Celebrating God’s Faithfulness and Looking to the Future
Written by Anthony Siegrist (A Rocha Ontario Director)
December 2024
With the arrival of colder weather in Southern Ontario, our team has been giving increased attention to file folders, spreadsheets, and program plans. Tallying up numbers from 2024 has been a bit like unwrapping presents. Here’s one fun fact we uncovered: this past year our team facilitated over 8,9000 hours of hands-on, nature-focused learning. That’s more than a full year of 24/7 eco-literacy training in the community! Here’s another: by working with more than 250 volunteers, we have placed 26 new nest boxes for at-risk bird species (bringing the total to 60), planted 3,000 habitat-improving plants, restored a section of stream, and removed many invasive plants at Cedar Haven. We’ve also worked with 25 faith communities and engaged 60 church and green team leaders to advance creation care.
This is really good news! I hope that as a member of the A Rocha network you too feel a sense of accomplishment in this. Our work depends on a great staff team, on volunteers, on advocates who spread the word, and on people who support this mission financially. Thank you all!
In 2025, one of our team’s goals is to continue to grow our connections with local schools and youth groups. In 2024, we hosted 20 school field trips, twice as many as the year before. Our team of educators is meeting a need for field-based learning, and we think there are more children and youth that can benefit. We intend to find ways to make hands-on environmental learning more accessible to urban folks in the year to come. Here’s another goal, one that connects with the larger A Rocha story. In 2025, we intend to begin bird banding onsite at the Cedar Haven Eco-Centre. We’ve been planting the seeds and tilling to soil for this project over the past year, and we think that by working with community partners we can finally begin this important monitoring practice at our location in Ontario’s Greenbelt.
One of the aspects of 2024 that I’m most thankful for has been the wonderful people that have come our way: part-time environmental educators, summer student workers, fall interns and long-term volunteers. These folks make A Rocha’s work possible. Reflecting on this builds my confidence as I think about the year to come. I will be leaving A Rocha at the end of January, spring and summer roles have not yet been advertised, and new people will be needed to make possible the many hours of nature-focused learning lined up in 2025. It’s tempting to be worried about unknowns like these, but past years give me confidence.
God is faithful, to A Rocha and to the rest of God’s beloved world.
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