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By Alexander Campbell

So far this year the Turtle Conservation Committee (TCC) has been very busy with surveys! With just under 212 working hours logged from April – present, the TCC is thankful for all the hard working volunteers! From early April – currently the TCC has been patrolling many high-mortality areas (HMA’s) and recording deceased wildlife, with a focus on Herps and SAR observations to further establish these HMA’s. Unfortunately, volunteers have recorded over 329 observations of wildlife on roads in these areas. From Mid May – currently the TCC has been conducting Nesting and Visual Encounter Surveys of Turtles around Essex County. Most of the species that can be found in Essex County have now been observed nesting, including several rare observations of Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtles & a single Eastern Musk Turtle, and most of these nests have been protected. We have protected so many nests this year that we are down to our last few Nest protectors!

During Visual Encounter Surveys, lead biologists were able to take biometric, reproductive data and shell notch from the following turtles; 1 Blanding’s Turtle, 3 Common Snapping Turtles, 1 Northern Map Turtle and an Easter Musk Turtle! Please note that all operations conducted by the TCC are conducted under the permits and authorization of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks.

Please remember to report all sightings of Alive, Deceased or Injured Turtles, Turtle Nests to the Turtle Conservation Committee – Turtle Hotline (226) 348-2057. Reports should include a photo, location of the observation and Date/Time

Do you love Turtles? Always wanted to get hands-on experience in the field? Have some spare time to donate to a fantastic conservation program? 
Join the Essex County Field Naturalist Clubs’ Turtle Conservation Committee!

The Turtle Conservation Committee is committed to protecting and conserving turtles, their nests and habitats in Essex County. While partnering with the local conservation authority and other environmental groups, the goals are to identify overwintering sites, nesting sites, critical habitats and threats to the established populations, and to extend our knowledge of the abundance and distribution of native turtles in Essex County. The major key components of this project will be visual encounter surveys, nest monitoring and protection, and road mortality surveys.

How can you help? 
Volunteer! The Turtle Conservation Committee is looking for volunteers to assist with the various operations of the program! Whether you like Outreach & Education, Field Work or building things with your hands, we have the perfect opportunity for you! 

Outreach & Education: 
We are looking for volunteers to assist with the creation and presentation of educational resources based on turtle conservation for the general public, future events and more!

Field Work: 
The foundation of this committee is built on the active field work and research that is being conducted on the native turtle populations found within Essex County. Starting the week of May 4th, 2025 we will be starting our field operations that require the support and assistance from volunteers! Volunteers will play a crucial role in this project, assisting lead biologists with Visual Encounter Surveys of selected Primary, Opportunistic and Historic Turtle sites. Conducting Road Mortality Surveys to determine mortality “ hotspots” in Essex County. Nesting surveys will also be conducted to locate, record and protect vulnerable nests in Essex County to increase the chance of a successful hatch of the clutch. 

Nest Protector Protection: 
The predation of turtle nests directly impacts the population of turtles in an ecosystem. With a large increase of hyper-abundant species (Skunks, Raccoons, Foxes, etc…) the predation of turtle nests has increased, resulting in hundreds of nests failing to hatch and allowing for the population to increase in a sustainable way. Protecting these nests with nest protectors increases the chances of a successful clutch hatch of 90%. We are looking for volunteers who like to work with their hands to construct these nest protectors. 

Call for Donations: 
We are also looking for donations of:

• used High-visibility vests/Shirts to ensure those conducting surveys remain safe during their work. 
• Nets suitable to catch turtles
• Nest cage materials (Untreated lumber 4″ x 2″, 3″ deck screws, 1/2″ galvanized hardware cloth, Staple gun with staples, 8-10″ steel edging spikes, Washers (of a size appropriate for spikes)

For more information or to become a member of the Turtle Conservation Committee, please send an email to Alexander Campbell  and Kathleen Woodhouse ). Please express what interest(s) you have in the committee.

By: Gina Pannunzio, Danielle Stuebing and Ian Naisbitt

Our Windsor-Essex community celebrated Earth Day 2025 by planting trees on Sunday, 27 April. Volunteers participated from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. 2200 trees were planted in the open greenspace along the Ganatchio Trail in Little River Corridor Park.

What a delightful Spring day we had for planting: we started the morning at 6 C and by noon it was 12 C. A fresh, north breeze of 20 km/ h made the tree branches sway. A UV index of 7 or high meant a bright and full sun during our planting time.

Wildlife observed: several Canada Geese, numerous Red-winged Blackbirds, a pair of Mute Swans and Mallard Ducks.

This naturalized area has been our focus for past Earth Day Celebrations.

Chronology of Earth Day Planting Events at this Site:

This natural area is in Little River Corridor Park from Wyandotte Street East south to McHugh Street. Includes: Aspen Lake and Centennial Pond; the Old Channel of Little River and the Ganatchio Trail system.

21 April, 2013: 1800 trees and shrubs planted
27 April, 2014: 1850
26 April, 2015: 2000
24 April, 2016: 2000
23 April, 2017: 2025
22 April, 2018: 2200
28 April, 2019: 2200
23 April, 2023: 1800
28 April, 2024: 2000
27 April, 2025: 2200 → 20075 Grand Total of trees and shrubs planted at this site!

Tree species volunteers planted today included: Silver Maple, Downy Serviceberry, Hackberry, Common witch-hazel, Black Walnut, American Sycamore, American Elderberry, Princeton Elm, White Oak, Basswood, Swamp White Oak, Eastern Red Cedar, Yellow Birch and Tamarack.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Green Teams who participated, the City of Windsor and the Essex Region Conservation Authority for helping to organise this special Earth Day Event. A “Tip of the Cap” to Enwin Utilities, Tree Canada and Green Sun Rising for sponsoring the trees.

By Aileen Petrozzi

On April 26^th the Phrag Fighters were at Bryerswood Optimist Youth Camp to celebrate Earth Day on behalf of the Club. We had a booth set up but unfortunately due to the terrible cold weather it wasn’t very busy. Despite the weather, Bernard, Janice, Heather and I still got to work and cleaned up the Phragmites that was sprayed last fall. It was short work with Bernard using our Stihl hedge cutters for the first time. Our equipment used was purchased from grants received from the Ontario Invasive Control fund- Green Shovels and ECFNC matching the fund.

We found last spring that the phragmites was so thick on the land around the pond that we couldn’t cut it or dig it out, so we recommended it be sprayed last fall by Ontario Invasive Species Center. This was the second time the lovely pond was sprayed to treat the invasive phragmites. The Phrag Fighters have been going to Bryerswood for around 5 years now and each time we go back I am surprised how the pond look

Bryerswood Optimist Youth Camp is not-for-profit, charitable organization, providing opportunities to learn life skills, outdoor camping skills and environmental stewardship.(https://bryerswood.com/about-us/) The pond gives the youth an opportunity to experience nature where many of them have not.

In June we will be meeting with Karen Alexander, the City of Windsor Naturalist, to develop a plan/dates to continue our efforts within Blue Heron Park and the Ojibway Prairie Complex.  I will have dates for all the volunteers to sign up the end of June.

Here’s a question: Why are we so worried about Phragmites???

Invasive Phragmites is an aggressive plant that spreads quickly and outcompetes native species for water and nutrients. It releases toxins from its roots into the soil to hinder the growth of and kill surrounding plants. While it prefers areas of standing water, its roots can grow to extreme lengths, allowing it to survive in relatively dry areas.

• crowds out native vegetation, thus resulting in decreased plant biodiversity
• generally provides poor habitat and food supplies for wildlife, including several Species at Risk
•  grows very quickly thereby causing lower water levels as water is transpired faster than it would be with native vegetation
•  increases fire hazards as stands are composed of a high percentage of dead stalks
• can affect agriculture, cause road safety hazard and impact recreational activities such as swimming, boating and angling.

(https://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Phragmites-MNR-1.pdf)

If you want to be on our volunteer list please let me know.  Even if you can’t volunteer, come out and support the work our club and volunteers are doing. 

Thanks everyone,
Aileen Petrozzi and Heather Inkster