Thank You Scanlon Creek’s Nest Builders and Tree Planters!
Thank you to everyone that participated in the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and Adopt-A-Pond – Scanlon Creek Halloween Event! Over 40 community volunteers planted trees and helped build a turtle nesting area at Scanlon Creek Conservation Area in Bradford West Gwillimbury.
It was a great event full of on the ground stewardship with kids in Halloween costumes and conservation minded adults working together to plant over one hundred erosion preventing trees and live stakes in the newly restored stream habitat.
Over 80 tonnes of sand and gravel were used to create a nesting beach that will provide additional habitat to turtles in this area. Out of Ontario’s eight native turtle species, seven are now Species at Risk. Creating suitable nesting habitat near their wetland homes goes a long way to help support the reproductive success of these creatures. This nesting area will be monitored by local citizen science groups to determine how and when this beach is being used, and determine the best way to increase nest success, such as organizing educational workshops, installing nest guards and installing signage or fencing during peak nesting periods.
If you see a turtle in Scanlon Creek or anywhere else in Ontario you can be a citizen scientist too by reporting your sightings to the Ontario Turtle Tally. All the data we collect helps us and our conservation partners identify where turtles live, and helps guide work to protect turtle habitat! Become a Turtle Tallier today and receive a free resource package with your first submission!
The Adopt-A-Pond Programme participates in, and hosts, a number of conservation events you can participate in throughout the year; including World Wetlands Day, Earth Day Celebrations, Spring Toad Festival, American Tortoise Rescue’s World Turtle Day and The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup! There are also a number of volunteer days where you can participate in re-naturalizing habitat with tree, wetland and meadow plantings. Follow the Adopt-A-Pond blog, using the link at the bottom of the page, to receive updates about these awesome upcoming events!
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Funding for This Event Has Been Provided By:
For more information about Toronto Zoo conservation programs visit: http://www.torontozoo.com/conservation/ and http://www.torontozoo.com/FightingExtinction/
