Muskoka Conservancy
47 Quebec Street P1L 2A5 Bracebridge, ON, Canada

In Honour of Bill Dickinson - Muskoka's Greatest Voice for Nature Bill Dickinson is recognized in Muskoka and beyond as one of our best environmental visionaries. Bill is a champion of wilderness, of wetlands, of forests, lakes, and streams with healthy natural shorelines. Bill is a highly knowledgeable field biologist whose personal mission is to share what he knows. Bill Dickinson is an educator whose vision, energy and leadership has impacted countless students of all ages...Continue reading

Great coverage of the growing environmental movement in Muskoka by Sarah Law of the Bracebridge Examiner!

Fall colours were prime this year at Dyer Memorial Nature Reserve.

Fall Birding Nature Quest at Bert Cross Nature Reserve #2 was another great success. We saw a Green Heron, Spotted Sandpiper, Rusty Blackbird, Wood Ducks, Sparrows (White-crowned, Lincoln & Song) and a Nashville Warbler. During the walk we also talked about the value of leaving scrub piles. Just off the boardwalk, there is a large pile of scrub (seen in pic #1) that allowed us great views of many of the sparrows as well as the rusty blackbirds. Creating scrub piles or leaving fallen branches, limbs and leaves creates ideal habitat for many of our native songbirds, reptiles, amphibians and insects. If you want to see more wildlife on your property consider creating a scrub pile. Placing it near a bird feeder can also create more opportunities for birdwatching.

Our fall birding Nature Quest went very well, recording 26 species at Henry Marsh. A little chilly in the morning, but the birds did not disappoint. A Great Blue Heron gave us some lovely views and several pockets of warblers moved through. The fall colours were amazing as well, definitely the week to go check those out.

On Wednesday, we decided to head out to our JP McVittie Nature Reserve to check on the trails. Despite the fog in the morning, the day was gorgeous once the sun came out. We finished the outing with a lovely socially distant picnic after the walk. There were several notable species observed: several White-tailed deer, an owl, and a wood frog. Many thanks to the volunteers who joined us to help out!

The Silver Doe Nature Reserve is near Gravenhurst. Muskoka Conservancy purchased this land for its ecological value and is committed to protecting it forever. We are the nature conservancy of Muskoka, that’s what we do.

Cleaning up the Upjohn Nature Reserve with Muskoka Grown and friends!

Beavers sure are amazing creatures! Here at Upjohn Nature Reserve they are busy building dams and channeling waterways to access food. Look closely and you can see the beautiful interpretive sign made by Jenn LeMesurier, a great contributor to the success of this wonderful place to learn about beavers!

Did you know tomorrow is National Clean-Up Day? Want to roll-up your sleeves - at a distance - and get involved cleaning up your community? Visit www.muskokagrown.com/clean-up to register for our local clean-up now. Let’s spread some positive vibes!

Property monitoring is starting to wrap up, but we still managed to get out to one of our island properties today. Forests are still full of life, but this time of year is especially good for mushrooms and we saw several species. The weather was a little cool, but perfect for hiking.

Celebrate #NationalCleanUpDay and take action with us and our friends @muskokagrown next Friday, September 18, 2020 at Upjohn Nature Reserve. Register to make a difference in your community, visit www.muskokagrown.com/clean-up to get involved today. Event runs from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Can’t wait to see you there!

WOW! Were we surprised yesterday when we visited the Bert Cross Family Nature Reserve. The lighting was awful, but we managed to snap a couple of photos of this sleek Fisher climbing on the property. Just goes to show that you never know what you'll find unless you get outside!