Fleming College

Peterborough, ON (October 15, 2024) – Through new funding from the Ganawenim Meshkiki Initiative, Fleming is supporting the creation of new habitat for Kirtland’s Warblers (Setophaga kirtlandii), a small blue and yellow songbird. In Canada, the bird is endangered to the degree that current population estimates are unavailable.

To carry out this project, Fleming College is working with other members of The Ontario Kirtland’s Warbler Working Group. The group is a collaboration between non-profit, academic and private organizations including the Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust, Fleming College, GEI Consultants, Birk’s Natural Heritage Consultants, Simcoe County, American Bird Conservancy and the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

For this project, the Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust has acquired more than 120 hectares (300 acres) of land in Northumberland County. Led by Dr. Ben Walters, professor at Fleming College, Fleming’s Forestry students compiled habitat and soil information, and student researchers helped compile critical habitat data on the Warbler. Walters and the working group partners then developed plans and carried out work to establish an entire forest plant community on the sandy, former agricultural land.

Beginning last fall, about 10ha (25 acres) of the site was seeded for ground vegetation and more than 7,000 pine and oak trees were planted, some by Fleming Forestry students. The new funding received from the Ganawenim Meshkiki Initiative will support more seed collecting, seed cleaning and planting activities to increase the amount of future habitat on the site.

“This project has been a large undertaking and demonstrates the need for a collaborative approach,” explains Dr. Walters. “Without the knowledge, experience and expertise of all of our partners, there is no way that a whole ecosystem restoration project like this could come together.” Walters further explained that “Ontario is challenged by a lack of resources for this project like availability of large amounts and diverse species of non-tree seeds and long-term, stable funding sources. Nonetheless, this group has organized itself and worked together to acquire the land, collect and clean the seeds and start planting the land. We are very fortunate to be a part of it.”

Dr. Brett Goodwin, Fleming’s Executive Vice President of Applied Research, also added that “not only are we able to contribute to advancing knowledge about Kirtland’s Warbler habitat and forest ecosystem restoration approaches, our students are getting real-world experiences within living labs where their learning has the ability to have very meaningful benefits for Kirtland’s Warbler populations and many other species at risk that live alongside them. What better way to learn?”

The Ontario Kirtland’s Warbler Working Group’s goal is to expand Kirtland’s Warbler habitat across central Ontario, north of Lake Huron to the Ottawa Valley. If you are interested in supporting this initiative or have more than 20 hectares (50 acres) of land with sandy soils that you would possibly like to create Kirtland’s Warbler habitat on, contact Ben Walters at benjamin.walters@flemingcollege.ca. Read more about this project here.

The Ontario Kirtland’s Warbler Working Group recognizes the critical financial contributions of the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the MapleCross fund, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Forests Ontario, GEI Consultants, American Bird Conservancy and the Ganawenim Meshkiki Initiative (GMI), a Trustee of the Eastern Georgian Bay Initiative (EGBI).

For media enquiries, please contact:
Asher Lurie
Director, Communications
asher.lurie@flemingcollege.ca

About Fleming College
Fleming College respectfully acknowledges that we are situated on Michi Saagiig Anishinaabeg lands and territory. Located in the heart of Central Ontario, Fleming College has campus locations in Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg and Haliburton. Named for famous Canadian inventor and engineer Sir Sandford Fleming, the college features more than 100 full-time programs in Arts and Heritage, Business, Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, General Arts and Sciences, Health and Wellness, Justice and Community Development, Skilled Trades and Technology, and Continuing Education. Fleming College has more than 6,800 full-time and 10,000 part-time students, and 80,000 alumni.

Web: flemingcollege.ca
Facebook: facebook.com/flemingcollege
Twitter: @FlemingCollege
Instagram: @flemingcollege
TikTok: @flemingcollege