Happy Holidays from White's Wetland

It's always a "white" Christmas at White's Wetland!

The Philanthropy Challenge Continues: The Donkey Sanctuary of Canada

Hello, Dolly!

Meet Dolly, one of the residents of the Donkey Sanctuary located in Guelph, Ontario.
In fact, just visit the site right now! You can get to know all of the donkeys who make this delightful place their home by reading their life stories. Then consider a generous donation this Christmas! Remember, donkeys play a very special role in the Christmas story.

And let's not forget their service to humankind down through the centuries. Sadly and far too often, these humble, hardworking animals have been subjected to terrible abuse, cruelty and neglect. The sanctuary welcomes all donkeys, regardless of the reason for their need of a new home, and gives them a pleasant, peaceful place to live out their lives, safe from harm and free of fear.

The Philanthropy Challenge Continues: Salthaven

From Iraq to SW Ontario. Not far from White's Wetland, in Mt. Brydges in fact, injured and distressed wildlife have a sanctuary at Salthaven, a volunteer wildlife rehabilitation facility that receives 25 to 30 calls a day regarding displaced, sick, injured, or orphaned wildlife.

"With patience, persistence and attention to detail, Salthaven's dedicated group of volunteer caregivers has successfully treated and released countless healthy wild birds and animals back to their appropriate habitat in the wild."

Please visit the Salthaven site and learn more about their mission.

The Philanthropy Challenge Continues: Nature Iraq

"It turns out Saddam Hussein did possess a weapon of mass destruction and he used it in a slaughter that few have heard of until now: after the Gulf War in 1991, the dictator spent untold millions on this weapon, designed to exterminate an ancient civilization called the Ma'dan, also known as the Marsh Arabs."

Last month, CBS ran a story on 60 Minutes that touched me deeply. Azzam Alwash, founder and CEO of Nature Iraq, is an amazing, extraordinary man. Please visit the Nature Iraq site and learn about his efforts to restore a very special wetlands area in Iraq that was home to people, plants and animals. If you missed the CBS story, you can view it on the Nature Iraq site. I highly recommend it.

Philanthropy Should Include All Species: A Donation Challenge

November 15 was officially designated National Philanthropy Day in Canada. This is a good thing! A reminder to one and all of the importance of social engagement, compassion and altruism in our community.

Our sense of community, however, must be challenged and widened to include non-human species and the natural world, because our "community" really is the entire planet, and the future of life on this planet is in jeopardy. If we fail to protect the delicate web that forms this precious community, then we will all suffer.

Sure, we must support hospitals, feed the homeless, educate young women the world over, fight crime and fight disease. But we must never underestimate or deny the fact that without the healthy, thriving life support system that is Planet Earth, we are doomed to extinction. This is not sensationalism. This is reality. Committing ecocide means we are killing ourselves.

At a certain point, it won’t matter if our local hospital has the latest medical equipment or that we have cured the incurable, because there will be no future for our children. If they can no longer breathe clean air, drink clean water, grow crops, have children of their own … what then?

This is not just about creating more "green spaces." This is not just about shopping "green" this holiday season. This is about survival. Our survival.

Even the tiniest creatures—the moth, the ant, the aphid, the ladybug and the beetle—have a role to play in the scheme of things. Each is vital. Each holds one precious thread to the whole beautiful pattern of life. But it is unravelling at breakneck speed.

Some stats for you, courtesy of the Canadian Wildlife Federation:

• Approximately 75 per cent of Canada’s reptiles are listed as being of special concern or higher.
• The International Union for the Conservation of Nature recently confirmed that 12 per cent of the world’s birds are at risk.
• Approximately 10 per cent of marine mammals (e.g. whales, porpoises, etc.) are ranked as at risk by Canadian standards.

This is just the iceberg tip of the whole damn tragedy. Honeybees are dying. Ice flows are melting. Even the magnificent lion—the so-called King of Beasts—is endangered. Recent numbers figure that only 30,000 of the big cats still exist in the wild.

In Canada alone, close to 600 species are endangered.

I realize people want optimistic stories and bright, "upbeat" stories—and there are plenty! Every day, I read about how someone is going the extra mile for wildlife and for the planet. I am moved, motivated and inspired by their efforts.

But we need to be nudged now and then by the sobering reminders of how much more we need to do. How little time is left. There is a sense of urgency now, as never before. There is no time to waste.

This holiday season—which is fast approaching—please consider a gift to one or several of the splendid, hardworking organizations in Canada and around the world dedicated to saving species, saving habitat, saving land and saving life on earth, in all its magnificent variety.

I will try to give as much as my wallet will allow in the coming weeks.

But I will also add my voice.

Every few days, from now until the 24th of December, I will feature an organization on this blog. Please follow the link, read about their work and their campaigns, and if you can give any amount—or any amount of time—to the cause, please do.

To begin today, I am featuring The Canadian Wildlife Federation, which provided the statistics quoted above and the magnificent photo of the stag and doe.

So if you are at all moved by this appeal, please pass it on. Spread the word. Let's see if we can hit record numbers of donations for nature, wildlife, animal welfare and environmental organizations this year.

We have a world to heal.

Protection for the Wild Turkey

North America's wild turkey was hunted almost to extinction. Both Canada and the United States experienced severe declines in their numbers. My father long lamented the fact that he had not seen a wild turkey in our woods in many, many years.

Then, just a few years ago … there they were! We were all thrilled to see these birds take up residence in our woods. When species return to an area after long absences, it is encouraging. You really do begin to feel optimistic about the state of the natural world. Maybe there is hope! Our environmental programs might just be working after all.

So it is especially disheartening when the hunters turn up at the first whiff of a "wild turkey" dinner. This happened on Thanksgiving Sunday. Unfortunately, we cannot do too much about what neighbouring landowners allow on their properties, but when the damage affects what we are trying to achieve at White's Wetlands, it is particularly disheartening.

That Sunday I witnessed a flock of wild turkeys flushed out into our open fields as shots rang out from the woods. The birds were clearly distressed and confused. I felt so helpless. There was no action I could take at the moment because I would have caused them to fly back into the line of fire. Fortunately, they flew into our south woodlot, nearest me.

I never did see the hunters, although I heard their guns as I stood at the end of the lane. I am not sure if these big "weekend" game hunters bagged any members of the flock for their Thanksgiving meal, but I am hoping not. Not when domestic turkeys are in abundance in the supermarkets.

The other aspect to this whole sickening affair was the fact that the gate to our Wetlands was ajar, evidence of trespassing. Not only is trespassing on private property illegal, firing a weapon within city limits is as well. White's Wetlands is within city limits.

For the record here, hunting is not allowed on White's Wetlands. We are trying to protect existing species as well as their habitat.

So a word of warning: hunters beware! You are spotted on our property, the police will be called. You are breaking the law.

In the meantime, check out how wild turkeys are being protected in the United States on the Care 2 site:

http://www.care2.com/causes/environment/blog/major-us-utility-company/

Nature London

The McIlwraith Field Naturalists have been a part of the London Ontario community since 1864. The name of the organization honours Canadian pioneer and ornithologist Thomas McIlwraith. The group undertakes a variety of projects to promote environmental awareness, enhance habitat and protect natural areas. The club owns an 11-hectare nature reserve near Delaware. MFN members participate in the Christmas Bird Count, the annual Butterfly Count and other initiatives that encourage the study of local natural history and promote birding.

Check out their website and the Nature in the City flyer, which details the 2010 schedule of co-sponsored nature talks with the London Public Library. Of special note to wetland enthusiasts is the February 9, 2010 talk on the tenacity of wetland wildflowers: WETLAND WILDFLOWERS: Ingeniously Adapted to Life with Wet Feet.

Happy Hallowe'en from White's Wetlands

Thanksgiving Means Thanking Our Farmers

Giving thanks this harvest time means thanking our farmers for all the great food we enjoy every day and in every season.

Foodies and farmers must join forces says Thomas Pawlick in his new book, The War in the Country. The author of The End of Food warns that the demise of the family farm and local independent farming to "corporate farming" is a serious threat to both rural life and a nutritional food source for all of us. Rural residents and urbanites have one common enemy: the factory farm.

But before any joining of forces or bonding between the two groups can take place, some age-old misconceptions, prejudices and animosities have to be replaced with enlightened awareness and a shift in attitude.

As someone who has a foot in both the rural and the urban, I can't help but lament the average city dweller's lack of awareness (and respect) toward the rural and farming community. There is a rather obnoxious hypocrisy about the urban rush for organic or fair trade food, the general "greening" of the urban dialogue, and the concern over sustainability when indeed the most sustainable and healthy mode of life—the rural life right here in Canada—is under threat.

Unfortunately, urbanites really don't really know where their food comes from or know much about the precarious existence that the providers of that food often endure in order to preserve a way of life that is very precious to them.

There is real misunderstanding about farmers and farming. Farming is most often a choice. Farming isn't something people do because they can't do anything else. Farmers are first and foremost business people—entrepreneurs, if you will. And because they must live with risk—a constant factor in a farmer's life—they have to be astute, patient, optimistic, even visionary. It is their dedication and toil, through weather fair or foul, that ensures that our supermarket shelves are always well stocked with food.

The next time you buy a bunch of carrots, a dozen eggs, a bag of milk or a package of pork chops, give some thought to the source. Where did my food come from?

As more and more Canadians ask that question, the possibility of forging a mutually beneficial and respectful dynamic between urbanites and farmers becomes a reality for the future—and that can only be good for all of us.

More on the misconceptions and misunderstandings about agriculture and rural life in other posts. I'm off to order my copy of The War in the Country.

Working for Nature: The Nature Conservancy of Canada

Every October, the Nature Conservancy publishes a supplement for the Globe and Mail, and today is the day to get your copy. If you want a paperless copy, you can download the pdf from the Nature Conservancy website. Of special interest to local readers, in and around London, Ontario, there is an article about Beryl Ivey's legacy of 762-acres of forested and wetland area.