Recent stories
Presentations from the Sustainable Tourism Workshop, January 12, 2010
Kids for Turtles 2010 events
For more information on any of the events listed below, contact our Coordinator, Colleen Dale, at kidsforturtles@lpwbrf.ca or 519-410-8878.
WILDLIFE IN WINTER
Saturday January 30, 2pm
Join us for a ‘Wildlife in Winter’ walk as we spend the afternoon in the forest looking for signs of animals who keep active all winter long. The hike will take place at 2pm in Backus Woods on the Sugar Bush trail (parking lot entrance is on the 3rd Concession). Don’t forget to bring your binoculars and camera! Please dress appropriately for the weather.
OWL PROWL
Saturday February 27, 7pm
Have you ever been in the woods at night and heard the deep hooting of a Great Horned Owl? Or the horse-like call of the Eastern Screech Owl? If not, you don’t want to miss out on this opportunity! Join us at Hay Creek Conservation Area for a walk in the woods as we play the calls of some local owl species and wait for their response. It is sure to be a hootin’ good time! Don’t forget to bring a flashlight.
SIMCOE WILDLIFE FESTIVAL
Weekend of March 13-14
This weekend is all about wildlife! Drop by the Kids For Turtles booth and learn about all the events and activities we have planned for 2010. Our theme this year is “Wetlands” and we are excited to have hands-on activities, displays and the very popular ‘Sciensational Ssssnakes’ to keep you entertained!! The Wildlife Festival will take place in the Aud at the Norfolk County Fairgrounds in Simcoe.
CELEBRATING EARTH DAY
Saturday April 17, 12-4pm
Earth day is a day dedicated to inspiring awareness and appreciation of our earth, by participating in local activities and events. Join us at Backus Heritage Conservation Area for an afternoon filled with family fun activities including tree planting, guided nature hike, earth friendly crafts and so much more! This event is a joint partnership between the Long Point Region Conservation Authority, Norfolk County Community Services Department and Earth Day Canada.
SALAMANDER MONITORING
Saturday May 8, 1-4pm
Come out and discover how to identify salamander species and learn how and why volunteers of the Long Point Biosphere have been monitoring salamander populations in Backus Woods for the last decade. Kids and adults alike will love to find the monitoring boards and flip them over to see what’s hiding underneath! Information we collect will be provided to the ‘Conserving Carolinian Reptiles’ project and the Ontario Herptile Atlas. Location: Meet at the Education Centre parking lot at Backus Heritage Conservation Area.
BIO-BLITZ ON BIG CREEK MARSH
Sunday June 6, 10am
Celebrate the ‘International Year of Biodiversity’ by exploring the fascinating and diverse world of a wetland habitat. Equipped with field guides and a camera, your group’s task will be to find and identify as many species of plants and animals as possible. Don’t forget to capture your experiences – winning photographs will be selected to appear in the summer edition of The Snapper! Meet at the Canadian Wildlife Service parking lot on the Causeway.
BUTTERFLY AND DRAGONFLY FESTIVAL
Sunday July 11/10, 10-4pm
This festival is a family-friendly event, providing opportunities to learn more about these beautiful and amazing creatures! There will be numerous scheduled activities and exhibits throughout the day including cookie decorating, crafts, and guided walks around the pond search of dragonflies and in the meadow to identify butterflies. Come on out to Backus Heritage Conservation Area for all the fun!
ECO-KIDS ADVENTURE DAY CAMP
Weekend of August 14 &15, 9-4pm
Are you looking for some outdoor adventure this summer? If so, then look no further! Children ages 8-12 are invited to register for a two day camp from 9am to 4pm daily at Backus Heritage Conservation Area. Participants will be engaged in environmental hands-on activities, presentations, outdoor games plus so much more! Pre-registration is required. Fee: KFT members = $30/day/child and non-members = $45/day/child.
GREAT CANADIAN SHORELINE CLEANUP
Sunday September 19, 10am
Roll up your sleeves and lend a hand cleaning up the beaches of Long Point. The TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is a national conservation initiative that allows all Canadians to have a positive impact on their local environment. More than just a program to pick up trash, valuable data is collected from each cleanup to determine the major (and minor) causes of shoreline litter in each area. We will meet at the parking lot beside the Causeway restaurant on Long Point.
ART IN NATURE
Saturday October 23/10, 1-3pm
Let you creative side shine as you use the natural world to inspire your works of art. Local artist, Sally Gable, will lead this program and help each participant find their inner nature spirit and express themselves in their own unique way! Time will be spent outdoors searching for the perfect items to create your masterpiece. Location: Backus Heritage Conservation Area.
BIRDY DELIGHT
Sunday November 28/10, 1-3pm
Want to become a birdwatcher right from your own home? Attracting birds to your yard easy with these simple steps: come out and make your very own bird feeder, bring it home and find a good spot in your yard, and add some seed. You’ll be sure to have lots of visitors to your feeder in no time! Learn about the Project FeederWatch program managed by Bird Studies Canada and how you can get involved to become a citizen scientist!
Location: Bird Studies Canada Headquarters – 115 Front St, Port Rowan.
About Us
Kids for Turtles is dedicated to increasing public awareness of the importance of protecting wildlife species and their habitats as well as addressing ‘nature deficit disorder’ in youth. We strongly believe that environmental education and direct connections with nature will foster an understanding and appreciation in youth that is vital for healthy children and, ultimately, a healthy world.
Website: longpointbiosphere.com/kids-for-turtles
Email: kidsforturtles@lpwbrf.ca
Resources and Publications
World Biosphere Reserves
- Your Biosphere Reserve — Creating a Sustainable Future (Canadian Biosphere Reserves Association)
- Biosphere Reserves in Canada: Exploring ideals and experience (Environments: a Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies)
Long Point Biosphere Reserve
Monitoring and Surveys in Norfolk County
- Waterfowl and Wetlands of Long Point Bay and Old Norfolk County (Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Fund)
- Forest Monitoring Status Report (Long Point Biosphere Reserve Foundation)
- Salamander Monitoring at Backus Woods Report, 1999-2003 (Long Point Biosphere Reserve Foundation and University of Western Ontario)
- 2008 Marsh Bird and Anuran Species Occurance and Abundance at Long Point Inner Bay Wetland (Bird Studies Canada)
Research Studies
- Rapid Increase in The Great Lakes Population of Mute Swans (Bird Studies Canada)
- Spring Banding of American Black Ducks (Bird Studies Canada)
- Phragmites Research (Bird Studies Canada)
- Long Point Annotated Bibliography (Bird Studies Canada)
Project Reports
Rural Landowner Stewardship
- Caring for Nature in Norfolk (Carolinian Canada Coalition)
- Wanted! Species at Risk in Norfolk poster (Carolinian Canada Coalition)
- Growing Native Tallgrasses and Wildflowers for Prairie Restoration (Long Point Biosphere Reserve Association)
- Rural Landowner Stewardship Guide for Ontario Landscapes (University of Guelph)
- Grasslands Stewardship Guide for Framers and Rural Landowners (Ontario Barn Owl Recovery Project)
- A Guide to Stewardship Planning for Natural Areas (Ministry of Natural Resources)
Long Point World Biosphere Reserve brochure

The Long Point area, comprising 26,250 hectares, was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in April, 1986, the third in Canada. Today it is one of 15 biosphere reserves in Canada. It provides an example of the Great Lakes coastal ecosystem and a unique blend of habitats – long uninterrupted beaches, undisturbed sand dunes, grassy ridges, wet meadows, woodlands, marshes and ponds, coldwater streams, and the shallow Inner Bay.
Board of Directors, 2011
Our Board of Directors consists of volunteers that share the vision and objectives of the Foundation. Our directors represent a broad spectrum of professions, including local business people, farmers, foresters, biologists, engineers, nurses, teachers, writers, civil servants, retirees and others.
Brian Craig (President), Delhi, ON
Nick Wilson (Vice President), Springford, ON
Arden Koptik (Treasurer), Simcoe, ON
Colleen Dale (Secretary), Port Dover, ON
David Baird, Tillsonburg, ON
Tom Bradstreet, Vittoria, ON
Janice Gilbert, Langton, ON
Paul Givens, Normandale, ON
Paula Jongerden, Delhi, ON
Mike McArthur, Simcoe, ON
Dave Pond, Simcoe, ON
Kristen Thompson, Simcoe, ON
Dale Vranckx, St. Williams, ON
Advisors to the Board
Paul Gagnon, Long Point Region Conservation Authority
Jeff Robinson, Canadian Wildlife Service
George Francis, University of Waterloo
Jim Wilson, Springford, ON
Memberships and donations
Organizations as well as individuals are invited to join the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation which is incorporated as a charitable organization. The support, both moral and financial, of all those in harmony with the Biosphere concept is essential to its future and effectiveness.
If you would like to join our organization or contribute a donation, please download our membership form. Print this form, fill it out, and mail it to the address printed on the bottom.
Our biosphere reserve
The Long Point area, comprising 26,250 hectares, was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in April, 1986, the third to be named in Canada and one of 15 biosphere reserves found in this country today. It provides an example of the Great Lakes coastal ecosystem and a unique blend of habitats – long uninterrupted beaches, undisturbed sand dunes, grassy ridges, wet meadows, woodlands, marshes and ponds, coldwater streams, and the shallow Inner Bay. Its delicate dunes and marshes teem with songbirds, spawning fish, turtles and frogs.
Long Point is a world-renowned refuge and stopover for migrating birds in fall and spring, and waterfowl viewing is excellent in March and April. In August and September tens of thousands of Monarch Butterflies congregate on Long Point, briefly resting before continuing on their way to their Mexican wintering grounds.
Long Point lighthouses

The Old Cut Lighthouse built in 1879 and still standing just outside the boundary of the Provincial Park. Photo courtesy of Flora Aker.
Aerial views of Long Point

Photo courtesy of Haldimand/Norfolk Development



