Notices

WRN 90th Anniversary Recollections and Reflections

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Waterloo Region Nature at 90

Local radio broadcaster Martin de Groot invited Harold Russell and Mary Ann Vanden Elzen to speak about WRN’s 90th anniversary. This was after Harold had posted about it on his Facebook page and which Martin subsequently saw. The three met at Harold’s home to record the session. Harold speaks first re: the origin of the club and his memories of the founders, early and longtime members and outings. Mary Ann speaks about goals and accomplishments of the club and current activities bringing us up to the present.

The podcast (20+ minutes long) can be streamed from:
https://bit.ly/4f49Lqs.

Nature Badges Available Now

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As part of our 90th anniversary celebrations, we voted at the beginning of the year for the top five natural areas in the Region. Adhesive backed embroidered badges featuring these areas are available now for $5 each. They can be purchased in our online store and at each monthly meeting.

FWR Dickson Badge
Huron Natural Area Badge
Laurel Creek Badge
rare Charitable Research Reserve Badge
Schneider's Woods Badge
WRN Logo Badge

Larry Lamb 1949-2024

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L. Lamb at Dickson WA, Sept. 12, 2018

Larry Lamb
1949-2024

Larry Lamb, a long time member and supporter of Waterloo Region Nature, passed away on July 19 after a lengthy illness. He was 75.

On retirement from his position of manager of the Ecology Laboratory in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at the University of Waterloo, Larry and his wife Amy Burke moved to Woodstock. He kept in regular contact with his many friends and associates and continued his involvement in various projects in Waterloo region.

Larry received both the Conservation Award and an Honorary  Life Membership from WRN. A full account of Larry’s many accomplishments and associations can be found online in the Waterloo Region Record obituary of Lawrence Edward Lamb, which appeared on July 24.

Larry was an accomplished garden designer. The lovely East-West Garden at Renison College at the University of Waterloo and the prairie garden surrounding the offices of Ontario Die On Gage St in Kitchener, both accessible to the public, are enduring tributes to his botanical artistry.

Greg Michalenko

100 Years of Birds and Birders at Lakeside Park

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100 Years of Birds and Birders at Lakeside Park

For at least a century, Kitchener’s Lakeside Park has been a favoured birding destination for enthusiastic KWFNers from the past and WRNists of the present. In a way, the history of birding at Lakeside can be viewed as a history of the club.

This is a special edition of the Lakeside newsletter. It is a celebration of 100 years of birds and birders at Lakeside Park. March 5, 1921 was the date of the first known written record by a birder of the birds he saw at what was then known as ‘The Waterworks’ or ‘The Waterworks Swamp.’

Read the stories. Discover who that birder was, which birds he saw, what the landscape looked like back then. Find out how the landscape changed through time, and how that affected the birds observed. Read stories of birders of the past right up to the present. Find out what the future may hold for the park.

Mary Ann Vanden Elzen

To read the newsletter, click on:

Betty Cooper 1927-2021

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December Social 2016

Betty Cooper
1927 – 2021

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Betty Cooper on July 6, 2021. Betty was a member of KWFN/WRN for 62 years – 62 very active years of participation and contribution. Betty regularly attended meetings and participated in many projects and activities throughout her time with us. When KWFN incorporated in 1969, she was listed as one of the first directors. In 1988 her dedication to the club was recognized with an honorary life membership. She was perhaps best known as the archivist for the club. For Betty, the club has been a constant in her life, bringing new interests and expanding her knowledge and friendships. Conversely, her mark on Waterloo Region Nature has been truly immense and will endure far into the future. For more information and to read Betty’s obituary, click on the Erb and Good Funeral Home website page at: Obituary of Betty Cooper.

Great Backyard Bird Count 2020

Great Canadian Birdathon Sponsorship 2020

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WhimBurrell Team
Our team from 2017

Once again Team Whimburrell ( Jim, Ken, Mike Burrell and Carol Gregory ) will be conducting a Birdathon in the Point Pelee Area ( hopefully ). We will be out during the week of May 11 in an effort to see as many bird species as we can in a 24 hour time span. In the past, many members of WRN have supported us in this fund raising effort for Birds Canada and WRN. We are hoping you will be willing to help out again. If you choose to participate and sponsor us, this is how it can be done;

1. Via slow mail – send a check made out to Birds Canada/GCB to me at 70 Arthur Rd., Heidelberg, N0B 2M1

2. Directly online – go to https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/bird-studies-canada/p2p/birdathon20/team/whimburrells/member/team-whimburrell/

Hopefully, this will allow you to make a direct pledge to us and Birds Canada.

Yours in conservation,
              Jim Burrell

Great Canadian Birdathon Sponsorship 2019

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GCB Logo

Support Team WhimBurrell in the
2019 Great Canadian Birdathon

WhimBurrell Team
Our team from 2017

This will be our 22nd birdathon for Bird Studies Canada and Waterloo Region Nature. Over the course we have raised in excess of $35,000 to support bird conservation and bird related studies across Canada. We appreciate your past support and look forward to your continued support this year.

If you pledge support to this endeavor, all of the money raised will go to bird conservation in Canada; a portion goes to Bird Studies Canada and the rest to Waterloo Region Nature. Donate online at our Birdathon donation page or contact Jim Burrell directly at burrellsc@golden.net .

 

Larry Lamb honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award

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Larry Lamb Award
Larry Lamb Award
Larry Lamb with Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Elizabeth Dowdeswell and Ontario Heritage Trust Chair, Harvey McCue. Photo Credit: The Ontario Heritage Trust

Waterloo Region Nature honorary life member Larry Lamb was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Trust Lifetime Achievement Award in a ceremony at Toronto’s Queen’s Park on February 22, 2019.

From the Region of Waterloo media release:

Renowned botanist Larry Lamb honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award

Waterloo Region – Local botany and ecosystem restoration expert Lawrence (Larry) Lamb was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Trust Lifetime Achievement Award in a ceremony at Toronto’s Queen’s Park on February 22, 2019.

Larry Lamb, a well-known advocate for naturalizing gardens and landscapes, has been an active life-long supporter of natural heritage conservation within Waterloo Region, the province and beyond.

“Larry Lamb is one of those volunteers whose passion for his field of expertise is contagious. He is able to affect the people around him, especially the next generation of conservationists. Without people like Larry, the work to recognize and protect our local ecosystems would have been a lot more difficult to undertake,” said Regional Chair Karen Redman. “Regional Council and staff recognized the important role Larry has played by nominating him for this award, and we are pleased the Ontario Heritage Trust has recognized his contributions.”

Throughout his over forty-year career at the University of Waterloo, and into his retirement, Lamb has generously shared his expertise and connections, influencing the way natural heritage features have been identified, valued and protected.

Locally, Lamb drew on his extensive knowledge of the region’s flora and fauna, and natural areas to help identify what would be designated Environmentally Sensitive Policy Areas (ESPAs) by the Region of Waterloo. These were the first municipally-designated natural areas in the country, and continue to be conserved through the Region’s Official Plan.

Lamb has undertaken many significant naturalization and restoration projects. He has advised on many conservation plans and publications. He is meticulous in documenting and collecting; and has donated his records and collections to public institutions so that they are available for future generations.

New Book – Best Places to Bird in Ontario

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Best Places to Bird Ontario

Ken and Mike Burrell (who are well known to many WRN members) will have a new book out this spring (anticipated for late April), titled, Best Places to Bird in Ontario. The book covers the top 30 birding destinations in the province, with each covered in a chapter, having an in-depth overview to the region from a birding perspective, and a site guide with directions, colour maps, and photographs.

Until March 31st they are offering a pre-order rate of $20/copy ($5 off regular pricing). Book orders can be picked up from Ken at WRN meetings.

For more information about the book:
https://greystonebooks.com/products/best-places-to-bird-in-ontario

For ordering information:
http://burrellbirding.ca/best-places-to-bird-in-ontario/

 

Best Places to Bird Ontario

Great Canadian Birdathon Sponsorship 2018

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GCB Logo

Support Team WhimBurrell in the
2018 Great Canadian Birdathon

WhimBurrell Team
Our team from 2017

This will be our 21st birdathon for Bird Studies Canada and Waterloo Region Nature. Over the course we have raised in excess of $25,000 to support bird conservation and bird related studies across Canada. We appreciate your past support and look forward to your continued support this year.

If you pledge support to this endeavor, all of the money raised will go to bird conservation in Canada; a portion goes to Bird Studies Canada and the rest to Waterloo Region Nature. Simply click “Donate to me” on our Birdathon donation page to make a donation or contact Jim Burrell directly at burrellsc@golden.net .

 

Great Canadian Birdathon Sponsorship

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GCB Logo

GCB Logo

 

 

This year marks our 20th consecutive year participating in the Great Canadian Birdathon ( formerly the Baillie Birdathon ), the oldest sponsored bird count in North America, raising money for bird research and bird conservation. As usual, I am participating on a team with my sons, Ken and Mike, and my wife, Carol. Over the 20 years, we have raised in excess of $25 000 and are looking forward to adding to that total this year. As usual, we will complete this feat in the Point Pelee National Park and environs during the week of May 2 to 10.

 

If you pledge support to this endeavor, all of the money raised will go to bird conservation in Canada; a portion goes to Bird Studies Canada and the rest to Waterloo Region Nature. Simply click “Give Now” on our Birdathon page to make a donation or contact me directly at burrellsc@golden.net .

 

I am also happy to accept per species or other creative pledges. We usually see 130 to 150 species during our Birdathon.

 

Yours in conservation,

 

Jim Burrell

 

Daphne and Gordon Nicholls Nature Reserve

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Bruce Trail side trail blaze

Bruce Trail side trail blaze
By MBi (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Friends and family of WRN member Daphne Nicolls (who passed away in August) decided to memorialize Daphne and honour her husband Gordon by creating the Daphne and Gordon Nicholls Nature Reserve. Part of the Bruce Trail Conservancy, this new nature reserve is located on the north side of County Road 40 in Euphrasia, Grey Highlands in the Beaver Valley section of the trail. It will contain part of the optimum trail route, and is a critical part of a continuous stretch of permanently protected land. Details can be found on page 10 of the Winter 2016/2017 edition of the Bruce Trail Magazine.