The third annual Gotham Television Awards spread the wealth Monday night as HBO Max’s DTF St. Louis was the only program to won multiple awards, for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series and supporting actor David Harbour. Apple TV’s Pluribus from Vince Gilligan and starring Rhea Seehorn took the marquee Breakthrough Drama Series prize, and HBO […]
The third annual Gotham Television Awards spread the wealth Monday night as HBO Max’s DTF St. Louis was the only program to won multiple awards, for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series and supporting actor David Harbour. Apple TV’s Pluribus from Vince Gilligan and starring Rhea Seehorn took the marquee Breakthrough Drama Series prize, and HBO […]
The countdown to the 2026 Indianapolis 500 has already begun. Also known as the Indy 500, the race is one of the biggest spectacles in motorsports and an annual Memorial Day tradition in the United States; it will celebrate its 110th edition this Sunday, May 24, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.Seguir leyendo
The countdown to the 2026 Indianapolis 500 has already begun. Also known as the Indy 500, the race is one of the biggest spectacles in motorsports and an annual Memorial Day tradition in the United States; it will celebrate its 110th edition this Sunday, May 24, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
French-Iranian artist, author, and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi has passed away at the age of 56. Marjane is perhaps best known for her autobiographical graphic novel “Persopolis” and the film she directed by the same name.The family released a statement announcing the death to AFP: Marjane Satrapi died of sadness a little over a year after […]
French-Iranian artist, author, and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi has passed away at the age of 56. Marjane is perhaps best known for her autobiographical graphic novel “Persopolis” and the film she directed by the same name.The family released a statement announcing the death to AFP: Marjane Satrapi died of sadness a little over a year after […]
A new irregular feature: Etc., where I feature political cartoons that don’t fit into a major topic but that I found interesting or amusing. The risk is that I won’t have much to say beyond “Wow,” and posting cartoons without commentary does not qualify as “fair use.” Not that I’d be alone in doing that, […]
A new irregular feature: Etc., where I feature political cartoons that don’t fit into a major topic but that I found interesting or amusing. The risk is that I won’t have much to say beyond “Wow,” and posting cartoons without commentary does not qualify as “fair use.” Not that I’d be alone in doing that, […]
The whole history of modern jazz, from bebop to the end of the last century, can be told through his work—something that cannot be said of any other musician. Many artists sparked or led musical revolutions in different periods, but no one did so as often or as decisively as Miles Davis. Styles such as bebop, cool jazz, hard-bop, third stream, modal jazz, post-bop or jazz-rock, as well as various fusions with genres like funk, pop or hip-hop, cannot be understood without Davis’ legacy. Today, on
The whole history of modern jazz, from bebop to the end of the last century, can be told through his work—something that cannot be said of any other musician. Many artists sparked or led musical revolutions in different periods, but no one did so as often or as decisively as Miles Davis. Styles such as bebop, cool jazz, hard-bop, third stream, modal jazz, post-bop or jazz-rock, as well as various fusions with genres like funk, pop or hip-hop, cannot be understood without Davis’ legacy. Today, on the centennial of his birth, his importance has not diminished in the slightest, and the vast majority of his work—always at the epicenter of the musical earthquakes that drove jazz’s frantic evolution—retains the same freshness it had when it was created.
As audiences search for an escape from the never-ending doomsday headlines, television creatives are looking at what brings people together instead: namely, love. “It seems so hard to open your phone and not see something that is really upsetting,” says “Nobody Wants This” creator Erin Foster. “It makes sense that there would be this draw […]
As audiences search for an escape from the never-ending doomsday headlines, television creatives are looking at what brings people together instead: namely, love. “It seems so hard to open your phone and not see something that is really upsetting,” says “Nobody Wants This” creator Erin Foster. “It makes sense that there would be this draw […]
Like many regions across Ontario, West Lake in Prince Edward County is experiencing altered shorelines, habitat fragmentation, and growing development pressure. The 1,903-hectare lake is bordered by the largest freshwater baymouth barrier dune system in the world, found within Sandbanks Provincial Park. West Lake contains a large provincially significant wetland and is home to at least 35 species at risk.
West Lake Community Association (WLCA) is a volunteer non-profit that was formed to engag
Like many regions across Ontario, West Lake in Prince Edward County is experiencing altered shorelines, habitat fragmentation, and growing development pressure. The 1,903-hectare lake is bordered by the largest freshwater baymouth barrier dune system in the world, found within Sandbanks Provincial Park. West Lake contains a large provincially significant wetland and is home to at least 35 species at risk.
West Lake Community Association (WLCA) is a volunteer non-profit that was formed to engage residents and visitors of the small community with the aim of preserving its uniqueness and protecting West Lake’s biodiverse and fragile ecosystems. WLCA is a member of Ontario Nature’s Nature Network.
Understanding the Threats to West Lake
WLCA and Ontario Nature began a collaborative project with a fundamental question: where is the most vulnerable habitat around West Lake? Several major threats are impacting the ecosystems in and around the lake, including shoreline erosion and development pressure. Parts of West Lake are being choked out by rapidly spreading invasive aquatic vegetation. These threats are affecting a variety of species at risk in the area, including Blanding’s turtle, monarch butterfly and bobolink.
Creating Habitat Suitability Models for Species at Risk in West Lake
Through a collaborative effort to identify where species are most vulnerable in West Lake, partners created habitat suitability models to show where important habitat exists and where habitat restoration and stewardship efforts may be needed.
Selecting Species for Our Models
Our project chose four “representative species” whose habitat needs overlap with those of many other plants and animals in the area: butternut, Eastern meadowlark, Eastern musk turtle and pugnose shiner. These species were selected because together they represent a range of terrestrial and aquatic habitat needs. When the models for these four species were combined, it highlighted these specific vulnerable habitats: healthy woodlands that support butternut, open meadows and fields used by Eastern meadowlark, wetlands and shorelines that are needed by Eastern musk turtles, and clean, vegetated water where pugnose shiner live.
Model of suitable habitat for a variety of species in West Lake, Ontario (green indicates the most ideal habitat).
Identifying Important Habitat for Protection and Restoration
Much of the ideal habitat was near the provincially significant West Lake Wetland, along shorelines in the northeast corner of the lake, and within Sandbanks Provincial Park. These areas may represent priority locations where habitat restoration and conservation efforts could be focused.
Sharing the Importance of West Lake with an Interactive Story Map
Engaging with the community and sharing knowledge about West Lake was another goal of the project. WLCA works to encourage interest and engagement among residents to help preserve the uniqueness of the West Lake watershed. They have hosted numerous educational workshops and events, including an annual Environmental Symposium, creating signage to raise awareness of the West Lake Wetland, and partnered with Water Rangers on their Youth Engagement project to train youth on water quality monitoring.
West Lake Community Association and Ontario Nature have published an interactive StoryMap to learn about threats to its ecosystems and recent stewardship projects.
Through collaboration, partners have created the West Lake StoryMap, an interactive mapping tool that blends maps and images to share information about West Lake’s history and ecology. The West Lake StoryMap allows residents and visitors to:
Discover the history of West Lake
Identify threats to its ecosystems
Explore areas vulnerable to flooding, erosion and other natural hazards
Learn about actions WLCA has taken to steward West Lake
By bringing together community perspectives and spatial analyses, the West Lake community has a clear picture of what makes this place special and what threatens its ecosystems. These tools are intended to inspire residents and visitors to get involved in the conservation and protection of West Lake, through shoreline restoration, invasive species removal or by simply learning more about the species that call this area home. With this StoryMap and the continued leadership of the West Lake Community Association, everyone can play a part in keeping West Lake in Prince Edward County healthy for generations to come.
If you or your organization are interested in exploring a conservation or habitat modelling project in Ontario like this, please reach out to Graeme Smith by email at graemes@ontarionature.org or by submitting a request form.
Graeme Smith is the GIS Coordinator at Ontario Nature. He has completed a B.Sc. in biology at Laurentian University and a M.Sc. in environmental and life sciences at Trent University. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, playing board games and exploring the outdoors.
Cathie Coultis is the Chair and Co-Founder of West Lake Community Association. She lives in the hamlet of West Lake with her husband and family dog, enjoys kayaking, cycling, bird watching, gardening, snowshoeing and being active in their rural community.
I got a particular laugh out of this RWO, because I worked at a paper where they had mugshots of the staff on a bulletin board in the break room. It was handy, because you could learn the names of people in other departments who you ran into in only a superficial way.But it became […]
I got a particular laugh out of this RWO, because I worked at a paper where they had mugshots of the staff on a bulletin board in the break room. It was handy, because you could learn the names of people in other departments who you ran into in only a superficial way.But it became […]
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