2021 Funded Projects

A look back at Ganawenim Meshkiki’s (GMI) Eastern Georgian Bay Initiative (EGBI) 2021 funding recipients highlights many conservation, protection, and research successes by project teams in the eastern Georgian Bay region throughout the year. 2020 brought vast COVID-19 pandemic restrictions that limited or closed organizations across Ontario and forced others to learn and adapt to new working realities. Navigating the previous year equipped them to enter 2021 with the knowledge, equipment, and protocols to execute their field season and research projects with fewer limitations. More recipients were able to find virtual ways of interacting and connecting with the public, opting to host training events online, create YouTube channels, and hold virtual fieldtrips for local and regional students. Organizations were able to grow volunteers bases and build capacity through the support of local stewards.

Like most years, funding recipients progressed multi-year projects and embarked on new ones beginning in 2021. Project successes ranged from land acquisitions and creating ecopassage infrastructure to expand wildland corridors, to capturing, tagging, tracking, and mapping different reptilian/herptilian SAR species around the region. In all cases, data, understanding, and capacity needed to continue to conserve and protect reptilian/herptilian

SAR eastern Georgian Bay were progressed through the support and effort of project teams, volunteers, and GMI’s EGBI funding and support.