UTRCA launches the Collaborative Water Data Viewer

The 糖心直播 (UTRCA) is excited to announce the launch of the听 This interactive, open-data portal can be used to access real-time environmental monitoring data from UTRCA and our partners.

The UTRCA received funding for this project through Royal Bank of Canada鈥檚 Tech for Nature Grant, with the goal of enhancing data accessibility and integration. The CWDV allows users to view monitoring stations spatially, interact with the data in tables and graphs, and download the data in a variety of formats.听 Monitoring stations measure parameters such as water level, air temperature and precipitation. Users can filter the portal results or enter one of our custom pages that focus on specific areas of interest.

One of our current partnerships is through the听Community Precipitation Monitoring Project which involves local community members utilizing the online Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) platform to monitor precipitation throughout our watershed. Recorded precipitation values are brought into the CWDV through UTRCA鈥檚 data management network and can be analyzed alongside UTRCA鈥檚 climate data.

Another notable partnership is the Western Ontario Data Hub hosted by UTRCA. This network of 11 Conservation Authorities collectively manages their environmental data within a shared database system. Through this collaboration, the CWDV will provide an opportunity to enhance open-data solutions and accessibility for member Conservation Authorities. Future plans for the CWDV include growing the number of participating partners and expanding the environmental monitoring datasets available.

You can access the directly from the links in this article or on the听Thames River Flows and Other Information page on UTRCA鈥檚 website.

Contact: Laura Flynn, Water Management Data Specialist

UTRCA Passes Available to Library Patrons听

The 糖心直播 (UTRCA) has once again partnered with libraries in the watershed to offer park passes to library patrons. Using their library card, patrons can 鈥渃heck out鈥� a day pass to gain access to Fanshawe, Pittock, and Wildwood Conservation Areas. 听

鈥淭his is an important program for the UTRCA as it makes the parks even more accessible to people in our watershed. Our hope is that they check out the pass, visit one or all of our parks and have a great time enjoying the outdoors,鈥� says Damian Schofield, Conservation Areas Coordinator. 听

Participating libraries include:听

• Central London Public Library听
• Childreach Lending Library London听
• North Perth Public Library听
• Oxford County Library听
• Perth East Public Library听
• St Marys Library听
• Stratford Library听
• West Perth Public Library听

Contact: Emily Chandler, Marketing and Communications Specialist听

How to Attract Native Insect Pollinators to Your Garden 

Insect pollinators are essential in our ecosystems, providing vital services to fruit and vegetable crops, flowers, trees, and shrubs. The production of many foods (e.g., apples, cherries, blueberries, squash, and tomatoes) depends on pollinators. The loss of these insects would have far-reaching effects on our native plant communities and organisms that depend on them for shelter and sustenance. 

Generally, pollination is achieved by two means: wind and insects.  

Plants that are wind pollinated have indiscrete, green flowers and light pollen that floats in the air. Flowers that have adapted to insect pollination have heavy, sticky pollen and showy blooms. As the insect enters the flower, pollen from the male structures of the plant adheres to the insect鈥檚 body. When the insect moves to another flower, the pollen is deposited onto the female parts of the next bloom. When pollination is successful, it results in fertilization and the development of a fruit, nut or seed. 

Insect pollinated plants have evolved unique characteristics to entice visitors including: nectar, large quantities of pollen, bright colours, and fragrance.   

Most native pollinators are insects, including solitary bees and bumblebees, hoverflies, wasps, butterflies and moths, flies, and beetles. Other species, such as bats and hummingbirds, also assist with pollination. 

Sadly, our native insect pollinators are on the decline. Scientists point to habitat loss and fragmentation, urban development, increase use of pesticides, environmental pollution, a decrease in native plant diversity due to invasive species, and climate change as being among the most significant drivers. 

The good news: you can help! To provide natural foraging and nesting areas:   

• convert large or small parcels of your property into patches of flowers, 
• plant a diversity of native plants, 
• plant flowers that bloom from early spring into late fall, 
• choose different shaped flowers to accommodate a diversity of pollinators, 
• provide a mass of the same species to facilitate movement between flowers, 
• provide a water source in the hot summer months, and 
• avoid the use of pesticides.  

Many native bees nest and overwinter in the pithy stems of old plants, hollow twigs, bunching grasses, holes in standing trees, rotting logs, and underground in bare patches of soil or dirt mounds.  

To provide nesting and overwintering habitat: 

• leave some open areas of undisturbed soils for ground nesting bees, 
• leave standing, dead plants over the winter, and 
• provide tall and bunching grasses and fallen logs.  

Don鈥檛 underestimate the impact you can have on the health and population of native insects. Creating these habitats not only benefits pollinators but also ensures we keep a diverse population of our native plants. 

Contact: Brenda Gallagher, Forestry Technician (Vegetation). 

Introducing the Shared Waters Action Plan for the 糖心直播

The Thames River is one of the most biologically diverse rivers in Canada. Its watershed comprises nearly 25% of the Canadian Lake Erie basin and is the largest riverine watershed in the Lake St. Clair drainage basin. As a result, the Thames River has the potential to significantly impact conditions in Lake St. Clair and contribute to phosphorus loads in Lake Erie.听

Many partners, including local First Nations, federal and provincial governments, City of London, Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority, and 糖心直播 (UTRCA), have developed a lengthy list of water quality and quantity recommendations for the Thames River. These recommendations can be found in the (2019).听The UTRCA has recently been developing an action plan for implementing its recommendations from the Shared Waters Approach.听听

This water management plan balances protection and restoration of the Thames River watershed, while supporting economic and urban development. The goal is to protect surface water and groundwater from contamination, identify water quality and quantity issues, and propose recommendations.听听

Due to the inherent complexity of addressing inter-related hydrological and ecological processes, it was determined that an integrated Shared Waters Action Plan (SWAP) for the UTRCA is most appropriate. As such, the UTRCA is working in partnership with First Nations, federal and provincial governments, the City of London, and the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority. Having also been involved in the development of the Shared Waters Approach, it is expected that the SWAP will help these partners in the development of their implementation plans.听

We know that some of the actions that will be identified in the SWAP are already happening throughout the watershed, spearheaded by community groups, non-profits, government bodies, individuals, and more. We will seek to develop a comprehensive understanding of this work, while determining additional actions needed to protect and improve the water quality and quantity of the Thames River.听

Over the coming months, stay tuned for opportunities to engage with the SWAP. Your input, perspectives, and experiences will help carry out and shape local action to protect the Thames River.听

Related Articles:听

• A Shared Waters Approach for the Thames River (Deshkan Ziibi) (UTRCA weekly, April 8, 2022)听
• Shared Waters Approach: Update (FYI Newsletter, March 2022)听

Contact: , Watershed Science Coordinator

Live Staking with University of Western Ontario听

On April 25th, the 糖心直播 (UTRCA) partnered with a group of University of Western graduate and undergraduate students on a stream bank stabilization and natural buffer zone project along a stretch of Medway Creek that runs through Western鈥檚 campus.听听

The project included the planting of 200 native shrubs and trees along what was previously a turf grass lawn running right up to the creek鈥檚 banks. The planting team also hammered into the shoreline live stakes of sandbank willow trees that had been previously harvested in a location further upstream. Live staking is a form of bio engineering that stabilizes river/creek banks, provides aquatic and riparian habitat, prevents pollutants from entering the watercourse, cools the waterway (through shading), and helps prevent flooding. Because spring flooding delayed the planting until late April, the stakes were cut a month earlier and stored in cold storage at Western鈥檚 greenhouse so that they would remain in a dormant condition. 听

The day began with a Water Ceremony led by Wahsayzee Deleary, a water protector and Anishinabekwe from the Oneida and Chippewa of the Thames First Nations. Brandon Doxtator, Environmental Coordinator from Oneida Nation of the Thames was also present to participate in knowledge sharing around Indigenous land-based learning, conservation, ecological justice, and upstream/downstream relationship building.听听

The goal of the planting was to improve water quality in the Medway Creek Watershed and Deshkaan Ziibi/Thames River.听 The project was made possible by a partnership between the UTRCA and Western鈥檚 Think Globally, Act Locally program, which provides funding for campus projects aimed at mitigating climate change, building sustainable futures, and protecting biodiversity.听 听

Contact:听Tom Cull,听Community Partnership Specialist

Read more:

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UTRCA Presents to City of London’s Community Emergency Management Program Committee

On April 20, Eleanor Heagy, 糖心直播 (UTRCA) Communications and Marketing Coordinator, gave a presentation to the City of London Community Emergency Management Program Committee at the City鈥檚 Emergency Operations Centre. The presentation was an overview of Conservation Authorities and the UTRCA, flooding on the Thames River, and the UTRCA鈥檚 flood forecasting, warning, and response program.

Eleanor was invited to speak to the committee after first giving this presentation to the Policy Group during the City鈥檚 annual mandatory training exercise in November 2022. The scenario for the training exercise was flooding of the Thames River, so several UTRCA staff helped plan a realistic scenario and/or participated in the exercise itself. Thank you to Henry Klausnitzer, Manager, Emergency Operations Centre, for this opportunity.

Mandatory training exercise in November 2022

Students Tackle Erosion and Flooding through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics听

An early spring often means rushing water, overflowing creeks, and waterlogged parks. With climate change, the issue of flooding is widely predicted to become more severe and frequent. Students in the Thames Valley District School Board are aware of this problem and are busily brainstorming solutions. 听

This spring, Fanshawe Community Education staff visited 15 Grade 5 classes and eight Grade 3 classes in London and Woodstock to raise awareness of flooding and discuss ways to slow the flow of water using the lens of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). 听

Students got their hands dirty as they conducted soil drainage tests in the classroom and made observations with an interactive floodplain model. While students learned that dams and dykes are powerful tools during floods, they also had the chance to discover Low-Impact Development (LID) solutions including rain gardens, permeable pavement, wetlands, and bioswales.听

The Grade 5 program culminated with students using kinetic sand and miniature props to model different flood control features in diverse settings like school yards and neighbourhoods. Meanwhile, the Grade 3 program and its furry mascot, Muddy the Mink, used ground cover experiments to highlight plants as the best solution to both erosion and flooding. 听

Thanks to the Thames Valley District School Board for funding this exciting program and to all the students for their ingenuity and enthusiasm!

Second Annual EarthFest a Success

On April 22nd, the 糖心直播 (UTRCA) celebrated Earth Day by participating in London鈥檚 second annual EarthFest celebration. Located at multiple downtown locations including the London Public Library Centre Branch, Citi Plaza, and along Dundas Place, the festival welcomed over 2,000 attendees who wandered through interactive displays. There were over 100 exhibitors and artists who shared听 local approaches to sustainability, ecological justice, and the protection and health of our planet.

The UTRCA served on the Festival鈥檚 steering committee and coordinated the 鈥淲aterZone鈥� area which included displays by the Council of Canadians, Antler River Rally, and the Thames Valley District School Board Environmental Leaders Program. Special guest Eagle Flight Singers, a group of traditional Indigenous singers, opened the WaterZone with a performance of traditional songs and dances. 听

Eagle Flight Singers