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 [...]

London-Middlesex Children’s Water Festival  The London-Middlesex Children’s Water Festival is back from May 9th to 12th!   Over the four-day festival, 4,000 London and Middlesex area students in Grade 2 to 5 and over 600 volunteers will be at Fanshawe Conservation Area learning all about the importance of water in their daily lives  Throughout each day, students will be able to choose from over 50 interactive and educational activity stations that center around one of the following five water-related themes: Conservation, Protection, Science, Technology, and Attitude.   Interested in participating in the Water Festival? Join us on Thursday, May 11th from 5 [...]

Gearing up for 2023 Tree Planting Season  Spring is upon us, and so the tree planting season is starting.   The first load of trees arrived on March 27th. A number of Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) staff helped to unload them as they wait to be picked up by watershed landowners. Balled and burlap conifers, 175 cm deciduous trees, and a variety of seedlings and wildlife shrubs will be planted on rural properties to help reach our target of planting and restoring 1,500 hectares by 2037.   Windbreaks, treed buffers along water courses, sensitive groundwater areas, and fragile [...]