Christopher Murray

The London Area Wildlife Network was a vision brought to life by Wildlife enthusiast Christopher Murray who simply saw an opportunity to start sharing the birds, animals, insects, fish, and reptiles living in London’s nature rich Forest City.

As an amateur wildlife photographer Christopher felt that bringing people together and closer to Nature would create something positive to focus on in 2020 with all of the uncertainty and change everyone was feeling and experiencing.

The network started in April 2020 as a Facebook group called London Amateur Wildlife Nature and was later renamed London Area Wildlife Network to better represent the purpose for the group. The mission was and still is to provide a place for Londoner’s and those in the surrounding towns and cities with a place to share their passion for the local wildlife and nature they experience and enjoy every day.

With a focus on staying at home for periods of time throughout the pandemic lots of emphasis has been placed on loving where you live, and many posts have revolved around creating a forest around your home that invites the creatures that bring us comfort. The correlation between being outdoors and experiencing the connection that human beings have with nature is an activity that supports both mental and physical wellbeing.  When we couple the positive advantages of social media with people who are passionate about nature we can stay connected with a positive and healthy activity. 

As an amateur photographer with a passion for moments in nature Christopher Murray called the network L.A.W.N. When the group started we were all suppose to stay at home but could still enjoy our front and back lawn during the social distancing. We stayed connected through social media and then started to connect on the local trails surrounding our famous Thames River which is home to an endless amount of animals, fish, birds, insects, and reptiles which are all showcased on the London Area Wildlife Network’s gallery thanks to all of our members. 

 Christopher continues to share his passion with a growing membership of over 600 local wildlife photographers and nature fans on Facebook through everyone’s photography at our homes and on the trails. He is the Founder and Chief Administrator for the group ensuring the members can belong to something that is fun, informative, and family friendly. 

Christopher would like to extend his gratitude to the local businesses that have supported L.A.W.N. He would like to acknowledge his appreciation to Hoskin Feed & Country Store, Indigo Books, XTR Fuels & Westside Variety, Jason Gems, and Knottypine Wood Turning for all of their sponsorship. These local businesses have recognized the value of the London Area Wildlife Network’s vision and have provided prizes to award to our members for monthly and yearly contests. A special thanks to Morgan Woods for designing and building me a sign for my home which is also known as L.A.W.N. Headquarters. 

Thanks to all of this support the group has been able to run without a budget and is free to all members.

We look forward to sharing our passion with you!

It’s in our Nature.