by Geoffrey Carpentier Well, even though the days are marginally longer now, the sky still seems dark and foreboding. In the summer, clouds seem to vary in shape, size and colour, but in winter they often seem to be just dark, grey and gloomy. Let’s explore these clouds a bit and see if we can understand them a little better. Clouds are made up of water droplets or ice crystals which are so light they defy gravity. So, how did they form in the first place and how did they rea

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES/NORTH DURHAM:  Kawartha Lakes and North Durham were hit by dangerously cold temperatures, over the weekend of February 7th and 8th, with overnight lows nearing minus twenty degrees Celsius. Wind chill values, during the early morning hours, made it feel closer to minus thirty to minus thirty-five degrees Celsius, prompting cold weather alerts from Lakelands Public Health and Durham Region Healt

COLLEEN GREEN The Standard SCUGOG: The Regional Municipality of Durham has announced plans to drill a new municipal water supply well near 12235 Simcoe Street in the Township of Scugog to help strengthen the water supply for the community of Port Perry. Construction activities related to the project are scheduled to take place from February 17th through September 30th. Initial drilling work is expected to begin during the week of February 16th, with full construction of the

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard NORTH DURHAM: Businesses in Durham can now drop off Blue Box recycling at Regional Waste Management Facilities (WMFs) without paying fees, a move designed to ease the transition to Ontario’s new producer-run recycling system. The fee waiver was approved, as part of Durham’s 2026 Regional Budget, and is now in effect. Businesses which previously received municipal curbside Blue Box collection can bring dedicat

by Geoffrey Carpentier This is an exciting time of year, bird-wise. You might think winter is so close, nothing much is happening out there, but you’d be wrong! I’ve talked of hawk and eagle migrations in the past, but an additional migrational phenomenon is emerging, right now. It involves owls which come south every year, in varying numbers, not to escape the cold, but more so, to find food. Many species of owls migrate annually, and many individuals will settle in North Du

NORTH DURHAM:  Discover the secret lives of Humpback; Fin; and the biggest of them all, the Blue Whale. This is a closeup perspective of the magnificent and largest creatures on this planet. Meet the researcher, who has devoted his life to studying them, and hear how he is answers some of their biggest mysteries, on Tuesday, February 24th, starting at 7 p.m. Franco Mariotti is a Biologist, Naturalist and Science Communicator. He was employed at Science North, for 32 years, wh

by Geoffrey Carpentier The idea of animals being spies in our midst is not a new phenomenon. Historically, we used animals for varying purposes, mostly functional, such as beasts of burden, but over time we realized they could be used for other purposes. For example, during WWII, carrier pigeons were used to deliver messages to and from the front lines, to help the Allies. During the Cold War, the CIA developed small cameras which were strapped to homing pigeons. As the birds

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard BROCK: Volunteers, Township staff, and conservation partners came together, this past autumn, to plant 100 native trees and shrubs along the banks of the Beaver River, at MacLeod Park. A testament to the growing partnership between the Cannington Horticultural Society (CHS) and Brock Township. An October 18th, 2025 planting event, aided by the Township with mulch, and by the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation A

by Geoffrey Carpentier I must admit, sometimes I just wonder why things are as they are. Case in point, it’s winter and cold outside. But as I stand near the window, with the sun beaming in, I feel warm, yet when I touch the window, it’s still cold. How can that be? Even though the air may be frigid outside, somehow the sun is clearly heating the window, and its heat is being transferred through the glass to make me warm and cozy. I thought I might explore this and find out w

by Geoffrey Carpentier Animal mimicry, an important adaptation which many animals employ, to lure prey or survive predators, is an adaptation where one species resembles another organism to gain a survival advantage. Mimicry can manifest itself in many ways, through physical or behavioural means. It can be Batesian - a distasteful or dangerous model is mimicked by a harmless one, to fool predators. For example, a Viceroy Butterfly may mimic a Monarch (which is distasteful) an

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES/NORTH DURHAM: As the holiday season approaches, communities across the City of Kawartha Lakes are gearing up to welcome Santa Claus, with festive parades and family-friendly events. From Fenelon Falls to Sunderland, towns and villages are alive with the holiday spirit, offering something for everyone to enjoy. These celebrations kicked off, on Saturday, November 29th, with Fenelon Falls Santa

by Geoffrey Carpentier Throughout history, people offered the unsuspecting public snake oil – a cure-all for everything from childbirth to hemorrhoids to cancer. These elixirs contained no snake byproducts and certainly no snake oil - whatever that is? The concept arose in the 18th and 19th centuries, when travelling salesmen mixed up ‘secret’ blends of unspecified products and claimed they were proven to cure myriad ailments. Hogwash! Many stories persist about traditional m

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