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Meet our New Chair  At its Annual General Meeting, the ÌÇÐÄÖ±²¥ (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 [...]

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 [...]

Rural Landowners Discuss Conservation Projects at Workshops in Ilderton and Mitchell  ÌÇÐÄÖ±²¥ (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 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 [...]

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, [...]

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 [...]

Controlled Drainage - Area Landowners Taking Interest  The ÌÇÐÄÖ±²¥ (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 [...]

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 [...]

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 ÌÇÐÄÖ±²¥ (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 [...]