The Kingston Field Naturalists (KFN), founded in 1949, is an active, local club of more than 600 members interested in a wide variety of natural history topics.

The objectives of the club are:

1. to acquire, record and disseminate knowledge of natural history;

2. to stimulate public interest in nature and in the protection and preservation of wildlife and natural habitats;

3. to acquire, receive and hold lands for the purpose of preserving their natural flora and fauna, and to encourage and assist others to do likewise

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Photo: Jane Revell)

Barred Owl (Photo: Jane Revell)

Meetings are held by KFN every month from September through May, with speakers on a wide range of subjects. Meetings were previously held at Ongwanada on the third Thursday of each month, but now are being held by Zoom. Guest speakers have included naturalists, scientists, conservationists, and photographers.

Properties have been acquired by KFN which are designated as nature reserves and are accessible to members. These are The Helen Quilliam Sanctuary at North Otter Lake which is a 217-hectare (536 acres) property of mixed forest located on the Canadian Shield in South Frontenac Township. There are numerous walking trails with recent improvements and a map is available on the KFN website. The other property is the Martin Edwards Reserve which is a 100-hectare (247 acre) property of fields and marshland located on the southeast shore of Amherst Island.

Mourning Cloak (Photo: Jane Revell)

Conservation efforts are actively supported by KFN. Issues such as wildlife and habitat protection and environmental welfare are of ongoing concern. The Club also makes natural history resources available to the community through education programs which include field courses, talks and awards.

The KFN sponsors a thriving Junior Naturalists Club for children aged 6 to 12, designed to foster interest and understanding of natural history. Junior meetings, which have previously been held twice monthly are suspended, but there are monthly field trips still happening September through May. A teen program for youth aged 13 to 17 includes ski, canoe, and hiking trips.

KFN Teen Canoe Trip in Parrott’s Bay in September 2020 (Photo: Peter Waycik)

The Blue Bill, which is published by KFN, is a quarterly journal on all aspects of natural history (included with membership). Most members opt to receive this online.

Find out more information about KFN at:

Kingston Field Naturalists (KFN) website - https://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/

KFN Membership - https://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/membership/

KFN Outings and Events - https://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/outings/

KFN Junior and Teen Naturalist Clubs - https://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/kingston-youth-naturalists/

KFN Resources - https://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/resources/

KFN Blue Bill Newsletter - https://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/newsletters/

KFN Hike in Algonquin Park in January 2020 (Photo: Anthony Kaduck)