Get Ready for Adventure — Conservation Areas Open on May 1st! Fanshawe, Pittock, and Wildwood Conservation Areas (CAs) will be open from May 1st to Oct 15th, 2023. The possibilities for adventure are endless with hiking and biking trails, camping, fishing, boating, sports, picnic shelters, and special events.   Fanshawe Conservation Area Fanshawe CA offers 24 km of hiking trails including the Lake Trail (20 km). As the name suggests, the Lake Trail loops around Fanshawe Lake and is an excellent spot for mountain biking. Park visitors are also able to rent canoes and kayaks to paddle across the lake.   [...]

UTRCA Marks Earth Day  The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) will be participating in several events this Earth Day on Saturday, April 22 including:  Earthfest 2023  Celebrate, learn and connect through art, music, games and exploration. Hear from experts on everything from e-bikes to green bins, and so much more.  The UTRCA will be setting up interactive and informational displays as part of the Earthfest Festival's WaterZone (situated at the water fountain in Citi Plaza). Visitors will be able to play in our virtual sandbox, watch a flood plain simulation, find where they live in Thames river watershed, and [...]

The Power of Trees!  It was no joke when Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) staff worked together with volunteers from Festival Hydro to hand out 300 trees to the public in Stratford on Saturday, April 1st (April Fools) for the Festival Hydro Tree Power Program.  This partnership started in 2021 and has allowed Festival Hydro customers an affordable chance to get native hardwood trees for their property. The species of trees offered were as follows: maple, paper birch, hackberry, black cherry, red oak, basswood or tulip tree. UTRCA and Festival Hydro are very excited to provide this opportunity as tree planting provides many environmental benefits including reduced cooling costs, clean air promotion, [...]

Meet our New Chair  At its Annual General Meeting, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) held elections for its 2023 Board including its new Chair, Mayor of Ingersoll, Brian Petrie. Brian was previously Vice Chair and answered some questions about his new role.  How will you approach your new role as Board Chair?  My approach will be towards ensuring the business of the Board is dealt with in an orderly manner and that staff are given clear direction after healthy discussions of the topics before us. I want to foster a collaborative atmosphere for members, where everyone contributes to their fullest [...]

River Safety Program Celebrates 25 Years!  The River Safety Program, and its beloved characters, Splish and Splash, celebrate 25 years of raising awareness about being safe around water.  Each year, Upper Thames River Conservation Area (UTRCA) Community Education staff present important water safety and water systems messages through a series of interactive activities. Throughout the years, this program has been adapted to reflect changing curriculum, class sizes, technology, and inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge. The program even went virtual during COVID-19 restrictions when staff were not able to attend classrooms.  Thanks to sponsorship from service clubs and community groups, over [...]

Rural Landowners Discuss Conservation Projects at Workshops in Ilderton and Mitchell  Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) Stewardship Services staff joined colleagues from the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Area, Maitland Valley Conservation Area, and St. Clair Region Conservation Area in hosting two landowner workshops. One was held in Ilderton on March 21st, and the other in Mitchell on March 23rd.   Both workshops featured community members speaking about their experiences with conservation projects, and Conservation Authority (CA) experts and extension staff outlining landowner opportunities for their properties.   Len Duynisveld a Thames Centre poultry producer and cash crop farmer, provided details on [...]

Conservation Areas – Opening Preparations for the 2023 Conservation Areas Operating Season  With the longer days and warmer temperatures of spring comes a familiar reminder for conservation area (CA) staff: May 1st opening day is getting closer. While eyes are focused on opening day, there are many steps required to get Fanshawe, Pittock and Wildwood CAs ready for opening day.  During February and March, we focus on recruitment which is crucial as we cannot operate our CAs without seasonal staff. CA Supervisors began working with Human Resources and Marketing staff to get the various seasonal positions posted and advertised. It should be [...]

World Water Day   March 22 was World Water Day and the Friends of Medway Creek were excited to partner with the Museum of Ontario Archaeology to lead a guided hike!  With some muddy paths in the Medway Valley Heritage Forest, the hike shifted to a paved path just outside of the museum, along Snake Creek. Guests of all ages braved the cold to learn more about local water systems, natural heritage, winter tree identification, and bird identification. We even saw a muskrat going to and from his home in Snake Creek.   Later in the evening, the Museum of [...]

ONFARM program  The four-year On-Farm Applied Research and Monitoring (ONFARM) program wrapped up in February. This program supported soil health and water quality research across Ontario and included work by the Upper Thames Region Conservation Authority (UTRCA).   This project supported year-round water quality monitoring in the Upper Medway and North Kettle watersheds.   Water quality monitoring was completed at edge-of-field sites to better understand the impact of agricultural best management practices on water quality. In addition, UTRCA staff worked with the University of Guelph to collect information on land management practices to better predict how agricultural best management practices [...]

Controlled Drainage - Area Landowners Taking Interest  The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) has been actively involved in controlled drainage projects over the past several years.   What is controlled drainage? In much of Southwestern Ontario, crops grown on fine-textured and poorly drained soils require artificial drainage for optimum crop production. A dual-purpose subsurface drainage system can drain away excess water in wet periods and hold water for crop use in dry periods. Additionally, holding water in the soil profile can help keep some nutrients from escaping through the tile system. Controlled drainage utilizes in-line water level control gates [...]