Walnut Toxicity  Black walnut (Juglans nigra) is a valuable native hardwood tree, found in deciduous forests in southern Ontario. The nuts are an important food source for wildlife and the wood provides valuable lumber. In a garden setting, the large fruit can be considered a nuisance, but the bigger concern is walnut toxicity. Black walnut trees produce a toxic substance, known as juglone. While many plants can tolerate the juglone and grow well near black walnuts, others are negatively impacted by even small amounts of this chemical. Many horticultural flowers and garden vegetables are prone to damage since they [...]

UTRCA Staff Participate in Young Conservation Leadership Program  The Young Conservation Leadership Program (YCP) is a year-long professional development program organized and facilitated by the Toronto Region Conservation Authority. YCP provides young professionals with essential skills required to transition into leadership roles in the conservation and environmental sectors.   Participants attend three retreats where they focus on self-development, collaboration and partnerships, and future goals as leaders. Assignments are completed throughout the year and shared at retreats where they receive valuable insights from peers. They are also required to attend four workshops to learn practical management-related skills. Some of these workshops [...]

Thames Valley Science and Engineering Fair – Conservation Award  This April, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) staff helped judge the Thames Valley Science and Engineering Fair at Brescia College in London. For the past 10 years, UTRCA staff, in conjunction with the Lower Thames Valley and Kettle Creek Conservation Authorities, have judged and presented the Conservation Award to a Junior Division (Grade 6 through 8) project that best explores the topic of conservation with a local focus. The winner of this year’s award was Layla Sawan from John Dearness Public School.  For her project, “Forest Sense,” Layla [...]

New Appointment to the Ontario Certified Crop Advisor Association Board of Directors  Tatianna Lozier, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA)’s Coordinator of Stewardship Services, has recently taken on the responsibility of representing Conservation Ontario on the Ontario Certified Crop Advisor Association (CCA) Board of Directors. Representing over 680 members across the province, the CCA provides information and expertise on crop production, crop protection, and natural resource management. This group of independent advisors plays an important role in modern agriculture. This responsibility requires a good understanding of science, food safety, technology, economics, and the environment. Crop advisors combine knowledge in [...]

Popular Library Program returns!   The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) has once again partnered with libraries in the watershed to offer park passes to library patrons. Using their library card, patrons can “check out” a day pass to gain access to Fanshawe, Pittock, and Wildwood Conservation Areas.    “We’re really happy with the partnerships we’ve developed with the libraries within our watershed. Providing day passes to them for their patrons to borrow allows us to increase access to our Conservation Areas which is an important goal for us,” says Damian Schofield, Conservation Areas Coordinator.    Participating libraries include:   Central London [...]

2024 Rural Landowner Workshop Well Received in Embro A very successful Landowner Workshop was held this year in Embro on Thursday, March 21st. Paul Mitchell, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) Board Member and Zorra Township Councilor, welcomed everyone to the event. The speaker line-up included: Dave Green from Greenholm Farms who spoke about his nearby dairy operation, highlighting cover crops, soil health, minimum/strip tillage, crop rotations, and erosion control structures as vital to maintaining soil health, productivity, and environmental protection. Dave also explained how an on-farm methane digester uses farm and commercial inputs to provide green power to [...]

Tree flowering time is here! Spring is here and that means flowering season for most of our native trees and shrubs. While all trees and shrubs produce flowers with male and female parts, not all produce showy blossoms with petals and sepals that catch our eyes. Some species hold their male and female parts in the same flower (called perfect flowers), others have their male parts (pollen flowers) and female parts (seed flowers) on different trees (e.g., ashes and willows) or different parts of the same tree (e.g., oaks and birches). Generally, plants are either insect pollinated or wind [...]

Spring Cleaning and Safe Drinking Water As sunny days and warmer temperatures are on the rise, it's spring cleaning time! While it is great to get your house clean, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) wants to remind everyone to keep the drinking water in the UTRCA’s Source Protection Area clean too. Make sure to choose non-toxic chemicals and dispose of hazardous chemicals at your municipality's hazardous waste disposal depot. Take extra precaution that any hazardous chemicals do not end up going down the drain. Some household products must be stored and handled very carefully, as they may [...]