Naturally Hamilton and Halton: A Monthly Guide to Nature and Conservation in Your Area

The Hamilton Naturalists' Club has published a calendar-format seasonal guide to local nature for use by parents, teachers, scouts, guides and other community groups. Naturally Hamilton and Halton: A Monthly Guide to Nature and Conservation in Your Area, is a month-by-month guide that provides information about local conservation issues and what is going on in local natural areas throughout the year.

Each month features Nature Notes: information about what you will see outside that month on the lake, in forests and wetlands and in the sky. Is it hawk migration time? Is tree sap flowing? Are fish spawning? Are mammals active? You will know with this guide close to hand.
A Conservation Issue is discussed each month to help local residents understand and become interested in what is happening in their own area. Web links are included for further exploration of issues such as Hamilton Harbour restoration, air quality, habitat fragmentation and species at risk.
Interested in visiting some natural areas nearby? Each month features an Area to Visit, with details on what the site offers and how to get there.
Both the Nature Notes and Conservation Issues provide locally relevant information for teachers to use and curriculum links are provided for this purpose.

Production: Produced as part of the HNC's Nature In Your Neighbourhood (NIYN) project, this monthly guide was written by Laurel McIvor and Marnie Branfireun, with graphic design by Patricia Borbely of the Hamilton Conservation Authority. It contains written contributions from leading conservationists in our area.

Our thanks go to the following contributors:

January: John D. Hall, Hamilton Harbour RAP Coordinator
February: Erica Oberndorfer, former Asst Field Botanist, Royal Botanical Gardens
March: Brian Pomfret, Wildlife Biologist, Royal Botanical Gardens
April: Christine Brown, Citizens for alternaitves to Pesticides, Conserver Society of Hamilton and District
May: Tyler Smith, Field Botanist, Royal Botanical Gardens
June: Alexis Holloway, Green Venture
July: Barbara McKean, Mgr of Education, Royal Botanical Gardens
August: Bruce Duncan, Dir. Watershed Planning, Hamilton Conservation Authority
September: Brian McHattie, President, Hamilton Naturalists' Club
October: Jason Thorne, Coalition on the Niagara Escarpment
November: Kim Barrett, Species at Risk Biologist, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
December: Glenn Barrett, Wildlife Technician, Canadian Wildlife Services - Environment Canada

This guide features inspiring nature artwork by local youth. Our thanks go to these talented young people from around Hamilton, and to the many other young artists who submitted artwork for this project! It was difficult to choose which drawings should be used for the calendar — the submissions were all so terrific!

These are the artists that appear in the guide:

Cover: Michael Pekurovsky, Age 8, Hamilton Hebrew Academy
January: Syndey McIvor, Age 8, Homeschooled
February: Julia Voortman, Age 9, Homeschooled
March: Nicholas Mulder, Age 12, Calvin Christian School
April: Taylor Rathie, Age 8, Central Public School
May: Jessica Brouwer, Age 12, Calvin Christian School
June: Alanna Hobers, Age 12, Calvin Christian School
July: Dennis Mindreci, Age 7, St. Jerome Catholic School
August: Emily Voortman, Age 7, Homeschooled
September: Julianna Hribljan, Age 12, Our Lady of Peace
October: Rachelle Zalter, Age 6 (no school named)
November: Caitlin Teed, Age 10, Millgrove School
December: Henry DeJong, Age 12, Calvin Christian School
Back Cover: Andrew Bosma, Age 12, Calvin Christian School

Distribution: Copies of Naturally Hamilton and Halton: A Monthly Guide to Nature and Conservation in Your Area will be provided by the Hamilton Naturalists' Club (HNC) at no charge to all Burlington and Hamilton library branches, Guide and Scout resource libraries, and school libraries in Hamilton and Burlington. It will also be distributed at workshops and other events upon request.

Pricing: The regular price for this monthly guide is $5.00. Copies are available for interested teachers, Guide/Scout leaders and other educators at a subsidized price of $3.00.

Where to Purchase: Royal Botanical Gardens' Nature Interpretive Centre, The Hamilton Conservation Authority and Conservation Halton will carry the guide. This publication is also available at the monthly meetings of the HNC held at Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Rd. in Burlington/Hamilton.

Sponsors: Naturally Hamilton and Halton: A Monthly Guide to Nature and Conservation in Your Area was produced through partnerships with the Hamilton Conservation Authority and Royal Botanical Gardens, and with funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, Mountainview Residents for Recreation in Hamilton Inc. and Seldon Griffin Graphics.