• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • DONATE
  • SHOP
The Land Between

The Land Between

Explore - Learn - Inspire

  • About Us
    • The Team
    • How We Operate
    • Strategic Paths
    • Our Impact
    • Our Partners & Supporters
    • Contact Info & Our Public Centre
  • About the Region
    • Geography, Wildlife, Species at Risk, Culture, History
  • Our Projects
    • Leading Projects
    • Special Projects
  • Learning Centre
    • Honouring Our Shared History
    • Living in the The Land Between
    • Feeding the Land Between
    • Knowledge Circles
    • Community Talks
    • Regional Research Results
  • You Can Help
    • Report a Species
    • Volunteer
    • Shop Our Store
    • Donate
  • News & Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • TLB Blogs
    • The Skink Newsletter

Working to celebrate & conserve Southern Ontario's last intact wilderness

Working to celebrate & conserve Southern Ontario's last intact wilderness

About The Land Between

The Land Between (TLB) is the name of a globally rare and nationally unique bioregion in Southern Ontario, spanning Parry Sound and Orillia through to the Ottawa valley. It is also the name of our grassroots charity that has been working to research, conserve, and protect its features since 2006.

Blue Lakes (1)

A vital landscape and final wilderness refuge

The Land Between (TLB) bioregion sits "between" the Canadian Shield and St. Lawrence Lowlands, containing features of both of these landscapes as well as features completely unique to it. This patchwork produces a rich diversity across the landscape supporting 59 federally listed Species-at-Risk and also iconic yet fragile species like the loon, bear and moose.

Due to this diversity, TLB also provides ecosystem services like water supplies, water filtration, pollination, flood and disease control which benefit all of Ontario. These services buttress our resilience to a changing climate.

As one of 15 Community Nominated Priority Places in Canada, TLB provides a final opportunity to protect and recover nature through community-driven conservation action.

Learn more about the region's geography and wildlife here

Our Way

Progress and conservation can be balanced and sustainable if actions reflect community-identities, include interests of future generations, are rooted in reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, and incorporate the understanding that our ultimate wealth and wellbeing comes from living nature.  Click to learn more about our approach.

Four Perspectives Expand

Our wellbeing comes from a combination of sustainable economies, vibrant culture, community connections, and healthy and living nature- and these are also interdependent. For instance, we cannot sustain our economies without functioning ecosystems etc.  Therefore, we use a decision matrix that addresses each of these elements in order to find a balance between progress and conservation.

Hand-in-Hand Expand

Since 2006, TLB has been developed in cooperation and partnership with the Indigenous Nations of the Williams Treaty and Mitchii Saagiig Territory. We believe that reconciliation is not possible without equality and that reconciliation must involve a restoration of the culture and capacity of Indigenous Nations and communities, whose Traditional Territories we are so privileged to share. We firmly believe that Indigenous peoples are inherent leaders in caring for Turtle Island and that their connections to Creation and their related knowledge and practices are essential guideposts for all of North America.

Rather than simply "consulting", and in addition to engaging Indigenous peoples and communities, we seek to facilitate the means for equal authority and governance, in our work and also in mainstream society.

Bioregionalism Expand

Our health, wealth and wellbeing are rooted in the health of the Land. Bioregionalism is an understanding that the land and its people are interdependent and interrelated. It is based on the knowledge that nature informs culture, and both together inform our identities and influence our socio-economies. TLB's vision is for a sense of place to be instilled in the residents of the region in which we operate, resulting in the recognition, celebration and conservation of the unique features and the relationships that exist here.

Grassroots Approach Expand

The challenges that Nature and Society are facing are not ones that individuals alone can conquer. A community-based approach is necessary for conservation action to be truly impactful. TLB realizes that community participation across scales, sectors and levels and through education, involvement, and creating space are vital for moving forward. We started, and remain, a charity by the people, for the people.

Key Projects

Blue Lakes Program

The Blue Lakes Program allows lakefront property owners to take an active role in protecting the health of their lake and the vitality of their lake community through a formal program with clear guidelines and support. The initiative is backed by our agile database allowing research of the +2400 lakes in the region.

Learn more
Turtle Guardians

Through our Turtle Guardians project, we rescue turtles on roads, conduct road research and wetland monitoring, and implement mitigation work to reduce turtle mortality. We also rescue, incubate and release turtle hatchlings under permits, from at-risk nests, to increase their odds of survival and bolster turtle populations. Turtle Guardians is a cooperative community project with incredible volunteers across all ages.

Learn more
Working Watersheds

Wiidookdadewin, means "caring for ourselves". This is the approach we use to care for our communities and our collective futures. We are creating watershed planning tools for municipalities to make informed and balanced decisions between progress and conservation at all scales; to help address growing development pressures and also impacts of Climate Change. We also provide support for better housing designs, food security initiatives and more.

Learn more
Agwaamtoon Mskhiikii - Conserving and Restoring Species and Spaces

Agwaamtoon Mshkiikii means "protecting the medicines". Nature provides us with our health, wealth, and ultimately our economic well-being. In this final refuge for disappearing wildlife in southern Ontario, efforts integrate Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science to understand, restore and conserve species and spaces. We also provide support for individuals to take action, including designing pollinator and native shoreland gardens, conducting site visits, and more.

Learn more
Bird Buddies

We offer programming for beginners and avid birders; from guided bird walks to training workshops, learning resources, and more. We install Motus towers, and conduct research for aerial insectivores, where we are assessing the impact of land use changes on moths and butterflies, the primary food source for this guild of birds who have faced steep declines since the 1970s.

Learn more
Phrag Fighters

Phragmites is known as the most aggressive invasive plant in Ontario. It quickly spreads and outcompetes native plants for resources. It reduces biodiversity and removes fish and wildlife habitats. Our work includes conducting surveys and removal activities, to control phragmites and reduce its impact. This is also made possible through the help of our trained volunteers!

Learn more

Key Projects

Turtle Guardians

Through our Turtle Guardians project, we rescue turtles on roads, conduct road research and wetland monitoring, and implement mitigation work to reduce turtle mortality. We also rescue, incubate and release turtle hatchlings under permits, from at-risk nests, to increase their odds of survival and bolster turtle populations. Turtle Guardians is a cooperative community project with incredible volunteers across all ages.

Learn more
Phrag Fighters

Phragmites is known as the most aggressive invasive plant in Ontario. It quickly spreads and outcompetes native plants for resources. It reduces biodiversity and removes fish and wildlife habitats. Our work includes conducting surveys and removal activities, to control phragmites and reduce its impact. This is also made possible through the help of our trained volunteers!

Learn more
Bird Buddies

We offer programming for beginners and avid birders; from guided bird walks to training workshops, learning resources, and more. We install Motus towers, and conduct research for aerial insectivores, where we are assessing the impact of land use changes on moths and butterflies, the primary food source for this guild of birds who have faced steep declines since the 1970s.

Learn more
Working Watersheds

Wiidookdadewin, means "caring for ourselves". This is the approach we use to care for our communities and our collective futures. We are creating watershed planning tools for municipalities to make informed and balanced decisions between progress and conservation at all scales; to help address growing development pressures and also impacts of Climate Change. We also provide support for better housing designs, food security initiatives and more.

Learn more
Blue Lakes Program

The Blue Lakes Program allows lakefront property owners to take an active role in protecting the health of their lake and the vitality of their lake community through a formal program with clear guidelines and support. The Blue Lakes Program allows lakefront property owners to take an active role in protecting the health of their lake and the vitality of their lake community through a formal program with clear guidelines and support. The initiative is backed by our agile database allowing research of the +2400 lakes in the region.

Learn more
Agwaamtoon Mskhiikii- Conserving and Restoring Species and Spaces

Agwaamtoon Mshkiikii means "protecting the medicines". Nature provides us with our health, wealth, and ultimately our economic well-being. In this final refuge for disappearing wildlife in southern Ontario, efforts integrate Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science to understand, restore and conserve species and spaces. Also, support for individuals to take actions, includes designing pollinator and native shoreland gardens, conducting  site visits, and providing other resources.

Learn more

Important Now

Protecting Our Rights, Communities and Wildlife Legacy

The Ford Government recently passed Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster. Hidden behind the guise of housing, this bill takes away our rights and those of municipalities to plan their futures, while giving the Premier ultimate power to create bias markets and reap benefits, ultimately costing us in taxes and fees. The bill then sets the path for widespread destruction of parks, public spaces, wetlands, water resources, and wildlife that call these areas home. And the bill is puts our drinking water and security at risk...

Learn more

Food Security in Ontario

Despite existing food insecurity and a growing population, the number of farms and amount of farmland has decreased substantially in Ontario over the last 20 years. The Land Between, with its ecosystem services, capacity, and lower operating costs poses as an area of opportunity for a food-secure Ontario. This was the outcome of our Feeding The Land Between research project.

Learn more

In the Name of Grace; Saving Turtles and Wetlands

Grace, the one-eyed, and oldest recorded female snapping turtle in Ontario’s Highlands has not been spotted in the past year, after her annual hibernation site was filled in. The wetland in question did not have proper municipal protections, and  now the province is undermining and gutting all Ontario's laws that protect these assets.

Read more about our work to protect our wildlife and wetlands by visiting our Change.org petition page

Learn More

Shout out To Union of Ontario Indians!

Union of Ontario Indians are saving our living Ontario and honouring the Good Life Bimaadzoowiim to ensure future generations thrive and can walk this good road! Aho! Chi’Migwetch!!! They are exercising their rights set in the original agreements and demanding the return of Greenbelt lands and an investigation into the matters that led to the “swap” and “sale”.
Learn more about our shared history and constitutional promises here
Learn more about provincial actions that change the environment and fundamental rights here.
Sign in Solidarity

You Can Help

9

REPORT A SPECIES

Reported sightings help us track population levels, understand threats and highlight significant areas or habitat features for management and conservation.

REPORT NOW

10

SIGN OUR PETITION

Tell municipalities that you want stronger protection of wetlands and that filling of key turtle and other wildlife wetland habitat is unacceptable to you by signing our online petition.

SIGN NOW

Untitled design (7)

VOLUNTEER

From nest-sitting turtles to removing invasive species to being a bird buddy for our most at-risk avian friends, there are many ways to donate your time through our community science programming!

LEARN MORE

Untitled design (6)

NATURALIZE YOUR PROPERTY

Natural shorelands not only provide flood and erosion control as well as critical habitat for wildlife, they can also reduce the presence of nuisance wildlife on your property, like geese.

LEARN MORE

NEW! Support turtle conservation, symbolically "adopt" a turtle hatchling!
PHOTO-2023-03-28-16-27-46

Our official Hatchling "Adoption" Program is now live! By symbolically "adopting" a hatchling, 100% of your funds will go towards our turtle conservation work this 2023 field season, including at-risk nest excavation, hatchling incubation and release, and much more! You can select between a virtual downloadable adoption certificate or our full, official kit to commemorate your support for turtles!

The Hatchling "Adoption" Program does not involve adopting actual turtles. It is illegal to hold wild turtles captive.

Learn more

Our Blog: The Latest

Fall gardening: The benefits of and a guide to planting native species in the autumn months

September 26, 2023

An Unlikely Friendship: The Relationship Between Wolves and Ravens

September 14, 2023

The Wonderful Work of Woodpeckers

August 22, 2023

Pollinators; It’s More Than Just Bees & Butterflies Who Pollinate!

August 17, 2023

Donate to protect our wild places and wildlife

Every dollar supports vital conservation work.

DONATE NOW

Donate to protect our wild places and wildlife

Every dollar supports vital conservation work.

DONATE NOW

 

  • Home
  • The Region
  • The Charity
  • Shop
  • Donate

 

 

The Land Between is a National Charity #805849916RR0001.

Your support helps us celebrate, conserve, and enhance this important region. You can reach us at:

P.O. Box 1368, Haliburton, ON K0M 1S0
705-457-1222 | info@thelandbetween.ca

We respectfully acknowledge that The Land Between is located within Williams Treaty 20 Mississauga Anishinaabeg territory and Treaty 61 Robinson-Huron treaty territory, in the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg. We respectfully acknowledge that these First Nations are the stewards and caretakers of these lands and waters in perpetuity and that they continue to maintain this responsibility to ensure their health and integrity for generations to come.

Copyright © 2022 The Land Between