NEWS RELEASE
JOINT NATURALISTS CLUB
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On Sept. 11, 2024, the Carden Field Naturalists hosted a joint regional meeting with representatives from the Midland, Barrie, Orillia, and Carden Naturalists’ Clubs in attendance. The gathering brought together almost 40 participants.
This annual gathering is an opportunity to learn about each club’s activities, conservation efforts and meet others interested in nature. Each club provided an update on their activities from the past year:
Midland Naturalists: Held virtual winter meetings while utilizing the Wye Marsh for in-person gatherings. Their most attended event, a talk by Adam Scholtz, drew over 200 participants. Midland's event calendar is available here.
Orillia Naturalists: Shared that they have modernized their membership system, introducing online registration and e-transfer payments. Program details can be found here.
Nature Barrie: Reported on a successful year, including the adoption of the Kingfisher as Barrie’s official city bird. Their upcoming program is currently under development.
Carden Field Naturalists: Upcoming events can be accessed here.
The highlight of the evening was a presentation by Helmi Ness, a recovery biologist with Wildlife Preservation Canada, focusing on the recovery of the Eastern Loggerhead Shrike.
After a precipitous drop in the wild eastern loggerhead shrike population in the 1990s, Environment Canada invited Wildlife Preservation Canada to lead the multi-partner recovery effort in 2003. Since then, the wild population size has fluctuated.
Studies have shown that although the recovery effort has prevented the species from disappearing from Canada, more work is required to identify and address the causes of the species’ decline.
Ness shared insights from her two years of research, which involved living off the grid on the Carden Alvar, an area east of Orillia. The Carden Alvar is an important bird and biodiversity area and many organizations work to protect the area including Nature Conservancy of Canada, The Couchiching Conservancy and Ontario Parks.
The Loggerhead Shrike, an endangered bird species, has faced a significant population decline due to habitat loss, predation, and climate change, with fewer than 110 shrikes remaining. However, thanks to conservation efforts, including a breeding and release program started in 2001, the population has shown signs of recovery.
Ness emphasized the importance of habitat preservation and hands-on intervention to sustain this species. She also highlighted the role of Motus Towers, which track the shrike's movements, and the need for increased funding to continue the conservation program, which currently relies on private donations.
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