Spiders!
John Reaume’s presentation was packed full of interesting spider information (and beautiful photography!). Here are a few of the resources he mentioned to help aspiring spider enthusiasts:
Checklist of Ontario Spiders at Saugeen Nature.
An aptly named website devoted to Spider ID.
Bugguide, another website for identification, and an article on Spider Eye Arrangements, an important feature to identify spiders to the family level.
Be sure to pay John Reaume’s Nature Photography website a visit!
Office of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario
“The Government of Ontario announced plans on November 15, 2018 to eliminate the office of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) and transfer much of its responsibility to the jurisdiction of the Auditor General. This misguided decision undercuts the power and independence of Ontario’s environmental watchdog.”
Read more at Ontario Nature, and you can add your name to a letter to Premier Doug Ford, Finance Minister Vic Fedeli and Cabinet Ministers. Expressing your concerns to our MPP, Bill Walker, and encouraging others to do the same was also suggested.
While you’re at Ontario Nature’s website, be sure to have a look at their “88th Annual Gathering”, coming up May 31 – June 2, 2019.
Proposed Cormorant Hunting Season
There is a proposal to list the double-crested cormorant as a game bird as a population management strategy. The proposal can be found in the link below, and comments are being accepted until January 3, 2019:
Proposal to establish a hunting season for double-crested cormorants in Ontario
Ontario Wild Turkey Count
Jennifer Baici, a PhD student at Trent University, has put out a call for Wild Turkey sightings to be added to eBird or iNaturalist. More info on the poster below (click to enlarge) or at their website.
NCC and the Dyer’s Bay Property
Nature Conservancy Canada is a national organization who aims to acquire and conserve natural areas. You can find out more about their organization at the NCC website and read this pdf about Dyer’s Bay Property acquisition mentioned at our meeting