Ontario Streams

Ontario Streams has worked with The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society to reforest the Society’s Stouffville property over the past six years. Over the years, areas were planted with 4,380 trees and shrubs to eventually create a 12-hectare forest block on the property. Thank you to the Ontario SPCA for their long lasting partnership! This work also would not have been made possible without the on-the-ground volunteer support of SAP, and the generous funding contributions of York Region (The Regional Municipality of York). We look forward to our future success together. https://ontariospca.ca//partnership-conserves-and-protec/

Wishing you and your families a safe and happy holiday season!

A drop of rain falls from a heavy cloud and lands on a sidewalk - then what? On your next coffee break, check out this informative article on the impact that storm water and impervious surfaces have on river and stream health in urban environments! https://americanrivers.org//clean-water/stormwater-runoff/.

On Saturday November 21st, we hosted our 25th Annual General Meeting virtually! Thank you to everyone who attended and helped us celebrate 25 years of conservation success. Missed the event? No problem! Our 25th AGM is now available online (linked below). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFAWYZhq5sk

Today, on World Wildlife Conservation Day, we are celebrating another great year of Atlantic Salmon conservation and reintroduction work! Atlantic salmon are one of three native salmonid species in Ontario. However, since the late 19th century, they have been extirpated from Lake Ontario, meaning that this particular population is locally extinct. Their populations are challenged by spawning barriers such as dams, weirs, and online ponds. Ontario Streams works with like-min...ded organizations to #BringBacktheSalmon. In 2020, Ontario Streams released 12,254 Atlantic Salmon fry into the Humber River! Thank you to Cabela's and the J.P.Bickell Foundation for supporting our Atlantic Salmon rehabilitation efforts in 2020!

Attention teachers! This five-month educational program focused on Atlantic salmon and the biodiversity of the Lake Ontario watershed is now open to ANY school interested in participating virtually! The program introduces students, parents, and teachers to the Atlantic salmon species, their history in Ontario, and the restoration efforts to bring back a healthy and self-sustaining population to Lake Ontario. Salmon raised in the hatchery become part of the overall number released into the target streams annually. The Classroom Hatchery program creates long-term environmental awareness and engagement among participating students at the schools. For more information, please visit http://www.bringbackthesalmon.ca/classroom-hatchery-program/

On the evening of November 19, Friends of Second Marsh is hosting is a virtual presentation about Aquatic Species at Risk in the Great Lakes. Kat Lucas from th...e Toronto Zoo's Great Lakes Program will lead a presentation about some of the species at risk in the Great Lakes and how we can protect them. Please see the attached poster for more information. Presentation information: Thursday, November 19 at 7 pm. Join the meeting, via this link: https://meet.google.com/czi-msja-bpw

Teachers, parents and group leaders of students in Grades 4 through 6 are invited to participate in the York Region Tree Bee! The Tree Bee program run by Forests Ontario inspires students to learn about nature and the environment. Tree Bee has moved on-line this year due to current COVID-19 restrictions. Resources and activity sheets will be available through Google Classroom, and the competition will take place virtually on Wednesday, November 25, 2020. Registration: https:/.../www.research.net/r/3CYGHGT Information: https://www.york.ca/treebee See more

Look at these Atlantics go! Ontario Streams is a proud partner of the Bring Back the Salmon program with the intent of reintroducing Atlantic Salmon to Lake Ontario, where they are currently locally extinct. This World Fish Migration Day(October 24), take a moment to learn a little more about Ontario's native fish species and the importance of protecting their spawning habitat! www.bringbackthesalmon.ca

Guest speaker announcement! We are excited to share that Dayna Laxton, Invasive Species Specialist from the Regional Municipality of York, will be sharing some of her recent work at our 25th Annual General Meeting! Registration is free and can be found at www.ontariostreams.on.ca/25-years. We look forward to connecting with you virtually!

Ontario Streams' habitat enhancement projects begin with conducting litter cleanups across our work sites. Commonly removed litter includes plastic bags, takeout containers, plastic water bottles, and more! You can help by finding ways to reduce your household waste and by moving towards reusable items. Check out these Waste Reduction Tips provided by the University of Toronto and learn how to reduce your own personal waste footprint locally to help reduce waste globally! https://rochmanlab.com/waste-reduction-tips/

This year Ontario Streams is celebrating it's 25th Annual General Meeting online! Saturday November 21st, 2020 at 10am-Noon we will be highlighting the success of our projects this year and taking a look back over the past 25 years of serving our community. We look forward to seeing you there!