Annual Dinner - November 7, 2026

By Catherine Hogg “BOHP’s Black Oak savanna is one of the largest stands in Ontario. It is also one of the most endangered habitats in Canada. This unique natural area in the City of Windsor includes large, often old-growth trees – some 150 to 200 years old. In addition to the precious Black Oak savanna and Black Oak woodland, the area includes: some tallgrass prairie; native plants that are extremely rare across Canada; a variety [...]

By Aileen Petrozzi Last year the Invasive Phragmites Control Centre came in and sprayed around the little pond at the Bryerswood Optimist camp near Amherstburg.  They later took out dead phragmites, with assistance from members of our Phragmites Committee.  In June, six volunteers came back to take out the new growth. Other than the mosquitoes bothering us, we completed the job in two hours without difficulty.  We basically walked around the small pond and caned [...]

By Gina Pannunzio, Stephanie Marshall and Ian Naisbitt  “Trees indeed have hearts.” ~Henry David Thoreau Essex County Nature and the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) created a tree planting project to help the WindsorEssex Community Foundation (WECF) celebrate their 40th Anniversary. Our idea was to plant 40 native trees in a natural area or park in the Detroit River Watershed. Gina and I filled out the WECF application form for funding and we were successful [...]

By Jennifer Nantais Every year, Nature Canada partner organisations across the country celebrate World Migratory Bird Day on the second Saturday in May. As part of the Bird Friendly City Certification process, Windsor has committed to acknowledge and celebrate this day annually. WMBD prizes and education materials 2023 marked Windsor’s first WMDB event organized by the Pelee Island Bird Observatory, which featured 5 days of fun-filled, educational activities including in-person and virtual presentations leading up [...]

By JoAnn Grondin The Egrets team consisted of team captain Cathy Lapain and member JoAnn Grondin.  We were also joined by two of Cathy’s sisters:  Peg Mills and Kenlyn Bryant. I started counting around 7:00 am by spotting one of the Bald Eagles that nest on Fighting Island and the Mute Swans that hang around the Island.   We met in Essex at 7:30 am.  Once Kenlyn’s van was loaded with all our supplies, we headed [...]