Freshwater Turtles
As Turtle nesting season approaches, let's remember to keep an eye out for turtles on the move. These gentle creatures often cross roadways to find suitable nesting sites, so be cautious while driving, especially near water bodies. If you spot a turtle on the road, safely pull over and help it cross in the direction it's heading, ensuring its safe journey to lay eggs.
The Whitestone Environmental Stewardship Committee has ten turtle nest boxes on loan from the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve. These nest boxes can be checked out from the Whitestone Public Library upon request. Click here to learn more about how to use turtle nest boxes safely.
Environmental Protection Webinars
Join us for an educational morning answering some of your most asked questions with land stewardship tips to live in balance with the natural landscape and waterways of beautiful Whitestone.
We'll learn more about our septic systems, how to protect the health of our lakes, rivers and shorelines, the outlook for the spongy moth (gypsy moth) this year and how to protect our properties. We'll see an inspirational example of a botanical nature reserve and how we can support the efforts to naturalize our own properties with native plants as well as learn about programs running in our community with the Whitestone Library and Technology Centre and the Dunchurch Agricultural Society.
- Robin Allen, Manager On site Sewage Systems, North Bay Mattawa Conservation Association
- Calvin Blewitt, Natural Edge Restoration Technician, Watersheds Canada
- Dan Rowlinson, Forest Health Program Coordinator, NDMNRF
- Penelope Beaudrow·s The Ginko Tree
Watch the recording.
Whitestone Environmental Stewardship Committee News
Are you a citizen scientist?
Are you interested the plants and animals that inhabit Whitestone? How about becoming a citizen scientist? It's easy and fun and you can help other scientists understand our area better. INaturalist and EBirds are two apps that you can install on your phone or tablet. Both allow you to identify species and record your observations.
Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. Your findings are reviewed by knowledgeable scientists and shared with scientific data repositories like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility GBIF to help scientists find and use your data. All you have to do is observe.
Want to see where others have identified something interesting in Whitestone. You can look at the map and see where the Sandhill Cranes are trumpeting this year. Then go have a look!
Both apps are in use around Whitestone with a growing number of data points. Have a look at a few entries Observations · iNaturalist
Caring for Wetlands on your Property – Best Practices
What is a Wetland? Why are Wetlands important?
Many of us look at wetlands as wasted space, which could not be further from
the truth. Wetlands are one of the most productive ecosystems on earth