Long Point Basin Land Trust
P.O. Box 468 N0E 1M0 Port Rowan, ON, Canada

Here's some good news for biodiversity today: Ontario has established a working group of conservation experts to expand and protect even more natural areas across the province. Read more: https://news.ontario.ca//ontario-working-with-conservation

Here's a tough #WhatIsItWednesday - can you ID this plant?

Doesn't it feel like spring is on it's way? One of the earliest signs of spring are these little springtails, aka "snow fleas" popping up. These tiny little insect-relatives are completely harmless to us - they love to feed on the fungi and algae growing in the snow on warm days.

Have you ever seen a pignut hickory tree? How are they different from their cousins? The latest edition of our species of the month feature by Mary Gartshore, board member, restoration specialist, and naturalist is now out and tells you all about this beautiful tree! http://longpointlandtrust.ca/species-of-the-month-february-

We've been hearing about lots of sightings of Snow buntings in Norfolk county recently - these little birds are built to withstand the cold! https://www.allaboutbirds.org//are-snow-buntings-north-am/

Would you like to have your say in the management plan for the Long Point National Wildlife Area? The proposed plan is open for comments until Feb 10:

Are you a birder or a botanist?

Happy New Year! We think the best way to kick off 2021 is by spending some time enjoying nature. Have you been outside yet today?

Have you ever heard of a winter moth? Learn all about the mustard sallow, including how to bait it - a fun, safe activity you can do in your own backyard! Check it out as part of our new "Species of the month" series on our website, with photos and writing by Mary Gartshore, board member, restoration specialist, and naturalist: https://buff.ly/3hdrijy

From all of us at LPBLT, we wish you and your family a happy, safe, and joyous holiday season.

There's still time to help protect the heritage of the unique Long Point Basin region - you can help preserve this legacy for generations to come. Donate today:

As you're cozied up at home, have you ever wondered what happens to amphibians in the winter? Some, like this Gray Tree Frog, turn into glorified frogsicles! These frogs hibernate, and when the temperatures get low enough they increase the glucose and glycerol (which used to be used as anti-freeze in cars!) in their system to act as a cryoprotectant. Learn more: https://buff.ly/3ao7LeS

LPBLT is in the latest issue of Global Heroes magazine as part of a celebration of #LandTrustHeroes - check it out! https://www.globalheroes.com/celebrating-land-trust-heroes/

For #WhatIsItWednesday, here's something we found at our Trout Creek Nature Reserve this October. Do you know what these are?

Thank you to everyone who submitted entries for our first-ever colouring contest! Congrats to our winners Sophie (kids category) and Doris (adult category).

It's your last chance! Head over to http://longpointlandtrust.ca/colouring-contest/ to submit your artistic vision of this Red-Bellied #woodpecker by Sunday night to be eligible to win a prize.

Have you heard about the "wood wide web?" Learn about how trees use a network of fungi to communicate with each other. https://www.nytimes.com//tree-communication-mycorrhiza.html

We are so grateful for everyone that helped to make Giving Tuesday a success. Thanks to you, LPBLT will be able to continue conserving and restoring more natural areas across the Long Point Basin.

Looking for a way to get your wanderlust fix from the safety of your own home? Join us and Adam Shoalts, Canada's Indiana Jones, for photos and stories of his journey alone across the Arctic in a free webinar on Wednesday, November 25. Don't miss out - register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/wilderness-adventures-tickets-1

From all of us here at the Long Point Basin Land Trust, we wish you and your family a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend.

Today we take the time to remember and honour those who served our country proudly. We remember with gratitude all Canadians who have served, including those who have given the greatest sacrifice, to foster peace. Lest we forget.

Happy #GivingTuesday! Give the gift of land conservation this holiday season by donating to Long Point Basin Land Trust on behalf of yourself or for a loved one. Learn more and donate today: http://longpointlandtrust.ca/support-our-work/donate/

"We have the second-largest landmass, a fifth of the world's freshwater and the longest coastline in the world, that together are critical for biodiversity and for securing carbon in nature in the fight against climate change." Canada's Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said.

Did you attend any of our Explore the Outdoors webinars this year? We would love to hear from you while we're planning for next year! Fill out this survey by December 1 for the chance to win a book from our last speaker, Adam Shoalts or native gardening expert Lorraine Johnson https://forms.gle/JU4vsqMUNwd5hGjA7

Are you looking for the perfect family-friendly stay-at-home hobbies this winter? Learn all about the birds right in your own backyard with Project FeederWatch Canadian leader Kerrie Wilcox and get some bonus bird-inspired art with Songbird Yarn & Fibres Our FREE webinar takes place on Wednesday, November 4th from 7-8:30 pm. ... Make sure to register on Eventbrite to get all the info: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/backyard-birds-feeder-id-for-be See more

Such great news for Ontario's environment from Ontario's new budget! This $20m in new conservation projects with Ontario Land Trust Alliance and Nature Conservancy of Canada / Conservation de la nature Canada will protect our land for the future. Thank you to Toby Barrett, Doug Ford, and Rod Phillips.

Do you want to learn more about magnificent monarchs? What kind of journey do they take? How can citizen scientists help? Sign up for our free webinar coming up this Thursday (Sept 24!) https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/120286087927/

Curious what we've been up to these past few months? The Fall and Winter edition of ViewPoint, our biannual newsletter is out now! Learn about reptiles in the Carolinian region, Exploring the virtual outdoors, ecological services, and more! https://buff.ly/3fxT8q3

The classic song of this male Eastern Towhee is "drink-your-tea!" Have you ever heard him singing?

"Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people." Franklin D. Roosevelt White pine photo taken at our Trout Creek Nature Reserve.

Do you want to appreciate the nature you see even more? Join Long Point Basin Land Trust and Megan Hiebert for a fun, free, and interactive webinar to learn how to create art based on nature!

Some of our staff and board members took a trip to visit our Shirley and George Pond Nature Reserve yesterday to enjoy it in all of its fall splendour. Do you have plans to get outside this weekend?

Are you curious about all things celestial? Do you want to see some planets from the comfort of your own home? Join us for a free webinar next Thursday!

Join us for another evening all about native plants with expert Stefan Weber. This is for anyone that wants to learn how to make a more biodiverse, pollinator-friendly backyard! You don’t need to have attended part 1 to attend. Did we mention it’s free?

Did you know that nature has some pretty spooky Halloween decorations of its own? Here’s some examples from Bird and Moon Comics

Did you know that one of the best ways you can help Little Brown Bats, which are endangered in Ontario, is by building a bat box? We have bat boxes on some of our properties as you can see here, but you can build your own at home pretty easily! Check out some instructions here: https://www.batweek.org/take-action/ #BatWeek

Are you looking for something to keep you or your kids busy these days? Spend some time getting creative with this Red-bellied Woodpecker for our Colouring Contest! Learn more and submit your masterpieces here: http://longpointlandtrust.ca/colouring-contest/ Drawn by the host of our Field Sketching webinar, Megan Hiebert.

Have you found yourself paying more attention to your bird feeder with all your time at home this year? Learning how to ID these birds can turn bird feeder watching into a fun, family-friendly activity all year long! Join us and Kerrie Wilcox to learn the basics of backyard birds.

Those specks aren’t mosquitoes, they’re birds! Have you had a chance to see the hundreds of thousands of swallows roosting near Long Point?

Have you heard about the roost of over 100k+ swallows near Long Point? There’s so many it shows up on radar!

Don't forget - this is happening tonight! It's not too late to sign up to learn all about native bees in Ontario.

Have you ever seen a tree swallow around? These blue and white beauties love to eat insects, which is great for pest management near the fields and marshes they call home! Unfortunately, their population is declining in Ontario. Want to help? One of the best things you can do is to install a nest box: http://ow.ly/Yhoc50AKJQx

Are you curious about all of the different bees you can find in Southern Ontario? Would you like to learn more about how to save them? Join us and Dr. Sheila Colla of York University for our FREE webinar, "The Buzz on Native Bees: How we can help Species at-Risk of Extinction" taking place Thursday, August 6 from 7-8 pm. Learn more and register at https://ontarionativebees.eventbrite.ca... Poster from Dr. Colla's website, savethebumblebees.ca

This is from one of our ongoing research projects at our Shirley & George Pond Nature Reserve. Can you guess which animal we're researching?

Don't forget! Our FREE Foraging 101 webinar with EdibleWildFood.com is happening tomorrow (Tuesday) evening! Make sure you're registered to get all the proper info: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/foraging-101-free-nutritious-fo

Your daily dose of serenity. Photo taken by Kristyn Richardson at our Delhi Wetland Nature Reserve.

From all of us at the Long Point Basin Land Trust, we wish you and your family a very happy #CanadaDay

We have been hearing that a lot of you are seeing snakes and turtles out and about right now - that's great! Don't forget you can report all the reptiles you see in the Long Point Basin region on our website: http://ow.ly/Mjes50Aming There, you can check out our reptile identification sheets and report your sightings to help us preserve these species at risk.... Photo is an Eastern Hog-nosed Snake, threatened in Ontario,

Did you know that one of the best ways to support native pollinators for #NationalPollinatorWeek is by adding native plants to your garden? Check out the recording of the webinar we did last week with Stefan Weber to learn more about how to Garden with Native Plants: https://youtu.be/6ecYkbwZLAg

Happy #NationalPollinatorWeek! This photo is from our Monarch Tagging event last fall. We've had Monarch butterflies from our preserves found in Mexico over the years thanks to the hard work of our volunteers with these tags.

The Long Point Basin Land Trust believes that safe, easy access to nature is a basic human right. We condemn racism in all forms. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our actions. Our mission, to preserve and conserve the landscape, habitats, ecosystems, wildlife, species at risk and cultural heritage for everyone, remains the same. ... We will be actively working harder to make sure that everyone feels like they belong on our nature reserves.

Look at this beautiful sandhill crane spotted by Jan Grincevicius at our Marshall Malcolm Wetland reserve. To learn more about this and all of our other reserves, check out our website: http://longpointlandtrust.ca/our-lands/

You really love native plant gardening! That's great - we do too. We've just opened a few more spots to our free webinar this Thursday - make sure you sign up to save your spot!

Have you seen any ticks in your neck of the woods? Don't forget to sign up for our Tick Talk - it's happening this Thursday, June 11!

Happy #WorldEnvironmentDay! Here at the Long Point Basin Land Trust, we work every day to conserve lands in our biodiverse Carolinian region. Photo was taken at our Jackson-Gunn Old Growth Forest, where many trees are close to 300 years old. For more info: http://longpointlandtrust.ca//jackson-gunn-old-growth-for/

Audrey Heagy, Vice-President of LPBLT, birded for Long Point Basin Land Trust in the #GreatCanadianBirdathon! Along with her husband, Dave Okines, she birded over 24 hours from May 27th to 28th, staying close to home (within 10 miles/16 km) at all times. Their total number of species was 126! Some of the highlights from their day include an Arctic Tern (super-migrants that commute 70,000 km or more between their breeding area in the Arctic to their non-breeding areas in the Antarctic each year and there are only a few records for Long Point) and a pair of Prothonotary Warblers. There's still time to support Audrey - a portion (25%) of the funds raised will go to LPBLT! http://ow.ly/PSNM50zTIZb

Jackson - Gunn Old Growth Forest is one of the finest examples of old growth within several hundred kilometres. This nature reserve really puts into perspective that Backus is still a bit on the young side. Thanks Bernie for these fantastic photos!

Long Point Basin Land Trust has made the decision to cancel our second Explore the Outdoors event, Nature Photography. With our nature reserves now open, in lieu of the nature photography workshop, we are asking you to submit your photos taken at our nature reserves. On June 1st we will hold a draw - the winner will receive a copy of Photo Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Ontario. To enter, tag Long Point Basin Land Trust with your photo and include a brief caption noting what nature reserve the photo was taken at. Please limit your entries to one photo per day.

Get outside and enjoy nature! Long Point Basin Land Trust's nature reserves are now OPEN to the public for passive activities including walking, hiking and bird watching. Physical distancing guidelines must be followed while on the properties. More information available at http://longpointlandtrust.ca/our-lands/

Long Point Basin Land Trust's first event of the 2020 Explore the Outdoors program, A Morning Stroll with the Birds, was scheduled for Saturday May 9th. Following the recommendations of health professionals, and provincial regulations to slow the spread of COVID-19, it has unfortunately been cancelled. To help celebrate #WorldMigratoryBirdDay, instead of birding with us, use some of National Audubon Society's fantastic resources to hone your bird identification skills at home! https://www.audubon.org//how-start-identifying-birds-their

During this moment of uncertainty, we need #Land4All more than ever. On #GivingTuesdayNow, please support Long Point Basin Land Trust and other land trusts across the province that are working to #SaveTheLandYouLove for future generations to enjoy! Find the one near you at https://olta.ca/land-trust-members/.

Birding has become really challenging to do when you are staying at home - join in on this upcoming webinar to learn your cavity and stick nests hosted by Birds Canada!

Starting to feel a little stir crazy? Take a virtual tour of Backus Woods from the comfort of your couch, courtesy of Nature Conservancy of Canada / Conservation de la nature Canada! Please stay safe and stay home.