First-St. Andrew’s United Church Chimney Swift Awareness Project
In 2018, First-St. Andrew’s United Church received $1,960 for a project to enhance awareness of, and provide information about, Chimney Swifts that nest and/or roost in the five chimneys of the church. This was done through the production of a sign (below) and the installation of a bench for viewing purposes.
The sign and bench are located at a prime viewing location on the church property that can also be accessed by passers-by. The project has created a much greater awareness of swifts within the church membership, and it is hoped that this awareness will also extend to the broader public.
The site will be the initial gathering place for the Chimney Swift walk that will be led by Winnie Wake on Sunday May 26th, beginning at 2 PM. Both the sign and bench have been installed as part of a larger project to create an “Eco-Meditation” garden that features a variety of native plants. With biodiversity in mind, plantings include species that support pollinators as well as provide food for the early stages of insects that may waft upward to become swift food. The garden, part of a growing trend to create ecologically healthy urban landscapes, also includes plants sacred to Indigenous culture, a walking labyrinth, and a sculpture that incorporates disused organ pipes.
Nature London applauds the efforts of the First-St. Andrew’s community to create this urban oasis that nourishes both human and non-human visitors. Club members are encouraged to visit the garden themselves when in the area. First-St. Andrew’s United Church is located at 350 Queens Avenue, London.
Please note that there will be a dedication ceremony on Sunday, June 23, 2019 at 10:30 AM at First-St. Andrew’s Church. For more details, see the Invitation.
In 2018, ReForest London was awarded a $5,000 Eco-Grant from Nature London to assist with the restoration of the gate house at the entrance to the Westminster Ponds Centre (WPC). Situated behind Parkwood Hospital, the WPC is a cluster of buildings and associated grounds that once served as a recuperative village for veterans following World War II. Recently, ownership of the site was transferred to ReForest London from the London Health Sciences Centre.
Gate House Restored – Photo by Dave Wake
ReForest London’s vision is to transform the site into an Environment & Sustainability Centre that will be a hub for sustainability initiatives in the London region. When complete, the WPC will boast over 20,000 square feet of space over four buildings on 14 acres of grounds. Restoration of the gate house was among the first steps in a much larger effort to redevelop the entire site.
Melchers Construction was principal contractor for the task which involved an extensive rebuilding of the long-neglected structure. The refurbished gate house retains the design and architectural features of the original structure while incorporating space for educational signage (where the windows once were) as well as lighting. Nature London’s contribution covered approximately one-quarter of the total cost. Additional funders, and in-kind contributions, covered the balance.
The now-restored gate house, which once welcomed visitors to the veterans’ village, now welcomes visitors to the WPC, providing them with information about the WPC project and the Area. As well, it provides information regarding the site’s natural and cultural heritage as well as the tenants occupying office space on the property. Of particular interest to Nature London members will be information referring to W.E. Saunders, one of the property’s former owners and the founding president of the ornithological section of the club which was renamed the McIlwraith Ornithological Club in 1902.
As one of the first tangible signs of the site’s revitalization, the gate house provided a focal point for the launch of the Westminster Ponds Centre in a formal ceremony held on 9 October 2019. A wide cross section of supporters gathered under sunny skies to mark the occasion. Nature London President, Gordon Neish, represented the club with several other club members also on hand for the event.
The afternoon’s program began with an Indigenous acknowledgement and recognition of the site’s cultural heritage as a veterans’ recuperative village. ReForest London Executive Director, Dean Sheppard, then outlined the vision for the complex which included relocation of the Thames Valley District School Board’s environmental education centre to the Huron Pavilion, now completed. Following additional presentations, the event concluded with a social and tours of the property which, of course, included a stop at the newly renovated gate house.
The early support of groups such as Nature London and the London Community Foundation’s Endowment for Heritage has inspired other individuals and organizations to become involved with the project. For example, an additional use for the gate house will soon be for snowshoe storage. A local neighbourhood association, the Westminster Working Group, submitted the idea as a “Neighbourhood Decision Making” proposal to the City of London, and it was subsequently approved. Once additional work inside the gate house is completed this summer, it will be ready for Westminster residents to use for snowshoeing events on the property next winter.
Nature London’s contribution has been recognized on the property next winter. the gate house signage as well as on the WPC website and social media, among other places. The next time you are visiting the Westminster Ponds, why not make a point of stopping by the gate house to see for yourself the unfolding transformation at the WPC site, a transformation supported by our Eco-Grants program.
Friends of Kilally Meadows “Buckthorn Busting” Project
As one of the recipients of a 2018 Nature London Eco-Grant, the Friends of Kilally Meadows (the Friends) was awarded $950 to support their “Buckthorn Busting” efforts. The group removes invasive buckthorn flanking the Thames Valley Trail on the north side of the Kilally Meadows Environmentally Significant Area (ESA). Stumps are covered with a secured plastic bag to prevent regrowth. Buckthorn seedlings are also removed.
The Buckthorn Busts in the Kilally Meadows ESA are the creation of Mike Robertson and Betty Nafziger. The Friends provided labour for four of twelve busts in 2018 as well as food and beverages for participants on two occasions. Upon hearing Mike state that it would be very helpful for participants to have adequate numbers of high quality tools at their disposal, the Friends successfully applied to Nature London for an Eco-Grant. The new tools (saws, loppers, shovels, gardening forks and hand pruners) have allowed organizers to accommodate more participants and allowed those participants to cut and remove buckthorn with greater ease.
Through their efforts, the Friends assist in protecting the ecological health and unique habitats of the 350-acre Kilally Meadows ESA that are threatened by the encroachment of invasive species. In their efforts, which will continue in 2019, they have been supported by the City of London in the person of Linda McDougall, for which they are most grateful.
Nature London is most pleased to recognize and support the work of the Friends through the Eco-Grants program. Club members are encouraged to visit Kilally and, if anyone asks you the purpose of those black bags, you’ll know!
Butterfly abundance and distribution are indicators of trends in the health of the environment and state of biodiversity both locally and across the entire migration route of some species. Their rapid lifecycles and high sensitively to environmental conditions makes monitoring population trends important to early identification of problems. Citizen science volunteers and butterfly counts are key to influencing fact-based policy decisions.
The Nature London Annual Butterfly Count serves a number of purposes including:
It raises public awareness by hosting an event that will increase general interest in butterflies and nature.
Butterfliers have a chance to socialize and have fun.
Skunk’s Misery Butterfly Count
Members of Nature London, West Elgin Nature Club, and other participants hold their annual butterfly count in the Skunk’s Misery area northwest of London. Members of the public are welcome; experience is not necessary. The full-day outing, usually on the first Sunday in July, involves a lunch break at a nearby park and a potluck BBQ afterwards. There is a nominal fee. Detailed information can usually be found in the Spring edition of The Cardinal or the Nature London Events Calendar. Monarch Butterfly on Swamp Milkweed
Nature London has launched a new YouTube Channel! The channel contains videos taken by Nature London members that can be shared from our website, in The Cardinal, at indoor meetings, and in the eNewsletter. To visit the Nature London YouTube Channel, click on the image below. No account is needed to view the videos, but please consider creating a Google account, subscribing to the channel and enabling notifications. Subscribers will receive a notification every time a new video is uploaded.
In addition, Nature London has added a Featured Member Video section to our website’s homepage. Occasionally, a new video will be picked to highlight a member’s videographer talents.
If you have a video that you would like to share, please submit it to the Nature London Photo Coordinator at photo.coordinator@naturelondon.com. A few guidelines to consider for video submissions follow:
All submitted videos must be owned by Nature London members.
Contributing videos to the database grants permission for their use in Nature London publications, both print and electronic. For any other uses, authorization would be requested from the contributor.
Videos should be provided in their native, raw format. For example, MP3, MP4, MOV, AVI, etc. They can be transferred using Microsoft OneDrive, Google DropBox, Apple iCloud, etc., but there may be a size limitation. If the limitation is exceeded, they will have to be transferred using physical media, such as a thumb drive.
The following information should be included with the videos, if available:
