Rally for Nature

Nature can't vote.

But you can!

Let the Province know that you don’t want Ontario’s wildlife to disappear!
On September 21, you can speak up for nature. Join Ontario Nature and tell all the political candidates running in the upcoming election that protecting plants, animals and ecosystems is one of the most important issues facing us today.

Meet friends of Ontario Nature at 11:00am at Queen’s Park on Wednesday, September 21, 2011.

On behalf of the more than 6,000 people who signed our Charter for Biodiversity, you can send a message to government saying that the loss of wildlife in Ontario must be stopped.

Visit Ontario Nature's "Rally for Nature" site to find out more and learn what else you can do to help wildlife in Ontario.

When you vote on October 6th in the Ontario provincial election, remember to think about biodiversity conservation as an important election issue.

Golf Courses and Environmental Stewardship

Golf courses aren't always the most environmentally friendly of places. However, in Muskoka they are an important part of our economy. The Muskoka Highlands golf course takes steps to provide a scenic and challenging golf course while contributing to a healthier natural environment. Now that's environmental stewardship in action!

Muskoka Heritage Foundation held our Annual Golf Classic tournament at the Muskoka Highlands in an effort to showcase the possibilities for stewardship in Muskoka- both on and off the course! Below a sample of what we learned. Click on the images for a larger view.

Hole #1

Hole #4

Hole #10

Hole #13

Hole #17

We had a great day at Muskoka Highlands on Monday. All funds raised from the tournament, silent auction and putting contest go directly to support our Stewardship Programs. A HUGE "thank you" to our golfers and sponsors.

Above: Gord Durnan takes a practice swing before his chance to win the putting contest.

Above: Looking over Hole #2. The rain held off despite ominous skies.

Above: Golfers at Hole #17: a chance at a hole in one!

Above: Supporters from Muskoka Watershed Council pose for their team photo.

Winners take all! And will have their names put on the tournament trophy.

This team won "most honest". Looking good!!

Thanks again to all our sponsors and golfers. It was a great day!

See you again next year.

In the meantime, what are you doing to incorporate stewardship practices on your property?

Baysville Horticultural Society

Baysville Horticultural Society gets a sneak peek at the Species at Risk booklet!

I presented to the lovely folks at the Baysville Horticultural Society last week. I spoke with them about land trust properties near Baysville, native species in the area, the importance of shoreline re-naturalization, the Well Aware program, and of course, the stewardship program.

I also spoke with them about the upcoming publication of the MHF’s Stewards’ Guide series, which will include the topics of Species at Risk in Parry Sound-Muskoka, Forest Management Options, Shoreline, Wetlands, and Trail Building. I had just received the proof from the printer for the Species at Risk booklet so they got to have a peek at what's to come! The Species at Risk booklet will be available at the MHF office in March and on the website soon!

Tyler, MHF Communications Intern, came along to help me sell tea towels and promote MHF programs.

The folks at Baysville Horticultural Society were a very engaged, interested audience who asked great questions and were enthusiastic about stewardship. Thank you!

March Break Nature Retreat – Earth Mentoring

This week a profile of a very cool program in Muskoka: Earth Mentorship Programs

Earth Mentorship Programs runs a variety of programs designed to help participants learn valuable and comprehensive knowledge of the natural world through experiential activities, story telling and the application of ancient wilderness skills and bush craft. They also help implement land stewardship projects and write/approve Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP) plans.


Check out this cool video from the founder and main mentor, Chris Gilmour.

Earth Mentoring Programs are excite to offer the 3rd annual March Break Nature Retreat!

This retreat will offer you a chance to rejuvenate in nature’s beauty, deepening your connection to, and understanding of, the natural world. We will be expanding our awareness & knowledge, while exploring some of the many uses of nature’s gifts. Come learn new skills to bring back to the classroom or integrate into your life outside of work.

Activities Include:
- Studying Wildlife through the Eye of a Tracker
- Snowshoeing and Camp Fires
- Basket and Container Making with Natural Materials
- Wilderness Awareness Games/Activities
- Story Telling
- Wilderness Crafts with Natural Materials
- Intro to Earth Based Mentoring (coyote mentoring)
- Good Food & Good Fun


When: March 15 – 18, 2011 (March Break)
Where: Wolf Den Bunkhouse, Oxtongue, ON, 8 min West of Algonquin Park. Each participant will sleep in a beautful log cabin.
Food: We will provide healthy, wholesome dinners.Participants bring & prepare their own lunch & breakfast in the Wolf Dens communal kitchen.
Kids/Youth – If you have children you wish to bring along, arrangements may be made for nature based day care during the program. Please inquire.
Price: $360/person – Includes 3 nights accommodations,3 dinners, course materials, snow shoes extra if required

Contact Chris for more information or to register!

Or click on any of the photos to go to the Earth Mentorship website

Tree Trivia & Stewardship Conference

Globally, forests are host to 80 percent of our biodiversity.

Ten percent of the world's forests can be found right here in Canada.

And remember, the United Nations has declared 2011 the International Year of Forests.

photo: Greg Francis

Registration opens today for the 2011 Muskoka Stewardship Conference!

View the full agenda and register here

There will be speakers about the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program, wildlife topics, native species gardening, water quality, and more!

It is an excellent change to learn more about stewardship in Muskoka and network with like-minded folks.

Hope to see you there!

Wood Duck Adventure

Who lives here?

Introducing the Wood Duck!

(Aix sponsa)

{A male wood duck on the left and a female on the right}

photo credit: Randolph Femmer

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the Pileated Woodpecker and the importance of cavities. Wood ducks are one of the species that uses cavities made by pileated woodpeckers. However, wood ducks can also be induced to nest in artificial boxes.

Armed with this knowledge, an invitation from a landowner here in Muskoka, a cordless drill, a sharpie, and some wood shavings, a group of us headed out to see for ourselves if any nesting had taken place last spring on this property.

The incredible volunteers who accompanied me are none other than 3 of the Master Stewards from the Muskoka Stewardship Program. We were invited to this spectacular 100 acre property located in Muskoka to see if there had been any wood duck activity during the past year and prepare the boxes for this coming spring.

You see, wood ducks like to nest in cavities in wetlands because it makes it very difficult for predators to access their nests. These boxes are located in a 30 acre wetland. It's actually quite an amazing beaver pond. Normally inaccessible, the wood duck boxes had to be put up in winter and we needed the ice to be solid to change the material in the boxes for the coming spring.

Above: Paula unscrews the front of the box...you can see our shadows as we eagerly anticipate the contents of the first box!!

Female wood ducks often return to nest in the place where they were born. There is an increased chance they will use the boxes if they are not dirty from the previous year and also if the material inside is dry.

Our mission for the afternoon: clean out boxes, make observations on each one (amount of eggs inside, other animals that may have used it), and refill the boxes with new material. We also re-labelled the numbers on the 8 boxes from last year and assigned numbers to the 5 new boxes that were put up.

Inside each box the material is compacted down. There are often layers of broken shells and downy feathers. Notice the inside of the front piece that is sitting on the ground. The horizontal lines are carved in so the hatchlings can grab on to climb out before they fledge.

This box has quite a few shells and some feathers. In some of the boxes we could tell it was a wood duck because of the iridescent colour of the feathers.

A close up of the egg shell and some downy feathers.

Here is the crew, with our tools, in front of Box #5. Notice the oblong shape of the entry hole for the wood ducks. This shape is suited for them and is also big enough, but not too big. If you decide to put up boxes of your own, this is an important component. Also important is the forward slanted way they are affixed to the tree.

A beautiful day to get ready for spring and help the wood ducks have suitable nesting spots for when they return this spring. Perhaps we'll return next year to see how they did!

photo: Mike Sweet

Interested in building your own wood duck box?
Follow the same directions as the landowner whose property we visited!


Want to know more about wood ducks?
There are lots of websites:
Hinterland's Who's Who
House Construction Tips
Ducks Unlimited
The Wood Duck Society

Muskoka Stewardship Conference: Get Involved!

Just Announced:

Muskoka Stewardship Conference

2011: Get Involved!

Click on the image of the poster for a bigger version

This promises to be an amazing day full of positive stewardship stories from landowners and scientists a like.

The goal is to learn from each other so we can each be more involved in the stewardship of our land and projects in our community.

Come out and share, learn and network with others!

Stay tuned for updates or visit www.muskokaheritage.org

Inspiration: 3 Generations of Stewardship

Good land stewardship runs deep in the Dutton family- and that of his wife, Barbara Dutton (née Longhurst). Her family was among the first settlers in the Windermere area, circa 1865, where they established a farm. A drive through the Windermere area tells stories of long established farmed meadowlands mixed in with the typical Muskoka lakes, pines, and granite.

The Longhurst family continues to farm in the Windermere area, but the Duttons took a different approach to land stewardship. “Each generation has their own part to play in the stewardship of our land. But the underlying set of values stays the same and is transferred from one generation on to the next” says John Dutton.

Ready to retire, the Duttons moved to Barbara’s grandmothers’ house near Windermere that was built in 1932. They eventually ran a Bed & Breakfast for eleven years. For their part, they envisioned continuing with Barbara’s family’s vision to steward the land. While not farmers, the values that were passed on through her family gave them a keen interest in private land stewardship.

The Duttons first became involved in the Stewardship Program in 1994. “It was important to us to be participants in the Muskoka Stewardship Program so we could preserve our property for our children. Handing the property down through each generation establishes a sense of inherent value in our family” says John Dutton.

Running the Bed & Breakfast allowed guests to experience the diverse habitat types, flora and fauna found on the Dutton’s 31 acre parcel of land. It also motivated the Duttons to focus on the stewardship of their land to enhance and preserve the natural systems that exist there.

During the first visit from the Muskoka Stewardship Program in 1994, the Duttons identified several initiatives that were important to them in their stewardship plan. These included maintaining existing and creating new trails, trail interpretive signs, learning more about the natural features of their property, continuing to extract small amounts of timber, and haying a small field.

Chris Near, a volunteer Master Steward, visited the Dutton property this summer as part of the new Stewardship Program: “When I met with the Duttons and walked their property I quickly became aware of their past efforts and future potential as stewards of their land.” Since the 1990s, John Dutton has expanded the trail system in order to gain better accessibility of the property and to appreciate the birds, wildlife, and unique land formations of the property.

One of the trails leads to a 3-acre portion of the property that is harvested for grain every couple of years. The trail system and this field are recognitions of Barbara’s family farming roots in the area and a way for John’s son and grandson to become involved in the stewardship of the property. Passing the land down to his son and grandson “creates a Trust for the family. They help with maintaining the property and learn about it and it becomes important to them” says John Dutton. Master Steward, Chris Near agrees and adds that “the Dutton’s land will also benefit from the knowledge that one generation is passing on to the next.”

The values of conservation and preservation are echoed by Jonathan (son) and Michael (grandson); the generations who are growing up on the land and envisioning their own ideas for stewardship. Michael is interested in maintaining the trail system and planting some trees. Although he admits it is hard to articulate, he values the strong family connection that he feels when visiting his grandparent’s property: “It is calming and peaceful to visit there, and I feel at home there.”

Jonathan notes that his parents have “passed on an active interest in the property. They have researched and learned so much about wildlife, for example, and shared that information and those stories with their kids.”

There is a long history of stewardship being passed on on this land. For John, Barbara and their family, the stewardship of their land has changed “how we value Muskoka as a whole. One leads into the other; the more we appreciate our 31 acres, the more we appreciate Muskoka” says John Dutton. For them, the family connection has given them a sense of how wonderful it is to have natural places that they can enjoy and steward.

Many landowners who participate in the Muskoka Stewardship program reflect on the importance of conservation on private land. John Dutton thinks “it is symbolic of our values. We want to preserve our property in a natural setting for generations to come.” Certainly, these are sentiments are representative of how many landowners in Muskoka feel about the region and their special piece of it.

The Dutton family has made a voluntary commitment to protect the rich and valuable natural heritage of their land by becoming part of the Muskoka Heritage Foundation’s Stewardship Program. The Foundation is helping them and many others to be better caretakers of the natural features that make Muskoka so special. If you and your family are interested in stewardship of your special piece of Muskoka, contact me.

The Muskoka Stewardship program is supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

Considering Logging? Hiring a Qualified Logger

I wrote last week about researching, planning, and exploring your property before commiting to logging- or a logger.

Today, I noticed on the Ontario Forestry Association website a new resource they have developed called Hiring a Qualified Logger- it's a matter of doing your homework!

It includes:

• Questions you may want to ask when hiring a logger
• Questions to ask when checking references
• Additional Tips

Check it out and Good Luck!

Considering logging? Read this first!

Have you been offered money from a logger to harvest your woodlot?

Interested but think there is a better way?
There is!

It requires researching sound advice to make the best decisions possible to protect the health and integrity of your woodlot.

Woodlot owners harvest trees for many reasons: to generate income, produce lumber or firewood for your own use, create recreational trails for skiing, hiking, or hunting, improve wildlife habitat, or to maintain the health of your forest.

These reasons are not mutually exclusive.

Whatever your reason, there are many factors to consider first.

Do Some Research

The choice of a silvicultural system depends on characteristics unique to each woodlot. The book "A Landowners Guide to Careful Logging" provides landowners with sound advice as they make decisions to protect the health and integrity of their woodlots, while maximizing financial returns. Download it, or pick up a free copy at MHF.

In addition to a silvicultural system that is appropriate for your woodlot, a reputable consultant and/or logger is a must. They ensure that logging operations are conducted accordance with good forestry practices and that other values in the woodlot are protected and maintained. This guide also has more information about this selection process. Contact me for a list of loggers in Muskoka.

Make A Plan

Download or pick up a copy of "A Guide the Stewardship Planning for Natural Areas". Fill in the blanks on the worksheets to make a personalized plan for your woodlot. I have these books at the MHF office and they're free! Also, see the upcoming December issue of the MHF newsletter, the Steward, for an article about planning for your stewardship activities.

Learn, Read, Explore!

Access resources: do some winter reading.

Attend workshops: learn from others and the experts

Explore your property: what wildlife lives there? when and where is it wet, dry? what kinds of trees? what do you use it for?

Consider becoming a landowner participant in the Stewardship Program.

I'd love to chat with you about how the program can help you! Contact me today.

A Valuable Resource: Extension Notes

Looking for information for your next project on your land?

Want to make sure you are doing the right things?

Extension Notes can help!

Extension Notes are user-friendly fact-sheets on a variety of resource management topics including, agroforestry, financial aspects, forests, insects and pests, water, wetlands & wildlife.

Read online or download to print!

PDF fact sheets on topics such as:

• Do you have a healthy woodlot?
• Conserving the Forest Interior: A Threatened Wildlife Habitat
• Promoting a Healthy Forest Through Tree Marking
• Backyard Maple Syrup Production
• Preserving and Restoring Natural Shorelines
• Improving Fish Habitat
• Cavity Trees are Refuges for Wildlife

Lke them so much you want hard copies of your own?

The Landowners Resource Centre is the place to go.

• Individual copies to a maximum of 5 are FREE
• Subsequent copies are $1 each
• A compilation of all Extension Notes in a binder are $80

Viewing the Extension Notes requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in.

Get it here: