2023 Funded Projects

In 2023, EGBI supported a wide range of conservation and research projects that collectively strengthened SAR protection and habitat health across the region. Long-term monitoring programs advanced understanding of reptiles and turtles, documenting thousands of observations and assessing the effects of wind development, wildfire, climate change, and habitat alteration. Partners rehabilitated record numbers of injured turtles, expanded headstarting and telemetry studies, and continued major mark-recapture work for species such as Blanding’s turtles, Spotted turtles, Eastern Foxsnakes, and Massasauga rattlesnakes. Road ecology efforts also progressed, with projects trialling new exclusion fencing, identifying mortality hotspots, and improving data on reptile movement and road impacts.

Habitat restoration and community-based stewardship were central accomplishments for the year. Wetland and shoreline partners expanded mapping, monitoring, and control of invasive Phragmites while supporting First Nations in building local capacity for species-at-risk and invasive species management. Georgian Bay Biosphere and its partners strengthened initiatives that combine traditional ecological knowledge, field monitoring, turtle nest protection, community bioblitzes, and training for municipal and First Nation staff. Collaborative networks such as CEMRRIG continued to unite experts, Indigenous Nations, and conservation groups to coordinate recovery approaches. Despite funding challenges for some partners, the 2023 cohort delivered strong results across fieldwork, education, and restoration, demonstrating a shared commitment to protecting biodiversity and supporting Indigenous-led conservation across eastern Georgian Bay.