Fish Surveying in the Thames River Wet weather has made for a logistically challenging field season for our fish surveying team. The heavy rain has amounted to many days when the river water was too high and cloudy to work safely. Despite the challenging conditions, we have managed to survey a total of 69 sites in the Upper Thames River watershed, so far this year. White Sucker, Central Stoneroller, Rock Bass and Smallmouth Bass are amongst the most commonly observed fish species. Some other less commonly observed, more sensitive species, such as Northern Sunfish, Black Redhorse, Mottled Sculpin and [...]

A Staff’s Perspective: SOARR Day  On Saturday, August 17th, Scott Gillingwater and the Southern Ontario at Risk Reptiles (SOARR) team hosted an informational session on their Species at Risk program for friends and family at the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA)’s Watershed Conservation Centre (WCC).   I attended and brought my partner along. We were really looking forward to seeing the team in action and speaking about this program. With Scott leading things you feel the weighted importance and passion that drives these programs. Like similar events in the past, this day gave staff and volunteers a behind-the-scenes view [...]

O-week Tree Planting with Huron University  On Saturday, Sept 7, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) partnered with Huron University’s Orientation Week to provide over 50 first- and upper-year Huron students with a native tree and shrub planting event on campus. Together, we planted 130 large trees that, once grown, will extend the Medway Heritage Forest system that borders the campus. Trees species included Maple (Autumn Blaze, Red, Sugar) Hackberry, Bitternut Hickory, Tulip, White Spruce, Eastern White Pine, Red Oak. Shrub species planted included Nannyberry and Elderberry.  Thanks to the students for joining us to kick off their [...]

Hope and Action Climate Change Festival at Fanshawe Conservation Area  Kick off the 2024 Green in the City event series with the Hope and Action Climate Change Festival on Saturday, September 21st from 10 am – 4 pm at Fanshawe Conservation Area!  There will be something for everyone from interactive exhibits and activities by 10+ community organizations, live birds of prey shows (10:30 am, 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm), food trucks (bring cash!), test riding e-bikes, hopping on the London Police Service boat, and a whole lot more!  Interested in learning more about Fanshawe Dam? We're offering tours of this [...]

Fanshawe Conservation Area Hosts filming for Netflix Series FUBAR  The months of July and August are always busy at Fanshawe Conservation Area (FCA), but in 2024, we received an especially unique request. We were approached by representatives from a Toronto area production company to see if Fanshawe Dam and Reservoir could be used for filming portions of Season 2 for the Netflix action-comedy series FUBAR. This series features actor Arnold Schwarzenegger as a retired CIA agent called back into service, as well as Canadian actor Jay Baruchel.  After some internal discussion, it was decided that Arnold Schwarzenegger in London [...]

Celebrate the Thames at Lions River Park in Thamesford On Saturday, October 5 (rain date of October 6) from 10 am to 2 pm, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA), in partnership with the Thamesford Lions and the Indigenous Solidarity Network, will host a free, family-friendly event in Lions River Park. In addition to celebrating and learning about the Thames River, the day will provide the community with an opportunity to enjoy recent park improvements, which include new cap-stone viewing areas, fishing stairs, and native tree and shrub planting. The day will feature the following:   Lions Club BBQ [...]

Thorndale Demonstration Farm Tour  On September 5, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) stewardship staff hosted a public tour of the Thorndale Demonstration Farm, showcasing the suite of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) implemented on the farm that are aimed at improving and protecting soil health and water quality. The tour highlighted innovative drainage practices including the contoured controlled drainage system, newly installed StormTech storm water retention system, and two Water and Sediment Control Basins (WASCoBs). The tour highlighted tree and pollinator plantings as BMPs, and field management practices including crop rotations, cover cropping, and conservation tillage.   Staff shared [...]

The Multi-Barrier Approach: What goes into keeping your drinking water clean  In Ontario, most municipalities have the privilege of accessing safe and clean drinking water simply by turning on a tap. This is made possible by unique legislation designed to protect municipal drinking water from source to tap. A multi-barrier approach to ensuring water safety was introduced following the tragic Walkerton, Ontario incident in 2000. This approach aims to keep contaminated water from reaching consumers by implementing multiple layers of protection.    The multi-barrier approach involves a combination of processes and procedures to prevent and reduce contamination in drinking water. [...]

University of Guelph Field Tour Stewardship staff from the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) hosted staff from the Universities of Guelph and Waterloo as well as Environment Canada on Tuesday, August 20th to showcase a number of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) that have been implemented throughout the watershed. BMPs included in the tour were focused on erosion control and included a water and sediment control basin, a grassed waterway, a rock chute, cover crops and windbreaks. The tour started in the Medway subwatershed and continued to two farms owned by landowners who have worked in collaboration with the [...]