HISTORY AND OBJECTIVES

The Vankleek Hill and District Nature Society was founded in 1977 by a group of people having a common interest in nature.

Members live in the local towns and villages of Eastern Ontario, including Vankleek Hill, Hawkesbury, Dalkeith, St.Isidore, L'Orignal, Maxville, Alexandria, Dunvegan, Green Valley, St. Eugene, Fournier, Glen Robertson, Apple Hill, Lefaivre, Chûte-à-Blondeau, Alfred and Plantagenet and also in other parts of Ontario, in Quebec and in British Columbia.

The Nature Society's primary function is the conservation of nature and in this respect it has played an important role in the conservation of the Alfred Bog. In recent years, over $40,000 has been raised by the Vankleek Hill and District Nature Society to support the Nature Conservancy of Canada in their purchase of the majority of the Alfred Bog. The Nature Society will continue to support maintaining the Alfred Bog as a unique wetland site.

The Nature Society promotes the conservation of nature by:

• Educating our members and the general public through lectures and field trips.
• Providing information to related organizations and to government bodies when requested.
• Educating school children with the help of a nature-related "Earth Day Competition".

The Vankleek Hill and District Nature Society is a not for profit organization and is a member of Ontario Nature.

REGULAR MEETINGS

Regular meetings are held on the third Monday in March, April, September, October and November at the Vankleek Hill Collegiate Institute in the library at 7:00 PM. The meetings consist of a short business session, an invited guest speaker followed by a social break. A reminder of up-coming events is provided to members by this web site, by email or by phone. All are welcome to attend. Please bring your own mug for coffee or tea. There is a door charge of $1 per member and $2 per non-member.

NEWSLETTER

The "Nature News" is published four times a year and is emailed or mailed to all members. The newsletter keeps members up to date on past and future happenings within the Nature Society and also contains interesting articles written by members.

WEBSITE

The Vankleek Hill and District Nature Society maintains this website, VankleekNature.org, as a way of communicating with the general public in the areas served by the Nature Society. Upcoming events open to the public will be posted on the website.

PROJECTS

The Nature Society has several on-going projects including:

• Planting shrubs and trees.
• Putting up bird boxes and bat houses.
• Maintaining a bird-feeding station bat house on the Prescott-Russell Bicycle Trail.
• Participating in the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas.
• Organizing fund raising as needed to support our education and conservation efforts.

FIELD TRIPS, OUTINGS AND EVENTS

Field trips are held up to five times per year and usually take place on Sundays. They include bird counts, bird watching, wildflower walks, visits to wildlife sanctuaries and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.