Field Botanists of Ontario’s 42nd Annual General Meeting

Saturday – Sunday, September 26 and 27, 2026, Lindsay, Ontario

Dear Field Botanists of Ontario:

Enclosed is the schedule of our 2026 Annual General Meeting and its associated activities and field trips, held this year in the Lindsay area. The meeting and dinner will be held at the Days Inn on Saturday September 26, beginning at 5:30 pm; please join us for an evening of good food, socializing, and entertainment. Enjoy a chili dinner prepared by Charmin’s Wholesome Foods and a presentation by John Kintare, Executive Director of the Kawartha Land Trust (KLT). For those members unable to attend in person, we will have the awards, presentation and business portion of the meeting available online via Zoom, free of charge (see the registration link on the last page).

We have a variety of great field trips lined up for Saturday and Sunday including participating in the 7th Annual Mnoominkewin Gathering at Curve Lake First Nation to learn about Mnoomin (Wild Rice), a day at a KLT property that includes tallgrass prairie habitats, a coffee stop and social hike in the hamlet of Millbrook, and (a FBO favourite destination) a hike on the Carden alvar. Enjoy a hike or two led by knowledgeable guides that will showcase some of the interesting species at these sites. The trip descriptions are included below. Note that field trips are open to non-FBO members after priority has been given to members. For non-members, there is a surcharge of $5 per person per trip. Trips will run rain or shine.

We strongly encourage members to sign up for the meeting and trip portions of the AGM using the provided Eventbrite links. If you prefer to mail a registration form and 1 cheque, please see the instructions on the form provided. Your cheque will be cashed following the AGM. Refunds for cancellations will be issued, provided cancellations are received 7 days prior to the AGM, at the latest. No-shows will not be refunded.

In order to finalize the event catering, we require that members register by 8:00pm September 6, 2026 at the latest.

For the field trips, please arrive adequately supplied with food and drinks, proper footwear and clothing, and sun, bug, and rain protection. As per our policies, personal collecting of plant material (whole specimens or parts, seeds, etc.) is not permitted on trips unless stated otherwise.

Field Trips, Saturday, September 26, 2026

As a special treat for 2026, our Field Botanists group are invited to attend the Mnoominkewin Gathering at Curve Lake First Nation, an annual event celebrating Mnoomin (Wild Rice, Ziziana palustris)

The Mnoominkewin Gathering brings together Elders and Traditional Knowledge Holders, Singers and Drummers, Language Teachers, Beaders, Fur and Leatherworkers, Woodworkers, Chefs, Story-Tellers, and community of all ages in a Mnoomin-themed day of celebration and feasting. Central to the Gathering, participants go out onto the lake in canoes to plant and gather Mnoomin with seeds and gathering equipment that are provided free of charge. Mnoominke Practitioners demonstrate the processing of Mnoomin into food and participants engage in experiential learning. The day is supported from beginning to end with Ceremony including a Sacred Fire and Sunrise Ceremony.

Mnoomin – which means Gift of the Creator, Spirit Seed, or Good Seed – is a cultural icon for Anishnaabeg. Mnoomin is central to Anishnaabeg Artistic, Cultural, Spiritual, Economic, and Community Life. For millennia, Anishnaabeg have been maintaining healthy rice beds as sustenance for the People and for the Crawlers, Swimmers, Flyers, and Four-Leggeds that count on Mnoomin beds for habitat.

The event is held at the Curve Lake First Nation Pow Wow Grounds, east end of Whetung Street East at Chemong Lake. Note that FBO will not be charging for this event but ask participants to send a donation to mnoominkewin@gmail.com to support the event; minimum suggested donation per person is $50. Note that while the event starts with a sunrise ceremony at 7:00 am participants can come and go at any time.

Participants will walk several trails at Kawartha Land Trust’s Ballyduff Trails, a property protected through land donation from Ralph McKim and Jean Garsonnin. This 258 acre property located near Pontypool, Ontario is the site of an ongoing restoration and expansion project of tallgrass prairie, oak woodland and oak savanna. We will hike roughly 6-7km through the trail system exploring remnant tallgrass prairie, sand barrens and woodlands along with active restoration sites. We will discuss management strategies, invasive species pressures, prescribed burn techniques and be introduced to several unique species such as round-headed bushclover, buffaloberry, new jersey tea, savanna grass, sideoats grama and a number of other prairie-specific species.

This trip will be led by Hayden Wilson, KLT’s Stewardship Manager. Hayden is an endlessly curious person with a passion for the conservation of our native species and spaces. Hayden spends as much time as possible immersing himself in the wetlands, forests and barrens of the Kawarthas via meandering canoe trips and long hikes. He strives to protect and enhance ecosystems to allow them to be more resilient against the effects of climate change.

Field Trips:  Sunday September 27, 2026

A trip to the Carden Alvar is always a treat no matter the season.  This Nature Reserve was acquired in 2023 in the heart of the Carden Alvar ANSI.  Evidence of the ATVs that once roared across the limestone still shows on the 417acres property that connects Wolf Run Alvar and North Bear Alvar expanding a connected corridor of wilderness that now extends south to Little Bluestem Alvar south of Lake Dalrymple Village.

The property is a melange of alvars:  pavement, grassland, thicket, forest and wetlands are all represented.  A September trip reveals species that are overlooked in the spring and early summer:  Kalm’s Brome Grass, Slender Wheatgrass, Autumn Willow, as well as the classic Prairie Smoke, Tall and Shrubby Cinquefoil, False Pennyroyal, Bergamot, Long-leaved Bluet, Hairy Beardtongue and possibly Great Plains Ladies'-tresses.

Meet at the parking lot on Alvar Road (accessed from Lake Dalrymple Road in the west) at 9:50 a.m.  Ticks are common on the alvar so come prepared.  Expect to return to the parking lot by 3:00 p.m.

Dale Leadbeater is a retired botanist with roots that go back to a Junior Naturalist membership with the Federation of Ontario Naturalists in Grade 4. Since that time she has been involved with a range of naturalists’ clubs in Pickering, Oshawa, Carden and the Kawartha Field Naturalists. After a career at the University of Toronto in Botany, her two sons kept her busy until a third career teaching and environmental consulting claimed her. Ecological restoration and conservation became her passions. She co-authored The Flora of Kawartha Lakes with Anne Barbour, exploring the ecological history of the area. An enthusiastic supporter of Land Trusts, Dale has worked with The Couchiching Conservancy as an event leader, Advisory Council member and Director and lives on a 200-acre Conservation Easement near Kirkfield.

Millbrook, Ontario, is both a charming small town often used in historical productions, and the heart of the Baxter Creek sub-watershed. Located just north of the Oak Ridges Moraine, this area features a diverse network of wetlands, forests, and agricultural landscapes that contribute to its high ecological value. Extensive swamp forests, marshes, cedar lowlands, mixed deciduous woodlands, and regenerating old fields provide important habitat for amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and pollinating insects. Many of these natural features form part of a broader natural heritage system that maintains ecological connectivity across the landscape. Wetlands play a critical role in storing floodwaters, improving water quality, recharging groundwater, and sustaining the coldwater flows that characterize Baxter Creek.

We will meet at the Pastry Peddler in downtown Millbrook and then walk along the Millbrook Valley Trails, run through both wetlands and uplands and are characteristic of the post-glacial topography of the area.

Following Saturday’s field trips, we will meet at the Days Inn at 5:30 p.m.; the venue is located at 134 Angeline Street South, Lindsay, ON, our event will be in the Ross Room. Parking is available on site.

AGM Program

5:30 – 6:00      Social time: an opportunity to meet and chat with fellow FBO members and enjoy some refreshments

6:00 – 7:00      Buffet Dinner

7:00 – 7:30      Feature Speaker: John Kintare, Executive Director, Kawartha Land Trust

7:30 – 8:00      Awards: presentation of the Goldie Award, FBO Student Award and Bill Crowley Memorial Award for Photography

8:00 – 9:00      Annual General Meeting (the location of the 2026 AGM and potential field trips for next year will be discussed - everyone is encouraged to attend, in person or online)

9:30 – 10:00    Social time

Annual General Meeting Agenda

1                Call to Order                                                                                                   8:00

2                Introduction of FBO Executive and address of the President (5 min)       8:05

3                Approval of Agenda (5 min)                                                                           8:10

4                Approval of the 2025 AGM Minutes (5 min)                                                 8:15

5                Auditor’s Report (5 min)                                                                                8:20

6                Treasurer’s Report (5 min)                                                                             8:25

7                Membership Coordinator’s Report (5 min)                                                    8:30

8                Election of officers (5 min)                                                                              8:35

9                Suggestions for future trips and location of 2026 AGM (15 min)                8:50

10              General discussion and other business (5 min)                                           8:55

11              Adjournment                                                                                                    9:00

Keynote Abstract

Protecting the Land You Love: Local Solutions to Global Problems

It’s no secret that our world is facing interlinked crises of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change. A recent study noted that based on current trends, the climate crisis will result in the extinction of a tenth of the world’s plant and animal species by the end of the century. While this news, combined with the continuing disconnect between people and nature, may make you feel pessimistic about the future of the planet, there is hope. Individuals like you and communities like yours can affect change locally and globally. For 25 years, Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) has worked with communities in the Kawarthas to “protect the land we love.” KLT’s land conservation and restoration work ensures that critical habitats for plants and animals are protected, vital carbon stores remain intact, and opportunities for nature connection are created and shared. Join Executive Director John Kintare to learn more about KLT’s work and how you can be part of local solutions to protect the land you love in the Kawarthas.