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About the event leader
Jessica is a Senior Project Manager and Biologist at NRSI and the Chair of the Ontario Butterfly Species at Risk Recovery Team. Jessica holds a Ministerial appointment to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) Arthropod Species Specialist Subcommittee and is the President of the Toronto Entomologist’s Association. A large focus of Jessica’s work is on oak savanna butterfly species at risk recovery planning and implementation. In addition to authoring the federal status assessment and Ontario provincial recovery strategy for Mottled Duskywing, Jessica has authored the draft federal recovery strategies for Karner Blue, Eastern Persius Duskywing, and Frosted Elfin.
About Sand Prairie Savanna Nature Reserve
In 2023, the Long Point Basin Land Trust expanded the Spring Arbour Farm Reserve by acquiring the 38.45-hectare (95-acre) Sand Prairie Savanna Nature Reserve, nearly tripling the size of this protected area. Once a tobacco farm, this land has been carefully restored to tallgrass prairie and black oak savanna habitats, which now support 31 species at risk and include Venison Creek, a vital cold-water trout stream.
This acquisition reflects our commitment to creating larger, interconnected habitats. By linking this reserve to nearby conservation lands, it strengthens protected corridors in a key Carolinian Canada Core Natural Area and advances Canada’s goal of conserving 30% of its lands and waters by 2030.
Learn more about this nature reserve.