Stewardship Staff and Local Farmers Establish Field Trials and Demonstration Sites for Best Management Practices Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) Stewardship Services have wrapped up projects for the most recent funding cycle of the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health (COA). Supported by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), this two-year funding agreement aimed to further our understanding of the [...]

105 Trees Planted for Arbor Week Thamesford: Lions Park Riparian Buffer Zone Planting  On April 22nd, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) supported a planting of 55 native trees and shrubs in Lions River Park with the Thamesford Lions and the Kintore-Thamesford Scouts. Tree species planted included Swamp White Oak, Burr Oak, Tulip, and Basswood, and shrubs included Elderberry, Nannyberry, Ninebark, and Red Osier Dogwood.  The plantings were [...]

That’s a Wrap for the 2024 City Nature Challenge  The second annual City Nature Challenge has ended, and the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) was thrilled to once again be partners! Over the four days of the challenge, Londoners made 4,135 observations of species in London using iNaturalist, resulting in 3rd place in Ontario and 9th in Canada – way to go London!  To help Londoners learn how [...]

Gunn’s Hill LP Provides $20,000 for Hodge's Pond Trail Improvements in 2024 For the last nine years, the Cedar Creek Collaborative, made up of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA), County of Oxford, Stewardship Oxford, and Oxford County Trails Council, has been working on Cedar Creek enhancements, wetland building, forestry projects, and trail building on the Hodge’s Pond Property south of Woodstock. The work has been supported by a [...]

24 Years Since the Walkerton Tragedy 24 years ago, a severe bacterial contamination of municipal water in Walkerton, Ontario led to the worst public health crisis involving Canadian municipal water. The incident resulted in the deaths of seven people and caused illness in over 2,300 individuals. The Government of Ontario initiated a public inquiry into the tragic incident the following month. Conservation Ontario provided recommendations to the Walkerton inquiry [...]

UTRCA lends a hand at Children’s Water Festival  Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) staff helped out at the St Thomas Elgin Children's Water Festival which was held on May 14 through 17 at Pinafore Park in St Thomas. Approximately 3,200 students in grades 2 through 5 visited the festival to learn about water in their communities, water conservation and water science.   The Perth Children’s Water Festival will [...]

Celebrate the Medway Community Event  You are invited to a free community event taking place on Saturday, June 8th from 10 am – 2 pm at the Museum of Ontario Archaeology located at 1600 Attawandaron Road in London!  This event is geared towards all ages and is completely free to attend! Activities will include:   Free admission to the Museum of Ontario Archaeology  Community pollinator garden planting   Litter clean-up  Birds of [...]

UTRCA at Go Wild Grow Wild event  After a five-year hiatus, the Go Wild Grow Wild Green Expo was held on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at the Agriplex in London, and Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) staff participated as exhibitors.   The event was hosted by Carolinian Canada who refers to the expo as “the largest, wildest, greenest, most adventurous event series in Ontario's far South.” They unveiled their [...]

60th Anniversary of the Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network June 10th, 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP)’s Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network (PWQMN). The PWQMN measures water quality in rivers and streams across Ontario to track changes in water quality over time. Since 1964, Ontario’s Conservation Authorities, including the Upper Thames Conservation Authority (UTRCA), have worked collaboratively with PWQMN partners [...]

Landon Library Displays Student Posters about Helping Species at Risk  The grade 6 and 7 GREEN Leaders class at Tecumseh Public School chose species at risk (SAR) as their environmental issue this year. The students have been working hard at researching the different SAR in the watershed and creating informational posters to help inform the public. They would like to educate the community on the things they can do [...]