The beautiful image of a pair of red-tailed hawks you can see above, and the photos you’ll see further down on this page, were taken by one of our regular visitors, Terence. He’s not only a frequent trail-walker, but also an active participant in our nature education programs, and a volunteer at our Astronomy Nights.
Terence has been dropping by Riverwood for over 20 years, but it was after he joined our first BioBlitz in December 2020 that the time he spent here increased dramatically. In that BioBlitz, Terence joined other local citizen scientists in photographing and documenting Riverwood’s wide variety of wildlife and plant species – an activity that helps us monitor the effects of climate change on populations of our flora and fauna.
“Riverwood is an invaluable green space in Mississauga,” says Terence. “For most city-dwellers such as myself, it’s our closest, and sometimes only, exposure to learning about and interacting with the natural world. Not everyone will, or can, travel to natural areas far away from the urban landscape. Riverwood’s great advantage lies in its accessibility, while still retaining a wonderfully diverse wildlife population.”
It’s because of generous donors that The Riverwood Conservancy can offer Terence, and all our visitors, safe and beautiful natural spaces, which sadly are becoming a rarity as urban development continues to ramp up in the areas surrounding Riverwood.
Amid Mississauga’s growing population, we need your continued support to keep our natural spaces ecologically healthy and accessible.
When you give before December 31, 2022, your donation will be matched by Scotts Canada so you’ll make twice the impact. All donations will be matched to a maximum of $10,000.
Your donation today will make a difference by supporting our conservation, nature education, and gardening programs. These vital programs let us monitor and remove invasive species, maintain trails so that natural areas can thrive, keep gardens gorgeous, and give our community a welcoming place to learn about nature.
Terence sees the impact of your support through his lens, which got us wondering if he had a favourite animal to photograph.
“There are so many interesting animals at Riverwood that it’s difficult to choose! But, if I had to choose one, it would have to be the great blue heron. They possess such a strikingly unique appearance and seem to impart an air of majesty around them,” says Terence.
Donors help us preserve this piece of natural wonder right in the middle of a bustling, growing city. But keeping Riverwood healthy and accessible requires continued conservation work.