The Elgin Nature Club, the forerunner of the St. Thomas Field Naturalist Club had its first meeting on March 21st, 1941. This group was originally comprised of 16 men, but had to disband in January of 1943 because most of the men had enlisted to fight overseas during World War II. However, due to a great amount of interest, the Elgin Nature Club was reformed under the name St. Thomas Field Naturalist Club on September 29, 1950.
Over the next several years, club membership grew steadily and by 1954 the club boasted a membership of 20 junior members and 120 family memberships. As their membership grew, the St. Thomas Field Naturalist Club began to become more involved with community outreach and conservation efforts. The Club promoted their activities and programs with various projects and displays located throughout the town. In 1956, the club also took the steps to designate Hawk Cliff, near Port Stanley, as a hawk watching point and in 1958, the St. Thomas Field Naturalist Club hosted the Federation of Ontario Naturalists.
The first bird census was completed on December 26, 1961 and 58 different bird species were recorded. The Christmas Bird Census continues to the present and the fonds includes census records until 2000. By the end of the decade, members of the St. Thomas Field Naturalist Club, William G Stewart and Lorne James, had published The Flora of Elgin County and the executive noted that the public was beginning to heed their concerns about the environment. In his 1971 President’s Message, Max Alton wrote that the St. Thomas Field Naturalist Club members must be aware of several important themes which included: population control, growth, the urban environment, waste and recycling, enjoyment of the environment, preservation and restoration of the environment and political action.
In January of 1972, the St. Thomas Field Naturalist Club established the Conservation Committee to alert people to environmental problems throughout Ontario and to support projects established by the Federation of Ontario Naturalists. A decade later, in 1982, the Constitution of the St. Thomas Field Naturalist Club was revised and it included as its objectives to “acquire and disseminate knowledge of natural history, to protect and preserve wildlife, to stimulate public interest in nature, its preservation and the protection of the environment”. In 1986, the club had a membership of 34 singles and 54 families. Two years later, the club was incorporated and by 1997 membership had grown again to include 52 singles and 87 families.
1993 saw another revision to the St. Thomas Field Naturalist Club’s Constitution but it maintained the previous objectives. From 1993 until 2000 the St. Thomas Field Naturalist Club continued its work within the community by completing projects and providing programs and services to the people of South Western Ontario.