Lisa Browning, Education Coordinator at Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, leading a 2024 KLT Passport to Nature event at KLT’s Christine Bentham Wetland south of Burleigh falls, Ontario.
Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) has launched its 2025-26 Passport to Nature program—a series of free events in nature in the Kawarthas for the community to enjoy.
The third year of KLT’s popular Passport to Nature program began in the early hours of May 4thin Trent Lakes with a dawn chorus event. As the sun rose over the forests and wetlands of Tecasy Ranch near Buckhorn, Ontario, attendees were serenaded with the songs and calls of dozens of birds that call the Kawarthas home.
The event was led by local writer Lou Smyrlis and his son Jason Smyrlis. “We heard 34 different bird species that morning, but counting them doesn’t completely capture what it was like,” said Lou Smyrlis. “There’s something special about being out there at daybreak—a sense of distilled purity that needs to be experienced to be understood. The birds know this to be true. I’m glad our outing helped more people come to appreciate it as well. Magic happens at this hour.”
KLT’s next Passport to Nature event will be held on June 28, 2025, at KLT’s largest nature reserve—the Hammer Family Nature Preserve in Lakehurst, Ontario. In an event led by Conservation Ecologist and Indigenous Engagement/Placemaking Specialist Gary Pritchard, novice anglers will learn how to fish in a sustainable way that respects the principles of All My Relations.
Whether you’d like to learn more about the fascinating world of fungi, try forest bathing, or participate in a bioblitz, there’s something for everyone.
“We’re excited for another year of spending time on the land we love,” said Anna Lee, KLT’s Director of People and Operations. “Since KLT’s Passport to Nature program began three years ago, we’ve hosted over 35 free events across the Kawarthas, with the intent of connecting people to nature in fun and creative ways. If you haven’t joined us for an event yet, we hope this is the year.”
KLT’s Passport to Nature booklets are being distributed to locations throughout Kawarthas. The digital guide and events can be viewed on our website: kawarthalandtrust.org/connect-with-nature/passport-to-nature/.
Kawartha Land Trust is grateful to the volunteers, event facilitators, donors, and community organizations that have made this community program possible again this year, including the OFAH Foundation and Passport to Nature sponsor Cambium Consulting and Engineering.