The Villager 2020 May

May 2020

Hope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Help for local business . . . . . . . . . . 11 Refrigerator soup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Bounty and comfort. . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Thank you front line workers and volunteers Message from Mike Burkett, Mayor of Severn Township It’s time to give thanks.

Please join me and my fellow Severn councillors and give all front line workers a well-deserved and resounding round of applause.

Let’s shine the spotlight on all those volunteering to support essential services during dangerous times. …and please, everyone who is helping by simply staying at home, pat yourself on the back. You help to lessen the spread of COVID-19 and, therefore, reduce the stress on our health system.

On April 19th we marked the start of National Volunteer Week. Recognizing the almost 13 million community-minded volunteers in Canada, who work year-round to address critical social, economic and environmental issue, could not be timelier.

Their generosity and service are amplified during our current crisis.

Local volunteers have found new ways to share their commitment, dedication, generosity and selflessness. People of all ages are picking up their needles and thread to fashion all manner of masks for their families, friends and neighbours. Others are making a difference by delivering meals and groceries to community members who

© Can Stock Photo / Ivantsov

Transport drivers are working around the clock to make sure we have food on the table. are self-isolating or have difficulty leaving their home. There are countless volunteer initiatives springing up all around the community.

While we take the time to say thank you, I would like to remind you that nearly onethird of COVID-19 cases in our region are community acquired i.e. from person to person. Please continue to help slow the spread by staying home; limiting shopping trips to once per week; practicing social distancing; washing your hands regularly; and wearing a mask when out in public.

For those who are still struggling to find all the services you need, please consider calling 211 or visiting www.211ontario.ca.

You’ll get help finding local grocery stores and pharmacies offering delivery service; food services; financial services; mental health services and more. It’s free, it’s confidential and available day and night.

Lastly, please be thoughtful about the

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COVID-19 information you consume or share. There is a lot of misinformation out there in cyberspace, some of it very misleading or even dangerous. Credible sources include Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, Ontario Ministry of Health, and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

You can also learn more at www.townshipofsevern.com/COVID19; follow us on Twitter; or go to our new Facebook page @SevernTownship.

To get through this together, we must all stay apart. I know it’s difficult but thank you for staying home, washing your hands, and doing your part to flatten the pandemic curve. Together, we can help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Severn council and staff are very proud to work for this community. We’ll do whatever we can to help keep us all safe and, with your help, we will get through this - together.

Uncertainty has developed in many areas of our lives.

If you may be considering a real estate move this year, when you’re ready, let’s talk about your goals and explore the options available in our local market.

Your best interests are my first priority.

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Keep an eye on the sky

By Ron Reid

May is the month when warblers and other small birds return from the south, but even if you are in isolation at home, you can catch sight of larger birds as well. Hawks and vultures often soar across open skies at this time of year, taking advantage of rising air currents called thermals on sunny days.

The most common soaring birds over fields and forest are turkey vultures, which are easy to identify. Often referred to by the initials, “TVs” are large and dark, and they hold their wings up in shallow ‘V’ shape. As they soar, they tip from side to side. If you see a ‘TV’ close up, perhaps clearing a dead squirrel from the roadway, you will also see its distinctive red head with no feathers.

Over open fields, you might also see a red-tailed hawk tracing lazy circles in the sky. As its name suggests, this species has a rusty-reddish colour on its upper tail. It also has a distinctive brownish belly band across its light underparts, and often calls in a kind of rough scream. As a member of the Buteo family, it has broad wings and a relatively wide, short tail.

Two other Buteos nest in the forests in this area. Both red-shouldered hawks and broad-winged hawks have rusty underparts in breeding plumage, as well as barred tails.

So you need to look a little more closely.

Red-shoulders’ tails show narrow white bands on a black background with as many as eight bands; broad-wings have only three broad white bands on their shorter black tails. Another clue is their calls – redshouldered hawks voice a kee-yer call a lot

like a gull; broad-wings have a high whistle in a pwe-eee pattern. Late in the summer, broad-wings are fond of perching on hydro lines along the edge of forests; if you see a chunky greyish hawk on a wire, it is likely a broad-wing.

We also have a family of forest hawks, represented in this area by Cooper’s Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks. These species hang out in dense forests and seldom soar; they are specialists in ambushing smaller birds. So if you have a hawk that streaks past your bird feeders and maybe plucks off a starling, it is almost certainly one of these.

Which one is likely to remain a mystery, since they are very similar in looks, and overlap in size.

The other group from the hawk family that you might see are the falcons. In open grassy areas, American kestrels are fairly common on roadside wires; when they flush, watch for a flash of rusty colour. These are fairly small birds with narrow pointy wings and fast wingbeats. A second falcon called a merlin is a northern specialist, but at least one pair regularly nests near the old swimming bridge in Washago. This species is slate-grey on the back, with a streaky breast and a loud killy-killy call that often reveals its presence.

For beginning birders, hawks can seem daunting, but if you take note of their general shape, the way they are flying, and their calls, you are well on the way to an identification.

On sunny days, keep an eye on the sky, and you are in for a treat.

One of the soaring birds in our area is the red-tailed hawk.

© Can Stock Photo / Birchside

A regular contributor to The Villager, Ron Reid is a natural heritage consultant and the co-founder and former executive director of The Couchiching Conservancy. He has written more than 30 magazine articles and co-authored three books. He lives in Washago with his wife, Janet Grand.

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4

Ellen Cohen Publisher

thevillagerpress@rogers.com

705-717-0322 The Villager, a Severn Township community news magazine, is an independently owned and operated publication delivered to households and businesses on or before the first day of every month.

It is mailed through Canada Post north from the Severn Township/Orillia border to Severn Bridge and includes parts of Ramara Township.

In addition to Canada Post delivery, The Villager is distributed each month through high traffic locations along the Highway 11 corridor and in many other select locations in Orillia. For a complete list of locations email thevillagerpress@rogers.com.

Editorial and advertising material is protected by copyright. Reproduction of any article, photograph or graphic is forbidden without the express permission of the publisher. The sentiments of our columnists do not necessarily reflect those of The Villager.

The Villager’s liability to advertisers for errors is limited to the portion of the advertisement in which an error occurs and only if the error is the fault of The Villager.

Community event submissions and prearranged editorial contributions must be received by the 10th of each month for the following month’s publication.

Advertising space must be booked by the 10th of each month in order to appear in the following month’s publication, with 5 business days thereafter to complete the advertising artwork and proof approval process.

The Villager P.O. Box 5 Washago, ON L0K 2B0 Art director: Cathy Cleary

© Can Stock Photo / CreativeNature

Hope By guest writer, Judith P. Bullis. Author and best friend.

Day thirty-five. Thirty-five days of isolation in a home that I love and in which I feel safe.

I have not been well but have managed and as each day passes, things improve. Back in early March, the doctor said isolate but did not think it was the dreaded virus. Since then, much has been learned, so maybe it was, who knows? It doesn’t matter because even before feeling ill I stayed home in isolation, practiced social distancing, hand washed, began to wear a facemask…all the norm now.

My precious daughter, safe at home with her husband and three young children says that her OCD was built for this, that she’s been practicing her entire adult life and was ready. Humour can be lifesaving.

I get that. I was already a germaphobe.

Now, I wipe down grocery bags and packaging like a maniac. I go to bed last so that I can scrub down with a Lysol wipe every possible thing that was touched.

But there is also calm. Gone for now, is the constant hum of the highway and the drone of jet engines overhead. Nature’s chorus has been freed. I hear the gentle, soothing waves lap against the shore. I see the sparrows chase and scold in the tall cedars warning away the jays and cardinals. And I see the waterfowl, abundant now, roaming the surface and diving down closer to the shore than ever.

There are many ways to look at what is happening. It is easy to enter a dark place and be afraid. The world is full of grief and sorrow.

I choose to chase those dark thoughts away and look with my heart to see an

opportunity for reflection. No, I haven’t learned how to bake bread or signed up for those online courses I always wanted to take.

Nope. I sit in the stillness, do crosswords for my brain, read, listen to audiobooks with my partner and watch shows in the evening.

For me, small things matter and are healing. I try to embrace gratitude and nurture hope. Both feel good.

I have been ill but I am feeling better. I love the people in my life more; I have a garden that is bursting with early bulbs; I smile knowing Mother Earth has been given a break from what we have done to her.

I see kindness and caring and humour pouring into the streets of our lives. May that endure.

My brother is a retired Anglican Bishop.

He is my high-water mark for true goodness.

Your publisher, Ellen Cohen says it is his kindness that draws us to his gentle beliefs.

As many now do, he offers virtual services and he sent me his Easter homily now on YouTube. I will keep it forever because it captures his true essence, the strength of his sincere faith. Whether you are religious, spiritual, agnostic, or atheist…little matter because it is goodness and kindness that matter and in his homily, he says of the Easter story, though they were afraid, they believed.

Afraid yet believed.

I can so easily be swept into fear, as we all can be now. But I believe in the power of hope and that we will see the other side of this, broken in so many parts, but healed in new ways.

Letters to the publisher are welcome and may be emailed to thevillagerpress@rogers.com.

Letters may be edited.

5

Severn Township COVID-19 Information Boat launches and docks request with your contact information All public boat launches and docks in and property address. Email: taxes@ Severn are closed until further notice. townshipofsevern.com; Drop box: 1024 Hurlwood Lane, Severn; mail to PO Box 159, Fire ban Orillia ON, L3V 6J3; or fax 705-327-5818.

As of April 3, 2020, a fire ban in Severn is in effect until further notice. All open- Closures and continuing services air burning is prohibited, including in All facilities, including the Administration an outdoor fire grate, fireplace or fire Office, remain closed to the public. To pit. This ban protects residents from the help ensure the health and safety of staff, risk of preventable human-caused fires Township employees are working from and reduces inessential demands on our home where possible. Residents can still contact the Township at 705-325-2315 volunteer firefighters. and info@townshipofsevern.com.

All essential municipal services—including Community supports and donations 211 is a tremendous resource for fire, operations, water and wastewater— information and services, including continue to operate. grocery delivery. 211 can be contacted at Business support 211ontario.ca or by dialing 211. ​​​Business owners – please see page 11 in A reminder that local Food Banks are in need of donations and are requesting this issue of The Villager. Support, including increased support during the pandemic. advice, referrals, loans and workshops are available.

Financial relief The Township of Severn is waiving late Regular updates fees and interest for property taxes, water, The situation with COVID-19 changes and wastewater from March 23 to June 30. If rapidly. For that reason, the Township you’re already signed up for pre-authorized of Severn’s Emergency Control Group payments (PAP), you can request to meets regularly to assess new information suspend your payments for three months. and consult with public health officials, We’re also offering payment plans to allow other levels of government, and you to gradually repay your tax and utility community partners. Visit their website bills after the grace period. at townshipofsevern.com/COVID19 for To suspend your PAP and/or make updates and more information. payment arrangements, send us a written

Please support local business Residents from Severn Bridge to the Orillia boundary are now familiar with dozens of businesses who, because their hard work and ingenuity, are able to offer you goods and services during this COVID-19 crisis – with either non-contact service and/or by using strict, social distancing and disinfecting precautions.

Most have personal shopping/pick up service, some deliver, and others have online purchasing.

Please, before you head online to the big box stores, and before you start looking outside of the community, go through the pages of this issue of The Villager. You’ll find almost every product and service that you need, from groceries to hardware to home project items; pet care and clothing; and a whole host of outdoor or noncontact service businesses.

All of these businesses support their community. Please support them.

Serving Our Community Three Ways: Shop by phone: 705-689-2611 Shop by email: Rich.Harmer@homehardware.ca Shop in person: social distancing protocols in effect, orders picked by our staff.

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6

We are in this together

By Jill Dunlop, MPP Simcoe North As we find ourselves in these information sharing is key to the success of unprecedented times of challenges due this battle we call COVID-19. There is so much to COVID-19, my article for May will shine information being circulated it is important light on access to information, services and to know the provincial government supports to help you navigate through this provides daily updates on a regular basis difficult time. I would also like to thank you, through Ontario.ca/Coronavirus. our community members, for doing your I invite you to follow me on Facebook, part social distancing and adjusting to a Instagram and Twitter, or visit JillDunlopMPP. new way of accessing essential items and ca, for daily updates made with the services in order to flat line the spread of most recent announcements and links. this horrific virus.

Everything from healthcare, hospital and Please join me in thanking all the frontline municipality information, business support workers and first responders who continue to push forward so that families and businesses can MPP, Simcoe North continue to operate under extreme circumstances to ensure you ORILLIA OFFICE: have, among a few things, food, 14 Coldwater Road W. medication, garbage collection, Orillia, ON, L3V 3L1 delivery/mail service and essential MIDLAND OFFICE: 295 King Street, Suite 6 items needed for you to stay home TD Canada Trust Bank Plaza and safe.

Midland, ON, L4R 3M5 The health and safety of Ontarians is the government’s top jill.dunlopco@pc.ola.org priority and communication and

JILL DUNLOP

and local services, to housing/shelters, child care answers, OPP, volunteering and available supports.

I am very proud of the commitment and determination of our communities in Simcoe North, and across Ontario, as we work together. My commitment to you in return is to continue to work hard for you through these difficult times. I will continue to provide transparency and timely facts when communicating information through media, local publications and my constituency office.

Staff are there to support you by phone and email Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Ontario’s modelling is showing our enhanced public health measures are working, but we need everyone to continue to do their part to stop the spread of COVID-19 #WeAreInThisTogether, and we will get through this together.

We are #SimcoeNorthStrong.

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COVID-19 and Parliament

By Simcoe North MP Bruce Stanton

I hope this message finds you well amidst the 4th or 5th week since restrictions started to be placed on gatherings and non-essential business activities. It is a time where the usual politics takes a back seat as we respond to the urgent needs of Canadians arising from COVID-19.

The Prime Minister’s daily reports from Rideau Cottage have helped us learn the government’s response to COVID-19 and its programs to help workers and non-essential businesses cope with the additional strain on their finances. Find information on these programs at www.brucestantonmp.ca or call my office at 1-800 265-6228.

As planned, Parliament resumed on Monday, April 20th, with a reduced quorum (to ensure social distancing and minimal needs of parliamentary staff ), but it used the occasion to pass a further motion outlining

the program for the coming weeks. From now until May 25th, Parliament will have only one, in-person, sitting on Wednesdays, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays there will be a virtual sitting using the videoconferencing tools of the House of Commons. The in-person sitting will be a greatly reduced number of MP’s. Virtual sittings are entirely new for us, but we’re not alone in the Commonwealth parliaments.

Britain and New Zealand have embarked on virtual sittings also. Parliament remains the essential forum (in-person or virtual) for the government to make and amend laws, and for parliamentarians to pose the questions and concerns they are hearing from their constituents. Our system of government depends on both these pillars.

Though we’re unable to meet in person, my offices remain open to serve you by

phone (above) or email (bruce.stanton@ parl.gc.ca) 9:00 a.m. to 4:30, Monday to Friday. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is the best place for local COVID-19 health information and the Health Canada COVID-19 App for your smart phone or tablet is a great source of health and program information.

I want to close by expressing our gratitude to the amazing front-line health care workers, first-responders and all the people in our community working to keep shelves stocked, power on, roads safe and the internet functioning (among other things).

It’s times like these that we are reminded of how much they do to keep us safe and secure. Stay well and reach out to me for assistance or questions.

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Assistance available today for local business owners In March, in a matter of days, local business went from humming along at a decent pace to a stunning, immediate and massive change in order to meet COVID-19 protocols. And only days later, many of those same businesses had to lock their doors. Businesses that were deemed essential remained open but owners had to change the way they did business. They still struggle with managing inventory, staff and safety requirements.

Today, we hope, we are closer to turning our attention to working towards a ‘new normal’. Businesses will open but the road will not be easy and it will take some very hard work, ingenuity and assistance to mitigate the damage that’s been done.

Thankfully, local businesses can count on the Community Development Corporation (CDC) for assistance - counselling, training, and funding. They serve business owners in Severn, Oro, Ramara, the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and the City of Orillia.

“Wendy Timpano, general manager of

the CDC said, “We’re encouraging local directed to the appropriate resource.

Helping business owners prepare for the business owners to contact us. We are here to do whatever we can to help our business future, the CDC will present a 3-session “How community recover from the effects of the to Take Your Business Online”, a workshop COVID-19 crisis. Owners don’t have to go that includes one-on-one training. Sessions, beginning in early May, will help develop a through this difficult time alone.”

Wendy explained that there will be strategy to enhance business and will also new and uncomfortable challenges and assist owners who currently have some decisions to be made. For some it will be like online capabilities.

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12 Thank you

to everyone in our community who has followed social distancing protocols. Your efforts have helped to keep your loved ones – and mine – as safe and healthy as possible.

Please take a moment every day to thank our front line workers.

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Dressing the Lady ‘better than 35’ To all our valued customers – We recognize that current news and updates about COVID-19 can be overwhelming. We, too, were struggling with how to keep our customers safe and virus-free and felt the right thing to do was to close to the general population.

However, if you are looking for something special or are just in need of some retail therapy, I (Pat) will be here by appointment for personal shopping.

Call me or send me an email and I will be happy to put on my lipstick and come to work to serve you!

In the days and weeks ahead, please take care of yourselves and look out for one another.

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13

Community Safety Let’s share the right message

Refrigerator soup

By Chef Becky Lennerton In these unprecedented times, there is comfort to be found in your kitchen. There is something very grounding and therapeutic about working with on-hand ingredients to create dishes from scratch for you, your family or those in need. One thing for sure – you have time to cook!

INGREDIENTS: • 3 litres of stock, your choice – vegetable, chicken beef – OR make your own using OXO or tetra packs, whatever is on hand • Tomato juice – can be added to be used as a stock base.

• 1 cup diced onion, quarter-inch pieces • ½ cup diced carrot, quarter-inch pieces • ½ cup diced carrot, quarter-inch pieces • ¼ cup oil, can be canola, olive or butter • ½ cup mixed vegetables, frozen or fresh, quarter-inch pieces • ½ cup mixed cooked or canned legumes or meat • ½ cup cooked noodles, any kind, bite-size (alternately, replace noodles with cooked potato, sweet potato, or squash) • ½ cup spinach, kale, chard, or bok choy METHOD: Sauté carrot, celery, onion in oil in heavy saucepan until soft and juices are released. Slowly pour in your stock of choice. Bring to a simmer. Add legumes, vegetables and/or meat.

Seasoning: use all or any combination of salt, pepper, minced garlic, 1 Tbsp pesto or tomato sauce. Add herbs: to your taste.

Let simmer 5-7 minutes – do not boil. Five minutes before serving, add cooked noodles or potato, and green leafy vegetable.

Taste and re-season, if necessary.

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Can’t find it in Severn – try downtown Orillia Downtown Orillia shopkeepers thrive on personalized customer service and social connection. Although many are now behind closed doors, many shop owners are continuing that contact, albeit it in a different way, filling orders over the phone and online. These merchants understand that they provide some needed merchandise and services not available in Severn and they are ready to fill those gaps whenever possible.

Shop owners everywhere are struggling with the realities of little or no revenue. By necessity, they are actively implementing changes to weather this storm with a goal to come out on the other side ready to carry on in whatever the ‘new normal’ will be.

And while there are challenges associated with being a small independent business owner that larger scale companies may not face, they do have the advantage of being flexible enough to shift and pivot their business model in order to fill the needs of their customers.

Some of those shops may be able to fill some gaps not currently filled by Severn businesses. A few examples of those shops are: Tre Sorelle is offering bake-your-own homemade pasta dishes; Manticore Books is taking orders over the phone and online; Jack and Maddy’s – A Kids Store will fill your order for your child’s birthday; Lahay’s Hobby and Crafts has the puzzle craze covered; and the newly opened brewery, Couchiching Brewery on Mississaga St. E. offers curbside pickup.

The township and the province is asking residents to stay home as much as possible but everyone understands that minimal solo trips may be necessary. If that is the case, the Downtown Orillia merchants encourage you shop as local as possible.

Rather than shopping on big box store websites, search for local alternatives and support small business. Visit www. downtownorillia.ca to discover what the downtown offers. You’ll find the numerous ways to shop and to do it safely.

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Shopping in Severn, or going to Orillia, either way shop smart. Use your phone. Use your tablet or laptop. And if you do have to go out, go out alone; wash your hands before you go out and as soon as you get home; do not have close personal contact with anyone other than with those with whom you live; and when shopping or picking up merchandise, wearing a mask will help protect you and others.

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To our family, friends, customers and neighbours: During this difficult time, we want you to know that we offer our heartfelt prayers to each one of you. There is a light at the end of this tunnel and we wish you and your loved ones good health.

Please continue to follow all health protocols. Most especially, practice social distancing and frequent washing of your hands.

All the very best. We hope to see you very soon, Ron, Karen and Barb.

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Vegetable gardens – bounty and comfort

By Karen Kahle, grower and proprietor of Fern Forest Garden Centre, www.fernforest.ca During these past two months, many people have jumped on the vegetable growing bandwagon. Not only have we had more time to spend in our homes, having been locked down or self-isolating as much as possible, we have become far more conscious of our fragile food supply and wondered what may or may not be readily available in times of crisis. Vegetable gardens bring forth bounty and give comfort.

If you have planted vegetable seedlings indoors, congratulations! If you didn’t grow seedlings indoors, begin to visit greenhouse websites. Call them to ask about their vegetable supply and their current pick up protocol during the COVID crisis.

Except for tomato plants, which should wait to be planted until the first weekend in June, and as long as there is no risk of frost, you can start planting hardier vegetable transplants on the long weekend of May. For seed planting, peas, beans, carrots, squash, turnip, and more can be planted then as

well, but do read instructions on the seed packet to be sure. Lettuce can be planted as soon as the earth is warmed enough to be able to work.

While you’re waiting for the garden soil to warm up, take the next few weeks to create your vegetable garden plan. Do your research. Understand what vegetables need more sun than others; consider soil and drainage conditions; how much time to maturity for each type of vegetable; how much space each plant needs; how many plants of each vegetable do you need; and what kind of fertilizer is appropriate.

Speaking of how many plants and how much space you’ll need, be mindful.

Overcrowding is not healthy for your garden. If you have too many plants, you’ll be tossing out ripe vegetables in late summer. A single person will be quite well fed with only one cherry and one beefsteak tomato plant.

Happy veggie gardening! © Can Stock Photo / ArenaPhoto

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In a crisis, we continue to protect nature

By Courtney Baker, Couchiching Conservancy Having all this time at home has given me the opportunity to reflect on what is important.

The difficulties presented by our current situation - mass layoffs, huge health risks and unprecedented economics - can feel utterly overwhelming.

And yet, here I sit, safe and cozy with a cat, a cup of tea, and stew in the slow cooker.

Despite working from home, for me very little has changed.

And I understand fully that that makes me one of the lucky ones.

How does any of us help fight something that you cannot see, something that has affected our world so dramatically and so quickly and threatens the lives of our elders and front line workers? For me, as someone who is familiar with another fight we cannot always see,

climate change, having hope is how I do it.

Hope is what moves us forward and, although the end destination is blurry and unknown, seeing little signs or acts of hope clears our path.

As usual, when the world feels too big I look local and remember why I love The Couchiching Conservancy so much. Our work is an act of hope. Hope for a healthy planet, a beautiful blue globe with enough clean habitat for all species.

Miraculously, the Couchiching Conservancy still has 21 nature reserves being monitored by volunteers who follow strict travel and social distancing guidelines. We are collaborating virtually through Zoom, actively working on acquisition while

A delightful sight – the head and shoulders of an industrious beaver moving through the clear water at the Ron Reid Nature Reserve.

Photo by Toby Rowland. trying to re-work our biggest fundraising events of the year- always keeping frontline workers in mind.

The business of protecting nature for future generations is a job that takes forever and funding is always needed to carry out our work. So please, if your budget allows, consider

making a gift for nature today.

And, if now isn’t a good time, we will be here, forever protecting lands for you, your kids, your grandkids and their grandkids.

The Couchiching Conservancy is a local land trust protecting nature for future generations. To learn more please visit their website, www.couchichingconserv.ca.

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