Our Mission
Foster awareness, appreciation, and protection of nature in North Durham: Townships of Brock, Scugog, and Uxbridge.
What We Do
We provide educational opportunities and foster awareness of nature, particularly the flora and fauna, as well as earth sciences and astronomy.
We lead and facilitate field trips to learn and experience nature. We promote the protection of nature, biological diversity and sustainability within North Durham.
We carry out projects in co-operation with other community groups, to conserve and protect the environment within North Durham.
Next Meeting
September 22, 2026 - Little Bird, Big World – Piping Plover Conservation in Ontario with Julie-Ann Prentice
7pm at Scugog Memorial Library, Port Perry
Julie-Ann will share her enthusiasm for a small shorebird, which nests and dwells in Ontario on a few exposed sand and gravel Great Lakes’ beaches. Piping Plovers returned to Ontario in 2007 after a 30-year absence. In 2026, we celebrated their 20th breeding season in Ontario. Join us to learn how you can help this charismatic shorebird and ensure we celebrate many more successful seasons to come.
Julie-Ann completed her education at Fleming College and Trent University, discovering a love for birds along the way. Piping Plovers stole her heart during a short-term contract with Birds Canada in 2023, leading her to return the following year. She now works as the Ontario Piping Plover Field Biologist, supporting field and office-based program activities across the province. Julie is passionate about integrating outreach and volunteer engagement with science-based action to protect and recover the Piping Plover.
For more on our upcoming meetings, check out our Talks Page.
Next Outing
Saturday September 5, 2026 - Lake Ontario Birding with Geoff Carpentier
8 am - Pickering
By early September songbird migration is going strong and the Lake Ontario shoreline is a great place to look. Join Geoff in south Durham to look for migrant songbirds in lakeside parks and waterbirds in the nearby wetlands and out on the lake.
Registration is required: to sign up for this event or for more information fill out this form. For more information on our upcoming walks, check out our Walks Page.
Announcements and News
Funding for Youth Nature Camps - Spring Application Deadlines
North Durham Nature has funds available to support local North Durham youth in their teen years to participate in nature camps. Here are the programs and application deadlines:
- Ontario Field Ornithologists - Young Birders Camp (Deadline March 23, 2026) http://www.ofo.ca/content/young-birders/camp
- Birds Canada - Young Ornithologist Workshop (Deadline April 30, 2026) https://www.birdscanada.org/discov.../training-and-workshops
- Ontario Nature - Youth Summit (Deadline August 2026) https://ontarionature.org/events/youth-summit/
If you know a family that might be interested, check out our Youth Programs page for more details on how to apply for funding.
Volunteer Opportunities
Need a ride to in-person NDN meetings? Can you be a volunteer driver to help others get to in-person meetings?
In order to make our club more accessible for those that don't or no longer drive, we would like to invite people to contact us to sign up--EITHER as a volunteer driver or to inquire about getting a lift. To make the system flexible and accommodate everyone's busy and unpredictable schedules (and weather conditions!), we would not expect a regular commitment but are willing to organize such arrangements on a month-by-month basis. Contacting us well in advance of the meeting date will ensure a greater chance of facilitation, and we will do our best to match riders and drivers.
Our club services the Townships of Brock, Scugog, and Uxbridge so if you live in these regions and are interested, please email the NDN admin team at northdurhamnature2@gmail.com.
Please be a Nature Walk volunteer!
Are you interested in helping out with one of our Walks in Nature, either by leading or assisting with a walk on a topic you are comfortable with? We would love to have you! In addition, we are always looking for new locations and/or nature topics to explore in North Durham so if you have experience or ideas to share, please contact Derek: ndnature7@gmail.com. Thanks!
North Durham Nature Newsletter
Looking for some interesting, local nature content, but you've already finished January's installment of NDN's Newsletter? Well you're in luck! Old copies of our newsletter are now downloadable from our website for your reading pleasure.
Click here to check out seven years of content starting with our very first newsletter back in January 2014, or find the link under the "Friends and Links" tab up in the navigation bar.
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