Moose Creek, ON – The Butternut Creek Nature Foundation has officially launched its first-ever Bio-Inventory Project, an 8-week initiative to identify and catalogue some of the astonishing biodiversity that still exists in Eastern Ontario’s threatened rural landscapes.
Conducted by two student researchers, the project will survey and record plant, butterfly, bee, bird, reptile, amphibian, moth, and mammal species across Butternut Creek’s 150-acre rewilding and farm site just outside Moose Creek. The inventory aims not only to celebrate the richness of local ecosystems but to bring public attention to the ongoing loss of habitat across the region.
According to the South Nation Conservation Authority, forest cover in the watershed has already dropped below Environment and Climate Change Canada’s minimum recommendation of 30% for ecological health. As of 2014, the region had just 28.1% forest cover, with 13,148 acres of forests lost between 2008 and 2014. Research shows that even the 30% minimum supports only half of the potential species richness and marginally healthy aquatic systems.
“We want to put a face and a value on what we’re losing.,” said Jeanie Warnock, Director of Butternut Creek Nature. “Fields, wetlands, and woodlands that seem ‘empty’ to some, or unproductive, are in fact bursting with life and providing us with valuable ecological services. Every time hedgerows are cleared or wetlands drained, species vanish quietly. This project is about making these on-going losses visible.”
The two students carrying out the bioinventory bring passion and perspective to the work.
Livia Dewar, a Biology student at Acadia University, hopes to draw on artistic, scientific and Indigenous knowledge systems in her approach to the project.
“We need to look at nature with more than one lens,” said Dewar. “Using multiple perspectives helps us better understand and protect the biodiversity around us. Every plant or insect I can name is part of a story we’re piecing together about this land, its future, and its past.”
She is joined by Maddison Godin, a botanist and Masters biology student completing a research project with the Canadian Museum of Nature. Godin brings hands-on experience with species identification and conservation fieldwork.
“We don’t yet know how many species we’ll find,” said Godin. “The land is so full of hidden life. This kind of baseline data is crucial if we want to protect what’s left.”
The Bio-Inventory is one of several new initiatives at Butternut Creek, a second-generation family farm transitioning into a long-term nature reserve. The Foundation is dedicated to habitat restoration for species at risk and to advocate for sustainable rural land use. Data from the inventory will help guide restoration work and bolster public engagement efforts.
For media inquiries or interviews, please contact:
jeanie@butternutcreek.ca
Follow the Butternut Creek Bio-Inventory journey on Facebook and Instagram as the team shares weekly discoveries and updates from the field.
