Vote for nature!
Waterloo Region Nature is celebrating it’s 90th anniversary this year! To mark this milestone we are creating a set of badges to celebrate favourite natural spaces in Waterloo Region. We ... Read more
Waterloo Region Nature is celebrating it’s 90th anniversary this year! To mark this milestone we are creating a set of badges to celebrate favourite natural spaces in Waterloo Region. We ... Read more
Beautification, Bees and Butterflies...come and help plant native plants and wildflowers along roadsides in Waterloo Region. When: Join any time between 9:30-4, or for the whole day, and be ready ... Read more
If you like birds, this is the place to come! Try your hand at bird bingo at Kitchener's worker-owned Co-operative Together We're Bitter. TWB is managing registration for this event ... Read more
Celebrate Earth Day! Waterloo Region Nature will announce the most loved natural spaces in the Region, chosen by members, that will be celebrated with a specially-designed badge.
Dr. Rebecca Rooney is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Waterloo. Rebecca carries out research in wetland ecology and is a world expert on biomonitoring and wetland assessment. She examines how human-caused and natural ecological disturbances influence wetland communities, including birds, invertebrates and plants. She tackles fundamental questions around how communities assemble and what defines them, including the relative importance of biological interactions, environmental conditions, and landscape factors. She is keenly interested in the role of rare species and novelty in ecological processes.
Her research supports the implementation of wetland policy, invasive species management, and the protection of species at risk. Her results improve the design of restored and reclaimed wetlands, provide tools for evaluating their integrity, and identifies the most successful techniques for invasive species control.
Wetlands punch above their weight class when it comes to ecosystem services. Covering only 6% of Ontario’s Mixedwood Plains ecoregion, they provide habitat for over 20% of the province’s species at risk. Based on their habitat value alone, wetlands should be considered keystone ecosystems for biodiversity conservation. But wetlands do so much more. They purify water, prevent flooding, sequester and store carbon dioxide, protect our shorelines from erosion, provide recreational and culturally significant experiences, and are a source of food and medicines. Combined, these services have been valued at $50 billion annually for Ontario’s Mixedwood Plains. Unfortunately, wetlands are disappearing. We’ve already lost 60-80% of the historic wetland coverage in southern Ontario, more than the global average of 50-60%. Worse, the pace of wetland loss is actually accelerating rather than slowing down. According to the 2021 State of Ontario’s Biodiversity Report, the pace of loss between 2011 and 2015 was about double that from 2000-2011. Urbanization is a key driver of wetland loss in the Mixedwood Plains, leading to wetland degradation, hydrologic alteration, and ecological isolation in remnant wetlands. Yet these degraded wetlands can still provide valuable ecosystem services and are worth protecting and restoring. Wetlands destroyed to make way for residential or commercial development, are increasingly replaced by stormwater management ponds. These ponds are managed as part of the sewer system infrastructure, but they may also comprise the only wetland-type habitat available in urban landscapes. Can urban planning and best management practices help us enhance the biodiversity conservation value of these ponds and bolster the habitat quality of remnant urban wetlands? In this presentation, Dr. Rooney will discuss the value of wetlands generally, with special attention to urban “working wetlands” and the potential role of stormwater management ponds in urban biodiversity conservation.
We are excited to be hosting World Animal Protection who will lead us in learning about the illegal pet trade.
The rustle of maple leaves in the wind far above your head and the smell of wild leek below your feet are only a few of the delights you will ... Read more
The rustle of maple leaves in the wind far above your head and the smell of wild leek below your feet are only a few of the delights you will ... Read more
For the first time, WRN is holding its annual native plant swap in collaboration with Parks Canada at Woodside National Historic Site. We want to promote growing native plants across Waterloo ... Read more
World Migratory Bird Day celebrates one of the most important and spectacular events in the Americas – bird migration. Our friends at Princess Twin Cinema are presenting Purple Haze, a ... Read more