Conservation Field Day at UTRCA’s Thorndale Demonstration Farm (UTRCA weekly, November 12, 2021) On Wednesday, November 3, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) staff hosted a Conservation Field Day for the public at the UTRCA’s Thorndale Demonstration Farm. This 58 acre farm demonstrates various best management practices (BMPs) and showcases how to improve soil health and local water quality. Brad Glasman, UTRCA Manager of Conservation Services, explained that, “The Thorndale Demonstration Farm is intended to demonstrate agricultural BMPs and showcase how they can improve soil health, water quality, and productivity. The goal is to provide examples of a suite [...]

Climate Change Tree Trial Produces First Seed Crop (UTRCA weekly, November 5, 2021) The Oxford County Bur Oak Climate Change Trial is a partnership between the Forest Gene Conservation Association, Oxford County, and the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA). Located at the Salford Waste Management Facility, the site has Bur Oak trees from local sources, as well as from Pennsylvania and Tennessee. The project is testing the theory that as our climate continues to warm, trees from more southern locales will perform better than our local trees, as they are better adapted to a warmer climate. This year, [...]

Perth Children’s Water Festival shifts online (UTRCA weekly, October 29, 2021) The Perth Children’s Water Festival Committee is excited to share virtual opportunities and resources with classes across Perth County. Linda Smith, Water Festival Coordinator at the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA), says, “We look forward to providing fun and interactive activities that will connect students to local organizations and educational materials and help them better understand the functions and importance of water.” Each month, from October to April, a new Google activity slide will be released, featuring links to fun and educational activities. Teachers will receive access [...]

Nature Nearby Program launches this weekend (UTRCA weekly, October 22, 2021) Community Education staff from the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) are launching a new Nature Nearby program! This free program creates opportunities for families to spend time in and with nature, in their local communities. Staff will lead Nature Nearby programming in various watershed locations on one Saturday per month throughout the fall season. The first sessions are this Saturday, October 23 in Mitchell, St. Marys, and Stratford. Click on the links below for details and to register: Nature Nearby in Mitchell Nature Nearby in St. Marys [...]

Tree Power comes to Perth South (UTRCA weekly, October 15, 2021) London Hydro, Festival Hydro (Stratford), and now Perth South have all adopted the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority’s (UTRCA) Tree Power program! The Tree Power concept was initiated in 2011 by Bill Kunz, an employee of London Hydro. The goal was to encourage homeowners to plant shade trees to help reduce home energy consumption and fight climate change. Today, this goal is more important than ever. Residents of Perth South were able to order their choice of five native hardwood tree species: American sycamore, basswood, red maple, swamp [...]

Memorial Forest programs continue through pandemic (UTRCA Weekly, October 8, 2021) The Memorial Forest program provides a natural, lasting tribute to loved ones. The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) is involved in five memorial forests across the watershed: London, St. Marys, Thames Centre, Thamesford/Zorra Township, and Woodstock. Last spring, UTRCA staff helped to establish a new memorial garden in Monkton in partnership with the Municipality of North Perth. The family of the deceased receives an “In Memorium” card notifying them that a tree will be planted in memory of their loved one. The cost varies depending on [...]

Cover Crop at the Thorndale Demonstration Farm (UTRCA Weekly, October 1, 2021) Earlier this year, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) established a new, 58 acre demonstration farm near Thorndale, Ontario. Since then, Conservation Services staff has been initiating projects to demonstrate various best management practices (BMPs) and showcase how they can improve soil health and local water quality. One BMP project saw a cover crop planted into a soybean field this fall. Typically, a cover crop would be planted after the fall harvest. In this case, though, the existing soybean crop will be harvested late, because its [...]

Prairie Flowers Emerging at Cade Tract (UTRCA weekly, September 24, 2021) Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) staff’s efforts to convert two hay fields at the Cade Tract to tallgrass prairie are starting to show results! This UTRCA property is located west of the Town of St. Marys, at 4695 Perth Road Line 5. The fields were seeded with a native tallgrass prairie mix in September 2020. Many prairie grasses and flowers concentrate their energy into root growth for the first year or two, so annual weeds are often seen first. In early September 2021, the field in the [...]

Saturated Buffer to Protect Water Quality (UTRCA Weekly, September 17, 2021) One of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority’s (UTRCA) strategic Environmental Targets is to establish and restore 1,500 hectares of natural vegetation cover, windbreaks, and buffers by 2037. To achieve this, staff work with landowners to target marginal lands, stream buffers, vulnerable farm fields, and other areas. Earlier this summer, the UTRCA installed a saturated buffer to protect water quality, on a property near St. Marys. The project is funded by the Canada-Ontario Agreement through the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Staff chose this UTRCA-owned site [...]

Nature School coming to Fanshawe Conservation Area! (UTRCA weekly, September 10, 2021) Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) Community Education staff are looking forward to welcoming children to Fanshawe Nature School next month! Parents can register their children online now for the six week outdoor program, which is designed to provide safe, nature-based learning through play and exploration at Fanshawe Conservation Area. Fanshawe Nature School will have three, age-based streams: Owls & Owlets (2-5 years old with caregivers): Tuesday mornings, 9:30 - 11:30 am beginning October 19 for 6 weeks Sparrows (5-8 years old, drop off program): Tuesday [...]