Tree Power sales continue 听

Tree Power programs are currently underway in three municipalities in the watershed. The 糖心直播 (UTRCA) is running the program in London, Stratford and West Perth and offering $25 trees to residents living in those municipalities. Details about current tree sales are:

• The first West Perth Tree Power in partnership with the Municipality! Tree pick up will be Saturday, April 6. Order here:听West Perth Tree Power
• London Hydro Tree Power tree pick up is on Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6. Order here:听London Hydro Tree Power
• Festival Hydro Tree Power tree pick up is on Saturday, April 13. Order here:听Festival Hydro Tree Power in Stratford

Purchase yours today!听

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UTRCA Board 2024 Elections 听

The 糖心直播 (UTRCA) Board of Directors held this year's elections at its meeting on January 30. Brian Petrie, Mayor of Ingersoll, returns for a second year as Board Chair. After his election, Petrie shared, "I would like to thank my fellow Board Members for giving me this opportunity to serve as Chair for another year. I am extremely proud to be able to work with this great group of individuals to provide our amazing staff with the tools needed to reach the goals of the Authority and our watershed partners! I would like to welcome Dean Trentowsky to the Vice Chair role and express my deepest thanks to Sandy Levin for his efforts in the role during the past year."听

Dean Trentowsky, Deputy Mayor of West Perth, is the new Vice Chair, replacing Sandy Levin, citizen representative from the City of London. Trentowsky looks forward to the role, sharing, "Thank you to the Board and Staff for their continued co-operation and assistance during the past year. I look forward to working together with everyone in the year coming up. The organization faces many challenges in 2024. Let's all put our best effort forward to meet these challenges. In doing so, let's discover the opportunities that can be realized through challenges, and let's demonstrate the value of the organization to our member municipalities."听

Other elections included:听

Hearing Committee听听

• Brian Petrie, Mayor of Ingersoll听
• Dean Trentowsky, Deputy Mayor of West Perth听
• Paul Mitchell, Township of Zorra Councillor听
• Sandy Levin, City of London citizen representative听
• Mark Schadenberg, City of Woodstock Councillor听

Finance and Audit Committee听听

• Brian Petrie, Mayor of Ingersoll听
• Dean Trentowsky, Deputy Mayor of West Perth听
• Paul Mitchell, Township of Zorra Councillor听
• Sandy Levin, City of London citizen representative听
• Harj Nijjar, Deputy Mayor of Stratford听

Source Water Protection Striking Committee/Committee Liaison听听

• Sandy Levin, City of London citizen representative听

We would like to thank the members who are stepping down from their board or committee positions for their contributions.听

The 17 municipalities within the upper Thames River watershed appoint representatives to the UTRCA Board of Directors. The members represent the local urban and rural communities, deciding policies and programs that will lead to a healthy watershed. For more information on the UTRCA Board, including meeting recordings听visit our website here.

New Spring Extended Season at Fanshawe and Wildwood Conservation Areas听

Based on the success of the extended season in fall 2023, the 糖心直播 (UTRCA) has added an extra four weeks of day-use access to Fanshawe and Wildwood Conservation Areas (CAs) this spring. Effective Monday, April 1st, the extended season will run until Tuesday, April 30th.听听

"We received such great feedback about the extended season this past fall, we wanted to add one to the spring season. We have been seeing a steady increase in day-use visitors to our Conservation Areas, and many of these guests have expressed that they would appreciate having amenities available for a greater number of weeks through the year," shares Damian Schofield, Conservation Areas Coordinator with the UTRCA.听

Amenities offered to visitors during this extended season will include:听听

• Customer service staff on site,听
• Washroom facilities,听
• Access to hiking and biking trails,听
• Access to Fanshawe and Wildwood reservoirs for canoeing and kayaking (pending reservoir conditions),听
• Access to day-use areas including a playground, BBQs, picnic areas, and green space, and听
• Access to Fanshawe and Wildwood reservoirs boat launch (pending reservoir conditions).听

A reduced vehicle day pass fee of $10 (up to four people), or a reduced pedestrian/cyclist day pass fee of $5 for those walking or biking will be charged during this extended season.听听

Hours of Operation will be as follows:听

• Fanshawe CA听

• • Daily: 7 am to 4 pm听
  • Dam gate will be closed at 4 pm daily听

• Wildwood CA听

• • Daily: 7 am to 4 pm听
  • Gate to day-use will be closed at 4pm daily听

Visitors can also purchase a 2024 Seasons Pass Mirror Hanger at the Conservation Area Gatehouse or听

Contact:听

Damian Schofield, Conservation Areas Coordinator听

519-451-2800 ext. 312听

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UTRCA at the London Farm Show听

The 糖心直播 (UTRCA) has had a booth at the annual London Farm Show for over 50 years. This year, our booth showcased a range of topics including the Thorndale Demonstration Farm, Drinking Water Source Protection, Water Quality Monitoring, Fish of the Thames, and Agricultural Resiliency. Additionally, forestry staff collaborated with other Southwestern Conservation Authorities at the neighbouring booth to jointly promote tree planting programs. With over 20,000 visitors annually, this show serves as a valuable opportunity for UTRCA staff to connect with local landowners, industry experts and other exhibitors.听

For more photos,听 听

Do you know what's in your water?听听

The 糖心直播 made a notable appearance at the London Farm Show during the first week of March. Representing Thames-Sydenham and Region, our Drinking Water Source Protection team shared Best Practices for Private Well owners. At the event, we distributed well water sample collection kits to owners of private drinking water systems, encouraging them to test their drinking water.鈥�听

While municipal drinking water systems require Source Water Protection, private drinking water systems do not. Instead, owners of private systems are directly responsible for protecting their own water sources. Proactively protecting your drinking water sources ensures the health of those drinking the water, preserves the environment, and mitigates the high costs of cleaning up contaminated drinking water sources. It can also extend the life of the drinking water system infrastructure.鈥�

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鈥�听

Do you know what's in your drinking water? If you own a private well, regular testing is important to ensure the absence of harmful contaminants. Currently, well water sample collection kits are free of charge, allowing you to be confident in the safety of the water you're drinking. You can access pick up and drop off locations through or your local Health Unit's website.鈥�鈥�听

Once you know what's in your water, it's time to protect it! Follow to help protect your water:听

• Have your septic system inspected annually and your septic tank pumped every 3 to 5 years;鈥�听
• Test your drinking water system regularly;听

• Perform an annual visual inspection of your well. To learn more, see from Conservation Ontario;鈥�鈥�听

• Use eco-friendly alternatives for commercial fertilizers, pesticides, household cleaners, and road salts;听

• Store your fuel tanks with drip trays underneath them to prevent contamination;听

• Conserve water, especially in times of drought;听

• Dispose of hazardous waste and medications at the proper facilities; and听

• Keep a riparian or shoreline buffer zone to help reduce chemical runoff into nearby lakes.鈥�听

By regularly testing your water and following best practices, private well owners play a vital role in ensuring their drinking water stays clean to drink!鈥�鈥�听

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Robins 鈥� the Harbingers of Spring听

It happens every year 鈥� someone happily announces that they saw their 鈥渇irst spring robin.鈥� For many, the American Robin is considered to be a harbinger of spring; a joyous sign that warmer days are just ahead. Winter sightings of robins are much less common, leading many to assume they are absent.听

So it鈥檚 understandable when people are confused and concerned when they see a robin in the middle of January. Did this bird forget to migrate south? The answer is both yes and no.听

Although some robins fly south to avoid winter, many remain in southern Ontario the entire year. Rather than relocating, they simply change their behaviour in the colder months and often go unnoticed.听

The birds that make the journey south are not lured by warmer temperatures. Robins can withstand extreme cold as their warm, downy feathers insulate them from blowing wind and snow. Their wintering range is affected by the scarcity of food rather than cold temperatures. As long as food is available, these birds are able to stay.听

In August, robin populations appear to drop, but this does not mean that they have migrated south. Instead, there is a shift in their distribution. During the spring and summer, most of their diet is made up of invertebrates. As fall approaches and their warm-weather diet of earthworms and insects wanes, robins begin searching for other food sources, with fruit making up more than 90% of their winter diet.听

At this time, their lifestyle also changes. In the spring and summer, robins aggressively defend their territory while raising their young. During the winter, they are non-territorial and nomadic as they move around in search of food. Instead of inhabiting back yards, they now travel in flocks and congregate in local wildlife refuges where there is a source of nourishment. Flocking offers critical benefits. Larger groups mean more eyes to spot and avoid predators and increase the odds of discovering food.听听

As weather varies from year to year, the amount of wild fruit available can change dramatically. Thus, robins stay north if there is plenty of food, or move south if the supply diminishes. Due to climate change, robins are spending more time in the north as milder winters mean more available food. The birds remain mostly out of sight as they feast on the berries of dogwoods, junipers, crabapples, winterberries, and wild grapes. A flock will strip a tree or shrub of its fruit within hours, and then move on.听

Another reason we associate robins with spring is that they seem to show up with the warm weather and start warbling their familiar song. To defend their territory, robins enthusiastically sing when they arrive on their breeding grounds. They are often the first birds to begin singing in the morning and one of the last heard at night. Males generally arrive on territory two weeks before the females and are more vocal, especially during courtship. In contrast, they make very little noise during the winter months, which helps explain how flocks can go largely unnoticed.听

Gender also plays a role in determining whether an individual stays. In northern areas, males are more likely to remain than females. This offers territorial advantages, allowing the males who overwinter earlier access to the best breeding ground.听

When spring arrives, the flock disperses. There is a switch from being non-territorial, mostly silent and out of sight, to aggressively defending a breeding territory and highly visible and audible. Suddenly, yards and parks are alive with robins looking for worms, and it is easy to assume they have just returned from southern climates. Either way, when they arrive back into our gardens it is a joyful awakening.听

Contact:听Brenda Gallagher, Forestry Technician

UTRCA at Heritage Fair and Family Literacy Day Events!听

On Saturday, February 10, 糖心直播 (UTRCA) Community Partnerships staff participated in Heritage London鈥檚 Heritage Fair, which celebrated London鈥檚 rich history, culture, and heritage through an exploration of 鈥�100 Objects and Hidden Gems.鈥� Held at the London Public Library鈥檚 Central branch, the UTRCA booth highlighted one of London鈥檚 most treasured wetlands: Sifton Bog. Visitors to our booth learned about the history of Sifton Bog and the importance of wetlands to ecological health and flood control. Our interactive flood model was a hit with all ages, as was our button making activity which featured the unique carnivorous plants that call the bog home.听听 听

On Saturday, February 17, Community Partnerships staff were back at the Central library for Family Literacy Day, a fun-filled community celebration of family literacy, featuring crafts, activities, games, stories, music, and more. The UTRCA鈥檚 booth included the debut of our interactive PoetTree, a multi-lingual celebration of nature and native trees. Over 300 visitors to our booth were invited to choose a leaf (featuring native species), write down something they love about nature, and add it to the tree.听听

River Resilience Rendezvous听

On Sunday, February 25, staff from the 糖心直播 (UTRCA) and the Lower Thames River Conservation Authority (LTVCA) participated in the River Resilience Rendezvous at the Oneida Community Centre in Oneida Nation of the Thames. This event was open to all members of the Oneida community, and staff from both authorities gave presentations and had booths with information on aquatic species, aquatic sampling techniques, and flood plain mapping. UTRCA Education staff Tom Cull and Aliena Hoskins led a native fish species art project where participants learned about the types of native fish found in the Thames River while creating fish art.

Erin Carroll, UTRCA Aquatic Biologist, gave a presentation on the diversity of aquatic species (insects, mussels, and fish) found in the Thames River and how these species are interconnected. For example, she demonstrated how some aquatic insects can engineer the river ecosystem to make it more livable. Caddisflies use silk to create shelters and to anchor themselves to rocks on the bottom of the river. The result is that these animals stitch together the river bottom. Such modifications can decrease flows upstream and downstream, oxygenate the water, and make the stream bed less prone to erosion. Ultimately, the habitat is improved for other aquatic animals, helping life in the river to flourish.听

Ecological Values and Agricultural Drains听

A “hats-off” to Erin Carroll, our Aquatic Biologist, for her part in the research article “Ecological Impacts of Management Practices in Agricultural Drain Networks: a Literature Synthesis”.听

With over 80% of the Upper Thames River watershed being agricultural land-use, it is important that we better understand the relationship between our municipal drains and ecological resources, and the best management practices used in maintaining them. This project was a collaboration between Healthy Headwaters Lab, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research and Department of Integrative Biology, the University of Windsor, the Traditional Territory of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations, and the University of Waterloo.听

To find out more, you can read the

Contact:听Erin Carroll, Aquatic Biologist

Adapting Surface Water Quality Monitoring for Climate Change听

Monitoring and reporting on watershed conditions have become increasingly important. Stressors such as climate change have been having greater negative impacts on natural resources, including water quality and, therefore, must be monitored. 听

The 糖心直播 (UTRCA) has been accepted into the Ontario Resource Centre for Climate Adaptation (ORCCA) Staff Capacity Program. The program provides direct capacity support to Great Lakes basin and Ontario communities towards the completion of a climate change adaptation-focused initiative.听

Over the next year, the UTRCA will work with ORCCA to review our surface water quality program to find enhancements that can better track and evaluate the impacts of climate change in the Upper Thames watershed. The program will enable the UTRCA to complete this climate adaptation project which would otherwise not be realized. Staff are excited to find ways to adapt our surface water monitoring program to assess climate impacts which will help to improve resiliency in our watershed.听

Contact: Craig Irwin, Water Quality Specialist听