The Trumpeter Swan’s return to Ontario is one of the province’s great wildlife success stories.

For about 150 years, trumpeter swans were gone from Ontario after being heavily hunted during earlier settlement and fur trade times. Their comeback is closely linked to the work of Harry Lumsden, a dedicated Ontario biologist who helped lead the reintroduction effort beginning in 1982. Starting with eggs brought from Alberta, he worked with pond owners and volunteers to raise and release birds, helping rebuild a population that had nearly vanished. By 2010, Ontario was home to about 1,000 trumpeter swans.

Their return is also celebrated in our region. The Trumpeter Swan Sculpture, unveiled on October 12, 2001, was created through a community partnership involving the Friends of Wye Marsh, the Town of Midland, and Kindred Industries. Since 1988, trumpeter swans have once again been part of the Wye Valley, and today places such as LaSalle Park in Burlington draw visitors who come to see one of Ontario’s largest winter gatherings of these remarkable birds.

What was once lost has become a symbol of restoration, community effort, and the lasting impact of conservation.

https://www.trumpeterswansociety.org/file_download/inline/00d4bc25-aea7-4248-8023-a0beeff14b09