During this season of giving and sharing please generously donate to help support the Quetico Foundation!

Group photo! Summer Student Research Group and Biology Interns, Photo credit: Hannah Koslowsky

The Quetico Foundation is dedicated to the protection of wilderness with a particular focus on Quetico Wilderness Provincial Park since 1954. The Quetico Foundation primarily has two focuses; conducting ecological research and supporting academic studies to help protect the wilderness of Quetico Provincial Park, and helping students and young leaders connect to the beauty of Quetico’s wilderness, lakes and rivers through the joys, merits and benefits of wilderness canoe trips.

Please donate today to help the Quetico Foundation support protecting wilderness, connecting young leaders and students to Quetico via wilderness canoe excursions and wilderness research.

By |November 6th, 2019|Uncategorized|0 Comments
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Species At Risk in Quetico Provincial Park

A plant or animal is considered a Species at Risk when it is in danger of being either extirpated (disappearing from an area it currently occupies) or becoming extinct. Species can also be considered of “Special Concern” if their populations are threatened, for example by significant loss of habitat. Species within Quetico Provincial Park that are listed as Species at Risk are protected under the Endangered Species Act and Provincial Park policies. The QPP Biologist assesses and monitors these species to develop management strategies that will support their habitat and existence in the Park.

Within Quetico Park there are bird, fish, reptile, and mammal species that are being monitored to help with their recovery or to prevent them from becoming further at risk. Quetico Foundation summer employees have assisted with long-term monitoring of several Species at Risk within Quetico, and their work has contributed to understanding of these species’ populations and determining what management actions need to occur to protect these important species.

Big brown bat, Angell Williams CC BY 2.0

Through nighttime acoustic bat surveys Quetico Foundation staff have worked to understand the populations of endangered bat species in Quetico. Non-migrating species of bat within the park are currently facing threats from White Nose Syndrome.

By |October 9th, 2019|Foundation News, Local news, Park News|0 Comments
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Agnes-Kawnipi Lake Red Pine Post-Event Fire Scar Study

Brian Jackson (QPP Biologist) and Jared Walter Stachiw (QPP Assistant Biologist) surveying the shoreline of Kawnipi Lake for a stand of red pine to investigate for fire scars. Credit: Jill Legault.

Brian Jackson (QPP Biologist) and Jared Walter Stachiw (QPP Assistant Biologist) surveying the shoreline of Kawnipi Lake for a stand of red pine to investigate for fire scars. Credit: Jill Legault.

In mid-June the Quetico Park Biology team (Park Biologist Brian Jackson and the Assistant Biologists Jared Walter Stachiw and Cat Langillle) along with QPP Information Specialist Jill Legault surveyed the red pine forest stands along Agnes and Kawnipi Lakes for fire-scarred tree samples. When a fire injures a tree, it creates a scar at the base of the tree referred to as a fire scar. Fire scars record the exact year and season that a fire occurred, which allows us to figure out how many times fire happened in an area. Fire is a natural and necessary process in Quetico’s forests and provides opportunity for regeneration of pine species and rejuvenation of available nutrients in the soil (to name just a couple of the numerous positive impacts of fire in Quetico’s forests).

By |September 19th, 2019|Foundation News, Park News|0 Comments
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Save the Date: Oct 30, Quetico Foundation Fall Dinner is back!

2019 Fall Quetico Foundation Dinner

This very popular dinner will be held at the University Club of Toronto. An exciting speaker has been booked. Adam Shoalts, author and explore-in-residence of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society is our speaker on Wednesday October 30th.

The Trustees are eager for you to SAVE the evening of Wed. October 30th in your calendar.

To reserve a seat at the 2019 Fall Quetico Dinner on Oct 30th email: margaret.casey@sympatico.ca

Adam Shoalts, Explorer-in-Residence of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and #1 national best-selling author of Alone Against the North, will join us to tell us about his brand new book, Beyond the Trees: A Journey Alone Across Canada’s Arctic, which tells the story of his solo canoe journey across nearly 4,000 km of arctic wilderness. Shoalts will also share pictures from his adventures at the dinner and his new book will be available for purchase and signing.

A picture is always better than words so Adam’s publicist has provided me with this photo of him.
I just tried to check in with Adam, but his email account replied with “I’m in the wilderness at the moment with no access to email or phone until I return in the first week of September”. We hope he is safe and enjoying his time exploring an uncharted river in the far north! 

Check out this interview of Adam by David McGuffin. Even listening to the first few minutes of this interview will leave you committed to attending the 2019 Fall Quetico Foundation Dinner.

By |September 6th, 2019|Uncategorized|0 Comments
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Reflections on Quetico from Long-time Assistant Biologist

Jared Walter Stachiw paddling

Jared Walter Stachiw paddling, Credit: Jill Legault

As an assistant biologist in Quetico Provincial Park for the last three years, working on
behalf of the Quetico Foundation, it has been both my job and my pleasure to collect
scientific data in the remote wilderness of Quetico. The work I have done has been
varied, including vegetation surveys, bat monitoring, and dendrochronology, which has
provided me with innumerable, invaluable experience in my career path. The work done
by the assistant biologist supports the efforts of Quetico Park’s biologist to manage this
wilderness area with the primary goal of maintaining and/or increasing ecological
integrity. Being able to support this endeavour has given me immense personal
satisfaction as I feel like I am helping to manage this rugged corner of Canada that I
have fallen in love with.

By |August 28th, 2019|Foundation News, Park News|0 Comments
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Share your Quetico stories

Loon flaps its wings at sunset on Batchewuang Lake in Quetico. August 2 2019. Noah Cole

Have you been to Quetico lately? We want to hear your stories and favourite Quetico experiences.

Please email us your favourite experiences with the Quetico Foundation with us or your favourite Quetico wilderness memories at queticofoundation@gmail.com or post them with this blog.

By |August 9th, 2019|Local news|0 Comments
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Sunfish monitoring in Quetico Provincial Park

Cat Langille inspects the catch from a seine pull net. Credit: Jared Walter Stachiw

Cat Langille inspects the catch from a seine pull net. Credit: Jared Walter Stachiw

Quetico Provincial Park is near the northern most range of four species of sunfish – the pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus), green sunfish (Leopmis cyanellus), bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), and the northern sunfish (Lepomis peltastes). The northern sunfish has recently been assessed under both federal and provincial legislation to be a Species of Special Concern within the Great Lakes watershed, which boarders the Nelson River watershed (which includes Quetico Provincial Park),

By |July 22nd, 2019|Park News|0 Comments
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Songbird and Wetland Bird Monitoring 2019

Jared Walter Stachiw and Cat Langille, Quetico Foundation Biology Interns/Quetico Provincial Park Assistant Biologists, paddling. Credit: Jill Legault

Songbird Monitoring update…1

Wetland Bird Monitoring introduction…2

An acoustic recording device setup at a permanent songbird plot in Quetico Provincial Park. Credit: Jared Walter Stachiw

Songbird Monitoring update:

By |July 17th, 2019|Park News|0 Comments
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Acoustic Bat Surveys in Quetico Provincial Park

Big brown bat, Angell Williams CC BY 2.0

Bat surveys are done three times a summer with an ultra high frequency microphone that picks up bats ultrasonic calls. The survey crew, composed of Cat Langille and Jared Stachiw, canoe from The Pines on Pickerel Lake to the north shore of French Lake just after sunset, slowly following the shoreline to pick up bat calls while they do their evening hunting. Computer software is then used to identify the number and species of bats detected or “heard” along the route based on collected audio information.

By |July 4th, 2019|Foundation News, Local news, Park News|0 Comments
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Results of Broadscale Monitoring 2010-2017

It is field season for biologists again, including our biology interns! Did you know that Broadscale monitoring is the standard aquatic ecosystem monitoring program in Ontario? Our Quetico Foundation summer biology internship program participants helped with the aquatic monitoring! That’s Amy Adair, 2017 biology intern holding a  lake trout shown in the broadscale monitoring summary!

More information: https://queticofoundation.org/research-and-publications/

By |June 12th, 2019|Foundation News, Park News|0 Comments
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