INSIDE: Farewell to Jenna Quinn; Thank you for a successful 50/50 raffle; Help us engage potential sponsors; Springbank Farm needs a junked satellite dish; SAVE the DATES: Online Auction happening March 22-31; Teachers invited to rare Education Program information webinar; Summer ECO Camp spaces filling fast; PD Day ECO camp spaces still available; Learn how to grow a pollinator garden this April 26; POLL: Do you plan to attend rare's Spring Plant Sale and EcoMarket?

Photo by: Jory Mullen

Farewell to Jenna Quinn (See you in the field)!

Best of luck to Jenna Quinn, our long-standing Program Scientist - Research & Education Priorities, Partnerships & Monitoring, who departed rare for Ontario Nature at the end of February. Jenna was our longest-serving staff member at rare, having come aboard over ten years ago and becoming a fixture out in the field, organizing and coordinating research projects, mentoring young researchers, sparking a sense of wonder in the next generation of conservationists, and more. She also delighted her co-workers with her positive and supportive attitude, offered invaluable help and experience, and generally made the days go better at work, whether we were at the Lamb's Inn headquarters, or working from home through the pandemic.

We will miss you, Jenna!

On this week featuring International Women's Day, it's important to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of women engaging in this field and look for leaders laying the groundwork for others. As you can read from this profile we wrote last year, Jenna did that, and she continues to do that at Ontario Nature.

Photographer Unknown

Thank You for a Successful 50/50 Raffle

Congratulations to Roger from Kitchener, Winner of $2,035

Roger from Kitchener gave to nature and got something back! Two-thousand, thirty-five somethings, in fact! Roger was the winner of rare's first-ever 50/50 raffle, but the winning didn't stop there. Thanks to 125 purchasers who bought 3,397 tickets, the total pot for this raffle grew to $4,070, with the remaining proceeds going to rare's research, education and conservation programs.

We would like to thank everybody who participated in this event, who bought tickets and encouraged their family and friends to do the same. In doing so, we highlighted support for protecting our natural areas, sending an important message in this day and age when governments' environmental protections get changed on a whim, and the responsibilities of public conservation authorities are cut back. The way to change that is to speak out in support of our natural areas, and 125 purchasers did just that through this raffle.

Stay tuned for notices of future raffles, happening online, or during rare in-person events. Thanks again for helping nature win!

Help Us Engage Potential Sponsors!

There is still time to participate in a survey to help us build our targeted strategies for potential corporate sponsors for our events and trails.

We are running a survey to help us improve people's experience on rare's trails, at rare events, and on our properties. By taking part in this five-minute survey, you will help us identify some of the more popular corporate sectors that we at rare might consider as sponsors.

As rare grows, so does our need for additional funders, so we are developing a new way of approaching potential sponsors that includes having them host or fund fun and informative experiences for our supporters at rare events.

This five-minute survey asks different questions than we've asked in the past, but your survey answers are completely anonymous (you may choose to provide an e-mail address if you want to receive a summary of the survey results). Further, rare will not share or sell mailing lists, and any future direct interaction with sponsors will be exclusively at your own voluntary opt-in. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact Christine Thompson at 519.650.9336 x118.

Your input is invaluable, and we truly appreciate your participation.

If you would prefer to complete the survey offline, please reach out to Christine and she will send it to you through the mail with a reply envelope that will not require your return address, in order to continue keeping responses anonymous.

Springbank Farm Needs a Defunct Satellite Dish

Do you have a defunct satellite dish that you don't know what to do with? Did you know that it could be repurposed as a water collector for the garden, keeping it out of the landfill?

That's what Springbank Farm needs, so if you have a large satellite dish (about five feet across) that you're looking to get rid of, please contact Taryn Jarvis by e-mail or over the phone at (519) 650-9336 x115. Help our gardens grow while cleaning out your garage!

Photo courtesy Hippopx.

Are You Ready to Bid? Online Auction Runs March 22-31

Are you interested in bidding on family experiences and special nights out? If you are looking for the opportunity of winning one-of-a-kind deals while raising funds to protect natural spaces now and for the future, stay tuned for rare's March Online Auction. This event will take place online from March 22 to March 31; just nine days to check out dozens of special items and make bids. Proceeds go towards rare's Every Child Outdoors education program. Further details, including web location, will arrive within the next two weeks, so stay tuned, and get ready to bid!

Calling All Teachers! Learn about rare's Education Programs During this Online Info Session.

Teachers who want to know more about the education programs offered at rare are invited to join us for a Virtual ECO Education Program Info Session on Zoom. The hour-long information session takes place on Monday, March 27 at 3:30 p.m. and will feature rare educators Istafa Sufi and Michelle MacMillan leading attendees through the various programs available at rare. This is your chance to ask questions about each program and how they relate to the curriculum, as well as learn how these programs can help you earn points toward your EcoSchools certification.

The webinar is FREE, but registration is required. Sign up today to learn more about what rare has to offer.

Spaces are rapidly filling up for rare's Summer ECO Camps! However, there is still time to sign your kids up for an outdoor adventure. Once again this year, we are running these camps for kids aged 6-12 to explore unique habitats across a natural landscape. They'll learn from special guests, visit Springbank Gardens, partake in environmental art and nature-based crafts and activities, and create a journal of their time at rare. Spaces are also available for our second annual Teens ECO Camp, running August 8-11, for teens aged 12-16.

These week-long camps run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays (except holidays), with extended care available an hour before or after each camp session for either $25/week for the morning or afternoon sessions or $50/week for both. The general registration cost is $250 per week ($200 for the Teens camp as it's on a shortened 4-day week). Spaces are still available for the weeks of July 17-21, July 31-August 4, and the Teens Camp of August 8-11.

For more information, and to register, please follow this link.

Photo by Michelle MacMillan

Spaces are still available at our rare PD Day ECO Camps taking place on Friday, March 31 and Friday, June 2. Give your kids an outdoor adventure on their day off! Our PD Day camps run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and cost just $55. Extended care is available an hour before and after ECO Camp for $5 for either the morning or afternoon session or $10 for both. Click here to register for PD Day ECO Camp today!

Photo by Michelle MacMillan

On Wednesday, April 26, at 7 p.m., join us at rare's ECO Centre and Slit Barn (768 Blair Road in Cambridge) as Dr. Victoria MacPhail leads our late April Conversation for Conservation on How to Grow a Pollinator Garden.

Dr. MacPhail is the coordinator at the Centre for Bee Ecology, Evolution and Conservation at York University, well placed to offer tips on how you can make your gardens friendlier to native pollinators. Have you wanted to help nature in your backyard, giving space to native pollinators and pollinator plants, joining the 1,000 Gardens Project, but don't know where to begin? There are many benefits for you, your community and the environment for making our yards more pollinator-friendly, so whether you are a new gardener, or a seasoned veteran looking to transform your plot, you don't want to miss this FREE presentation!

Register your attendance below:

Poll: The Spring Plant Sale & EcoMarket is coming Saturday, May 13, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.