Fonds consists of textual and visual materials created and received by Dorney over the course of his career, including drafts and reprints of most of his published writings, teaching and course materials, audio-visual materials, framed items, ephemera and realia. Of interest is an original map by Dorney which attempts to reconstruct the original vegetation patterns in North Dumfries Township in Waterloo County in the 19th century. Dorney's collection of slides is particularly significant in its documentation of natural vegetation, urban impact and areas of ecological interest both locally and elsewhere and includes extensive documentation of the "mini-forest" at his home at 124 Amos Ave. in Waterloo.

Material relating to the career of H.N.B. Hynes, from his work as a student at the University of London in the late 1930s through his time as a professor of biology at the University of Waterloo until his retirement in the 1980s. Includes material relating to his work on stoneflies in the British Isles, his work for the British government in Trinidad and East Africa, his time at the University of Liverpool including work on river pollution, and his career at the University of Waterloo, including his sabbaticals in Australia.

Fonds includes notebooks containing field notes, ms. and ts. notes, publications authored by Hynes and by others, reports, correspondence, maps, and photographs.