This year’s Forum will celebrate some of the great conservation successes in the ecoregion as well as examine challenges we face in a part of Canada that has seen rapid, large-scale change over the past three centuries.
The Carolinian Canada Coalition has had its eyes on Elgin County this past year with the Elgin Natural Heritage Inventory. But we aren’t the only ones. The Thames Talbot Land Trust, who already own three properties in Elgin County, are in the process of acquiring a fourth – The Lusty Family Tract.
Carolinian Canada and the Thames Talbot Land Trust are just two of the partners who began working on the Elgin Greenway Conservation Action Plan (CAP) in 2010. This collaborative conservation strategy identified priority conservation targets in Elgin County, and the associated threats to those targets. The team then decided on objectives and strategies to mitigate the threats, and conserve the ecosystems and species. The plan specifies what will be done, where and when, and which group will take the lead for the most effective outcomes.
With the help of some adventurous friends, Carolinian Canada Coalition is making waves for healthy habitats. On August 23rd (with the 24th as a rain date) 30+ people will take to Lake Erie on standup paddleboards to raise money for the Erie Coastal Stewardship EcoTrail, a 600+km long project that showcases over 80 sites of cultural and natural significance along Lake Erie’s coast.
Lake Erie North Shore Standup is hosting its second annual paddleboard adventure in August to raise funds for Carolinian Canada’s Lake Erie Coastal Stewardship EcoTrail. The event will take place on August 23 & 24 on Lake Erie in Niagara. The race will take place on Saturday, if the weather cooperates, starting at Nickel Beach; registration opens at 7:30 a.m. Clinics, hikes and demos will be held on day Sunday.
On Monday, June 9, I woke up at 3:45 A.M., fifteen minutes before my alarm, had breakfast, and set off from our home in Stratford for a day of fieldwork as part of the Elgin Natural Heritage Inventory. Each of the properties I would visit had been volunteered for survey by landowners keen to expand their knowledge of the flora and fauna with which they share their lands. On this gorgeous early summer day I would have the privilege to explore places I would normally never get a chance to visit and, best of all, to meet some great people whose enthusiasm, love and care for the lands of Elgin County is second to none.
Carolinian Canada will make every effort to provide assistance making materials accessible on request. Contact info@carolinian.org for more information
