On March 26th, Central Algoma Land Trust member Jane Smith photographed two meadowlarks just down the road from her house in Tarbutt Township. They turned out to be Western Meadowlarks, a different species than the Eastern Meadowlarks that are commonly found in the area every summer.

We are thrilled to announce that six of our protected areas are now officially included in the Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database. This national database tracks the progress toward Canada's ambitious goal of protecting 30% of our land and water by 2030.

The Central Algoma Land Trust recently presented this year's Pam Bent Conservation Award to Kadyn Barkowsky! This annual award goes to a Sault College student in a School of Natural Environment program who demonstrates good leadership skills, good academic achievement, is a global thinker and demonstrates a passion above and beyond the program expectations.

Two Tree River, a small waterway on St. Joseph Island in the Lake Huron watershed near Sault Ste. Marie, has been identified as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), thanks to the presence of a unique aquatic acrobat. The area joins a national network of sites that are critical to the persistence of Canada’s most exceptional biodiversity.

Think of these rare birds as environmental ambassadors. When a rare Eurasian Wigeon or a Vermilion Flycatcher touches down locally, it is often because they have found a high quality habitat to use as a refuelling station. While they may be here by accident, their presence highlights the importance of our conservation work.

Yesterday, Trent Massey and I were out for a drive searching for whatever interesting wildlife we could find. As we were working our way back home, a beautiful immature Golden Eagle flew over the road ahead of us just west of Desbarats. I managed to snap only a couple of photos out the window before it was out of sight to the north.

We are excited to announce that Corinne Wilkerson has been promoted to Conservation Manager! Since joining our team in 2021, Corinne has overseen the stewardship of our protected areas, developed numerous successful wildlife monitoring programs, led a variety of youth education activities, and managed our contract field staff.

Have you ever seen a flying squirrel? These critters are relatively common around here, but they are seldom seen because of their nocturnal nature. If you’re lucky, right at dusk you can see them “fly” from one tree to another.

“Although I only began working with the Central Algoma Land Trust in October, I already feel like I have learned so much! From day one, the team has been exceptionally kind, welcoming, and supportive as I settled into my new role. Everyone has taken the time to share their knowledge about the wide range of work that we are involved in, both past and present (and there’s a lot!).”

January 25th marks a special milestone for the Central Algoma Land Trust as we celebrate 10 years of service from Carter Dorscht, our Executive Director!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 10th annual Desbarats Christmas Bird Count, which took place on December 27, 2025! This year, 34 volunteers took part in the count. Of those, 18 were out in the field while 15 monitored their feeders throughout the day.

This week, Corinne and I led a guided snowshoe along our Gravel Point Preserve Hiking Trails. We explored just under 4 km of trails, taking in the sights and sounds of the forest in winter.