DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard SCUGOG: Plans to expand the wetland, at the Baagwating Stormwater Management (SWM) Pond, in Port Perry, could mean changes for local baseball players. However, council says the project is crucial for protecting Lake Scugog’s water quality. The Township of Scugog council endorsed, in principle, “Option 1,” a large wetland pond, requiring the removal of the south baseball diamond at Joe Fowler Park, while direc

JAY THIBERT  NDN NORTH DURHAM/KAWARTHA LAKES: North Durham Nature and the Scugog Lake Stewards are hosting this special talk that will focus on aquatic plants and birds in Lake Scugog. These two organizations have invited Mark Dorriesfield to explain the importance of Lake Scugog to bird populations, and Brett Tregunno to share his expertise on aquatic plants in our lake. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the amazing ecology that is near and dear to the resident

BRANDON CLARK The Standard SCUGOG: Scugog Township, informed residents and businesses, in Blackstock, about water conservation measures in the area, for municipal water supply users. The water conservation will be in effect for a month, starting on November 10th and ending on December 11th. The work schedule may be affected by weather conditions. Ongoing upgrades and construction, at the Blackstock municipal well site, have prompted the area to implement water conservation.

by Geoffrey Carpentier In the last few columns, we explored the lives of some of the amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals and how they catch and consume their prey. So now let’s focus on some smaller critters and see what techniques they utilize to capture and subdue prey. In higher animals, mandibles refer to both the upper and lower jaw, but in insects, these structures refer to the lower part of the mouth only. Mandibles in insects are pairs of hardened structures that

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard NORTH DURHAM : Business owners across North Durham are being told they’ll soon need to handle their own recycling collections, as the region prepares to end blue box service for commercial properties. The North Durham Chamber of Commerce issued an advisory this week, informing members, beginning next year, businesses will no longer be eligible to use the regular curbside blue box program. Instead, they must e

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: Efforts to protect fish habitats and improve water quality, near the Bobcaygeon Dam, are taking another step forward, as Kawartha Conservation continues its detailed study of how dam operations affect the surrounding aquatic ecosystem. The conservation authority shared its latest findings and future plans, with Kawartha Lakes councillors, during a Committee of the Whole meeting, held on Tuesda

by Geoffrey Carpentier Let’s move on to an easy one, mammals. Wait, not so easy, as some mammals are herbivores, others carnivores, and still others are omnivores! All animals have a mouth which opens wide and has teeth, right? Nope, baleen whales and some other marine mammals do not have teeth but rather have baleen plates. These act like a huge comb which filters food out of a column of water, trapping the prey behind the jaws, so it can be swallowed whole, while water is d

by Helen Nicolaou SCUGOG: Surprisingly, the maple trees did not disappoint, as the leaves gave a striking show of fiery reds, oranges and yellows. Breathing in the cool scents of fallen leaves, at this lovely time of year, provides a sense of quieter days ahead, bringing another gardening season to an end. Mild temperatures still allow for last minute planting of spring blooming bulbs, and if you want to save summer bulbs, then once a hard frost damages the stems, dig up sum

by Geoffrey Carpentier Last time, I explored the reptiles and amphibians, to determine how they use their jaws and teeth (or non-teeth) to capture or harvest food. Today, we’ll look more closely at birds and how they use their beaks to hunt and eat. All birds have beaks – this is indisputable, but the size, structure, shape and use of them varies considerably between groups of birds. Beaks come in many forms: hooked or curved, cone-shaped, needle-like, spatulate and even cros

by Geoffrey Carpentier In the last column, we explored the lives of some amphibians and discovered they use a variety of techniques to...

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard BROCK: Council received a detailed update on the state of local...

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: A proposal to invest more than $12 million in...

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard BROCK: Local councillors heard an eye-opening presentation, on the...

DURHAM: The Durham Agricultural Advisory Committee (DAAC) successfully hosted its 23rd annual farm tour, at Kubota Canada Limited...

by Geoffrey Carpentier The observant, amongst you, will notice, as I continue the discussion of animals’ mouths and jaws, I cleverly...

by Geoffrey Carpentier People sometimes ask me how I decide what topics to write about, when I tackle my column. The simple answer is, my...

NORTH DURHAM: Dave Ellis will showcase the wildlife of Kawartha Lakes, through his photography, at the September meeting of North Durham...

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard NORTH DURHAM: After weeks of hot, dry weather which saw restrictions...

by Geoffrey Carpentier From time to time I stumble onto an opportunity which is so incredible, I want to share it with others. Usually...

DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES:  After days of smoke-filled skies and the constant hum of aircraft overhead, the forest fires...