Scugog Shores Museum receives grant to revitalize Ojibway heritage lands

DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard

SCUGOG: The Scugog Shores Museum Village and Archives is embarking on an exciting season of environmental education and cultural revitalization thanks to a $14,000 grant from the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation.

This funding will support the ongoing revitalization of the Museum’s Ojibway Heritage Interpretive Lands (OHIL), a significant project first created in 1997 in partnership with the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation (MSIFN). The TD Friends of the Environment program supports initiatives that focus on stewardship and revitalization of public green spaces—a perfect match for the Museum’s renewed focus on land-based education and heritage conservation.

“This funding allows us to reimagine OHIL as a living, interactive exhibit,” museum curator Amanda Gallagher told The Standard. “In 2025, we’ll be rebuilding the Wigwam, reintroducing native plants, and creating a new teaching and pollinator garden. It’s an opportunity for learning, reflection, and cultural engagement for all ages.”

In addition to the MSIFN’s support for Wigwam restoration, the Museum will host programming that highlights Indigenous knowledge, traditional agriculture, and the natural environment. A key feature of this summer’s programming is the new traveling exhibit, ‘Miijim: Traditional Foods of the Lake of the Woods Anishinaabe’, which opens during the Museum’s first public weekend of the season, which began on Wednesday, May 21.

Scugog Mayor Wilma Wotten applauded the initiative and its alignment with the Township’s ongoing commitment to cultural and environmental education.

“The Scugog Shores Museum Village is a vital heritage and educational centre for our community,” said Mayor Wotten. “The collaborative education exhibits and artifacts tell the shared history of our township, educate on the history of the MSIFN, and I am thankful for our collaboration in the betterment of the site. Thank you to staff for engaging with funding opportunities like the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation to continue the needed revitalization work of the grounds.”

The Museum kicked off its season with “Spring Flowers at the Museum” on Saturday, May 24. Visitors explored spring gardening traditions of early settlers, participated in crop planning activities, and discovered native Ontario plants on site. Guests were also invited to mix their own tea blends, browse the seed exchange library, and take a stroll through the newly introduced on-site bird trail.

More information about upcoming events, educational programs, and the OHIL revitalization project can be found on the Township’s Museums webpage.