Community Science project expands to Stratford (UTRCA weekly, July 14, 2021) On Tuesday, July 13, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) installed a rain gauge at the Stratford Perth Museum as part of the new Community Precipitation Monitoring Project. “The Stratford Perth Museum is so proud to partner with the UTRCA on a number of projects, including this one,” said Stratford Perth Museum General Manager John Kastner. “Like the UTRCA, the museum is very mindful of our environmental and community responsibilities and this ongoing partnership certainly augments and enables the museum’s holistic use of our property.” The [...]

Thorndale Demonstration Farm Update (UTRCA weekly, July 8, 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. There are several water and soil management practices being undertaken on the property. Craig Merkley, Conservation Services Specialist, says that, “The BMPs include broad based and narrow based berms, blind inlets, stand pipe inlets, and a rock chute. We’ve installed windbreaks along the [...]

"Water is Life" Initiative (UTRCA Weekly, July 2, 2021) The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) recently partnered with the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board (HPCDSB) to bring the Water Is Life initiative to elementary schools in the watershed. This great collaboration has created opportunities to integrate Outdoor and Indigenous Education and continue building relationships among groups. Inspired by the book “The Water Walker” by Joanne Robertson, the UTRCA created digital resources for students from Kindergarten to grade eight. These resources include a reading of the book by the author herself, presentations, videos, a catalog of resources that exhibit [...]

GREEN Leaders Program and Virtual Student Summit (UTRCA weekly, June 24, 2021) Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) Community Partnerships and Education staff launched a virtual version of the UTRCA’s GREEN Leaders Program in January. This June, more than 400 grade 7 and 8 students, along with the grade 10 H3ELP class (Head, Heart, Hands Environmental Leaders’ Project), completed this program and had the opportunity to become youth environmental leaders and implement sustainable solutions to local environmental issues. The program was offered to students in the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), thanks to generous funding provided by the [...]

London named Bird Friendly City (UTRCA weekly, June 17, 2021) London was recently named one of the first four Canadian cities to be officially certified as a Bird Friendly City by Nature Canada! The other three certified cities are Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary. Nature Canada’s criteria for a Bird Friendly City outline how cities can ensure they keep birds safe; protect and increase bird habitat; as well as offer educational opportunities in their communities. London's Bird City Team celebrated World Migratory Bird Day on May 8. Staff from the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) organized and hosted two [...]

Cade Tract provides outdoor recreation (UTRCA weekly, June 3, 2021) Barnby Cade and his family donated a 32 ha (78 acre) Perth South property to the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) in 2016. The UTRCA opened the Cade Tract to the public in 2019 for hiking and a controlled deer hunt in December. The property includes floodplain meadows, a mature maple woodlot, and a hawthorn thicket on the valley slope. Since acquiring the property, the UTRCA has completed several projects including tree, prairie, and wildflower planting as it works to naturalize the property. Perth County has the lowest [...]

Upper Thames watershed experiencing dry spring (UTRCA weekly, May 28, 2021) May 28, 2021 - On May 11, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) issued a media release indicating that the watershed is experiencing Level 1 Low Water conditions, according to the UTR Low Water Response Team. The Level 1 advisory is part of a three-tiered system used in Ontario to inform the public of local low water conditions. “We evaluate low water conditions by looking at several indicators, including precipitation and stream flows,” said Mark Helsten, UTRCA Senior Water Resources Engineer. The watershed received an average of [...]

UTRCA partners with local Libraries (UTRCA weekly, May 20, 2021) May 20, 2021 - Once again, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) Conservation Areas Unit is giving library patrons the opportunity to visit our parks. The UTRCA has provided 2021 Season Vehicle passes to the St. Marys Public Library, Stratford Public Library, London Public Library, and Childreach Lending Library in London. The latter two locations are new partnerships this year. The passes provide day use access to Wildwood, Fanshawe, and Pittock Conservation Areas, and can be signed out similar to a library book. This initiative began in 2019 with [...]

UTRCA launches new Community Science projects (UTRCA weekly, May 13, 2021) On May 11, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) launched two new community science projects aimed at involving local residents in collecting useful environmental information about the watershed. The new Community Nature Project (see video) encourages people to make observations about the animals and plants they see in the watershed and log them using the iNaturalist Canada platform. iNaturalist is an on-line platform where participants can record and share biodiversity information, learn more about their local environment, and connect with other naturalists. Linda Smith and her [...]

UTRCA helps mark World Migratory Bird Day (UTRCA weekly, May 6, 2021) May 6, 2021 - The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) is a partner in the newly fledged London Bird Team, which aims to protect and celebrate migratory birds. The team’s initial focus is on getting the City of London officially certified as a Bird Friendly City by Nature Canada. The London Bird Team is also hosting events to mark the first World Migratory Bird Day to be celebrated in London on Saturday, May 8. The theme is “Sing, Fly, Soar - like a Bird! See below [...]