The Friends Of Ojibway Prairie

06/07/2026

National Urban Park News from across Canada!

Congratulations to our friends at Swale Watchers and to Kevin Waugh, MP (Saskatoon South), for tabling their petition in support of Meewasin’s proposed National Urban Park in Saskatoon - and for advancing the broader National Urban Parks program.

Across Canada, communities share a clear vision for a National Urban Parks program that:

- prioritizes ecological integrity through both policy and legislative tools
- establishes well‑defined ecological boundaries
- Supports Indigenous partnerships
-and ensures strong community engagement through consultation and governance frameworks.

We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Saskatoon as part of the growing National Urban Parks Alliance, and we eagerly await the Minister’s response to their petition this Fall.

Read the full petition here:
https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=451-01019

Harb Gill MP
Wildlands League
Nature Canada
Ontario Nature
CPAWS · SNAP Canada
Friends of Blue Mountain - Birch Cove Lakes

06/04/2026

ICYMI: Earlier this spring, Harb Gill MP presented our community’s petition for a strong National Urban Park framework here in Windsor and across Canada to the House of Commons! 🏛️

We’re so grateful to everyone who has signed the petition as we continue to advocate for a park framework that:

✅ Prioritizes ecological integrity
✅ Expands boundaries for thriving ecosystems
✅ Supports Indigenous partnerships
✅ Ensures community engagement in governance

We continue to stand with our friends in Halifax and Saskatoon. 🇨🇦 Every candidate site is unique, and each community deserves a gold standard of protection for these urban gems.

Stay tuned as we await a formal response from the Minister next week!

You can read the full petition at: https://shorturl.at/AwLS1

Swale Watchers Wild About Saskatoon Friends of Blue Mountain - Birch Cove Lakes Nature Canada Wildlands League Ontario Nature Essex County Nature Local 444 Environment Committee

05/27/2026

FOOP was honoured to welcome our friends from Friends of Blue Mountain - Birch Cove Lakes in Halifax for a walk through the Ojibway Prairie Complex earlier this week. As two community groups working within the National Urban Parks Program, it was a valuable opportunity to share perspectives on protecting urban nature across Canada.

We were also pleased to be joined by Parks Canada and City of Windsor staff, who helped highlight the ecological significance of our natural areas and the importance of collaborative stewardship to ensure they are protected for future generations.


Wildlands League
Ontario Nature
Nature Canada

05/23/2026

It is wonderful to see the birds returning, while others are just passing through. 🦅

Thanks to Pelee Island Bird Observatory for their contined efforts to observe and gather vital information about our bird populations. 🍃

05/18/2026

A recent LaSalle Post story featured a walk through Ojibway Prairie and we were glad to guide the writer through this incredible ecosystem.

Sharing the land, its species, and its stories is at the heart of what we do. We hope you’ll spend time on the trails this season and experience the prairie’s beauty firsthand.


The Lasalle Post Town of LaSalle

05/18/2026

Happy Victoria Day everyone! We hope you enjoy a beautiful day out there. It's a great day to take some photos for the Windsor of Change Green and Seen contest and fundraiser. We invite you to stop by the Ojibway Prairie Complex, see the tufted titmouse, walk the trails and grab some great photos!

A titmouse enjoying her seeds—captured by Haley Brennan. 🐦

Did you know that the tufted titmouse was declared Windsor's official bird in April 2023?

From the city's press release:
"The Tufted Titmouse is a unique songbird with strong ties to oak woodland and oak savanna. As such, Windsor is one of the few places in Canada that this very social and vocal bird can call home. [...] These birds can be found in the oak woodland natural areas that are unique to Windsor, such as Optimist Memorial Park and the Ojibway Prairie Complex."

What wildlife have you managed to snap a photo of lately? We want to see and hear the story behind it! Submit the photo to Green & Seen 2026 by Sunday, May 24. 📸

💚 More details: https://www.windsorofchange.com/green-seen-contest-and-fundraiser

05/16/2026

These past couple of weeks, our volunteers have been out at Black Oak Heritage Park and Ojibway Park helping the City of Windsor team with garlic mustard removal. Thank you to everyone who has been lending a hand.

Garlic mustard is an aggressive invasive plant that emerges early in spring and quickly spreads through natural areas, out‑competing native species. Here are a few helpful tips:

- Identify, report, remove. Learn to recognize garlic mustard and report new patches so they can be managed early.
- Pull before it seeds. Removing plants before they flower prevents thousands of seeds from entering the soil.
- Stay on official designated trails. This helps prevent the spread of seeds into sensitive habitats across the Ojibway Prairie Complex.

Together, we can help protect the ecological integrity of these rare ecosystems.

05/16/2026

Do you know what a leafhopper is? Join the staff at Ojibway Nature Centre on May 16 and 23 to explore the mysterious world of insects.

Learn about entomology through a variety of
interactive activities including...
• introductorv insect identification
• how to use a microscope
• catch-identify-release hike
• learn how to contribute to citizen science projects
• learn how to identify invasive insects

‣ Reqister on activewindsor.ca. Parent supervision is required!