While much of the fieldwork ecologists do to study and evaluate the natural environment at RiverStone is achieved during the spring, summer, and fall, there are certain studies that require winter conditions! The most common winter study we are asked to conduct is an assessment for White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) wintering habitat. Many of the […]

I recently listened in on a webinar that was released by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) on the annual update of forest health monitoring in Ontario. The presentation was made by Dan Rowlinson who works in the Biodiversity and Monitoring Section of the MNRF. The MNRF conducts regular annual monitoring throughout the […]

RiverStone is excited to have a new ecologist join our team - a very warm welcome to Lisa Uskov who brings over 7 years of experience as an ecological consultant for both agency and private clients. Lisa specializes in habitat assessments using provincial criteria including Ecological Land Classification and the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System. RiverStone […]

This past week I was spending most of my free time harvesting the last of the vegetable garden with my son, and he was pointing out all kinds of things we were finding in our yard. One of those, was a woolly caterpillar. I caught him picking dandelion greens and taking them to various woolly […]

I was recently at a neighbour's house admiring their garden (and picking a few fresh veggies for dinner) when she shared with me an amazing feat of nature she witnessed that very morning. She had the opportunity to WATCH a nest of turtle eggs hatch, right before her eyes! Let's talk turtles and how incredible […]

One of the many iconic forest trees in Central Ontario is the American Beech (Fagus americana). This tree is most well known for it's smooth grey bark with a broad crown. Beech trees are easily identified in all seasons due to their smooth bark which some people refer to as "elephant legs" in the forest. […]