*Blog*

The Royal Colours of Fall

By Alice Casselman, ACER Founder and President — October 2024 To me, one of the best parts of fall is the whole new colour palette I see as I walk along roadsides and ditch-lined streets. Fall is a royal display of gold and purple – gold from goldenrod, jewelweed, and

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*New Publication*

Hot off the presses: our updated Fall Discovery Walk!

Sept. 24, 2024. Happy Fall from ACER! If you love to get outdoors to enjoy and explore the beauty of autumn, our recently updated Fall Discovery Walk might pique your interest! Discover why leaves change colour, uncover the science behind fall aromas, test your skills in identifying fall trees and

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*Event Notice*

Come Join ACER in the Great Pawpaw Parade this September!

October is Pawpaw Month, a time to celebrate the beautiful but rare pawpaw tree! This unique tree, native to Southwestern Ontario, bears the largest native fruit in North America, fruit that is edible with a custard-like texture and flavour tones of mango, banana and melon! To help kick off the

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*New Publication*

ACER Newsletter – Spring/Summer 2024

Our Spring/Summer Newsletter is Here! Download and read the PDF here today! Also, if you would like to automatically receive notifications of a new ACER newsletter issue, subscribe to our email list using the form at the bottom of any of our website pages! Note: if you are already an

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*Blog*

Celebrating World Nature Conservation Day!

Did you know that Sunday July 28 was World Nature Conservation Day? This special day recognizes the importance of the ecosystems and natural resources that sustain life on our planet. All species on Earth depend on healthy habitats to survive and grow, making it vital we protect and preserve them.

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*New Publication*

Introducing TREEVIA!

July 11, 2024: ACER is excited to announce the launch of our new TREEVIA quiz series! Test your knowledge of trees, so essential to the health of our environment, beginning with our first instalment: the TREEVIA Forest Ecology Quiz, which focuses on the biology of trees and the forest ecosystem.

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*News*

Another Successful AGM!

On Sunday, June 9, ACER held its annual general meeting of members. The meeting was virtual with many people, both members and guests, in attendance. The meeting kicked off informally with presentations by Alice Casselman, ACER Founder and President, Sadia Butt, ACER Program Manager, Jonathan Brown, GIS Coordinator for Sustainable

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*Blog*

Celebrating Pollinator Week!

June 20, 2024: Did you know that June 17-23 is Pollinator Week? Pollinator Week was initiated and is managed by Pollinator Partnership (P2), a charity founded to promote the health of pollinators through conservation, education, and research. This special week is dedicated to celebrating the vital role that pollinators play

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*Blog*

Happy International Biodiversity Day 2024!

May 22, 2024: Happy International Day for Biological Diversity! Did you know that ACER has been a pioneer in forest biodiversity monitoring in Ontario ever since the 1993 Convention on Biodiversity that arose from the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro? Over the past

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*Blog*

Happy International Mother Earth Day from ACER!

April 22, 2024: Did you know that International Mother Earth Day, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2009, has roots that go back all the way to the 1970’s? It was during the time that environmental issues started getting global attention culminating in the first ever world conference,

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*Event Notice*

Reminder: Upcoming “Get Tech Savvy” Webinar!

Join us Sunday Feb. 25 from 1:30-2:30 PM for our “Get Tech Savvy” online webinar brought to you by our Seniors Measure UP Program. Sign up to learn some tips from an expert on how to use your Apple iPhone and iPad efficiently like a pro! All are welcome to attend.

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*New Publication*

ACER Newsletter – Fall/Winter 2023

We are happy to announce that our newsletter is back! 2023 was a very productive year for ACER, and also a year of celebration of ACER’s 35th anniversary! To look inside, check it out here!

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*News*

Announcing our New Seniors Measure UP Webinar Series!

Join us this February and March for a special live webinar series designed especially for seniors as part of our Seniors Measure UP program, funded by the New Horizons for Seniors Program (Government of Canada). See below for details! All are welcome to attend. If you are interested please fill

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*News*

A Tree Planted for Alice

After 35 years of planting trees with schools and communities across Ontario, ACER founder and President Alice Casselman was celebrated this past August with a maple tree planted in her honour at Mississauga’s Fleetwood Park. At the ceremony, Mississauga City Councillors Stephen Dasko (Ward 1) and Chris Fonseca (Ward 3)

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*Blog*

The Do’s and Don’ts of Tree Mulching

November 2023 – Winter is fast approaching and replenishing the mulch around our trees ahead of winter is good practice,  to ensure its continuing benefits. Mulching adds nutrition to the soil, helps aerate it, regulates its temperature, holds in moisture, and suppresses weed growth. And, when added in the autumn,

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*News*

ACER AGM 2023 – Livestream

AGM 2023 Livestream Find out more about ACER’s successes in 2022 and the exciting plans for 2023! Click below to view our live-streamed presentation that kicked-off the 2023 Annual General Meeting on Sunday June 11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcYItHJYuoM&t=316s

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*News*

ACER Newsletter – Fall/Winter 2022

Well, we made it through another amazing year despite the persistence of COVID-19! Under the pandemic’s radar, ACER managed to plant P4C tree suites in three schoolyards; complete our federally funded Canadian Healthy Communities Initiative project in Mississauga and launch our newest Riparian Rangers initiative in the Ganaraska River watershed,

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*Blog*

SHOWCASING ONTARIO’S BEAUTIFUL, UNIQUE FALL COLOURS!

ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? IN THE BEGINNING … there were green leaves ! What makes a leaf green? Chlorophyll, of course, but there are other colours hidden all year! Chlorophyll is PACKAGED in chloroplasts each cell in each green leaf!  See them in this magnified image. The leaves

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December 2021 Newsletter

You can download the newsletter in PDF format here: From Our President – Alice Casselman It has been a challenging yet wonderful year! What we have accomplished, under Covid protocols, is really astonishing! Planting trees in Peel schoolyards and Mississauga parks, mulching and measuring in Bramalea, employing Canada Summer Jobs

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Tree Planting in Mississauga 10/16/21

This Saturday 10/16 at 10 AM, ACER is hosting a tree planting event at Applewood Heights Park in Mississauga! We’ll provide the materials, and COVID safety protocols will be in effect. RSVP today! This event is made possible by the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative grant and our partner, the City

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*Blog*

Ontario’s Own Heritage Red Oak

Written by ACER executive board member Elizabeth MacLean, with a tree planting guide by ACER founding president Alice Casselman. Ontario has its own celebrated oak tree. Known as the Heritage Red Oak, the giant tree stands near the edge of the Humber River, in the yard of a house on

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*News*

Forge Ahead with TreeTrackers.ca

Written by ACER executive board member Elizabeth MacLean. “The sky’s the limit,” said Fazal Khan in an August on-line preview presentation of the TreeTrackers.ca website to ACER Board members and friends. He was describing the potential of both the website and its creators, a team of high-school and university students hired by

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ACER AGM Presents Alumni and Reopens 2021

On June 13, just as COVID-19 restrictions reopened across Ontario ACER, the Association for Canadian Educational Resources, held its Annual General Meeting. The virtual meeting was simulcast on YouTube to a Canada-wide audience of members, Canada Summer Jobs interns, scientists and agency collaborators.  Video keynotes from two ACER interns who found career jobs

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ACER Alumni: Tyler Orsulak

Part four of ACER’s Where Are They Now? series, a celebration of our wonderful former employees, interns, volunteers, and other folks who have made our work possible. Written by ACER executive board member Elizabeth MacLean. Tyler Orsulak’s career path is looking a little straighter now — diverse strands are weaving together

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ACER Alumni: Julia Bilas

Part three of ACER’s Where Are They Now? series, a celebration of our wonderful former employees, interns, volunteers, and other folks who have made our work possible. Written by ACER executive board member Elizabeth MacLean. Julia Bilas says she always leaned toward the sciences — she grew up helping her mother

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*Closed* We are Hiring Summer Interns

** Update: May 21, 2021 — Internship positions have now been filled. Thank you for your interest! ** ACER (Association for Canadian Educational Resources) is excited to open our application process for summer interns. Positions are available in the Region of Peel. ACER’s research and activities contribute to reaching UN

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Spring Flowers: Maple Suite

With spring upon us, it’s the perfect time to explore our Spring Flowers activity suites! Start with our newest addition: the maple. Check out our activities for more ways to engage the outdoors.

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ACER Alumni: Daniel Kim

Part two of ACER’s Where Are They Now? series, a celebration of our wonderful former employees, interns, volunteers, and other folks who have made our work possible. Written by ACER executive board member Elizabeth MacLean. It’s more than 10,000 km from his birthplace in Seoul, South Korea to the office in

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ACER Alumni: Jason Weiler

Part one of ACER’s Where Are They Now? series, a celebration of our wonderful former employees, interns, volunteers, and other folks who have made our work possible. Written by ACER executive board member Elizabeth MacLean. Jason Weiler loves his work as Parks Ecologist in Calgary, where his current project is

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Sheridan Inventory Fall 2020

Tree Inventory was carried out, under COVID protocols, by 7 students Sheridan College – Davis Campus Brampton in two field teams, each of 3 members and 1 person working remotely. The field teams measured 406 trees (38 species) for analysis and mapping. The Japanese tree Lilac and Silver Maple had

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Save Toronto’s Historic Red Oak

One of Toronto’s oldest tree needs our help. The Red Oak has stood for at least 250 years, if not longer. It is formally recognized by Forest Ontario’s Heritage Tree program. In September 2019, a commemorative plaque was placed next to the tree that reads as follows: “The large red

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ACER Featured in Toronto.com Article on Outdoor Education

Andrew Palamarchuk featured ACER in an article about outdoor education in North York during COVID-19. Check out a short excerpt below: Alice Casselman, a retired science teacher and founding president of the Association of Canadian Educational Resources (ACER), said outdoor educators have now been given “a new lease on life.”

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