Essex County Nature

10/16/2026

Wednesday, we had the wonderful opportunity to see May Matchim documentary “Understanding Myself as an Amphibian”, followed by a Q&A with May.
What an excellent film and glad it is getting attention at various film festivals around the world. It was truly an excellent and inspiring production connecting Q***r and Trans folk with the natural world. If you would like to dive deeper into the subject, she suggested some books including Evolution’s Rainbow, Biological Exuberance, and How Far the Light Reaches. And if you get the chance, go see “Understanding Myself as an Amphibian”. Thank you, May, and hope to see more of your work in the future.

10/14/2026

👉Swipe to plan your weekend! 📋 And a friendly reminder our monthly walk has moved to October 25th so you can enjoy all the fun going on at Migration Festival, this weekend. And make sure to stop by our booth Saturday to stock up on coffee, get your annual dinner and raffle tickets, sign up to become a member or take a gander at our fish and flower books.

10/06/2026

We like to think we put the ‘FUN’ in fungi!

If that’s true, then you’re in for a treat this Saturday @ 10AM! Cassidy Mailloux is taking us on a frolic through the Ojibway Prairie Complex to search for fungi and discuss her current project.

Fungi embody everything October:
☕️They come out in full fall flair (minus the pumpkin spice latte)
🦃Make the perfect addition to family meals (but the ones you find in the forest are best left untouched… for many reasons)
🎃 And they eat the dead (spooky)

Mush over to the Ojibway Prairie complex and enjoy Autumn with a ‘Mush’ needed mushroom walk. We’ll meet near the Ojibway Nature Centre Parking Lot.

10/06/2026

We’re T-Minus, (insert appropriate # of days here) until our Annual Dinner!

Don’t miss take off as we embark on a journey into the Milky way with Steve Pellerin… and not to forget the always delicious meal put on by the lovely crew at St.Mary’s Hall in Maidstone.

November 7th, fasten your seat belts! Professor Steve Pellerin will be our personal tour guide on a journey of the Milky Way. He recently guided the public through the recent solar eclipse and will guide us through the stars.

Last year, thanks to the incredible support of our members and community, we raised over $3,500. We hope you will join us again this year as we continue to support the protection and preservation of important natural areas in Essex County.

We are especially proud of the Heritage Fund’s role in supporting the $25,000 donation toward the former Raceway property, purchased by the Ontario Conservation Accelerator Group. Once the Urban Park is finalized, the property is expected to be transferred to Ojibway, helping protect this important natural area for future generation.

Tickets are on sale now! Buy them at October’s members meeting, at essexcountynature.com/tickets, at our booth at the Migration Festival or on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/annual-dinner-a-celestial-field-trip-through-the-milky-way-tickets-1998437488324?aff=ebdsoporgprofile (link is in our bio).

We’re also looking for Silent Auction items. If you have something new, well used but in good condition, email [email protected]

09/24/2026

Reserve your spot for this Saturday’s walk of the new Nature Conservancy of Canada / Conservation de la nature Canada property in Essex. Location details will be sent to you after registering at the link below.

Join Nature Conservancy of Canada, for a guided hike of new trails at the Marianne Girling Nature Reserve in Essex.

09/22/2026

✨Here’s your ticket to the Milky Way 🌌

🎟️Join us at this year’s Annual Dinner at St.Mary’s Hall in Maidstone featuring Steven Pellarin, President of the Windsor Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and an adjunct professor of astronomy at the University of Windsor. He has spent more than 45 years sharing his passion for astronomy with the Windsor-Essex community through public outreach, education, and countless observing events. In 2024, Steven was lead organizer of the Windsor-Essex Solar Eclipse Committee, providing public lectures in preparation for the April 2024 total solar eclipse. Steve is also the past Canadian national coordinator for astronomy outreach for the International Astronomical Union, the largest professional association of astronomers in the world with over 12,700 members.

A retired high school science teacher and longtime coach, Steven enjoys helping people discover and appreciate the world around them. While best known for exploring the night sky, he has a lifelong love of nature and spends his free time hiking, paddling, fishing, and enjoying the outdoors. He is pleased to join the Essex County Field Naturalists for this year’s banquet and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for discovery-both under the stars and on the trails.

Tickets are $50 dollars and available at club meetings, at our booths this fall (Festival of Hawks and Migration Festival), essexcountynature.com and e-transfer.

Doors: 5 PM
Dinner: 6 PM
Speaker: 7:30 PM

Thanks to Kim from On Degree Designs (.kim) for donating to our raffle. Raffle tickets are available at club meetings and our annual dinner.

Funds go to the Heritage Fund for the purpose of studying, selecting and raising funds to assist with the acquisition of significant natural areas in Essex County.
For more info contact: [email protected]