Wildlife & Natural Spaces

You cannot protect what you do not know. Nature’s diversity exists all around us. SCCF works with individuals, partners and community groups to promote knowledge of wildlife and natural environments. We work to preserve and protect for all to enjoy, both now and in the future.

Video - It's Gretchen Fitzgerald's Birthday! Honour her tireless work with a gift to Sierra Club Canada Foundation

Posted on December 20, 2019
No gifts for Gretchen! But if you would like make a donation to Sierra Club Canada Foundation to honour her work to help save our planet, you would make her birthday wishes come true. (And there's also a little gift for you when you do.)

The First Right Whale Calf Of The 2019-2020 Calving Season

Posted on December 17, 2019

We are thrilled to announce the safe arrival of the first right whale calf for the 2019-2020 calving season.

Yesterday, this sweet newborn and mother pair were sighted off Sapelo Island off the Georgia coast.

This is the first calf for right whale #3560, and she is 14 years old. There are four other expectant mothers who are being monitored by our allied agencies, and we are hoping that more pregnant mothers have yet to reveal themselves.

Sierra Club Activist Takes Stand Against Forest Destruction

Posted on December 16, 2019

November 13, 2018, in her last annual report issued two days before the termination of her office the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, (ECO), Dianne Saxe, issued an eloquent plea to bolster protection for southern Ontario’s besieged forests. Forming Chapter Three of her Back to Basics, the report was expressively termed, “Southern Ontario’s Disappearing Forests.” Here Saxe wrote, “Conserving forests must become a top priority in land-use planning, and creating the conditions for healthy urban trees must become a top priority in urban planning.”

Prime Minister’s Tree Target Sets High Goal For Afforestation

John Bacher — October 31, 2019

Photo: Oka memorial (Quebec). Many of the Mohawks buried here are from families involved in the planting of the forest which took place between 1880 and 1920. Since for most of this period there were no tree nurseries geared to reforestation, the Mohawks had to gather pine seedlings from considerable distance to the north in canoes from forests where white pines still grew. Photo credit MaryLou Jorgensen-Bacher.

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Niagara's Unique Wetlands and Climate Change

John Bacher — October 10, 2019
Aerial view of smoke from Wainfleet Bog fire in 2016

Today Niagara Region serves as a carbon sink thanks to its extensive wetlands south of the Niagara Escarpment. While over 90% of Southern Ontario’s wetlands have been drained, the degradation has not hit southern Niagara, where only 10% have been lost. These wetlands, mostly forested except the 1,500 hectare Wainfleet Bog, contribute to the cooling of our traumatically overheating earth.

Two Ontario Native Communities On Front Lines To Avert Climate Change Disaster

Posted on October 4, 2019

The Objiway community of Eabametoong and Cree of Nestantaga in northern Ontario have found themselves on the front lines to avert catastrophe from climate change. They are anticipating a three-year struggle to oppose two new roads planned to accommodate mines in what has become known as Ontario’s Ring of Fire. The battle takes place via co-ordinated federal and provincial Environmental Assessments (EAs).

Michelle's Great Big Hiking Adventures

Michelle Murphy — October 4, 2019
The mountains are calling and I must go. - John Muir quote-

Hiking trails have historical roots as places of transportation for people, goods, livestock, and wildlife with long-distance passages connecting villages and towns. Walking for leisure took place along garden paths or local forested trails. Recreational hiking grew dramatically in North America in the 20th century as leisure time increased post-war. A surge of outdoor recreationists coincided with the environmental movement of the 1960s and 1970s. People felt an attachment to the outdoors and hiking became a means to explore nature, increase fitness, and express individuality.