It was a bit cool and overcast but over 35 people showed up before 10 o’clock to explore the natural area at the corner of Riverside Rd and Hunt Club. Owen Clarkin, Chair of Conservation for the OFNC was leading the walk, in collaboration with Andrei Grushman from the Hunt Club Community Association. The most [...]
by Owen Clarkin, OFNC Vice-President & Chair, Conservation Committee The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club has been tracking Elm Zigzag Sawfly (Aproceros leucopoda) since its recent (2020) detection in North America near Montreal. This includes making the first observations of EZS in Ontario (2020), the city of Ottawa (2021), the state of Vermont (2022), and the city [...]
by Jakob Mueller A proposal to build a six-lane roadway through the Greenbelt is open for public consultation, but only until Friday, 16 July. The City of Ottawa wants to extend Brian Coburn Boulevard across the northern fringe of the Mer Bleue wetland complex (see proposal). Of the various options for this project, the city [...]
For Immediate Release - February 9, 2021 Ottawa, ON – The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club (OFNC) is urging the City of Ottawa to defer including the proposed Tewin development in the expanded urban boundary, pending further study. On January 26th, a joint committee of Ottawa city council recommended that a 445-hectare parcel southeast of the city [...]
from the Conservation Committee of the OFNC The question is simple really. Do you care about species at risk? Do you care about Barn Swallows, Blanding’s Turtles, Eastern Whip-poor-wills, or Monarch Butterflies? If you care about these species and the other 200 species at risk in Ontario, then it is time to stand up for [...]
by Jakob Mueller, OFNC Vice President The Ontario government is considering a proposal to establish a hunting season on the Double-crested Cormorant. The details and potential effects of this proposal are a serious cause for concern. If enacted, the law will set responsible conservation back in Ontario and cause ecological harm that will take decades [...]
The OFNC has signed an Ontario Nature letter to Premier Ford protesting elimination of the role of environment commissioner. by Sandy Garland Ontario Nature (ON) is rallying its members (including the OFNC) to express concern over the move to eliminate the office of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO). OFNC President Diane Lepage has signed [...]
by David Seburn "Snapping Turtles take about 20 years to reach maturity in Ontario" - that's a long time to survive before being able to reproduce! (photo by David Seburn) Earlier this year, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) released proposed changes to the hunting regulations for the province. Among them [...]
by David Seburn An increase of only 0.1% in the annual mortality rate of 15+ year old Snapping Turtles would halve the number of adults in the local population in less than 20 years. Source: Management Plan for the Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) in Canada Snapping Turtles face many threats including the loss [...]
by Ken Buchan, OFNC Conservation Committee Note: The deadline for submissions is 18 March 2016 Background American Eel (Anguilla rostrata). See Freezing Nature for more photos The American Eel (Anguilla rostrata), once common over a large portion of eastern Canada, has declined dramatically in much of its Canadian range due to pressures from [...]
