Over 400 Students Participate in the 2024 GREEN Leaders Summit

On June 4th, 糖心直播 (UTRCA) Education and Community Partnerships staff hosted 16 grade 7 and 8 classes from the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) and London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB) at Huron University College for the GREEN Leaders Student Summit. This marked the first time in GREEN Leaders history that all participating classes were able to gather in-person to learn, share, and celebrate their accomplishments as part of the program.

At the beginning of the school year, each GREEN Leaders class selects one local environmental issue on which to take action. Over the course of the year, the students learn about their chosen issue, connect with community partners, and plan an “action project” to help combat the issue in a sustainable way. This year鈥檚 issues ranged from loss of habitat and deforestation to cigarette litter. 听

On the day of the summit, student representatives from each class presented their action projects to other classes and a panel of expert partners. This year鈥檚 panelists joined us from the UTRCA, Town of Ingersoll, Township of East-Zorra Tavistock, London Environmental Network, Western University, Huron University College, Bird Friendly City, Antler River Rally, and Reforest London. After the student presentations, the classes rotated through stations of a giant scrabble game, a birds of prey show, and nature touch tables. 听

We would like to say a special thank you to the TVDSB H3ELP class and all the panelists who helped make the day a great success. Funding and support for the GREEN Leaders program was provided by the TVDSB, LDCSB, General Motors, and Huron University College.听听听听听听听听

, and check out highlights in the recap video below.

The Clean Water Act: Do You Know How Your Drinking Water Stays Clean?

Water is critical to all aspects of our lives, and it is important that we ensure there is a safe and reliable source for all our uses – now and in the future. The Clean Water Act (2006) is part of the Province of Ontario鈥檚 commitment to ensure clean, safe drinking water for all Ontarians by implementing a multi-barrier approach. Ontario鈥檚 Clean Water Act protects sources of municipal drinking water including lakes, rivers, and well water.鈥���鈥�听

The Clean Water Act sets out a framework for source protection planning on a watershed basis. A watershed is an area of land drained by a river and its tributaries into a body of water, such as a lake or river. Under the Act, Source Protection Areas were created based on the watershed boundaries of Ontario鈥檚 36 Conservation Authorities. These authorities, as watershed managers, collaborated with local stakeholders in Source Protection Committees to develop Source Protection Plans. The Upper Thames River, Lower Thames Valley, and St. Clair Region Conservation Authorities partnered to form the Thames-Sydenham Source Protection Region.鈥�鈥�听

What is Part IV of the Clean Water Act?鈥�鈥�听

Some Source Protection Plan policies follow Part IV of the Clean Water Act, which may prohibit certain activities or require Risk Management Plans to manage activities that could contaminate drinking water sources. Part IV also establishes a process for enforcing these policies to ensure that future development and building plans do not contaminate drinking water sources.鈥�鈥�

The Clean Water Act represents the first step in a series of measures the Government of Ontario has implemented to ensure Ontarians have safe and reliable municipal drinking water. To learn more about how to help keep your drinking water clean, visit the .鈥�听

By protecting the sources of your drinking water, the Clean Water Act helps ensure that your drinking water remains safe. The origin of your water matters, and by ensuring its protection, we can secure safe drinking water for now and the future.鈥�鈥�听

The WCC Live Roof 鈥� 12 Years Growing!听

When the 糖心直播 (UTRCA)鈥檚 Watershed Conservation Centre was built in 2012, a 75 m2 live roof garden was installed on either side of the sidewalk leading up to the front doors. The live roof sits on top of part of the basement of the old office building, which was retained and renovated into a storage room.听听听

The live roof is a component of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) designation that the building received. LEED is a green building certification program used worldwide. One of the requirements to achieve LEED designation is to limit the area of paved surfaces that contribute to runoff and the urban heat island effect. Live roofs are designed to absorb and retain rainwater for several hours, thus reducing peak runoff by as much as 30-50%. The green plants absorb the heat and provide cooler, moister air to the nearby concrete environment. 听

The roof was installed in modules by Live Roof Systems out of Mount Brydges.听 The modules contain about 3 inches (8 cm) of engineered growing medium (crushed stone), which supports a mix of low sedums and chives. The plants are selected for their ability to grow in these unique conditions. The sedums are drought tolerant, so do not need watering except in extreme droughts. During the summer flowering season, the flowers attract pollinators, especially bees. 听

Maintaining a live roof is not difficult, but it does require some effort and trouble shooting. Soil tests are carried out every other year and a low phosphorus fertilizer is added as needed. Ongoing weeding is important to keep the sedums and chives the dominant plants.听听听

One surprising problem we encountered was salt dieback from the use of de-icing on the sidewalk next to the Live Roof (not a problem in installations on the top of buildings).听 Now, staff shovels and salts only a narrow strip of the sidewalk, leaving the snow to block as much of the salty runoff as possible from reaching the live roof. Calcium sulphate (limestone) is added to help leach the salt.听 听

From time to time, plant dieback is noticed in various spots. This is remedied by clipping the top 1-2 inches of healthy sedum plants, and laying the clippings on the bare soil. They root where they touch the ground and continue growing and spreading. 听

The life expectancy of the live roof soil medium is 60-70 years. Thus far, the UTRCA is pleased with the performance and beauty of its live roof.听 Long live the live roof!听听听

Contact:听Cathy Quinlan, Terrestrial Biologist听

The Village Sustainable Design Challenge听

In 2023, the 糖心直播 (UTRCA) accepted official ownership of what was formerly operated as the Children鈥檚 Safety Village, located within Fanshawe Conservation Area. Since then, the UTRCA has been assessing the property and exploring possibilities for future uses of the site. 听

Over the past several months, approximately 350 students from 14 Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) schools have also been working on re-envisioning the Children鈥檚 Safety Village through 鈥淭he Sustainable Design Project.鈥� 听

Spearheaded by Destreaming Classroom Support Teachers at the TVDSB, the Sustainable Design Project was created to teach grade 6, 7, and 8 students about three key pillars of sustainability: water, waste, and energy. For the project, we created a video that showcased the former Children鈥檚 Safety Village along with the idea to make the space a centre to learn about sustainability and climate change. 听

The students were challenged to create a design for a sustainable building for the village. Through in-class discussions and open exploration, the students learned about different aspects of sustainability and how they are connected to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They designed the buildings using CAD Design programs (Tinkercad, SketchUp), Minecraft: Education Edition, and Makedo Kits to create physical models. Students then pitched their ideas to UTRCA Education and Community Partnerships staff in a virtual student conference. 听

The project was a great success and a win-win for both organizations. UTRCA staff came away with some fantastic ideas for the future of the former Safety Village and TVDSB leads were excited to be able to partner with the UTRCA to offer students an authentic and engaging learning opportunity rooted in real-world problems and experience.听

Subwatershed Celebrations a Success听

This spring, we partnered with the Friends of Medway Creek (London and Middlesex Centre) and the Mill Pond Committee (Dorchester) to bring two celebrations to these communities.

First up was Celebrate the Mill Pond on May 25 at Dreamland in Dorchester. Unfortunately, there was a lot of rain and thunderstorms that morning so we pushed the beginning of the event to 11:30 am when the weather cleared to a beautiful day. Despite the late start, over 100 people were in attendance and took part in many activities.

The community really came together and put on a fabulous event. Thanks to Rosie鈥檚 Streetery for bringing their food truck! There were many activities including:听

• Native plantings around the Mill Pond (UTRCA)听
• Yoga in the park (On the Mat Yoga)听
• Guided hike (Mill Pond Committee)听
• Community drumming circle (Sheila Horrell)听
• Garden art project 鈥� children painted stakes that were put around the plantings to offer extra protection听
• Dorchester report card information and environmental pledge booth (UTRCA)听
• Native fish and mussel demonstrations (UTRCA)听
• Archaeology dig for kids (Museum of Ontario Archaeology)听
• Beekeeping activity (Middlesex Oxford Elgin Beekeepers Association and Big Sugar Farm)听
• and more crafts, games and activities!听

听A big thank you goes out to TD Friends of the Environment for providing funding for this event!.

On June 8, Celebrate the Medway picked up the festivities at the Museum of Ontario Archaeology in London. Luckily, the rain held off, resulting in a beautiful, sunny day and an amazing turnout with close to 500 people in attendance. 听

Fifteen community partners kept visitors busy by running activities, including:

• Seed ball making (Bird Friendly London)
• Birds of prey shows (Canadian Raptor Conservancy Inc. )
• Medway Creek report cards and environmental pledge booth (Friends of Medway Creek)
• Seed science (London Children鈥檚 Museum)
• Colouring pages and button making (London Environmental Network)
• Scavenger hunt (London Public Library)
• Resist painting with natural dyes and objects (Molly Grundy)
• Clay impressions (Museum of Ontario Archaeology)
• Bug investigation sheets (Nshwaasnangong Child Care and Family Centre)
• Drumming circle (Sheila Horrell)
• Casting game (Thames River Anglers)
• Clothespin butterfly craft (Thames Talbot Land Trust)
• Guided hikes (Thames Valley Trail Association)听 听
• Aquatic species at risk and flood modelling activities (UTRCA)
• Tabletop insect investigation (Whitehills Childcare and Family Centre Fox Hollow)

Those attending could snack on treats from Oliver鈥檚 Frozen Treats, Big Bite, and Donut Diva.听Thank you to our funders for this event, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and Enbridge, for helping to bring environmental education to the Medway Creek community.

Flooding Education at Public Outreach Events

This spring, our Community Education team was out in full force, bringing flooding education to watershed residents at the City of London Emergency Preparedness Open House as well as the Western University Science Rendezvous.

The Emergency Preparedness Open House had over 2,500 attendees, mostly young families, who came out to learn about the various organizations in London that help keep the community safe and what to do in the case of an emergency. The all-day Science Rendezvous festival had over 3,000 people in attendance at Western University Alumni Stadium.

At both events, UTRCA staff used the floodplain simulator and other hands-on materials to teach the public about flooding events and the role flood structures and natural areas play in helping protect people from flooding risks. Community Education staff are happy to participate in these large events annually and connect with our watershed residents in a fun and interactive way.

Spring STEM Programming at Fanshawe Conservation Area听

This year, UTRCA Community Education staff launched a new version of their flood-related science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs for grade three and five students. The STEM programs were adapted into a full day field trip to Fanshawe Conservation Area (FCA) and included connections to the natural environment and the newly renovated classrooms in the former Children鈥檚 Safety Village.

The grade five program included a guided tour across the top of Fanshawe Dam, highlighting forces and structural engineering which thrilled students and helped set the stage for hands-on learning about flood management and protection. The grade three “Slow the Flow” program involved students in erosion and drainage experiments and used the outdoor spaces of FCA to get to know the benefits of plants and local plant species. In total, the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) supported 10 grade three and grade five classes, each with funding to attend the full-day STEM programming.听

Recently, we also launched a brand-new Watershed STEM program for grade seven and eight students. This program connects learning and activities to the UTRCA鈥檚 Watershed Report Cards and highlights potential STEM careers within conservation authorities. The program kicked off with a guided tour across the top of Fanshawe Dam, highlighting the history of flood control structures, the pros and cons of dams, and their connection to water quality. To learn more about some of the issues facing the Thames River, including pollution, students were guided through a variety of experiences including taking benthic and water quality samples, identifying species at risk, surveying native plants, and coding ozobot robots. Funding for 10 classes to attend this new program at FCA was generously provided by the TVDSB and TD Friends of the Environment.听 听

Enchanting Fireflies 听听

While not everyone is a fan of insects, there is one insect that wins the hearts of many. Fireflies enrich our lives by lighting up the night sky with their magical twinkles. Their enchanting light display sparks curiosity and captures our imaginations, but behind all this drama, there are hidden secrets of romance, deception, and death.听

First off, fireflies, or lightning bugs, are not flies nor bugs – they are beetles.鈥疶hey belong to the family Lampyridae (which means to shine) and are best known for their ability to emit light. Like other beetles, they have a pair of hardened wing cases, called elytra, with their flying wings folded beneath them. The elytra open for liftoff like wing-doors on a car, freeing their secondary wings for flight.听听

Fireflies are incredibly diverse with more than 2,000 species worldwide, including 32 found in Canada. Many species share the same habitat and you may actually have multiple species in your backyard!

The flashes are the firefly鈥檚 language of love. The twinkles you see are usually males looking for females. They flash a specific pattern while in flight, hoping a female will reply. If a female waiting in the grass or bushes likes what she sees, she responds back with a flash of her own. They will engage in this twinkling 鈥渃onversation鈥� until the male locates the female, and they mate. Each species has its own pattern of flashes (varying in colour, duration, and timing) – a code that lets individuals identify appropriate mates of the same species. By deciphering these patterns, you can determine how many species are present.

Photo credit: Jeremy Hogan, Getty Images

Fireflies have special 鈥済low鈥� organs under their abdomens that combine oxygen with a substance called luciferin to emit light. They can start or stop the glowing at any time by controlling how much oxygen is drawn in. Almost 100% of the energy from this chemical reaction is emitted as light with little heat loss, making it the most efficient light on earth.听Despite their name, some adult fireflies lack the ability to glow, and these species find a mate by using chemical signals or pheromones.听听

After the adults have finished mating and laying eggs, they die, but the magic is not over. Once the eggs hatch, fireflies can spend up to two years in the larval stage before metamorphosing into adults. The armored, grub-like young, sometimes known as glowworms, also have the ability to glow and are found in leaf litter and decaying organic matter in moist meadows and forests, and around wetlands. At night, the ground can be seen lit up like twinkling Christmas lights.听听

The larvae are formidable predators, tracking down and consuming slugs, snails, and earthworms by using neurotoxins to immobilize their prey. Some adult fireflies don鈥檛 eat at all, but others feast on nectar and pollen, providing beneficial pollinating services to flowering plants. Both the adult and larva contain a bitter defensive chemical and use their light to warn their predators, such as birds, bats, and frogs, that they are distasteful. 听

So, what about deception and death? Interestingly, the female of one group of fireflies, called鈥疨hoturis, has earned the nickname femme fatale because she lures unsuspecting males of a smaller species to their death. By mimicking the flash patterns of the other firefly species, the female entices the male towards her, and he then becomes her dinner.

Sadly, firefly populations are now threatened in North America due to light pollution and habitat loss.鈥疧utdoor lights confuse fireflies and prevent them from seeing each other鈥檚 flash patterns, leading to less reproduction. Turning off your lights at night in June and July during firefly season will ensure fireflies will continue to inspire and captivate us with their magical light displays.

Contact:听Brenda Gallagher, Forestry Technician