Big news from a tiny green messenger

Something very special was spotted this past summer inside the MacEwan Pond – a green frog!

Now, a frog in a pond may not seem like that big of a deal, but this green frog was the first one spotted in MacEwan Pond since 2010, and green frogs are often a sign that the surrounding ecological area is in good health.

“Amphibians, like frogs, toads, and salamanders, are known as indicator species,” our Director of Programs, Derek Stone, recently told me. “These species are very sensitive to changes in their environment, so their presence gives us an indication that we have a healthy ecosystem.  Having these frogs back in the area after all our efforts to improve the health of MacEwan Pond is so exciting!”

That’s some big news from a very small, green messenger! We’re seeing success stories like this all around Riverwood, thanks to the work of our conservation programs – which generous donors like you, make possible!

Thanks to our donor community's concern for the environment, and their understanding of the importance of nature to our community, our staff and volunteers have been able to plant over 500 trees, plant over 1,000 wildflowers, and maintain or improve over three kilometres of trails at Riverwood this year.

But our precious park needs consistent care. As the city of Mississauga continues to grow, we continue to see an uptick in park visitors.

“We welcomed over a quarter of a million visitors this year!” said Derek. “And while Riverwood remains a beautiful sanctuary in the middle of the city, more people coming into that sanctuary means more conservation work is needed to balance public access to nature with ecosystems that continue to thrive.”

I’d like to invite you to provide the essential support we need to carry out our conservation work. Your gift will keep Riverwood’s green spaces strong for plants and animals, and safe for individuals and families to enjoy. When you give before December 31, 2023, our partners at Scotts Canada will match* your donation so your generosity will have double the impact in protecting Riverwood’s natural spaces!

Riverwood spans 150 acres of natural space, and each year, The Riverwood Conservancy works on restoring or maintaining roughly half of that area. That’s a huge 75 acres of forests, meadows, wetlands, and waterways that need monitoring, invasive species removal, new plantings, and lots more to keep our habitats in great shape for plants and wildlife. That’s why we need your support.

There’s another amazing benefit that your gift will create for our conservation program, and it may surprise you to hear what it is.

“Because we have such a massive amount of space to look after, we need a whole lot of volunteers to engage in our conservation work,” said Derek. “What’s really incredible to see is that our volunteers not only help steward sensitive natural areas through hundreds of hours of hard work, but they also form connections with each other as part of our community, and they form stronger connections to the land because they can see the results of their efforts – sometimes literally growing from the ground up!”

It’s always wonderful to hear about the human connections that can happen here through the care and support of people like you!

Your gift today will strengthen our conservation programs, and protect Riverwood’s ecology and beauty, from the treetops to the riverbed, and everywhere in between. Plus, your donation will be matched* so you’ll have twice the impact!

From all of us at The Riverwood Conservancy, we wish you all the very best for this holiday season and here’s to many more green frogs in the New Year!

Sara Wilbur-Collins, CFRE
Executive Director
The Riverwood Conservancy

* Our partners at Scotts Canada will match all individual donations until December 31, 2023, up to a maximum of $10,000.