Junction Creek Stewardship Committee

06/09/2026

🦇Guided Bat Walk🦇

Join the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee for our first bat walk of the season and learn about the creatures of the night as we explore the fascinating world of local bats!

📅Date: Wednesday, June 24th, 2026
🕣Time: 9:00 PM – 10:30 PM
📍Location: Adanac Ski Hill (744 Beatrice Crescent)
💸Cost: Pay-what-you-can donation

We’ll kick things off at dusk with a short talk on the bat species that call our region home, followed by a demo of acoustic bat detection technology. Then we will hit the Rotary Trail for a guided walk by the Ponderosa Wetland to detect and identify bats in real time using specialized acoustic monitoring equipment.

What to bring:
🔦 A headlamp or flashlight (limited supply available to borrow)
🧥 Dress for the weather
🦟 Bug protection is HIGHLY recommended (ex. bug net gear)

Perfect for families, nature lovers, and curious minds of all ages!

✨ Register! ✨
Reserve your spot to help us plan and receive important event updates, including weather-related changes:
🔗 https://forms.office.com/r/uh4PBA1gAf

This is just the beginning! More bat walks are coming in July and August. 🦇

06/04/2026

Join the Challenge! 📣

Spending time outdoors can positively impact our mental and physical health, and there are fun things to do outside in every season. Need some fun ideas?

EarthCare Sudbury has created two lists of 50 Things to Do Outside to inspire young people to get outdoors and appreciate nature. 🌸🌿🍂❄

Do you think you can tick all the boxes?

You can find copies of “50 Things to Do Outside Before You Turn 12” and “50 Things to Do Outside Before You Turn 18” at the Main Library or print them at home or school by visiting www.greatersudbury.ca/50things

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Relevez le défi ! 📣

Passer du temps à l'extérieur peut avoir un impact positif sur notre santé mentale et physique, et il y a des activités amusantes à faire dehors en toute saison. Vous cherchez des idées sympas ?

Terre à coeur Sudbury a créé deux listes de 50 activités à entreprendre en plein air pour inciter les jeunes à sortir et à apprécier la nature. 🌸🌿🍂❄

Pensez-vous pouvoir cocher toutes les cases ?

Vous pouvez trouver des exemplaires de « 50 activités à entreprendre en plein air avant d'avoir 12 ans » et « 50 activités à entreprendre en plein air avant d'avoir 18 ans » à la bibliothèque principale ou les imprimer chez vous ou à l'école en vous rendant sur www.grandsudbury.ca/50activites

06/03/2026

🐻🌿 Wildlife Wednesday: Black Bears 🌿🐻

Did you know? Black bears are not always black! Their fur can range from black to to various shades of brown, and even blonde. They also have an incredible sense of smell, estimated to be several times stronger than a bloodhound's, helping them locate food from kilometres away. 👃🍃

Black bears are an important part of the Junction Creek watershed ecosystem. As omnivores, they help disperse seeds through their diet, supporting forest regeneration and biodiversity. They also contribute to a healthy ecosystem by consuming insects, berries, plants, and carrion.

As bear activity increases across Greater Sudbury, we can all help support safe coexistence with bears and keep our communities safe by following BearWise practices:

✔️ Store garbage and recycling securely
✔️ Remove bird feeders when bears are active
✔️ Clean BBQs and outdoor cooking areas
✔️ Never leave pet food outdoors
✔️ Pick ripe fruit and clean up fallen fruit

Remember: Preventing access to human food helps protect both people and bears.

🐾 Seen a bear in your neighbourhood? Explore the City of Greater Sudbury's interactive Report-a-Bear map to track sightings and increase community awareness. https://www.greatersudbury.ca/live/animal-services-and-wildlife/wildlife/bears/

📞 Report non-emergency bear encounters to the MNRF Bear Wise Reporting Line: 1-866-514-2327

🚨 If a bear poses an immediate threat to public safety, call 911 or your local police.

05/30/2026

🌿☀️ Find Us at Gardener’s Day Today! ☀️🌿

Join the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee at Gardener’s Day today from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Elm Place (Paris St. & York St., 40 Elm St., Greater Sudbury).

This annual spring event, hosted in partnership with the Sudbury Horticultural Society, features gardening inspiration, local vendors, community organizations, and family-friendly activities.

Stop by the Junction Creek booth to:

🐢 Learn about local wildlife and watershed stewardship
💧 Discover ways to help protect Junction Creek and local freshwater ecosystems
🚬 Pick up a FREE pocket ashtray to help reduce cigarette litter
🌱 Learn about invasive species and how you can help stop their spread this summer
🤝 Explore volunteer opportunities and upcoming community events

Bring your friends and family and celebrate the growing season with us!

05/28/2026

🐟 Rain or shine, our community showed up for the Annual Junction Creek Festival & Trout Release, and what a day it was! 💙🌧️🌿

This year’s celebration on May 9th brought together hundreds of community members, volunteers, youth, partners, and supporters to celebrate watershed stewardship and welcome brook trout into Junction Creek.

Some highlights from the day:
🐟 2,000 brook trout released into Junction Creek
🎶 Traditional songs shared by Better Beginnings Better Futures Indigenous Led Program helped open and close the celebration in a meaningful way
💌 160+ trout messages created by local elementary students
🌊 456 people attended the festival despite the rainy weather (a new record for a rainy day!)
🚲 82 families chose active or eco-friendly transportation to get to the event
🤝 53 volunteers and 36 community supporters helped make the event possible

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who attended, volunteered, supported, sponsored, or helped spread the word. Community initiatives like this remind us how much people care about the revival of Junction Creek.

📸 Watch the event highlights here: https://youtu.be/UbffgUhsF60

Thank you to our 2026 sponsors for helping make this event possible:
✨ Pattern Energy Henvey Inlet Wind
✨ Côté Gold Mine Iamgold
✨ Komatsu Sudbury
✨ RBC Wealth Management
✨ Surface Design & Decor Inc.
✨ Greater Sudbury Plumbing and Heating
✨ BrokerLink
✨ McDougall Insurance & Financial
✨ Testmark Laboratories Ltd.
✨ Gateway Casinos Sudbury

Miigwetch, Merci, Thank You for helping care for Junction Creek! Together, every action creates a ripple that will help shape a healthier future for generations to come.💧

A visual summary of the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee's Annual Junction Creek Festival & Trout Release on May 9th, 2026.

05/26/2026

🌊 Local Students Share Messages of Hope for Brook Trout 💌 🐟

Over 160 local elementary school students across N’Swakamok/ Greater Sudbury participated in our Trout Message Campaign this spring!

Students from Alexander Public School, R.L. Beattie Public School, and Walden Public School wrote well-wishes and messages of encouragement for the brook trout being released into Junction Creek. 💙

Through this creative activity, students explored the story of brook trout in Junction Creek and learned how collective stewardship can help these fish continue to thrive for generations to come.

The student messages were proudly displayed during our annual Junction Creek Festival & Trout Release event on May 9th, helping celebrate this ongoing story of restoration, community care, and hope for Junction Creek. 🌎✨

Thank you to all the students and educators who participated!

05/23/2026

🐢🌎 Happy World Turtle Day! 🌎🐢

Join us in shell-ebrating the amazing turtles that call Junction Creek home! 💚

Did you know that 3 turtle species can be found in the Junction Creek watershed?

🔸 Blanding’s Turtle (Threatened) – Recognizable by its bright yellow throat and signature “smile”
🔸 Common Snapping Turtle – Canada’s largest freshwater turtle and an important part of keeping aquatic ecosystems healthy
🔸 Midland Painted Turtle – A familiar sight basking on logs and rocks along the creek

Turtles are considered keystone species because they play an important role in maintaining balanced ecosystems. They help cycle nutrients, disperse seeds, support wetland health, and contribute to cleaner waterways. 🪷🌱

The Junction Creek Stewardship Committee works collaboratively across the N’Swakamok/ Sudbury region to help protect and monitor local turtle populations through:

✅ Turtle studies and monitoring projects supported by grants, sponsors, and donations
✅ Applied learning opportunities for students and young professionals
✅ Habitat restoration and stewardship initiatives
✅ Promoting community science
✅ Public education and youth engagement

Together, we can help ensure turtles continue to thrive for generations to come. 🐢💧

📸 Spot a turtle? Share your observations on iNaturalist.ca
🤝 Want to support local turtle conservation? Donate to https://junctioncreek.com/donate

05/23/2026

🌿☀️ Find Us at the Sudbury Outdoor Show this weekend! ☀️🌿

Celebrate the kick-off to summer in Northern Ontario with a weekend full of outdoor fun, local vendors, food trucks, and community connections at Gateway Casinos Sudbury!

Saturday, May 23 | 10 AM – 5 PM
Sunday, May 24 | 10 AM – 4 PM

Stop by the Junction Creek booth to:
🐢 Learn about local wildlife and watershed stewardship
💧 Discover ways to help protect Junction Creek and local freshwater ecosystems
🚬 Pick up a FREE pocket ashtray to help reduce cigarette litter
🦇 Purchase a conservation-grade Junction Creek Bat House and support local bat conservation
✨ Get your very own Junction Creek sticker from our NEW collection featuring local wildlife!
🌱 Learn about volunteer opportunities and upcoming community events

Bring your friends and family and celebrate the outdoors with us! Donations to the Sudbury Food Bank welcome. All ages welcome.
Must be 19+ to participate in Gateway Casinos Sudbury promotions and visit the Gaming floor.

More event details:
https://sudbury.gatewaycasinos.com/outdoor-show/

We can’t wait to see you there! 💚

05/23/2026

05/23/2026

🌿🌎 Happy International Day for Biological Diversity! 🌎🌿

Biodiversity is the incredible variety of life all around us — from pollinators and plants to turtles, fish, fungi, and forests. Every species plays an important role in keeping ecosystems healthy, resilient, and thriving. 🐝🐢🐟🌱

Here in the Junction Creek watershed, we’ve seen firsthand how nature can recover when communities come together to care for the environment. Decades of restoration, stewardship, and community action have helped bring biodiversity back to areas once nearly void of life. 💚

Today, Junction Creek supports growing habitats for wildlife and provides valuable natural spaces that support recreation, learning, and well-being. While there is still work to do, the return of biodiversity to our watershed is a powerful reminder that restoration works, and that hope grows through action. 🌿✨

Together, we can continue protecting and restoring the biodiversity that sustains us all.