Essex County Field Naturalists’ Club is a non-profit, open-to-the-public volunteer organization that focuses on promoting the conservation and restoration of the diverse natural heritage of Essex County and the surrounding region. We also strive to provide educational opportunities for the people of Essex County to become acquainted with and better understand the natural environment.

Organized in 1984 and incorporated in March 1985, the Essex County Field Naturalists’ Club is a volunteer organization affiliated with Ontario Nature and the Canadian Nature Federation (CNF). The membership consists of people interested in nature and our local environment. Members come from various backgrounds; some work professionally in the fields of conservation and education, while others are people who wish to explore and learn about Essex County’s nature.

The Essex County Field Naturalists’ Club (ECFNC) stands against racism and any other form of discrimination. ECFNC is committed to taking action to address Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) in the Club. We recognize that this is a long-term, ongoing commitment.

ECFNC believes that all people should feel safe, welcomed, and encouraged to join the Club and attend its meetings and events. ECFNC will work to improve representation and opportunities that benefit all racialized groups, Indigenous Peoples, genders, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and differing abilities.
Windsor-Essex County is a culturally and racially diverse region and ECFNC aims to evolve our practices to reflect this to better serve the community and pursue our core objectives:

• To promote the appreciation and conservation of the diverse natural heritage of Essex County and the surrounding region
• To promote opportunities for members to become acquainted with and better understand their natural environment
• To promote the identification, preservation, maintenance and restoration of natural areas
• To cooperate with and support other organizations with similar objectives

ECFNC will work toward increasing its outreach to a wider range of groups and communities, adding field trips that include accessible natural areas, expanding the Club’s speaker program, field trips, and publications to include more voices from a wide range of perspectives and experiences, and finally, to get feedback from underrepresented communities as well as from members on how we can continue to improve the Club.

ECFNC welcomes your thoughts, experiences, and suggestions.

The Essex County Field Naturalists’ Club (ECFNC) acknowledges that the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations, which includes the Ojibwa, the Odawa, and  the Potawatomi. The Essex County Field Naturalists’ Club honours all First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples and their valuable past and present contributions to this land.