Waterloo Region Nature is celebrating it’s 90th year in 2024. Happy anniversary! To mark this milestone we are creating a set of badges to celebrate our favourite nature spaces in Waterloo Region. Voting is open now, ends April 15, 2024.
Please choose up to 5 locations on the voting page. Everyone is welcome to vote!
We are designing and making badges for the 5 most popular places. These badges will be sold through our online store as well as at in-person monthly meetings (check events for dates and location). Winning locations will be announced on Earth Day (April 22) and badges will be available by May 2024 – the month of the first naturalists’ meeting in 1934.
2023 is the 124th year for the Christmas Bird Count (CBC). It’s an annual bird census that takes place across North America, designed to track winter bird populations and distributions. This project is made possible by thousands of volunteers who count all birds seen or heard within a 24-km circle on one day between Dec 14 and Jan 5.
This project is coordinated in Canada by Birds Canada, a registered charity for bird research, community science, education, and conservation. Audubon coordinates the project in the USA.
Want to take part for the first time? You can participate in a few ways – in any case, please contact the CBC leader BEFORE the day for your area to get more details on how to participate:
Join in the fun, walk or drive around on the CBC day for your area – contact your CBC leader to get more details
Submit sitings using the eBird app or FeederWatch program – but as these apps don’t collect all the info needed for CBC, please contact your leader to find out what additional info is required.
To find out more about your location, contact the leader listed in the post:
In a brief ceremony on Monday, April 25th, Waterloo Region Nature announced the 2016 recipients of the regional Conservation Award, an award that acknowledges the contribution made by an individual, group, organization or corporation toward the conservation and preservation of the natural environment of Waterloo Region.
One or more Conservation Awards may be presented in any given year.
As part of the monthly gathering of the nature club, which counts over 200 members, two individual awards and one shared award were presented. The recipients each received a plaque and generous ovations for their accomplishments as ambassadors for environmental stewardship and advocacy in Waterloo Region.
WRN President Josh Shea with Thelma Beaubien holding her Conservation Award
One of the recipients, Thelma Beaubien, has created and organized several “Wonders of Nature” events across the Region, which encouraged families and approximately 500 individuals to get in touch with nature, most recently in partnership with the City of Kitchener. In addition, Beaubien has volunteered for butterfly monitoring in the Huron Natural Area, and also converted her yard into a haven for pollinators, creating learning opportunities in the community that feature the importance of butterflies and pollination.
Deb Swidrovich holding her Conservation Award along with nominators Fraser Gibson and Marg Macdonald
Deb Swidrovich was honored for her leadership in various initiatives dealing with issues such as: invasive species, road development, and urban sprawl. In particular she was recognized for her involvement in the concerted effort to protect the Laurel Creek Watershed as an Environmentally Sensitive Landscape (ESL), during which she engaged local residents through open houses, presented at local councils, and liaised with local politicians to ensure informed decision making.
Louise MacCallum and Michael Barnstijn holding their Conservation Award, along with WRN President Josh Shea and WRN Conservation Director Shayne Sangster
Michael Barnstijn and Louise MacCallum received the award for their engagement as founding members of rare Charitable Research Reserve. Their vision to establish rare as a land trust and environmental institute was paramount to ensure that over 900 acres of land could be set aside for conservation, which so far is the largest contribution that has ever been made to land preservation in Waterloo Region by private individuals, for the community to enjoy.
Josh Shea, president of the club, remarked: “We are extremely fortunate to have such strong support for conservation efforts in this Region, and on behalf of all club and community members I am most thankful for your relentless energy and championship.”
The awards are celebrated annually, with nominations being accepted from October to December each year. Previous recipients include community leaders such as Kevin Thomason, who also was instrumental in the achievement of the Laurel Creek Headwaters ESL designation in 2006.
The move to our new website is complete and the previous website at http://www.kwfn.ca has been retired. (That URL now brings you here.)
Our special thanks go to Larry Hamel for the countless hours that he put in to maintain our previous website over the past six years.
During the postal strike, local pickup is the only shipping option. If cost is not a concern, contact orders@waterlooregionnature.ca about the possibility of using an alternate carrier. Dismiss
The move to our new website is complete and the previous website at http://www.kwfn.ca has been retired. (That URL now brings you here.)