Cover Crop at the Thorndale Demonstration Farm (UTRCA Weekly, October 1, 2021) Earlier this year, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) established a new, 58 acre demonstration farm near Thorndale, Ontario. Since then, Conservation Services staff has been initiating projects to demonstrate various best management practices (BMPs) and showcase how they can improve soil health and local water quality. One BMP [...]

Prairie Flowers Emerging at Cade Tract (UTRCA weekly, September 24, 2021) Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) staff’s efforts to convert two hay fields at the Cade Tract to tallgrass prairie are starting to show results! This UTRCA property is located west of the Town of St. Marys, at 4695 Perth Road Line 5. The fields were seeded with a native tallgrass [...]

Saturated Buffer to Protect Water Quality (UTRCA Weekly, September 17, 2021) One of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority’s (UTRCA) strategic Environmental Targets is to establish and restore 1,500 hectares of natural vegetation cover, windbreaks, and buffers by 2037. To achieve this, staff work with landowners to target marginal lands, stream buffers, vulnerable farm fields, and other areas. Earlier this summer, the [...]

Nature School coming to Fanshawe Conservation Area! (UTRCA weekly, September 10, 2021) Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) Community Education staff are looking forward to welcoming children to Fanshawe Nature School next month! Parents can register their children online now for the six week outdoor program, which is designed to provide safe, nature-based learning through play and exploration at Fanshawe Conservation Area. [...]

St. Marys Sparling Bush Pollinator Garden (UTRCA weekly, August 27, 2021) Thanks to funding from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, hundreds of pollinator plants are now growing next to the Sparling Bush in St. Marys. Staff from the Town of St. Marys prepared the site, which included stripping the sod, bringing in topsoil, tilling, and providing mulch. Originally, the plan was [...]

Shoreline Improvements on Lake Victoria (UTRCA weekly, August 19, 2021) Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) staff took advantage of the nice weather to add some finishing touches to the latest shoreline restoration project on Lake Victoria in Stratford. Several trays of wildflower plugs, Big Bluestem plugs, and serviceberry trees were planted along the north shore of Stratford’s Lake Victoria last month. [...]