It's been a blast!

Dear Friends and Partners of EOSC;

The Eastern Ontario Stewardship Collaborative has been funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation for two years.  That time is now drawing to a close.  In these past two years we are happy to say that we have many accomplishments to be proud of,  including:

·        Increased collaboration of the seven organizations involved by providing a full time project coordinator
·        Two speaker/workshop events highlighting important conservation issues and ideas that also helped educate attendees on the various programs available
·        Thirteen completed restoration projects including wetland restoration, nest box projects, shoreline restoration, tree planting, livestock exclusion fencing, alvar restoration and more
·        Several other restoration projects that were initiated and are soon to be under way
·        Attendance at several public events where we were able to help educate people on the various stewardship and conservation programs available
·        Hundreds of phone calls with interested parties that helped educate them and distribute information
·        Partnerships in projects with other conservation organizations including shoreline restoration in the Salmon River watershed and Alvar restoration
·        Nine volunteer days involving many volunteers including frog and bird monitoring, nest box maintenance, trail maintenance and more
·        Two wetland bus tours that highlighted the importance of these ecosystems and educating participants about the various programs
·        Support of organizations within the collaborative in holding events, applying for grants and more

We would like to offer our sincere gratitude to all our volunteers, event participants, partners, landowners, the Great Lakes Guardian Fund and of course the Trillium Foundation in making this all possible.  We have had a fantastic two years and we couldn’t have done it without you!

For more information about who to contact for the various programs and initiatives in our area, please see our newly posted ‘resource organizations’ link located at the upper right of the main web page.

Thank you and bye for now!

Sincerely,
Lesley and the EOSC committee

Nest Box Survey Days

Hello friends of EOSC!
Three days of checking nest boxes at three different locations are available in February for willing volunteers.  Don't miss your chance to experience wetlands in their winter state- and help out ducks at the same time!  Please see upcoming activities page and/or contact us for more info or to register.

Winter volunteer activities on the way!

Hi everyone!  After taking a break from volunteer activities this fall, we are getting ready for more opportunities in the winter!  More details will come early in the new year.  Until then, have a great holiday season and don't forget to take some time to get out and enjoy nature!

An alvar needs your help!

If you just said to yourself what on earth is an alvar? then you need to come to our volunteer day on August 15th!  Learn about this unique habitat type, see one first hand and help save it all in one day!  See the upcoming activities section and contact us for more details and to register!  (those who already knew what an alvar was are also welcome!)

Moving along!

The spring marsh monitoring volunteer days are all wrapped up for the spring!  Thank you to all those who helped out!  We heard several species of frogs and birds over the three visits- really interesting!

Coming up next- Saturday July 13th at Sandbanks Provinical Park near Picton!  Learn about this unique area, help keep the park maintained and have a bit of free time to explore!  Some rides may be available from Kingston, Napanee and Picton.  See the volunteer opportunities tab for more info.

April volunteering

Even if it doesn't feel much like it this week, spring is coming!  And that means hibernating and migrating wildlife are coming back, waiting to be noticed!

Frogs are starting to call!  Don't miss your chance to get involved with marsh monitoring by participating in the frog survey on April 17.  It's easy and a fun way to learn more about the sounds you hear around you!

There is also a great day of helping out at the bird banding station at Prince Edward Point on April 28th- see up close how they do it plus see the birds themselves close up and help support the work the observatory does by doing some basic maintenance.

See the volunteer activities tabs for details on all upcoming events.

There are a few spots left for each day in April.  Rides from Kingston or Napanee may be available if you sign up soon.

Happy spring and hope to see you at one of the outdoor events soon!

Upcoming events finalized!

Several new volunteer days have been added to the upcoming volunteer activities page!  Check them out and contact us if you want to volunteer.  More will be coming, so keep checking!