For the Kingston Field Naturalists, caring for nature starts with paying attention. Since 1949, the volunteer-led organization has been documenting local wildlife, leading field trips, and speaking up when important habitats are at risk. “It has been providing local information and environmental support for a long time,” says conservation committee chair Chris Hargreaves.

Hargreaves joined KFN soon after moving to Kingston in 1978, drawn by its role as a hub for local knowledge. At a time when there were few books or resources about the region’s natural history, the club’s bird checklists, Blue Bill publications and field trips offered an entry point into the landscapes around the city. Today, with about 500 members, KFN remains one of the larger environmental groups in the area, connecting seasoned naturalists, new residents, and young people who are just discovering the joy of being outdoors.

That intergenerational piece is central to their work. The club runs Junior and Teen Naturalist programs that give children and youth regular chances to experience nature firsthand. “It is mostly field trips for the kids to really just experience and fall in love with nature,” explains board member Brooke Martin, who recently joined as a young conservation biology graduate looking for others who loved birding as much as she does. Educator Shirley French visits schools and youth groups with talks and hands-on materials, while volunteer Anne Robertson leads youth programs and cares for a unique collection of preserved bird specimens that can be brought to events.

Those specimens, which include a snowy owl, crows, and other birds that would otherwise be lost after window strikes or other incidents, help people see birds up close and understand their fragility. They will be on display again for World Migratory Bird Day on May 9, when KFN will host an early morning bird walk at Lemoine Point and join partners at Lakeside Community Garden for a family-focused event with Nature Canada and Little Forests Kingston. “We are involved in the educational component,” says Hargreaves, who hopes these encounters will spark lasting curiosity in both children and adults.

Alongside public education, KFN’s conservation committee spends many hours on the less visible work of policy and advocacy. Volunteers monitor City of Kingston development applications, review proposals that affect open space and environmental protection areas and write letters or appear at council when needed. Over the years they have weighed in on issues ranging from rezoning attempts in sensitive areas to avian influenza outbreaks that killed hundreds of geese and raised concerns about local swans. When questions arise, they tap into a network of citizen scientists who are out in the field every day, gathering on-the-ground observations that can help distinguish isolated events from wider problems.

For Martin, sustainability also lives in the ordinary choices people make in their own yards. She encourages residents to reduce pesticide use, plant native flowers and grasses, and tolerate a less manicured look in gardens and lawns. “Planting native flowers is one huge thing that you can do,” she notes, explaining that declines in insect-eating birds are closely tied to the loss of insects in built-up and heavily managed landscapes. Leaving leaves and stems in place over winter, even when it looks messy, can give pollinators and other insects the shelter they need to survive and reproduce.

After 75 years, the Kingston Field Naturalists are still doing what they have always done: watching closely, sharing what they see, and inviting others to care. In a time of global environmental change, their work is a reminder that sustainability in action often starts right outside our doors, in the places we know best.