Inside this issue:

• A thank you to Long Dash Festival artists and attendees.
• Trail Party BBQ prize package deadline extended to September 8.
• Thank you, new Trail Party sponsors!
• Discover sustainable careers at the rare Sustainability Career Expo!
• Help with the harvest at Springbank Farm!
• Sign up for FREE virtual seminars this fall with Outdoor Learning.
• See rare at three upcoming community events.
• More volunteer dates to fight invasive plants.
• Poll results and new poll.



Photo by O. Lucas.

Connecting Art and Nature at the Long Dash Festival

A big thanks to the artists, the organizers and the attendees for making Sunday's inaugural Long Dash Festival a success.

Despite turbulent weather the day before and the threat of afternoon thunderstorms that cancelled our BioBlitz, the sun shone for the Sound Walk curated by NUMUS. After a performance of welcome by free poet January Rogers, attendees walked the ECO and Grand Trunk trails to sample music and art by Jodi Contin, Daniel Ramjattan, Ciro Perono, Gerard Yun and Andrew Jacob Reinhart. Trail-goers experienced a beautiful natural concert, including speakers in the canopy, a flutist who played to the amplified sounds found within a tree (and showed how that music changes when you touch the tree) and classical guitar played alongside the sound of cicadas and wind in the branches.

Following a lunch catered by Seven Shores Cafe, Lisa Hirmer led a cyanotype workshop, using specially coated paper to create photo-like images with sunlight and water. Alexandra Gelis and Victoria Mata explored the interconnection of nature, migration and movement through the lens of cattails and Phragmites, leading to a performance by Victoria Mata to close the event.

Thanks again to all the artists and performers for bringing their skill and passion to rare. Thanks to Guy Few of NUMUS for curating the Sound Walk and Musagetes for organizing this festival. We look forward to more such events in the coming years.

Photo by James Bow.

Trail Party BBQ Prize Package Fundraising Draw Extended to September 8

Thanks to our sponsors and your fundraising, we are nearly 60% of the way to our 15th Annual Trail Party's fundraising goal, with just over three weeks to go! All proceeds go to rare's Every Child Outdoors (ECO) education program.

Remember, every $50 you raise for the Trail Party becomes a ballot that enters you into a raffle for a barbecue prize package, including a barbecue donated by Enbridge Gas, $500 in coupons for Marcangelo Foods products and a Napoleon grill set from Dean Widdifield, Realtor, Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty! Better yet, we've extended the deadline to participate! All fundraising before midnight on Sunday, September 8, will be eligible for this fantastic prize draw!

Don't miss out -- register TODAY! Join us at Riverbluffs Park at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 15, to walk our trails and celebrate nature with music, a barbecue and many other fun activities! We look forward to seeing you there!

More Sponsors for the Trail Party!

In addition to our Presenting Sponsor, MacPherson, and BBQ sponsor, Brian Domm Farms, we welcome more sponsors under the Trail Party banner.

Thanks to Troy Schmidt of TwinCity Re/Max and WCO Chartered Professional Accountants for sponsoring our buskers this year and to Fusion Homes for sponsoring our Kid Zone! With your support, you are bringing kids face-to-face with nature and making our celebration of our natural spaces even better! Thank you!

While we've come a long way to our fundraising goal, we can't reach it without you, so please register, join a fundraising team or make your own, donate to other fundraisers and join us at Riverbluffs Park at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 15!

Registration Now Open for rare's Sustainability Career Expo!

Registration is now open for our Sustainability Career Expo!

Join us on Wednesday, September 18, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the rare ECO Centre at 768 Blair Road in Cambridge. Meet eco-minded businesses and organizations and learn about the careers available that help our environment. Organizations and employers involved in environmental conservation, research, education and more are eager to meet you. Throughout the day, take part in guided walks, research demos and presentations.

See the green jobs of tomorrow, today! Register now and come out to see us on Wednesday, September 18!

Harvest Intensifies at Springbank Farm

As of Tuesday, since the start of the growing season, staff and volunteers at Springbank Farm had harvested over 750 pounds of fresh organic produce, which they donated to the Cambridge Food Bank!

The work continues, with potatoes and garlic almost ready for harvest! If you want to help bring fresh food to those in need, join us at Springbank Farm every Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to noon and every Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.! Staff and volunteers will provide tools, tasks and instructions for maintaining, planting and harvesting.

Registration is not necessary; show up at Springbank Farm at 681 Blair Road in Cambridge to participate.

Note that Sunday volunteers must be 18 or over. Students are welcome on Wednesdays and can count the work towards their volunteer requirements!

Photo by James Bow.

Sign Up for Outdoor Learning's Free Fall Virtual Workshops!

Don't miss Outdoor Learning's FREE Fall Virtual Workshops happening in September and October!

A good education never stops, and these free online workshops will deepen your understanding of reconciliation and land-based learning, nature journaling, climate change education, inspiring students for sustainability and more!

To learn more and register for these FREE workshops, visit outdoorlearning.com/workshops.

The rare table will be out, and staff is looking forward to meeting you at three events in the coming weeks.

We'll be at the Guelph Bug Day event on Sunday, August 25, at the Guelph Arboretum Centre at 200 Arboretum Road from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Learn amazing things about insects! There will be exhibits, vendors, hikes, activities, food, merchandise and, of course, BUGS! Be sure to visit our table while you're there. Entry is FREE, but you'll need to sign up at the door. Click here for more information.

Willibald Farm Distillery & Brewery, who named rare as its 2024 Community Fund Partner, is hosting its first-ever charity car show, Willibald Motorfest, on Sunday, September 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Come view over thirty modern exotic and classic resto-mod cars curated by Peter Vanderheyden. This event supports Willibald's 2024 Community Fund program, raising funds and awareness for rare, and we will be there! Join us at Willibald Farm Distillery & Brewery, 1271 Reidsville Road in Ayr. The event is FREE! We look forward to seeing you there. Click here for more information.

If your interest is more literary, come to the Eden Mills Writers Festival, taking place in Eden Mills on Sunday, September 8. We will be at the event, eager to connect with attendees and share information about the properties in and around Eden Mills that have been entrusted to rare's stewardship. Click here for more information.

Photo by Jenna Quinn.

Plant Seeds and Pull Phragmites this September!

As the season progresses, our Land Management Team is shifting to autumn plants and removing invasive Phragmites.

The Common Reed or Phragmites australis is one of the most aggressive invasive species in our wetlands. Dense infestations persist through a network of underground rhizomes that provide an energy source for the plant. It releases toxins from its roots into the soil that kill surrounding plants. While it prefers standing water, its roots can grow to extreme lengths, allowing it to survive in drier areas like roadside ditches.

We will be removing this invasive plant using sharpened spades, severing the underground rhizomes and removing the reed canes from the site. We may also be tarping and possibly planting native species during these pulls.

Join us to give native plants a fighting chance. You'll receive instruction on species ID, removal techniques and the plant's impact on native ecosystems.There is no charge to attend these events, but registration is required, so click on the date(s) you can attend below:

Thurs, Aug 29 - 10;00 a.m. - Invasive Phragmites Removal

Thurs, Sept 5 - 10:00 a.m. - Invasive Phragmites Removal

Tues, Sept 10 - 10:00 a.m. - Native Plant Propagation - Seed Collection

Thurs, Sept 12 - 10:00 a.m. - Invasive Phragmites Removal

Phragmite photograph courtesy J.M. Gilbert, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

Our Bi-Weekly Poll: Connecting to rare and Trail Party Anticipation

In our last poll, we asked: how do you most like to connect with rare? Over half reported that you enjoyed rare on your own, taking advantage of rare's solitude while walking on our trails. Others (21.9%) preferred the company of others, connecting at events like our Trail Party, or meeting staff at the rare table at community events like the upcoming Willibald Motorfest. However you connect to rare, we're honoured by your appreciation, and welcome you at our events and on our trails.

But I would like to take a moment to thank the quarter of you who said you most liked to connect to rare via our eNews and newsletters. By staying connected, we share and build our appreciation of nature and our understanding of the importance of the environment on our health and well-being amongst ourselves and with our neighbours. This helps fight climate change globally and build climate resilience locally. Your support of rare helps make the world better, and we thank you!

For this issue, with our Trail Party just three weeks away, we ask: what are you looking forward to most about rare's Trail Party?