A place we can call home

Columns | Apr 24 |  (2)

The silence is disturbing

The recent tragic shooting deaths of two young adults in Bracebridge rocked the town’s residents; in fact most residents of Muskoka were shocked by the violent loss of life. Or were they? I am stunned and disturbed by how quickly our attention and conversations have abandoned concern and...

Raccoon babies: do not disturb

Spring is finally promising to arrive, and with it of course some wildlife are giving birth.  In particular, raccoon mothers have sought out a nice, snug place to raise their babies, often in places that are undesirable from a human point of view. 

Just recently we...

Bigger surely isn’t always better

The federal government just tabled its budget last week.  It contained some cutting, some modest spending and some broad plans for the future. You could say it was a status quo affair. This government has been boasting about shrinking the size of government yet it is interesting to me that...

Columns | Mar 15 |  (3) |   2

Jobs or turtles? Has the human species learned nothing?

MUSKOKA - A speech made by the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, Tim Hudak made several alarming statements including this one: “Government should be protecting jobs more than turtles, birds and snakes.”

Banshee the lynx on the move

As Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary continues its effort to ensure any permanent animals on site represent native species, as part of its mandate to educate the public towards a co-existence of the animals around us, more changes are underway.
Last year, Subira the lioness, once a young pet...

Zombies are simply no laughing matter

The federal government recently made light of the potential of a zombie apocalypse, but who are we kidding. Zombies are no laughing matter.

Actually, as a fan of the zombie genre, I say kudos to the federal government for bringing such a potential travesty to light.

Why the obsession...

Columns | Feb 20 |  (4) |   1

Tourism and the impact of climate change in Muskoka

Thousands of activists from hundreds of environmental, social justice and community groups marched on Washington this past weekend, in the biggest climate rally ever held in the U.S. capital. Activists both called on President Obama to make good on his climate change policy promises and protested...

The shopping ermine

Aspen Valley staff are used to receiving phone calls about quite a variety of animals, ranging from raccoons (many), to owls (occasionally), to bats (rare), but recently we received a call regarding an animal not previously seen at the sanctuary.
Staff was called by the owner of a store in...

Subira finds her pride

Many of our readers will be familiar with Subira, the lion who came to Aspen Valley as a small cub. She had been purchased in an exotic animal auction by a teenaged girl as a “pet,” but the teen soon discovered that Subira was not an appropriate pet to have in a house. After a long...

Meditations: making footprints

People react differently to snow.
Especially first thing in the morning, when an overnight dump of maybe a half a foot or so can rearrange a person’s schedule.
For those who need to get to work, but who practice the fine art of precision timing in order to get that extra few...

Looking North

I’ve been fortunate over the past few summers to have the opportunity to travel to the far reaches of our diverse province. Twice I’ve found myself on the shores of Carey Lake in Hearst, Ontario, helping to load a Turbo Beaver with research and camping gear, as the sun rises over the...

Aspen's new chair planning for the future

As the new Chairwoman for Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, I am really excited about how many improvements we have made in the past year, including building three species-specific beaver and otter enclosures that rival any zoo or sanctuary in Canada. Additionally, we added a new series of caging...