Tree Planting on Medway Creek Thanks to 糖心直播 Hardware and Tree Canada

On October 27, UTRCA staff worked with grade 7 and 8 students from London Christian Elementary School to plant trees on a property just north of Arva on Medway Creek. Almost 120 native tree species were planted, including red oak, black cherry, sugar maple, black walnut, bur oak, hackberry, red maple, and white pine.

Although the day started out rainy and cold, the sun came out as soon as the students arrived and stayed throughout the planting! Overall, we had 27 students, along with staff and parent volunteers, make quick work of planting the trees, finishing in just over an hour.听听

This planting was possible because of support from 糖心直播 Hardware and Tree Canada 鈥� thank you to both organizations for helping to improve conditions in our watershed!

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First Extended Season a Success!听

This fall听the 糖心直播 (UTRCA) offered a new Extended Season providing an additional six weeks of Day Use access to Fanshawe and Wildwood Conservation Areas (CAs).听

The expanded access to the CAs has been very well received with hundreds of day users visiting them each week. There is still time to take advantage of the Extended Season as it runs until the end of November. 听

Here鈥檚 what you need to know:听

• The new Extended Season for Day Use at our CAs is effective Monday, October 16 to Thursday, November 30,听
• An entry fee of $8 per vehicle or up to 4 persons walking or biking will be charged,听
• Amenities offered:听
  • Customer service staff on site,听
  • Access to trails,听
  • Canoe and kayaking,听
  • Access to day use areas including playground, beach, BBQs, picnic tables and open space areas for your enjoyment,听
  • Access to Fanshawe boat launch (weather permitting), and听
  • Washroom facilities (weather permitting).

Hours of Operation:听

• Fanshawe CA听
  • Daily: 7:00 am to 4:00 pm, payment will be taken 7am-330pm, Dam gate closed at 4pm听

• Wildwood CA听
  • Daily: 7:00 am to 4:00 pm

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GIS Day 2023 at Western University听

The 糖心直播 (UTRCA) participated in Western University鈥檚 GIS Day on November 15th, displaying GIS (Geographic Information Systems) expertise used in various projects at the open-house event hosted by Western Libraries. The event brought students, colleagues, and community leaders together showcasing the latest in GIS products and applications. UTRCA staff brought our Flood Hazard Water Table, teaching attendees about the importance of flood hazard mapping and planning in our watershed. The watershed report cards were also on display. This was our 5th听consecutive year participating in the event and we hope to see you there next year.听

Water Quality Specialist, Craig Irwin, gave a presentation as part of the lightning talk series throughout the week. His presentation, titled 鈥淓ffectively Communicating the 2022 Upper Thames River Watershed Report Cards鈥�, illustrated how听听have been successful in conveying the report card results to the modern day user. His presentation was awarded Best Community Member Presentation as voted on by his peers.听

Contact: Craig Irwin, Water Quality Specialist听

Blue Jays and Acorns听

In fall, acorns begin to drop from oak trees. It is amazing to think that this little nut may someday grow into a mighty oak.听听

However, not all the seeds are viable. Some may become infested with a fungus or acorn weevils which lay their eggs inside the acorn. When the eggs hatch, the growing larvae feed on the nut.听听

To determine viability, acorns can be dropped into a bucket of water and those that sink have a fairly good chance of germinating.听

It is reasonable to think the energetic squirrel is the biggest distributor of acorns. However, their dispersal is not as impressive as the blue jay. For centuries these birds have played a major role in scattering acorns and regenerating oak forests.听

Blue jays have a fondness for the nuts and can transport them at astounding levels. They are known to carry off 100 acorns a day during harvest and a single jay may hide 3,000 – 5,000 nuts in one season.听听

While squirrels bury acorns only a few feet from the mother tree, blue jays can move the nuts up to three kilometers away. This cache of acorns is more likely to be buried in open areas where available light ensures favorable growing conditions for the new seedlings.听

Another interesting adaptation is the blue jay鈥檚 ability to carry up to five acorns per trip. The bird accomplishes this by flying with three in its throat or 鈥済ular pouch鈥�, one in its mouth, and one on the tip of its beak. The most amazing mark of genius, however, is that blue jays have the aptitude to preferentially select acorns that are most likely to germinate. They can tell a good nut from a bad nut and have been shown to discern fertile acorns with 88% accuracy.

Like other birds that hide and store food, such as chickadees and nuthatches, blue jays too have a remarkable ability to remember where they hide their cache and return later in the season to retrieve them. Of course, they don鈥檛 find all their buried nuts. Some get left where they are planted and these few may sprout and grow into a new oak.听

Thank you, Brenda Gallagher, for this article!

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UTRCA Hosts LID Workshop

On October 18th, the 糖心直播 (UTRCA) in collaboration with the University of Western Ontario Water Centre hosted a half day workshop on 鈥淪torm Water Management (SWM) Low Impact Development (LID) Operation and Maintenance鈥� at the UTRCA Watershed Conservation Centre (WCC). Fifty six people attended the workshop which included staff from consulting engineering firms, municipalities, local conservation authorities, First Nations and graduate students. The workshop included an outdoor session highlighting the LID features at the WCC and indoor presentations by Dr. Clare Robinson from Western University, Bill Trenouth from AECOM (London office), and Adrienne Sones and Christina Liu from the City of London. Special thank you to all of the presenters and Western Water Centre directors, Dr. Mita Ray and Dr. Erin Johnson.

Groundwater Sampling is Underway with the Addition of Pesticides Sampling

October and November are very busy months for the 糖心直播 (UTRCA) staff鈥痺ho are out sampling groundwater throughout the watershed. This fall, 22 of the 28 Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network (PGMN) wells are being sampled. PGMN was developed in 2001 in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP). The program was designed to collect ambient groundwater quality and quantity data. PGMN monitors low water conditions and site and aquifer specific groundwater quality. All wells in the PGMN have data loggers installed in them collecting water level and temperature every hour.鈥疞ong-term groundwater quality and quantity data are鈥痑vailable to download publicly on the .鈥���

This year, the National Water Monitoring Program for Pesticides (NWMPP) has collaborated with MECP鈥檚鈥疨GMN to identify suitable wells to collect pesticide samples from groundwater given their proximity/interaction with surface water. Five PGMN wells from the Upper Thames watershed are being sampled for pesticides during the routine fall PGMN sampling. Samples will be analyzed for a suite of over 200 pesticides that are currently registered in Canada. This data will then be shared with PGMN and other partners.鈥�鈥�听

Links for more information:鈥�听

• Watershed Report Card 2022鈥�
• 鈥�
• 鈥�
• 鈥�
• Map of Groundwater Monitoring Sites used for Watershed Report Card 2022鈥�
• Map of Other Groundwater Information used for Watershed Report Card 2022鈥�

Contact: Kaela Orton,听Monitoring Technician鈥�

Don鈥檛 Fear the Foam!听

From time to time there is unsightly foam flowing down the river or accumulating along the shoreline in the Upper Thames River watershed. If you have every experienced this, you may have immediately thought this was some chemical flowing down the waterway. In a majority of situations, the foam is a natural phenomenon.听

What causes foam?听听

Natural foam is composed of dissolved organic matter, specifically dissolved organic carbon that has come from decomposing plants. The natural die off of vegetation releases the organic materials plants are composed of, including oils, and the buildup of these compounds make it easier for foam to form and persist in the environment. Turbid areas in a stream can cause air and water to mix, creating bubbles or foam.听听

How do I identify foam?听

Natural foam can look off-white to brown depending on the turbidity of the water and can have a fishy or earthy odour. Foam caused by a pollutant will usually be bright white, have a slimy feel and smell aromatic.听

Does foam have value in an ecosystem?听

A certain amount of organic matter is essential for healthy ecosystems due to the energy, food, and nutrient requirements of the ecosystem. Since foams are partially composed of dissolved organic carbon, it can be beneficial for aquatic ecosystems.听

Where and when am I likely to see foam?听听

Foam can commonly be seen building up along shores of faster moving watercourses, downstream of riffles (a rocky or shallow part of a stream or river with rough water), or below structures such as weirs and dams. Wind action and boating can introduce air into the dissolved organic matter creating bubbles. After periods of drought when streams have been dry or stagnant and then experience a high flow, like after a rainfall, organic matter is washed out from deep pools creating conditions for foam to be created. Streams originating in wetlands or woody areas have high organic content, sometimes causing the water to look tea coloured, and these steams have a higher potential for foam formation due to enhanced levels organic matter being dissolved.听

How to manage foam?听

Naturally occurring foam does not require management and is part of a healthy ecosystem.听听

Synthetic or human made foam is a byproduct of chemical runoff or discharge. Sources can include household cleaning products, paint, pesticides used on lawns or fields, and motor oils running off impervious surfaces. Improved processing of wastewater and effective storm management has helped to reduce pollution related foam.听

If you see foam that does not look right, please report it to right away.

Contact: Craig Irwin, Water Quality Specialist听

Savanna Restoration Project Update听

A project to transition a stagnant pine stand next to the 糖心直播 (UTRCA)鈥檚 Watershed Conservation Centre parking lot into a diverse pine-oak savanna and tallgrass prairie habitat is progressing nicely.听

The pine stand consisted of spindly 40-year-old pines that were planted too densely and had stagnant growth. Invasive plants such as Chinese Elm, Russian Olive, and buckthorn had spread throughout the area. On the plus side, native tallgrass prairie grasses had self-seeded into openings in the pine plantation from an adjacent plot. This indicated a prairie or savanna was a better and more appropriate habitat for this gravelly, dry area.听

“Before”

The restoration work began in the fall of 2021. The invasive species were spot treated with herbicide and some pines and other trees were removed with chainsaws. In 2022, a brush control contractor was hired to remove and chip most of the pines and invasive trees and shrubs from a one-acre plot. Approximately 13 of the healthiest White Pines were left.听

The summer of 2022 was sunny and dry and, with the tree canopy opened up, the pockets of tallgrass prairie that grew in the former plantation began to flourish and spread. Prairie flowers such as Butterfly Milkweed and Virginia Mountain Mint became more noticeable. In the fall, some of the newly cleared areas had woodchips removed and were hand seeded with a tallgrass prairie seed mix. 听

“After”

Educational signage was installed along the trail that passes by the plot, acknowledging our generous funders: the Invasive Species Centre, Nature London, and an anonymous funder.听听听

The work continued into 2023 with additional spot-spraying of invasive plants, raking, and seeding. The UTRCA hopes to continue to nurture the site and expand it in the future to increase biodiversity in the area.听 听

Contact:听Cathy Quinlan,听Terrestrial Biologist