has been replaced with a carving I did some years ago (pictured above).

There is still time to support a team in this year's Carden Challenge, if you haven't already done so- read on. And I am quite sure another team, the Maple Leafs, would appreciate your support too. Just maybe, this is the year! Leaf fans and Birders never give up hope of The Big Year!

David A. Homer

The fact that nature is imperative to our physical, emotional and mental health is nothing new. Add on the stress of the pandemic, and the loss of regular activities, and it’s clear just how critical wild natural places are to our communities. Over the course of the pandemic, we have seen an increase in the number of people visiting the Reserves.

Over the course of the year, there have been thousands of people visiting the Reserves, especially Grant’s Woods Nature Reserve just outside of Orillia. For the most part, these nature lovers have a very low impact on the forest and species who live here.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Most people who visit the Reserves have a deep respect for nature, and if you are new to the outdoors, Grant’s Woods is a great place to start. That’s why there are over 10 signs at the trailhead of Grant’s Woods and through the forest, at least seven of which ask people to keep their dog on a leash, respect the forest and support the Conservancy.

In 2020, we introduced the Landowner Stewardship Program. By working with trained staff, landowners are able to preserve the environmental values of their property through long-term stewardship projects, tailored to their environmental goals. We provide training on how to monitor species, resources, and best management practices that give landowners the skills and knowledge to protect their land's habitats and the species it supports. 

Claire Buchanan and Ryan Lamoureux are both part of the Canadian Conservation Corps program and will be working with us for the spring and summer. They will be joining the stewardship team and helping with trail maintenance, invasive species removal, setting up the Monarch Monitoring program and more.

They have had quite the adventures so far and spent their first day pulling garlic mustard in the pouring rain at The Church Woods. Despite the hot afternoons, swarms of mosquitoes, and ticks, they have been learning lots about stewardship and the unique species in the region. Some of their favourite sightings have been three Northern Map Turtles and a Barred Owl (a first for Claire!).

We are excited to have these two dedicated nature enthusiasts on our team this season!

We are less than one day away from the Carden Challenge. 20 teams and 71 participants are taking part in this event and will soon be heading out to their neighbourhoods in search of as many species as possible for 24 hours.

Thank you to everyone who has made donations so far. We are just over halfway to hitting our $30,000 goal to drive local conservation efforts on the Carden Alvar. Can you help teams reach this goal? There is still time to make a donation!

Did you know the Carden Alvar...