GREEN Leaders Program Underway and Seeking Panelists for Student Summit

This year’s UTRCA GREEN Leaders program is well underway, with 16 Grade 7/8 classes from across the watershed participating. Student teams have now selected the environmental issues they want to tackle, with topics ranging from microplastics and fish species at risk, to declining bat populations, “forever chemicals”, aquatic invasive species, and overall Lake Erie health.

Classes are currently in the policy and practice research stage, where students are reaching out to local partners and community experts to learn more about their environmental issue, explore what’s already being done to help, and identify gaps and opportunities for action. From there, each class will work toward designing and implementing a realistic, meaningful project that they can accomplish within the school year—one that helps create positive change for the Thames River watershed and beyond.��

To wrap up the year, all the participating classes will come together at the GREEN Student Summit to share their projects, celebrate their efforts, and reflect on what they learned through the process, from research and collaboration to taking real-world environmental action.��

If you’ve been involved in a GREEN Leaders project in the past—or if you’re interested in supporting student-led environmental action—we’ll soon be looking for community partners to participate in the Student Summit as panelists. Panelists will have the opportunity to listen to student presentations, offer constructive feedback, and share next steps, ideas, and inspiration as students continue their journeys as GREEN Leaders. If you’re interested in being involved, please reach out to learn more about the event and panelist roles.��

Contact: Karlee Flear, Community Education Coordinator

P.A. Day Fun with the UTRCA and Stratford Perth Museum

On Friday, January 30, the UTRCA partnered with the Stratford Perth Museum once again to provide a jam-packed day of outdoor activities and museum exploration for 20 day camp participants. This unique session brought together children ages 6–10 for an entire day of fun, making full use of the museum's indoor spaces as well as the forest and meadow trails on the property.

Participants took to the trails for snowshoeing and gathered around the campfire flames to learn practical skills through campfire cooking, marshmallow roasting, and bannock making. Beyond the outdoor play, the campers dove into the past with fossil identification and spent time learning about Stratford's deep connection to trains and railways within the museum's exhibits. By blending outdoor exploration with educational museum highlights, the P.A. Day Camp series continues to support the UTRCA's mission of partnering with local organizations to promote appreciation for a healthy environment and watershed.��

We look forward to seeing even more friendly faces at our future P.A. Day collaborations!

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A Fantastic Fall for UTRCA Community Education

As the seasons start to change, we like to look back at all that Community Education staff have accomplished this fall term. Since September, education staff have worked with over 2,000 students in the watershed. This includes a variety of programs hosted on-site at our conservation areas (CAs) and in schoolyards.

One of the new programs we added this year includes Team Building, a new and exciting program for Grades 6 to 8, which aims to help students support each other and strengthen their connections to one another. Through team-building and leadership activities that are centered around understanding their local environment, students are able to work on listening, communication, and trust-building skills. We look forward to offering this program again in the spring!

Additionally, we hosted four Specialist High School Majors programs, Compass/Map/Global Positioning Systems, and Species Identification programs. These are just two of the seven specialist programs that are offered at Fanshawe and Wildwood Conservation Areas.��

Staff also hosted seven classes at Fanshawe Conservation Area for Grade 7 and 8 Watershed STEM. This program highlighted how CA staff in STEM careers survey and evaluate local ecosystem health. The program included a guided tour across the top of Fanshawe Dam, and a series of hands-on activities that mimic the water quality monitoring undertaken as part of the Watershed Report Cards, including identifying benthic invertebrates and conducting a habitat assessment. We also explored coding using Ozobot robots, and discussed threats to aquatic species at risk. This program is offered in the fall and spring and is a great opportunity to explore careers in STEM for youth!

Fall also marked the beginning of our Primary Outreach Program, which involved providing professional development opportunities for teachers through a schoolyard asset and assessment report and lesson demonstrations in their schoolyard. The first visit for this program occurs in the fall. We follow up with teachers in the winter with a virtual visit, and a final visit in the spring. The program aims to help teachers explore new ways to utilize their schoolyard assets for outdoor learning for a variety of subjects.

We also hosted a variety of on-site programs at our CAs, including a revitalized program called Climate Change in our Watershed at Fanshawe. Students learned about the local impacts of climate change and analyzed how extreme weather and water quality are impacting habitats and species. At Wildwood, we hosted a specialty Wilderness Survival program about fire-making and shelter-building that helps Grade 7 and 8 students build confidence and a “leave-no-trace” mindset in the outdoors.��

The Community Education team is so grateful to all of the students and teachers who came to Fanshawe and Wildwood this fall and are excited for the year ahead!

Nature School PA Day Success!��

Kids had a great time at the ����ֱ�� (UTRCA)'s latest Nature School Professional Activity (PA) Day!��

The UTRCA partnered with the Stratford Perth Museum once again to host a PA Day on Friday, November 21, at the museum. We brought together 16 enthusiastic participants for a full day of outdoor exploration, hands-on discovery, artmaking, and cultural learning. Campers engaged in orienteering, forest games, nature exploration, fire-making, and homesteading, making full use of both the museum's indoor spaces and its beautiful forest and meadow trails. The day's programming encouraged curiosity, teamwork, and confidence as children navigated trails with maps and compasses, learned practical outdoor skills, and experienced elements of 19th-century settler life.��

As part of our ongoing Nature School PA Day Camp series, these events continue to strengthen community connections, support outdoor learning, and highlight the value of play-based education in natural spaces. We look forward to welcoming even more young explorers at our next PA Day Camp on Friday, January 30, 2026!��

Contact:��Caroline Biel, Community Education Specialist

Mini Forest at Fanshawe Conservation Area��

On October 20, the ����ֱ�� (UTRCA) in partnership with the London Environmental Network (LEN) planted a mini forest at Fanshawe Conservation Area! With the help of community volunteers and students from Western University's Dirty Nature Writing Course, 300 native trees and shrubs were planted within 100 square meters.����

Earlier in June, the UTRCA and LEN, along with the help of volunteers, completed site preparations on this area which was then simply a patch of mowed grass. Site preparation included laying down cardboard, mulch, and compost to kill the grass and provide a nutrient rich soil to plant in this fall.��

The trees and shrubs planted in the mini forest are all native to the London area and will provide shelter and food to local wildlife. Species planted include Eastern White Pine, Black Cherry, Bitternut Hickory, Pagoda Dogwood, Nannyberry, Witch Hazel, Yellow Birch, and more.

Apart from the wildlife benefits that mini forests provide, they also aid in water conservation by:����

• Storing water from rainfall and snowmelt and then releasing it slowly into groundwater,
• Regulating rainfall through evapotranspiration (the combined processes through which water is transferred to the atmosphere from open water and ice surfaces, bare soil, and vegetation that make up the Earth's surface),
• Preventing erosion by stabilizing soil and reducing sediment that runs off into local waterways, and��
• Filter sediment and nutrients from water.��

This mini forest was possible thanks to RBC, Green Communities Canada, the City of London, Enbridge, Thriving Communities, TRY Recycling, and Waste Connections of Canada.����

For more information, please contact April Scholz, Community Partnership Specialist.��

For more photos, visit ��

Medway Creek Tree Planting��

On October 7, with the help of ����ֱ�� (UTRCA) staff, over 100 native trees and shrubs were planted on the Medway Creek by Grade 6 and 7 students from London Christian Elementary School. Despite hard planting conditions, the student planters were able to get all of the trees in the ground in just under 2 hours! Tree species included Bur Oak, Red Oak, Bitternut Hickory, Dogwood, Elderberry, Nannyberry, Hackberry, Black Cherry, and American Sycamore.��

As these trees and shrubs mature, they will provide many benefits to Medway Creek, the largest tributary to the Thames River. The area that was planted is low lying, prone to flooding, and directly adjacent to a major roadway. Planting here will reduce runoff, filter excess sediment and nutrients, provide erosion control, shade the creek, and create habitat for local wildlife.��

This is the third year that the UTRCA has received funding��for tree planting on the Medway Creek by ����ֱ�� Hardware and Tree Canada with planting support being provided by London Christian Elementary School students, staff, and parents. A sincere thanks to all groups involved for helping to improve conditions in the Medway Creek watershed!��

ESA programs with UTRCA Education Staff����

October's weather started out perfectly – sunny and warm – a great combination for teaching and learning in several of London's Environmentally Significant Areas (ESAs)!�� Students were invited to join ����ֱ�� (UTRCA) Community Education staff at Sifton Bog, Medway Valley Heritage Forest, and Kilally Meadows.��

Schools chosen were within walking distance from ESAs and received funding to participate from the Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board.��

Students explored hands-on activities such as dip-netting into water and sweep-netting along meadows to identify and classify organisms distinctive to these aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Other aspects of the program include a 'run-off' race experiment where students realized how wetlands and buffer areas capture storm water, filtrate and release cleaner water into our surrounding areas naturally.��

What students take away from this program is a deeper appreciation of the ESAs in London and understanding the importance of these areas for their ecological diversity and the connection to cleaner water for us all!��

For more information, visit our Environmental Education and Outreach Programs website. ��

Community Education Hits the Road: Flooding and Turtles Take the Spotlight��

On May 10, 2025, ����ֱ�� (UTRCA)’s Community Education team was out in full force, participating in two major public outreach events in London: Emergency Preparedness Day and Science Rendezvous.��

At the Emergency Preparedness Day, staff engaged residents with several hands-on tools including the floodplain simulator, flood hazard puzzles, and the Thames River watershed puzzle. These interactive activities helped raise awareness about local flood risks and the Conservation Authority’s critical role in flood forecasting, prevention, and response.��

Meanwhile, at Science Rendezvous, staff premiered the new Species at Risk: Turtles outreach booth. This engaging display introduced visitors to the eight turtle species found in the Thames River watershed and highlighted the UTRCA’s efforts to monitor and protect these vulnerable reptiles. Thank you to Nature London for supporting this important work!��

Both events were extremely well attended and provided valuable opportunities to connect with residents about the work the UTRCA does to protect both people and the environment.��

��UTRCA at Western University for Science Olympics����

This spring, the ����ֱ�� (UTRCA) participated in the Science Olympics held at Western University. The Science Olympics is a fun and engaging way to learn about subjects such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, and Math through friendly, group competition. Students from grades 9 to 12 from across Southwestern Ontario competed in over a dozen stations against other schools to earn points for prizes.

UTRCA hosted a station called "Freshwater Forensics" where students investigated local water quality issues and considered the connections between land use and watershed health. Through hands-on activities, students explored concepts of rural and urban runoff, species at risk, and biodiversity in our watershed. UTRCA staff from Education and Partnerships also taught students how agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) can reduce phosphorus pollution and support healthier waterways.

The Science Olympics have been a consistent spring event in Southwestern Ontario for nearly 30 years. We are looking forward to participating next year! Funding to support UTRCA's participation in this event was provided in part through the Upper Thames River Phosphorus Reduction Program, funded by the Canada Water Agency.

2025 Oxford Children’s Water Festival a Resounding Success

The Oxford Children’s Water Festival returned to Pittock Conservation Area from May 13 to 17, 2025, welcoming over 3,500 students for a week of hands-on environmental learning and outdoor fun.

Hosted by the ����ֱ�� (UTRCA), the festival offered engaging activities focused on water conservation, environmental science, and community stewardship. Students from across the watershed explored interactive stations that aligned with Ontario’s curriculum, while volunteers and community groups helped bring each learning opportunity to life.

A highlight of the week was the Family Night held on May 15, which drew an impressive 1,500 visitors. Families enjoyed live demonstrations, paddling activities, exhibits, and food trucks—all in a festive, educational atmosphere.

The success of the festival was made possible thanks to the strong collaboration between many organizations including Oxford County, the Thames Valley District School Board, and the London District Catholic School Board, along with the support of dozens of local partners and 600 volunteers.

This year’s festival was a shining example of community partnership in action, inspiring the next generation to care for their environment and local waterways. For more photos, please visit��