Improvements to Kains Woods ESA   In May, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) staff constructed a new boardwalk in Kains Environmentally Significant Area (ESA) off Shore Road in London. This was to reroute the existing managed trail around severe erosion that was causing the existing boardwalk to collapse.  Staff had been monitoring the erosion for several years and, without the ability to bring in heavy machinery to restore the eroding bank, options were very limited. Staff decided to reroute the trail and rebuild the boardwalk at a safe distance from the eroding bank. They are now exploring the [...]

Rollout of the 2022 Watershed Report Cards   With the completion of the 2022 Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) Watershed Report Cards in March, 2023, staff have been spreading the word far and wide about the findings.  The launch began with a media release, with good uptake from local newspapers, radio stations and other platforms.  Staff also conducted an interview on Rogers Cable’s show “What’s up Oxford.”  Print copies were distributed to watershed libraries and are still available.  Mass emails were sent to numerous agencies, municipalities, environmental groups, educators, First Nations and other stewards of the upper Thames River [...]

UTRCA hosts London-Middlesex Children’s Water Festival  This May, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) hosted the London-Middlesex Children’s Water Festival. Over the four days of the festival, students in grades two through five came to Fanshawe Conservation Area for a fun and educational field trip to learn about the importance of water in their daily lives.   This year, we had record registration, with requests for over 11,000 students to attend the festival! Because of this enthusiastic response, we were able to accept more students than we ever have, welcoming 1,000 a day with 4,069 students over the entire festival. The festival [...]

Learning in and with Nature  How incredible to think that Fanshawe and Wildwood Education staff have been offering Nature School at the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) for three years now! The Nature School programs provide opportunities for participants to spend time in and with nature using the principles of Forest and Nature School. These principles, shared by staff that are trained Forest and Nature School Practitioners, focus on providing repeated outdoor experiences that are led by the children participating, and both play and place based.  In the fall of 2022 and spring of 2023, Child and Caregiver programs were provided at [...]

UTRCA hosts Perth Children’s Water Festival  The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) Perth Children’s Water Festival provides a hands-on learning environment for families from Perth County to discover the importance of water in their lives and communities. It is a fun and educational event that focuses on learning about water based on five themes: Conservation, Protection, Science, Technology and Attitude.   After a successful inaugural Perth Children’s Water Festival community event in Stratford last year, this year’s event was held at Lion’s Park in Mitchell on Sunday, May 28. More than 500 people attended and participated in the [...]

Rotary Club of St. Marys Tours Wildwood Dam  On May 15th, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) staff hosted members of the Rotary Club of St. Marys for a tour of Wildwood Dam. Members were very impressed with the size of the structure, its function and the maintenance required to keep it operational. Many remembered the area before the dam was built and knew former landowners. 

Collecting Climate Data to Predict Water Level Conditions The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority's (UTRCA) Water Information Management unit monitors many sources of climate and hydrometric (standardized water quantity and information) data in order to predict future water level conditions, including water levels, estimated discharge rates, rainfall rates and cumulative totals, snow depth and water equivalents (the amount of water required to consume the same amount of heat as a substance consumes for one degree rise in the temperature). The UTRCA maintains six climate stations as well as 21 rainfall rate precipitation gauges across the watershed.  Culminative rainfall is [...]

Spring Tree Planting Season for 2023  The UTRCA forestry crew had another busy but successful tree planting season with 37, 544 trees planted and distributed. About 55 landowners took advantage of the UTRCA planting services to create windbreaks, buffers along water courses, and forests in the watershed. In addition to the crew’s efforts, another 150 landowners planted on their own to increase and restore natural ecosystems on their property. The weather this spring was not always cooperative, making for interesting planting conditions. The crew began the week after Easter, which turned out to be very warm, and the staff became concerned when the [...]

Swimming Upstream!  There are now 375 more fish on fences in the north end of the watershed! This spring, students and staff from St. Joseph and St. Ambrose Catholic Schools in Stratford participated in the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA)’s Stream of Dreams program. Through science and art workshops, participants are reminded that their painted recycled, recyclable fish represent all living things and their need for clean water.   Another important takeaway that is shared in this program is that what happens on the land directly affects what happens in the water. Participants are encouraged to share what they [...]

UTRCA hosts OMAFRA for a Field Tour  Last month, Stewardship staff hosted a field tour for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). The tour highlighted innovative projects, both past and current that have been fully funded or in part by OMAFRA. The first stop was at the Thorndale Demonstration Farm to showcase a suite of Best Management Practices such as contoured controlled drainage, aimed at improving moisture retention during dry summer months, and Water and Sediment Control Basins (WASCoBs), which act to slow runoff and reduce soil erosion. The Cade Tract saturated buffer, a Temporary Land Retirement [...]