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.

We're hiring! Our Bat Monitoring and Education Program has been very successful since it began in 2022, collecting over 400,000 individual recordings. We're looking for a Bat Monitoring Technician to join us this summer to assist with the program.

There are only a few days left to contribute to our 2025 Annual Campaign, and we still have a chance to reach our goal of $30,000 by year’s end, complementing the other fundraising efforts we’ve accomplished throughout 2025. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we’re over 75% of the way there.

Central Algoma Land Trust’s Executive Director, Carter Dorscht, was recently selected by SodaStream Canada for their Canadian Sustainable Hometown Heroes campaign, which celebrates Canadians making a real difference in environmental stewardship and community well‑being. The campaign highlights how local efforts and individual actions can create meaningful change.

For the Central Algoma Land Trust’s second Volunteer Spotlight, we are excited to feature Janice Fairfax. Since 2022, Janice has been a dedicated volunteer with our Water Quality Monitoring Program. We asked her to share a little about herself and her experience volunteering with CALT.