Early September 2024 Issue

Inside this issue:

• Ten days to the Trail Party!
• Rare fungi found at rare
• Sustainability Career Expo.
• Pull the Phrag! Volunteers needed to fight invasive reeds.
• New Yoga in the Garden date added.
• A ton of food! Springbank Farm harvest continues
• The Great Pawpaw Parade has begun!
• Learn seed collection at Bee Sweet workshop.
• Meet us at these community events!
• Double your donor power with this quick hack!
• Poll results and new poll



Photo by s.daniels_photography.

Photo by s.daniels_photography.

We're almost 70% of the way to our fundraising goal! Help us get over the top! Remember, every $50 you raise before midnight, Sunday, September 8 enters you into a BBQ draw for a barbecue prize package.

Photo by William Van Hemessen.

Western University students conducting an inventory of macrofungi in Waterloo Region catalogued 153 distinct species at rare, including five particularly rare finds!

"We sometimes overlook our fungi when we consider the plants and animals of our forests, but without fungi, the circle of life would stop turning."

On Wednesday, September 18, join organizations and employers involved in environmental conservation, research, education and more at the rare ECO Centre! Take part in guided walks, research demos, presentations and more! All attendees will receive a discount code for 20% off Outdoor Learning School workshops and can take part in a raffle for $25 gift cards for Outdoor Learning School and the Take Me Outside store.

Photo by R. Moore.

Fight invasive Phragmites and help native vegetation grow. Register for invasive species pulls and seed collection walks coming up this month!

Tues, Sep 10, 10am: Seed Collection Walk

Thurs, Sep 12, 10am: Phragmites Removal

Thurs, Sep 19, 10am: Phragmites Removal

Thurs, Sep 26, 10am: Phragmites Removal

Photo by E Klaver.

Come to our beginner-friendly yoga sessions amid the serenity and solitude of Springbank Farm. We've added a new session for Friday, November 8!

Register for your dates here:

Thurs, Sep 26, 9:30am to 11am

Thurs, Oct 24, 9:30am to 11am

Fri, Nov 8, 9:30am to 11am

Photo by Dan Radoslav.

Staff and volunteers at Springbank Farm have grown over 1,500 pounds of fresh organic produce for the Cambridge Food Bank. Come out and help us turn that into more than a ton, Wednesday mornings and Sunday afternoons now and into October.

Photo courtesy Bee Sweet.

Learn how to collect and care for native seeds to enhance pollinator habitats. This FREE in-person workshop takes place Saturday, September 21 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at 4182 SR 20 RR2 in Puslinch

Image courtesy Carolinian Canada.

Carolinian Canada has launched its 2024 fundraiser, selling pairs of pawpaw trees for your garden! At rare, we're proud to partner as a pick-up location for people's pawpaws! The fundraiser supports Carolinian Canada Healing Garden programs & Carolinian Canada's Indigenous Leadership Pillar.

Photo by Sara Clark.

Look for the rare table at these events:

Sun, Sep 8, 11am-4pm: Willibald Motorfest.

Sun, Sep 8, noon-6pm: Eden Mills Writers' Festival.

Sat, Sep 28, 10am-2pm: Preston Harvest Day.

Check out more events here!

Photographer unknown.

Photo by James Bow.

Does your employer have a matching gift program? If so, ask them to match any donations you've made this year to rare - one-time or monthly. You'll double your dollars, protecting even more of our natural lands at no extra cost to you!

Last issue we asked what you were most looking forward to at our Trail Party. Many of you (27%) were eager to walk/hike/run our trails, while 22% were looking forward to the music and busker entertainment, 14% were hungrily awaiting the barbecue and 5% were mostly looking forward to the KidZone.

However, most of you (30.5%) were simply satisfied with the knowledge that you were protecting and celebrating nature. That's a great joy to us too. There is something for everybody at our Trail Party and we look forward to celebrating our natural spaces with you a week from this Sunday.

For this issue, let us know what you think of our new look. After a few months of the old style, we have a new header and a new approach, with shortened articles featuring links to related websites or longer versions of the article for more information.