How to find local southern Ontario stewardship groups and events

Most of the events I post are related to stewardship and native plant events in the GTA (and a few obvious happy-places of mine in Southwestern Ontario too). But truth is, in the GTA, let alone Southern Ontario, there are a lot more excellent local stewardship and native plant gardening events to discover.

TIP: if you're looking for your local stewardship groups and events, try drilling through these links:

• Toronto Green groups by Watershed
• Ontario Nature – member groups by region
• Carolinian Canada – Big Picture Network, groups by region

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.
-Frank Lloyd Wright

The Aviva Community Fund + Todmorden MiIls

With only 8 days left to vote an idea into the semi-finals, the Aviva Community Fund is getting down-to-wire exciting.

Today I'm voting for the Native Plantings at Todmorden Mills.

Todmorden Mills Wildflower Preserve is not only worth supporting, but visiting too. You don't just have to take my word for that. When Canadian painter, naturalist and conservation activist Robert Bateman was in Toronto this past spring, he took the time to suss out the place himself. He soon came across Paula Davies, hard at work with the good plants (and the ongoing invasives) as usual. The cool thing is, among her many inspiring hats, Paula's not only a Todmorden Mills field stewardship, chair and board veteran, but a conservation activist herself, as well as a guide at the preserve for groups including the Botanical Artists of Canada, and a full time art teacher! Of course she dropped her gloves to give the good man and his family a personal tour. Lucky guy! (Though apparently the Scotch Broom where he's at on Salt Spring Island in BC is a personal misery.) And, yes, Paula enjoyed the spontaneous discussion too :)

Right now though I hope that, like me and you, the busy Mr. Bateman is making the time to directly help fund the good work and ecology at Todmorden Mills and elsewhere by *voting* today and everyday for the next week too!

Remember everyone gets 2 votes a day for the next 8 days. I've put a reminder in my calendar to make sure I keep going back, because, wow, it really does matter! :)

*
Interested in volunteer stewardship and other volunteer opportunities at Todmorden Mills? Click here.

Goulding Estate with Steve Smith

Steve Smith - Urban Forest Associates Inc.,

Goulding Estate, Taylor Massey Creek

Along with volunteers from FODE and Ontario Nature I recently had a chance to work alongside Steve Smith at a recent tree and shrub planting at Goulding Estate in Taylor Massey Creek, an east lower Don tributary here in Toronto. That day was a lot of cool riparian woody and his smart range of plants and super-specific site selections really took me to school. I especially appreciated the bitternut hickory, red oak (there are existing remnants on the uplands), butternuts (keep planting those nuts), yellow birch - oh and maybe twenty more species. Blew my mind really, and reshuffled my deck: I don't know about you, but I tend to see or accidentally fall into patterns / ruts / limited repetoires of the same species. Even better? Steve's been involved with the plants on this site for 20 years. Exactly the kind of eyes you want to see the place through. Reminded me of a quote from Lily Tomlin: "If Tom Waits ever invites you to get drunk at his trailer in the desert for a week - do it!" What I mean is, volunteering out in the field and being with folks who know a place and have applied more than a few of their skills there, will teach you things you just will not learn in school (especially when some of the folks you want to learn from right now are too busy out in the field to write or teach). So get out there (or take your chances waiting for them to retire and hopefully have the health and the desire to write a book or teach a course). See the list of "Volunteer" links lower down in the right sidebar, and check out our local Event Calendars.

BTW: One gem I learned from Steve that day: when you're trying to restore our mixedwood forests (remember: we used to have an overstorey of red and white pine here, above our deciduous canopy species - and if you look at the horizon, you still see a few remnant examples of this in the Credit and the Rouge), plant the conifers together with shrubs (ie: not right up against near new or existing deciduous trees) because the deciduous/hardwoods will out shade them too fast. So smart it seemed dead obvious once he told me, but I had never seen, read or realized it myself. That's some cool stuff Steve. Thank you!

Native plant garden beds at the Brick Works

Native plant garden beds at the Brick Works

Events to Sunday March 8th

Head's up! Register or apply now for:

• LEAF's Tree Tenders Training Program, Spring 2009
• Carden Nature Festival activities, June 5th-7th 2009. If this festival or the Carden Plains and alvars are new to you, pls see this post from last year.
• Ontario Nature's Volunteer for Nature Events & Field Trips 2009
  
• Evergreen volunteer openings for Online Native Plant Database Reviewer and Community Greening Volunteer Leader (GTA)
• Ontario Nature has an opening for a Youth Programs Assistant, Paid Internship Application due March 2nd.
• Natural Resource Worker 1 (2 positions) City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Seasonal - 7 months, $26.83 per hour, 40 hrs/ wk. Closes: March 5, 2009
• Natural Resource Worker 2 (4 vacancies) City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, Forest & Natural Environment Management Section. Seasonal - 7 months, $24.78 per hour, 40 hrs/ wk. Closes: March 5, 2009
• Acorus Restoration and native plant nursery's Summer and Fall Internships. Summer application deadline March 8. (Fall deadline July 8).
• Toronto and Region Conservation Authority currently accepting applications: Stewardship Assistant; Flora Field Assistant and more.
• Credit Valley Conservation is currently accepting applications for Tree Planting Tech; Tree Planting Crew Leader; Terrestrial Monitoring Crew Leader; Terrestrial Monitoring Assistant and more.
• Toronto and Region Conservation is looking for "Trail Stewards" in the Region of Peel to plant native trees and shrubs, monitor trees and birds, pick up litter, and organize environmental events. For info: 905-615-4640x2513 or jcorkum-gorrill@trca.on.ca
• 2009 Temperate Wetland Restoration Training Course (TWRTC). The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) offers a one-week introductory training course in wetland restoration. Successful participants can follow-up the introductory course with a level two course to undertake actual wetland restoration projects. The 2009 TWRTC is offered through the Grenville Land Stewardship Council, and is fully endorsed by the Trent Institute for Watershed Science a partnership between Trent University, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Sir Sandford Fleming College. Related: buy the OWES (Ontario Wetland Evaluation System OWES) manual for southern or northern Ontario for $25.
  

Wow - what a solid week ahead!

Tues Feb 24, 7-8PM
LEAF - Urban Forest Orientation Session
North York Civic Centre, Committee Room 45100 Yonge St. Toronto, at North York Centre subway stop. This session will provide ideas, information and contacts for individuals and groups who want to get involved in tree planting and care as well as tree protection in their own neighbourhoods. If you want to find out more about what urban forestry programs, services and resources exist across the city, or if you are interested in volunteer opportunities, this event is for you! There will also be time to network with others in attendance. Meet people who are involved in interesting projects and campaigns and find out where you can fit in! Share your ideas on how to protect and improve Toronto's urban forest. Free and open to the public. Registration is recommended but not required. Register online or call 416-413-9244 x14 for more information.

Tue Feb 24, 6:30PM - 9:30PM
Evergreen: Weeds 101 - Strategies for Controlling Invasive Species Workshop. Richmond Hill, ON. This workshop offers community groups and individuals the knowledge and tools they need to effectively combat the spread of invasive species. Focusing on species identification, the ecological impact of invasive species, and tried-and-true control strategies, Weeds 101 will help you deal with the challenge of those tenacious and persistent invasive plants. Rouge Woods Community Centre (Beech Room), 110 Shirley Drive, Richmond Hill, ON, $10 (Includes refreshments and Evergreen resources). Space is limited. To reserve your space, please download and submit the workshop registration form. You can send the form by fax or e-mail the details to the address below. Presented in partnership with the Town of Richmond Hill and the Town of Markham. If you have any questions, please contact: Lisa Fisk, Evergreen Project Manager, Richmond Hill. lfisk@evergreen.ca Phone: 416-596-1495 x226, Mobile: 416-303-6834, Fax: 416-596-1443

Sat Feb 28, 9AM-3PM
The 10th Annual Stewardship Forum
Event details:
Join us at the 2009 Stewardship Forum and learn how to engage youth, faith groups and new Canadians in your environmental projects. Enhance your ability to provide interpretive hikes, create reptile habitat and start your own monitoring projects. View displays and network over
Lunch. Learn how to:
• Lead an interpretive hike
• Create habitat for native reptiles
• Monitor pollinating insects
• Engage others in stewardship, including youth, faith and ethno-racial groups and more...
Black Creek Pioneer Village, 1000 Murray Ross Parkway, Downsview, Toronto ON
Register for workshops at the Forum. Registration: 416-392-LEAF or email greentoronto@toronto.ca.

This forum is a good place to get an introduction to the volunteer stewardship events, organizations and sites in the GTA in 2009. As I've said before, I'm an eager fan of volunteer stewardship in the GTA.

Gibraltar Point dunes planting event site, with City of Toronto Parks & Rec. Natural Environment's Parkland Naturalization and Evergreen.

Sat Feb 28, 2 - 6PM
Seedy Saturday 2009
Various locations including Artscape Wychwood Barns (Barn #2), 601 Christie St, Toronto, ON. Seed exchange, Heirloom seeds for sale, gardening workshops, and kids and many other locations. Seed exchange and other activities. Booths include NANPS and Seeds of Diversity.

Sat Feb. 28, 10AM
Winter Birds - Ashbridges' Bay
Meet at the southwest corner of Lake Shore Blvd. E. and Coxwell Avenue. Bring binoculars. Morning only. A Toronto Field Naturalists Walks event.

Sun March 1, 10:30am - 1PM
Holistic Ecosystem. High Park Volunteer Stewardship Program Winter Lecture Series Part 3. The Howard Park Tennis Club 430 Parkside Drive Toronto. See High Park Volunteer Stewardship Program (VSP) or contact vsp@highpark.org.

Three experts talk about restoring damaged natural wildlife habitats in the urban environment, biodiversity and the importance of green corridors to support wildlife biodiversity:

• Steve Smith, consulting forester and owner of Urban Forest Associates (UFA): Restoration of damaged natural habitats for wildlife. Since 1993, UFA has provided expertise in forest management, restoration of damaged natural habitats from various causes, reforestation, plant identification, invasive species control, project planning and management. Note: check out Steve's Sustaining Healthy Ravine Forests presentation from the last Ontario Urban Forest Council AGM. It was my favourite presentation from last year, and the best conference too!
• Dan Stuckey, Seneca College, Prof. Environmental Landscape Management: Biodiversity.
• Amber Cowie, Ontario Nature Greenway Conservation Coordinator: The importance of natural corridors and challenges. Her current work includes protection of habitat for species at risk, the preservation of natural cores and corridors and the strengthening of rural ways of life.

Sun March 1, 2:30PM
Your Home and Native Garden: Creating beautiful natural spaces where we live, work and play. Speaker: Paul O'Hara, Proprietor, Blue Oak Native Landscapes. Illustrated lecture. Lectures are given at Emmanuel College, 75 Queen's Park Crescent East, Toronto. A Toronto Field Naturalists lecture. For more information call the TFN office at (416) 593-2656

Sun March 1
The Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC) Conservation Volunteers program volunteer events and field trips schedule for 2009 goes online today. Register early! The program matches volunteers of all skill levels with critical conservation projects. If you or your family and friends are looking for a unique way to contribute to wildlife and wild places while learning new skills, spend a day or a short volunteer vacation with us.
NCC Conservation Volunteers program: young Eastern Hog-nosed snake in Mary Gartshore's hands. Ken Stead Property, Walsingham.

The NCC owns and manages land in some of Canada's most spectacular natural areas. Volunteering is a chance to enjoy incredible scenery, observe rare species, learn hands-on skills and work with dedicated and knowledgeable companions.

NCC Conservation Volunteers program: Seed collecting Lechia intermedia & other prairie species. Ken Stead Property, post-agr. black oak savannah restoration, Walsingham ON

Born in 1992? Check out the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources' Ontario Stewardship Ranger program. Starting in March of each year team locations are posted. Please check back often for an Ontario Stewardship Ranger Team located near you. The application deadline for 2009 will vary from one team location to another, but is generally between late April and early June. In order to qualify to be a Ranger in 2009 you must be born in 1992, enrolled in school, a resident of Ontario, and in good physical condition.

Sun March 8, 10:30AM - Noon
Winter Tree Identification - Toronto Urban Forestry. Meet at the benches just south of Grenadier Restaurant. A High Park Walking Tours event.

Events this week!

• Oct 16: Ontario Urban Forest Council's workshop and AGM at the Toronto Botanical Gardens
• Sat Oct 18, 12-4PM - NANPS AGM and Native Plant Sale. This year’s theme is “The Role of Plants in Water Conservation.” Toronto Botanical Gardens
• Sun Oct 19, 11-1PM - Wildlfower Seed Collecting and stewardship, Evergreen Brick Works
• Sun Oct 19, 10:30 - Seed collecting, fence repair and trail work with the High Park Volunteer Stewardship Program. Meet at the Grenadier Café and Teahouse.

Rare Plants of the Endangered High Park Black Oak Savannah: A Volunteer Stewardship Program Guidebook

Rare Plants of the Endangered High Park Black Oak Savannah: A Volunteer Stewardship Program Guidebook. High Park Community Advisory Council (HPCAC) and HPCAC Volunteer Stewardship Program. Toronto, Ontario: High Park Initiatives, 2008. 64pp. $15.

I’m trying to write a book review, but what I keep coming up with is a love letter.

This blog has tried to suss-out a few resources about High Park before, but this new book is the introduction I’ve really been looking for all along.

It’s not just an interesting and easy-to-use interpretive field guide (lots of gorgeous glossy black oak savannah and tall grass prairie plant ID pictures and facts about their habitats, as well as natural history backgrounders), it’s also an inspiring and informative stewardship story too! A story about who and what it took, and still takes, to steward this remnant of globally endangered habitat, including stewardship volunteer teams, a unique public advisory committee, community consultation, an on-site native plants nursery, adopt-a-plot native plant gardens, and local native plant sales which increase the habitat in private yards well beyond park boundaries. All of this in a high-use urban park no less (e.g. sports, cultural events and an increasingly vocal dogs-off-leash community with a self-admitted non-compliance as high as 39% in some on-leash areas: a difficult challenge for any area attempting to conserve a globally endangered landscape, its plants, wildlife and their fragile habitats, such as ground nests). There are also examples and encouraging lesson anyone can apply to restoring and stewarding their natural areas too.

Being a fan of our local environmental stewardship public education resources in and of themselves, I’m thrilled to say that this tight jewel of a book has set a new bar for me when it comes to natural area and stewardship field guides in general.

The format is fresh and inclusive. “We wanted it to be different from many guidebooks,” says High Park Volunteer Stewardship Program Co-Chair Sharon Lovett, “we included volunteer stewards and city restoration staff as part of the habitat. And we wanted to encourage other people to undertake restoration projects of their own as well as learn to appreciate the park’s specific black oak savannah.”

Who might want to buy this book? Local native plant lovers, stewards, citizens of the area, folks creating their own environmental stewardship and natural area public outreach and education pieces, and, of course, anyone visiting High Park. Whether you're new to the park or a long-time fan, this book greets folks where they’re at, and it has enough references and resources to carry you through for a long time after that too.

For more reviews and how to buy this book, look here. Also check the Toronto Botanical Garden's bookstore, High Park events and booths at similar events in the city (I got mine at an NANPS plant sale and I've come across it at the Evergreen Brick Works Saturday Farmer's Market too.)You you can also contact vsp@highpark.org to order a copy. $15 plus $3.00 shipping. Cheque payable to High Park Initiatives. 95 Lavinia Avenue, P.O. Box 108, Toronto, ON, M6S 3H9. All proceeds support stewardship and educational projects in HighPark.

LEAF - Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests

Trees are good -- this you already know, but it takes a little learning to know how to be good back to them. Growing trees in cities is another set of skills too. Luckily here in Toronto we have the good folks at LEAF to walk us through it all!

If you aren't already a fan of this non-profit, local, grassroots, urban forest advocacy group, check out the LEAF site. Not-to-be-missed: their Tree Tenders workshop, Toronto Tree Tours, Backyard Tree Planting Program & factsheets. While you're there, sign up for their newsletter. You don't want to miss out!

I've used some of their resources before (love 'em), but last night was my first experience with their Tree Tenders workshop. Already I can't recommend it enough. And I can't imagine a more sincere, interesting and knowledgable instructor than Todd Irvine. If Todd hugs trees, I hope the trees hug him back!

Events Calendars

Just trying to stay on top of 'what's going on' is a project in itself. The links on this page help. If there are other relevant events calendars you would like to see added here, pls comment.

These are direct links to local native plant and stewardship events website pages. Events include speaks, conferences, workshops, short courses, walks, site tours, field trips, plantings, seed collections, plant sales and more.
Some popular speakers and events fill up fast, but for the most part, if you check about every month->6 weeks, you'll probably be ok.

• NANPS
• Field Botanists of Ontario - Field Trips (announces in late April/May)
• Nature Conservancy of Canada - Conservation Volunteers (announces in April)
• Ontario Nature - Volunteer for Nature (announces in late April/May)
• Carden Nature Festival (announces in Feb/March)
• Evergreen
• Trees Ontario – workshops
• Ontario Invasive Plant Council
• Carolinian Canada
• Ontario Nature - Nature Network Calendar
• Canadian Environmental Network
• Stewardship Network of Ontario
• Forest Gene Conservation Association
• Ontario Urban Forest Council
• Society for Ecological Restoration - Ontario Chapter
• Project CHIRP!
• Ontario Land Trust Alliance
• Ontario Forestry Association
• Ontario Horticultural Association
• Landscape Ontario’s events page
• Landscape Ontario’s winter seminars page
• Michigan Stewardship Network Webcasts
• Cornell's ForestConnect Forestry Internet Seminar Series

GTA:

• High Park
• Toronto Tree Tours
• LEAF
• LEAF Tree Tenders Training
• Evergreen @ the Brick Works
• Lost Rivers Walks
• Green Toronto / City of Toronto's Community Stewardship site
• Rouge Park
• Friends of the Rouge Watershed
• Toronto Field Naturalists - Walks
• Toronto Field Naturalists - Lectures
• Stewardship groups across the GTA
• Friends of the Don East (FODE)
• The Taylor Massey Project
• Toronto Community Garden Network (TGCN)
• TRCA
• GreenGTA
• Toronto Entomologists’ Association - field trips
• Toronto Entomologists’ Association - meetings / speakers
• Mycological Society of Toronto
• The Toronto and Region Remedial Action Plan

Out of town:

• South Peel Naturalists' Club
• Oakville Horticultural Society
• Halton Environmental Network
• RBG (Hamilton-Burlington) – Programming & Education
• RBG (Hamilton-Burlington) – Events
• Hamilton Naturalists' Club - activities
• University of Guelph Arboretum
• rare Charitable Research Reserve (Waterloo region)
• Healthy Landscapes (Guelph)
• Acorus Nursery (Walsingham)- events
• Norfolk Field Naturalists

Find even more south and central Ontario regional events calendars here:

• Ontario Nature – member groups by region
• Carolinian Canada Big Picture Network, groups by region