Predecessor | Federation of Ontario Naturalists |
---|---|
Formation | 1931 |
Type | Non-profit |
Location | |
Executive Director | Caroline Schultz |
Website | ontarionature |
Ontario Nature is a non-profit organization based in Toronto that promotes the preservation and conservation of wild species and spaces in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was established in 1931 as the Federation of Ontario Naturalists and changed its name to Ontario Nature in 2004.
Ontario Nature maintains its own system of 24 nature reserves, totaling 2,788 hectares. [1] It creates parks and nature reserves. [2] [3] [4] It also provides public education about nature. [5] Ontario Nature publishes a quarterly magazine called ON Nature, [6] [7] formerly called Seasons.
The Bruce Trail is a hiking trail in southern Ontario, Canada, from the Niagara River to the tip of Tobermory, Ontario. The main trail is more than 890 km (550 mi) long and there are over 400 km (250 mi) of associated side trails. The trail mostly follows the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, one of the nineteen UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves in Canada. The land the trail traverses is owned by the Government of Ontario, local municipalities, local conservation authorities, private landowners, and the Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC). The Bruce Trail is the oldest and longest marked hiking trail in Canada. Its name is linked to the Bruce Peninsula and Bruce County, through which the trail runs. The trail is named after the county, which was named after James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin who was Governor General of the Province of Canada from 1847 to 1854.
An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse grassland vegetation. Often flooded in the spring, and affected by drought in midsummer, alvars support a distinctive group of prairie-like plants. Most alvars occur either in northern Europe or around the Great Lakes in North America. This stressed habitat supports a community of rare plants and animals, including species more commonly found on prairie grasslands. Lichen and mosses are common species. Trees and bushes are absent or severely stunted.
The common snapping turtle is a species of large freshwater turtle in the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far east as Nova Scotia and Florida. The present-day Chelydra serpentina population in the Middle Rio Grande, suggests that common snapping turtle has been present in this drainage since at least the seventeenth century and is likely native. The three species of Chelydra and the larger alligator snapping turtles are the only extant chelydrids, a family now restricted to the Americas. The common snapping turtle, as its name implies, is the most widespread.
The Bruce Peninsula is a peninsula in Ontario, Canada, that divides Georgian Bay of Lake Huron from the lake's main basin. The peninsula extends roughly northwestwards from the rest of Southwestern Ontario, pointing towards Manitoulin Island, with which it forms the widest strait joining Georgian Bay to the rest of Lake Huron. The Bruce Peninsula contains part of the geological formation known as the Niagara Escarpment. The entire peninsula and nearby communities to the south along Lake Huron are located within Bruce County, Ontario.
The Blanding's turtle is a semi-aquatic turtle of the family Emydidae. This species is native to central and eastern parts of Canada and the United States. It is considered to be an endangered species throughout much of its range. The Blanding's turtle is of interest in longevity research, as it shows few or no common signs of aging and is physically active and capable of reproduction into eight or nine decades of life.
The Don Valley Brick Works is a former quarry and industrial site located in the Don River Valley in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Don Valley Brick Works operated for nearly 100 years and provided bricks used to construct many well-known Toronto landmarks, such as Casa Loma, Osgoode Hall, Massey Hall, and the Ontario Legislature. Since the closure of the original factory, the quarry has been converted into a city park which includes a series of naturalized ponds, while the buildings have been restored and opened as an environmentally focused community and cultural centre by Evergreen, a national charity dedicated to restoring nature in urban environments.
The alligator snapping turtle is a large species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The species is endemic to freshwater habitats in the United States. M. temminckii is one of the heaviest freshwater turtles in the world. It is the largest freshwater species of turtle in North America. It is often associated with, but not closely related to, the common snapping turtle, which is in the genus Chelydra. The specific epithet temminckii is in honor of Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck.
Lake Nipigon is part of the Great Lakes drainage basin. It is the largest lake entirely within the boundaries of the Canadian province of Ontario.
Petrie Island is an island of parkland and recreational areas situated in the Ottawa River in the eastern part of the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The island has several nearby islands and the general collection of islands is also called Petrie Island.
Rouge National Urban Park is a national urban park in Ontario, Canada. The park is centred around the Rouge River and its tributaries in the Greater Toronto Area. The southern portion of the park is situated around the mouth of the river in Toronto, and extends northwards into Markham, Pickering, Uxbridge, and Whitchurch-Stouffville.
Nature Canada is a member-based environmental organization headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. Its supporters include more than 100,000 individuals and over 800 affiliated organizations, including local and provincial naturalist clubs.
Turtling is the hunting of turtles. Turtling has been a part of human culture since as far back as the middle of the first millennium BC, where sea turtles such as the hawksbill sea turtle were eaten as delicacies in countries such as China. While consumption and hunting of turtles is less common than it was in the past, this practice is still a part of communities throughout the globe, whether done legally or illegally.
Frederick Albert Urquhart was a Canadian zoologist and professor of zoology who studied the migration of monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus L. Together with his wife, Norah Roden Urquhart, he identified their migration routes, discovered that the migration spans multiple generations of butterflies, and found their wintering place in Mexico—considered "one of the greatest natural history discoveries" of the 20th-century.
Westmeath Provincial Park is a provincial park on the Ottawa River in Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Located on the section of the river known as Bellows Bay, it features a long sandy beach and an active sandspit. It is one of the most pristine sand dune and wetland complexes along the southern Ottawa River.
The fauna of Toronto include a variety of different species situated within the city limits. Toronto contains a mosaic of ecosystems that includes forests, rivers, streams, and wetlands, which allows it to support a large variety of fauna. Approximately 87 to 90 per cent of the city's indigenous flora and fauna inhabit the city reside within the Toronto ravine system. The city's ravine system, creeks and rivers are wildlife corridors that allow animals to travel from one area of the city to another. Although most animals in Toronto reside within the ravine system, several animals also live in the city's urban environment and parks.
Arrowhead Provincial Park is located north of Huntsville, Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Ontario Parks system. A portion of the shoreline of Glacial Lake Algonquin is visible in the park.
Galibi is a resort in Suriname, located in the Marowijne District. Its population at the 2012 census was 741. Galibi is a tribal area inhabited by an indigenous population of Kalina Amerindians.
Scotch Corners Wetland is a provincially significant wetland complex located in Lanark County, Ontario, Canada. The 202 hectares area has a wide array of wetland types including swamps, marshes, vernal pools, beaver ponds and seepage areas. It forms the headwaters of several creeks that drain into Mississippi Lake.
Brokenhead River Ecological Reserve is an ecological reserve on the Brokenhead River, Manitoba, Canada. It was established in 1978 under the Manitoba Crown Lands Act. It is 0.64 square kilometres (0.25 sq mi) in size. It is a reserve that protects 66 hectares of forest. The forest is home to a variety of trees such as the oak, spruce, and elm. The forest is home to animals as well, which include, the red fox, snapping turtle, beaver, and mink.
Rattray Marsh Conservation Area, is 94 acres of environmentally sensitive wetland situated along the shore of Lake Ontario in Canada. It is found on the west side of Jack Darling Memorial Park and is located in the city of Mississauga within the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is the last remaining lakefront marsh on the western end of Lake Ontario and is owned and managed by Credit Valley Conservation.