Skip to main content
CWF logo
Sign In
Username

Password
Forgot?
Not a Member?   Register Today
Français
Donate
Shop
Subscribe
  • Donate
    • Ways to Give
    • Single
    • Monthly
    • Shop CWF
    • Adopt-an-animal
    • Fundraise
    • In Tribute
      • In Honour
      • In Memory
    • Gift of Securities
    • Symbolic Gifts
    • Legacy Giving
    • Corporate
      • Major Gifts
      • Sponsorship
  • About Us
    • Why Canada's Wildlife Needs Us
    • Contact Us
    • Supporter Centre
    • FAQs
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Jobs
    • Funding
    • Board Of Directors
    • Foundation
    • Senior Staff
    • Reports
    • Privacy & Policies
      • Accesssibility
      • Policies
  • What We Do
    • What We Do
    • Coasts & Oceans
    • Forests & Fields
    • Lakes & Rivers
    • Endangered Species & Biodiversity
    • Education & Leadership
    • Connecting With Nature
  • Resources
    • Check out our resources
    • DIY
    • Downloads
    • Encyclopedias
    • Events
    • For Educators
    • Games
    • Printed Materials
    • Reports & Papers
  • News & Media
    • Blogs
    • Brand Guidelines & Logos
    • In the News
    • Magazines
    • Newsletters
    • Press Releases
  • Blog
  • Magazine
  • Shop
  • Site Search
  • Sign In
  • Français
  • Donate
  • What We Do
  • Resources
  • News & Media
  • About Us
  • Français
  • Site Search
  • Sign In
  • Français
  • Ways to Give
    • Single
    • Monthly
    • In Honour
    • In Memory
    • Adopt an Animal
    • Shop CWF
    • Symbolic Gifts
    • Fundraising
    • Legacy Giving
    • Gift of Securities
    • Corporate
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Supporter Centre
    • FAQs
    • Corporate Partnerships
    • Jobs
    • Funding
    • Board Of Directors
    • Foundation
    • Senior Staff
    • Reports
      • └ Annual
      • └ Financial
    • Privacy & Policies
      • └ Accesssibility
      • └ Policies
  • What We Do
    • Coasts & Oceans
    • Forests & Fields
    • Lakes & Rivers
    • Endangered Species & Biodiversity
    • Education & Leadership
    • Connecting With Nature


    • Agriculture & Habitat
    • American Eels
    • Aquaculture
    • Backyard Birds
    • Bats
    • Bioblitz
    • Camping and Nature
    • Chinook Salmon
    • Conservation Awards
    • Educator Training
    • Expecting Parents
    • Family Nature Club
    • Fish Passage
    • Freshwater Turtles
    • Gardening For Wildlife
    • Gardening in Schools
    • Monarchs
    • National Wildlife Week
    • Photo Club
    • Pollinators
    • Right Whale
    • River Barriers
    • Rivers to Oceans Week
    • Teens in Nature
    • Wildlife in Winter
    • Young Adults in Nature
  • Resources
    • DIY
    • Downloads
      • └ Booklets & Handouts
      • └ Colouring Pages
      • └ E-cards
      • └ Podcasts
      • └ Reports & Papers
      • └ Wallpapers
      • └ Webinars
    • Events
    • Encyclopedias
      • └ Native Plants
      • └ Invasive Aquatic Species
      • └ Common Animal Fact Sheets
      • └ Common Plant Fact Sheets
    • For Educators
      • └ Curriculum Fit
      • └ Educational Units
      • └ Lesson Plans
      • └ Resource Sheets
    • Games
      • └ Interactive
      • └ Quizzes
      • └ Crafts & Activities
    • Printed Materials
      • └ Calendar
      • └ Magazines
      • └ Manuals
      • └ Posters
  • News & Media
    • Blogs
    • Brand Guidelines & Logos
    • In The News
    • Magazines
    • Newsletters
    • Press Releases
  • Why Support Wildlife
  • |
  • What We Do
  • |
  • Get Involved
Donate
Adopt
Facebook Twitter Wordpress Youtube Instagram Pintrest

Saving Ontario’s Grasslands

cwf-fcf.org > English > News & Media > Articles > Funding Stories
  • Explore Our Articles
  • Search our Articles
  • Backyard Habitat
  • Canada's Waters
  • Climate Change
  • Endangered Species
  • Flora & Fauna
  • Funded Projects
  • Gardening

Story

June 3, 2009
By Stacey Scott

Ontario Grasslands

Photo: Muskoka Wildlife Centre 

Grasslands once spanned the southernmost tip of Ontario and went as far north as Georgian Bay, but due to continued development and invasive species they are now one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. So what is being done to help conserve this rapidly disappearing ecosystem and its inhabitants? To date, the Canadian Wildlife Federation has contributed over $15,000 to the Muskoka Wildlife Centre’s (MWC) Habitat Stewardship Program to educate youth about the conservation of grasslands and what role they can play to help local species at risk.

Only three per cent of the original tall grass prairies remain. This is an alarming attribute to an area that houses over 200 native plant and animal species, including several at-risk species like the barn owl, the American badger and the Eastern fox snake.

Since the fall of 2008, trained wildlife educators from the Muskoka Wildlife Centre have visited schools across the Southern Ontario region to raise awareness about the disappearance of grasslands and the importance of conservation. Through interactive presentations, students in grades four, six and seven learn ways they can conserve local grasslands, along with how to identify some of its rarest inhabitants. This dynamic program will continue until late February 2009.

The MWC specializes in wildlife conservation and is devoted to educating the public about nature they encounter on a daily basis. Every year the MWC conducts outreach to thousands of people through dynamic presentations with live animals. Through the Habitat Stewardship Program, a total of 50 schools in the southern Ontario region will be provided with tools to help conserve the grasslands and identify the species at risk.

To learn more about the MWC, visit their website at muskokawildlifecentre.com.

Simple ways you can help Ontario’s grasslands:

  • Turn unused farmland into grassland habitat by planting seeds of native wild grass and wild flowers.
  • Pull out invasive trees and plant species that have invaded grassland areas.
  • Avoid using pesticides.
  • Communicate the importance of grasslands to friends, family and neighbours.
  • Keep your cat indoors so it cannot disturb or kill wild birds.
  • Report American badger, barn owl and Eastern fox snake sightings to the contacts listed below.
    o American badgers: Mary Gartshore, badger recovery team 
    519-586-3985
    o East fox snakes: Ron Gould, Eastern fox snake recovery team
    519-773-4745
    o Barn owls: Bernie Solymar, Ontario barn owl recovery team
    519-426-7124 

Endangered Species & Biodiversity

Canada has the fortune of being home to thousands of wildlife species and vast areas of land and water on which they depend. From coastal and marine systems to the mountainous Rockies, grassland prairies, great...

Read More

Gracing Grasslands

Ontario’s grasslands are home to over 200 native plant and animal species. Sadly, with less than three per cent of the original tall grass prairies remaining, it is also one of the most endangered ecosystems...

Read More
arrow

Learn more

Facebook Twitter Wordpress Youtube Instagram Pinterest
CWF

About Us

  • Ways to Give
  • Contact Us
  • Supporter Centre
  • Corporate Sponsorship
  • Careers
  • Funding
  • Board of Directors
  • Foundation
  • Reports
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy & Policies

What We Do

  • Endangered Species & Biodiversity
  • Lakes & Rivers
  • Coasts & Oceans
  • Forests & Fields
  • Education & Leadership
  • Connecting With Nature

Explore

  • Agriculture & Habitat
  • American Eels
  • Aquaculture
  • Bats
  • Below Zero
  • Bioblitz
  • Canadian Conservation Awards
  • Canadian Conservation Corps
  • #DoMoreForWildlife
  • Fish Passage
  • Freshwater Turtles
  • Gardening For Wildlife
  • Great Canadian Campout
  • Monarchs
  • Mother Goose
  • Photo Club
  • Pollinators
  • Reconnecting Canadians
  • Right Whale
  • River Barriers
  • Salmon
  • Rivers to Oceans Week
  • Wild About Birds
  • WILD Education
  • WILD Family Nature Club
  • WILD Outside
  • WILD Spaces

News & Media

  • Blogs
  • Newsletters
  • Press Releases
  • Magazines
  • In the News
  • Branding Guidelines & Logos

Resources

  • DIY
  • Downloads
  • Encyclopedias
  • Events
  • For Educators
  • Games
  • Reports & Papers
  • Manuals

Partner Websites

  • AquaticHabitat.ca
  • BanWithAPlan.org
  • Canadian Marine Animal Response
  • Foundation
  • Hinterland Who's Who
  • iNaturalist.ca
  • Love Your Lake
  • Quest for Canada's Great Whales
Français - Accueil

© 2021 Canadian Wildlife Federation. All Rights Reserved.

Charitable registration # 10686 8755 RR0001