Conservation group is delighted to be sponsoring swim and giving back to community
GUELPH – Wildlands League, a leading conservation group in Canada, is sponsoring a free public swim with the City of Guelph at Victoria Road Recreation Centre this coming Sunday, January 25, 2026 in collaboration with Urban Park Guelph and The Arboretum.
It’s part of a free family event called Celebrate Nature in Guelph that starts at 2:30pm with a free public swim beginning at 3:15pm. There will also be free temporary tattoos, sweets, sandwiches and more! The event will have a special emphasis on the community park on the former reformatory lands and The Arboretum.
“Guelphites treasure their rivers and natural spaces,” says Anna Baggio, Conservation Director for the group and Guelph resident. “We wanted to put on this fun event to celebrate our incredible natural heritage and to give back to the community,” Baggio added. This event is one of several being planned in Guelph over the coming years and builds on a road ecology workshop the group hosted last fall talking about roads and how to mitigate the impacts of roads on wildlife in the city.
Wildlands League will also be showcasing a new 5’ x 5’ regional floor map. From Niska Road to the proposed National Urban Park, and from Ignatius Jesuit Centre to Preservation Park, the map illustrates how nature spots in Guelph connect to each other within a larger ecosystem and how the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
“We just developed a new map product for Guelph, so I got to study the area in more detail. The potential for nature conservation is truly exciting,” says Dave Pearce, Senior Forest Conservation Manager for Wildlands League.
P. Brian Skerrett of Urban Park Guelph noted that, “Recent news of the City buying Clythe Creek to widen York Rd., and its plan to include development in a ‘Conservation Plan’ for the Reformatory Heritage District, only illustrates how much pressure our natural heritage is under. This is a great chance to celebrate our natural spaces and learn about the pressures they are facing.”
“We are happy to host a table to share some of what makes The Arboretum such a special part of Guelph’s Natural Heritage System,’ says Justine Richardson, Director of the University of Guelph Arboretum. “The Arboretum is internationally accredited at the highest level. We aim to conserve biodiversity and connect people to nature through research, teaching and learning, and campus and community engagement,” adds Richardson.
Wildlands League is one of the supporters of the initiative to create a National Urban Park in the city. “Whether it’s to walk your dog, have a family picnic, fish or just spend time in nature away from the hustle and bustle of life, we want to make sure the community park on the reformatory lands will be there for always for Guelphites and part of our amazing natural heritage system in Guelph,” says Baggio.
“Even if people aren’t swimming, they are invited to attend on Sunday and explore tables and nibbly bits and share their stories about Guelph’s amazing natural heritage”, says Baggio.
Canada has pledged more urban protection and ecological corridors as part of protecting 30% of Canada and halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030. To achieve this, Wildlands League’s Nature Connectivity Project encourages building nearby networks of protected nature. Guelph has a lot of potential and Wildlands League is delighted to be working here as part of its Nature Connectivity Project in southern Ontario.
For more information, please contact Anna Baggio, Conservation Director, Wildlands League at 416-453-3285 and visit celebratenatureguelph.ca.
