Over 400 Students Participate in the 2024 GREEN Leaders Summit On June 4th, 2024 Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) Education and Community Partnerships staff hosted 16 grade 7 and 8 classes from the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) and London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB) at Huron University College for the GREEN Leaders Student Summit. This marked the first time in GREEN Leaders history that all participating [...]

The Clean Water Act: You Know How Your Drinking Water Stays Clean? Water is critical to all aspects of our lives, and it is important that we ensure there is a safe and reliable source for all our uses - now and in the future. The Clean Water Act, 2006 is part of the Province of Ontario’s commitment to ensure clean, safe drinking water for all Ontarians by implementing a [...]

The WCC Live Roof – 12 Years Growing!  When the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA)’s Watershed Conservation Centre was built in 2012, a 75 m2 live roof garden was installed on either side of the sidewalk leading up to the front doors. The live roof sits on top of part of the basement of the old office building, which was retained and renovated into a storage room.    The [...]

The Village Sustainable Design Challenge  In 2023, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) accepted official ownership of what was formerly operated as the Children’s Safety Village, located within Fanshawe Conservation Area. Since then, the UTRCA has been assessing the property and exploring possibilities for future uses of the site.   Over the past several months, approximately 350 students from 14 Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) schools have [...]

Subwatershed Celebrations a Success  This spring, we partnered with the Friends of Medway Creek and the Mill Pond Committee to bring two celebrations to these communities. First up was Celebrate the Mill Pond on May 25 at Dreamland. Unfortunately, there was a lot of rain and thunderstorms that morning so we pushed the beginning of the event to 11:30 am when the weather cleared to a beautiful day. Despite the [...]

Flooding Education at Public Outreach Events This spring, our Community Education team was out in full force, bringing flooding education to watershed residents at the City of London Emergency Preparedness Open House as well as the Western University Science Rendezvous. The Emergency Preparedness Open House had over 2,500 attendees, mostly young families, who came out to learn about the various organizations in London that help keep the community safe [...]

Spring STEM Programming at Fanshawe Conservation Area  This year, our Community Education staff launched a new version of their flood-related science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs for grade three and five students at Fanshawe Conservation Area (FCA). The STEM programs were adapted into a full day field trip at FCA and included connections to the natural environment and utilized the newly renovated classrooms within the former Children’s Safety [...]

Enchanting Fireflies    While not everyone is a fan of insects, there is one that seems to win the hearts of many. Fireflies enrich our lives by lighting up the night sky with their magical twinkles. Their enchanting light display sparks curiosity and captures our imaginations, but behind all this drama, there are hidden secrets of romance, deception, and death.  First off, fireflies, or lightning bugs, are not flies [...]