Uncategorized

Janet Dassinger Appointed Interim Executive Director

The Board of Directors of the Long Point Biosphere Region (LPBR) is pleased to announce the appointment of Janet Dassinger as Interim Executive Director (E.D.) effective April 9, 2025.

“Janet’s appointment is an important step toward establishing a more robust operating and governance system for the Biosphere,” said LPBR Chair Tom Via. “We are delighted that she has agreed to accept this role and the challenges it embraces.”

The Interim Executive Director will play a key role in developing and advancing a new strategic plan for the LPBR as well as leading Biosphere operations. The creation of the position and the broader initiative it involves is supported by funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and by a strategic collaboration with the highly successful Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere.

Janet, who is passionate about conservation and the Long Point region, is a Senior Research Officer with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).  Over her career, she has worked as a project manager, executive director and fund developer in the not-for-profit sector. She has advanced degrees in Labour Studies and Social Work from McMaster University.  Janet resigned from the Biosphere board and the position of President to assume the Interim E.D. duties.

Janet Dassinger Appointed Interim Executive Director Read More »

Collaboration with Georgian Bay on Strategic Planning

The Board and staff of the Long Point Biosphere Region (LPBR) have been working over the winter months to develop new strategies and

Workshop with Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere

collaboration plans thanks to funding from the provincial government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) Resilient Communities fund.

The funding of $126 has supported LPBR’s strategic planning and organizational review, which has been undertaken in collaboration with the Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere, which is regarded as a model organization with a “best in class” operating model and expertise in developing new partnerships, diversified funding sources, and stable program staffing systems.

“The Long Point Biosphere is one of Canada’s most important ecological areas with an exceptional agro-ecosystem,” said Biosphere Chair Tom Via, reflecting on the work todate. “The funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the help of partners like Birds Canada and the Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere will make a vital contribution to our long-term planning which enables support of conservation and sustainable development in the region.”

The funding announced last year (June 2024) at an event in Port Rowan with local MPP Bobbi Ann Brady who said at the time that the “Long Point Biosphere is an important connection between people and nature.”

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Ontario government with a mission to build healthy and vibrant communities across the province.

Collaboration with Georgian Bay on Strategic Planning Read More »

Recent Newsletters

Spring 2025 

Biosphere Beacon

In this issue, we invite you to join the Friends of the Long Point Biosphere – at no cost –  to keep up to date on our projects and programs.

Click individual links below.

FALL 2024 Biosphere Beacon

In this issue, we invite you to attend our Annual General Meeting and prepare for the Fall Research and Conservation Conference as well as updating you on recent projects.

Click individual links below.

SUMMER 2024 Biosphere Beacon

In this issue, we review our new projects, look to the future, and remember a special volunteer. 
Click individual links below.

SPRING 2024 Biosphere Beacon

In this issue, we celebrate our recent successes and special partnerships. 
Click individual links below.

FALL 2023 Biopshere Beacon (Highlights listed below)
Click here for the  full newsletter as PDF

  • Parliamentary Secretary’s visit to Long Point
  • Georgian Bay’s Ganawenim Meshkiki’s funding of Long Point Road Ecology
  • Over 50 Area Schools joining Project Feederwatch
  • Nature Canada’s renewal of funding for Long Point Programs
  • New – The Isabella Brink-Read Youth Summit Award

SUMMER 2023 Biosphere Beacon (Highlights listed below)
 Click here for the full newsletter as PDF 

  • Spooky Hollow helps meet national biodiversity goals
  • Join us on Wandering Wednesdays
  • We’re participating in the Birds Canada Birdathon, and we need your help!
  • How many of Norfolk County’s 22 Amazing Places have you visited?
  • We’re helping connect students to nature
  • Announcing a documentary about the Biosphere – we’ll have an extravaganza and fundraiser featuring a special showing, stay tuned!
  • Artists from indigenous and international backgrounds collaborate
  • Protecting turtles, snakes and more from the dangers of crossing the roa

Recent Newsletters Read More »

Volunteers make Long Point Turtle Hatchery a Success

1,112 turtle eggs were excavated from vulnerable nest around Long Point and transported to the Marshview Welcome and Education Centre at Long Point Eco Adventures by a team of dedicated volunteers.  These eggs—collected over the summer of 2024—were the first ever collected for the Long Point Turtle Hatchery!

Lauren Nightingale Turtle Hatchery Coordinator

They include midland painted, snapping, and norther map turtle eggs. Our mentors and colleagues at the Turtle Lab in the London Watershed Conservation Centre graciously took in many more clutches when we reached our processing capacity.  This included all of our threatened Blanding’s turtle eggs.

With your support, thousands of hatching turtles will peck their way out of their shells in the years ahead.  But each  must be health checked, measured, weighed, and finally released into the marsh and this must be within 1 km of where their mothers originally laid them. At the same time, we hope to have a multi-faceted exhibit in place to educate students, visitors, and area residents about the need for road ecology projects. This will help address the core problem facing our turtles (deaths on roads) that make volunteer road patrols and nest excavation necessary.

None of this would have been possible without the generous donations our community contributed alongside support from the Long Point Biosphere Region, Eco Adventures, Scott Gillingwater and his Turtle Lab team in London, our amazing Wildlife Road Watch volunteers, Environment and Climate Change Canada through the LPWF Priority Place’s Road Ecology Working Group, Eco-Kare International, and Eco Canada.

We now have an urgent need for materials and funds to complete the task and, we hope, establish the hatchery as a permanent facility serving the Long Point Biosphere Region.

Please consider contributing to the Long Point Biosphere Region Turtle Hatchery!

Click Here to Donate

If you are not able to contribute financially but wish to help another way, please consider joining Wildlife Road Watch, our volunteer program.  You  will be trained to safely help turtles cross roads and to identify turtle nests for excavation along several key nesting hotspots.

If you are interested, please consider subscribing at wildlifeonroads.com  or reach out to Lauren at lnightingale@eco-kare.com for more information.

For more on what’s happening in the Long Point Biosphere check out our newsletter he

Volunteers make Long Point Turtle Hatchery a Success Read More »

Promoting Eco-Tourism in Canada

Building on the success of its first ever Eco-Crawl last year, the Long Point Biosphere is looking to expand its promotion of sustainable tourism in Norfolk County over the coming months.  This will include new initiatives to support designated Amazing Places in our area and collaborations with other Biosphere regions in Ontario and across Canada.

The Amazing Places program identifies sites for residents and visitors to learn about physical, biological or historical features that are unique to our region. The initiative, funded by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and Mountain Equipment Co-op, was established in 2022 with information materials and special itineraries for those looking to explore the region.

This year this material will be repackaged in formats that make it easier for visitors and local residents to reference and to possibly expand the Long Point Biosphere Eco-Crawl.

Last  year the Eco-Crawl was launched in conjunction with Port Rowan’s Bayfest celebrations with funding under the Norfolk County Community Grants Program. The funding covered bus shuttle services to help visitors and residents learn more about conservation organizations such as Birds Canada, Long Point Basin Land Trust, Turkey Point Provincial Park, and Long Point Provincial Park as well as sustainable businesses such as Long Point Eco-Adventures,  Burning Kiln Winery, Inasphere Winery and Farm, South Coast Gardens, Meuse Brewery. and more.  The Eco-Crawl also showcased the Long Point Turtle Hatchery project and promoted other conservation activities with display and information tables at Birds Canada headquarters.

“We have a rich portfolio of businesses and organizations dedicated to conservation and the natural environment in the Biosphere,” said Tom Via, LPBR Chair. “The Eco-Crawl celebrates these organizations and our partnerships, and it will be great to expand it in the future in conjunction with the Amazing Places program.”

Promoting Eco-Tourism in Canada Read More »

Betty Chanyi

The Long Point Biosphere Region (LPBR) joins the family members, friends and admirers mourning the passing of the former Norfolk County Councillor and active community leader Betty Chanyi last fall (September 2024).

Betty’s career as an educator and work as a member of many local organization are documented in the tributes that have been made by many others in other venues.

We would like to recognize her vigorous support for the Long Point Biosphere and the drive to promote conservation and sustainable communities.

This was recognized with her status as a Life Member of the LPBR.

Betty Chanyi Read More »

JAMES EDWARD “JIM” WILSON (1953 – 2024)

The Long Point Biosphere Region (LPBR) joins with the many friends and family members  mourning the March 27, 2024 passing of Jim Wilson, a highly respected and valued LPBR volunteer.  Jim loved the outdoors, camping, fishing, and canoeing, and this led him to active involvement in the drive to preserve Norfolk County’s natural heritage.

Jim began working with the Biosphere in 1995 as a manager when the first Smithsonian Institution / EMAN (Ecological Management Assessment Network) survey plot was installed in Backus Woods.  This project, initiated with the help of area school students, was an inspiring start to broader ecological monitoring efforts in the area and the basis for better reporting on ecosystem changes.

Jim then took over the Biosphere salamander monitoring program and led it as a volunteer for two decades.  His work created one of the longest-running data sets on salamanders in North America and helped establish the stability of terrestrial salamander populations in our region.  This achievement was documented and confirmed in recent years by Dr. Pat Chow-Frasier’s lab at MacMaster University.

For this work, Jim was honoured with the Dr. Thomas Brydges Award at an EMAN national gathering. The award recognizes “volunteers who demonstrate enthusiastic leadership and commitment to advance ecological monitoring and research in Canada.”

Jim’s dedication benefited the Long Point Biosphere in many ways beyond the salamander program drawing media and broad public interest.  He and his son Nick (both are pictured together here), who served as Biosphere President for several years, were, for example, featured in the popular TVO documentary Striking Balance. The documentary showcased the important link between salamander populations and the overall health of Southern Ontario’s Carolinian Forest.

“Dad was always proud of the work he did with the Long Point Biosphere and loved to share pictures and stories about it whenever he could,” said Nick Wilson, adding that he was glad to have the opportunity to spend so much time over the years sharing in one of his father’s great passions. “Dad understood the importance of the work we were doing and showed a real commitment to it.”

His family has asked that donations be made to the Biosphere or the London Regional Cancer Program in Jim’s memory.

JAMES EDWARD “JIM” WILSON (1953 – 2024) Read More »

Start Planning: 12th Research & Conservation Conference

As we approach the one-year anniversary of our 11th Long Point Biosphere Region Research and Conservation Conference (See Youtube videos of presentations), we’re thrilled to announce that preparations for our 12th conference, scheduled for November 1, 2024, are well underway. 

Last year’s event was a resounding success, bringing together passionate minds dedicated to conservation and research within our unique biosphere. But this year, we’re aiming even higher!

We’re planning an even bigger and better gathering, with more opportunities to connect, learn, and collaborate. This year, we’re excited to offer a second room dedicated to our partners—a space where you can showcase your work, feature your latest projects, and display your organization’s gear. It’s the perfect platform to highlight your contributions to conservation and engage with attendees who share your commitment to protecting our environment.

If you’re interested in taking your involvement to the next level, we invite you to join us as a sponsor. Your support will not only help us enhance the conference experience but also provide you with valuable exposure to a targeted audience of conservation professionals, researchers, and community members. Together, we can make this year’s conference truly unforgettable.

Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of something special.

Mark your calendars for November 1, 2024, and stay tuned for more details on how you can get involved!

For Info or Sponsorship contact: conference@longpointbiosphere.com

 

Start Planning: 12th Research & Conservation Conference Read More »

Local Groups Discuss Priority Place Progress

On March 12, 2024, members of the five Working Groups that have been established under the Long Point Walsingham Forest (LPWF) Priority Place collaborative met with key partners in Port Rowan to reflect on progress and obstacles encountered under the initiative.  The individuals attending the meeting represented a diverse array of local NGOs and included a representative from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the funder of the program.  The assembly, the first face-to-face meeting of the Working Groups since the Covid-19 shutdown, sought to enhance communications and outreach opportunities.

The meeting featured contributions from coordinators of the Working Groups: Road Ecology, Open Country, Agricultural Runoff, Forested and Treed Swamps, and Invasive Species. The event was enriched by the presence of notable guests including Tom Masschaele from Norfolk County Council, environmental expert Peter Zuzek, representatives Jess and Fawn Sault from the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and Julia Sunga from the ECCC’s Canadian Wildlife Service.

Dr. Sunga shared insights into ECCC’s new larger Carolinian Zone Priority Place and discussed what changes may be experienced by the partners of the LPWF Working Groups. Participants were asked to consider the implications for their work and to consider new collaborative partnerships with players in the larger Zone.

While attendees acknowledged challenges, there was a unanimous sense of achievement regarding the strides made toward the goals set by the respective Working Groups. Discussions also highlighted new ventures and underscored the pivotal role of Priority Place funding in bolstering and expanding collaborative habitat restorations.

Cynthia Brink, the event’s organizer from the Long Point Biosphere, reflected on the meeting as productive and a significant step forward, expressing optimism for the organization of similar future engagements.

Local Groups Discuss Priority Place Progress Read More »

Scroll to Top