Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation

06/16/2026

Don't miss our upcoming Luncheon Fundraiser & Silent Auction on July 6th at Port Cunnington Lodge!

You can purchase online or reserve your spot today: adfsfmuskoka.org/tickets

Come enjoy a beautiful afternoon by the lake, learn about our work, and help support fish stewardship in Lake of Bays and the Muskoka Watershed!

06/05/2026

🌿 Fun Ways to Connect with Nature this Summer 🌿

Join us for a series of guided outdoor events that explore the beauty, biodiversity, and heritage of the Lake of Bays region. Whether you're passionate about nature or just curious to learn, there's something for everyone.

🦋 Butterfly Count – Saturday, July 4 | 9:00 AM–Noon
Join us for our annual Butterfly Count at Marsh's Falls Nature Reserve. Help track local butterfly species while enjoying a summer morning in nature. Along the way, you'll learn how to identify different butterflies and contribute to valuable conservation data. No experience is necessary. Just bring your curiosity, a keen eye, and a love of nature. A fun and engaging activity for all ages. Families are welcome.

🛶 Silent Boat Rally – Saturday, July 25 | 9:00 AM | Dwight Beach
Our signature event is an ecological tour of the Lower Oxtongue River by canoe, kayak, or paddleboard. Enjoy a leisurely paddle along this meandering, remarkably calm, and beautiful waterway while learning about its natural features and wildlife.
A wildlife spotting contest with prizes will be followed by lunch beside Marsh's Falls. Registration fee: $25 per person.

🍄 Mushroom Forays – Saturday, August 22 and Saturday, August 29 | 9:00 AM
Join us for a walk in the woods to learn about wild mushrooms, their habitats, distinctive features, and important roles in the forest ecosystem. Great for curious minds of all ages.
The August 22 foray will take place on a trail in Bondi Village. The August 29 foray begins at the Sherborne Lake Access Road.

For more information and registration details, visit:
https://www.lakeofbaysheritage.ca/organized-events

of Bays Association of Lake of Bays

06/01/2026

05/27/2026

The hummingbird at your feeder this May — the one that hovered for a second to check you out before drinking — is almost certainly the same bird that was at your feeder last May. Banding studies have tracked ruby-throats returning to the exact same yard nine years in a row.

She remembers the feeder. She remembers the porch. She knows which window she can fly past safely. And she just spent eighteen hours flying nonstop across five hundred miles of open Gulf of Mexico to get back here 🐦

That's why the same blur shows up at the same spot every May. It's not coincidence. It's her.

🌿 The three details that matter most this month:
- Never add red dye to her nectar — plain water and plain white sugar, four to one, nothing else. The red on the feeder is enough to attract her. Audubon has been warning against dye for years
- Scrub the feeder every few days — sugar water grows mold and yeast fast in warm weather, and a moldy feeder can kill her. Hot water and a bottle brush, no soap residue
- Don't take the feeder down in September — late migrants and stragglers need fuel. Feeders don't delay migration; daylight does. Leave it up at least two weeks after you see your last hummingbird

05/03/2026

Spring Ephemerals: Nature’s Early Bloomers

As spring sunlight reaches the forest floor before the trees leaf out, a brief and beautiful transformation begins. Spring ephemerals, our earliest wildflowers, emerge, bloom, and disappear within weeks while supporting the season’s first pollinators.

Discover the fascinating relationships between these delicate plants, ants, and early insects, and what they reveal about the health of our forests.

Explore Mark McLean’s story and photography on our website
https://www.lakeofbaysheritage.ca/spring-ephemerals-natures-early-bloomers

Plus resources to learn more.

04/17/2026

Are you joining us to learn from local birding experts, Rick and Kelly Stronks this Saturday April 18th at 10am? If you are, this is where your birding journey will start! 🪶 If you’re not signed up yet but would like to join, click the link below to register!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJ4eLJ-nvmDDkbeDDGl2YIwqci_4PA8QiXB97xgkong1vpeQ/viewform

04/13/2026

Enjoy one or all of three sessions of Birding with Rick and Kelly Stronks. Each sessions will happen at a different location/ habitat! These workshops are FREE.
Sat. April 18 - Lake of Bays Garden Centre / 10 - noon
Sat. April 25 - Dwight Branch, LOB Library / 10 - noon
Sat. May 2 - Marsh's Falls / 8 am - noon
This event is a partnership between The Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation, LOB Garden Centre and Lake of Bays Library. For more information or to RSVP call 705 635 3319 or [email protected].

03/26/2026

Looking for a great way to get outside this spring? 🪶
We’re pleased to partner on this 3-part Birding Series in Dwight, led by local naturalists Rick & Kelly Stronks. With sessions at three unique locations—including Marsh’s Falls Nature Reserve—it’s a wonderful opportunity to learn, explore, and connect with nature.
See full details and registration info below 👇

03/10/2026

Heads-up Muskoka students!

Our ADFSF Team is again offering our annual Bursary to a Muskoka student pursuing post-secondary Environmental Studies. Please feel free to share...

02/21/2026