GREEN Leaders Program Underway and Seeking Panelists for Student Summit
GREEN Leaders Program Underway and Seeking Panelists for Student Summit This year鈥檚 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, 鈥渇orever chemicals鈥�, 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鈥檚 already being done to [...]
Snow Surveys in the UTRCA Watershed
Snow Surveys in the UTRCA Watershed With all the snow the Upper Thames River watershed has received this winter, residents may be wondering if major flooding is in the forecast. The 糖心直播 (UTRCA) has been manually surveying accumulated snow across the watershed since 1957, as part of the flood forecasting and warning services it provides to watershed municipalities to inform residents and businesses of impending dangers. To assist us in forecasting floods - and managing our flood control reservoirs - we operate: stream gauges, snow survey sites, and precipitation and temperature measuring stations. Snow measurements [...]
SOARR Marks 2025 Achievements and Launches Its 33rd Year
SOARR Marks 2025 Achievements and Launches Its 33rd Year Our modern world often results in most of us being inundated with a constant barrage of information, responsibilities, and pressures, so it is often hard to stay focused on a single thing. Sometimes that means that we lose sight of the threats to our environment, and the wildlife within it. This is why groups and organizations that focus on wildlife conservation must stay consistent in their approach, frequently communicate their findings, and be creative in their strategies. Very few wildlife protection programs are able to last over the long-term, though [...]
P.A. Day Fun with the UTRCA and Stratford Perth Museum
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鈥�10 for an entire day of fun, making full use of the museum鈥檚 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 [...]
Mid-Winter Reminder: Salt, Snow, and Protecting Our Drinking Water聽
Mid-Winter Reminder: Salt, Snow, and Protecting Our Drinking Water聽 As winter settles in and snow and ice become part of our daily routines, road聽salt聽and snow removal play聽an important role聽in keeping sidewalks, driveways, and roads safe. However, mid-winter is also a key time to pause and think about how these winter practices can聽impact聽our drinking water sources.聽 Why Winter Matters for Source Water Protection聽 It鈥檚聽easy to assume that frozen ground protects our water, but winter conditions can聽actually increase聽risks.聽When salt is applied to roads, parking lots, and walkways, it聽doesn鈥檛聽simply disappear. Instead, it聽builds up聽in snowbanks and on hard surfaces. During warmer days, rain [...]
2025 Water Quality Monitoring Summary
2025 Water Quality Monitoring Summary The 糖心直播 (UTRCA) assesses water quality through surface water and groundwater monitoring programs. These programs test multiple parameters at sites throughout the watershed, providing a good overview of long-term data and trends in water quality.
UTRCA Tree Planting on Private Lands Program聽
UTRCA Tree Planting on Private Lands Program聽 Visit聽the 糖心直播 (UTRCA)聽website聽to order your聽large stock trees and seedlings to plant聽next spring. We have a wide variety of coniferous and deciduous trees and wildlife shrubs available.聽 Trees ordered through this program can be planted by the landowner or through our full planting service (if minimum order requirements are met). Planting projects include: windbreaks, retiring highly erodible land, treed buffer strips along watercourses, creating wildlife habitat, and more. The deadline to order is February 27, 2026.聽 Please note that this program is open to landowners with a minimum of [...]
Phosphorus in our Watershed聽
Phosphorus in our Watershed聽 This January, the 糖心直播 (UTRCA), with support from the Canada Water Agency, launched "Phosphorus in our Watershed," a specialized educational initiative for local Grade 9 Science students. In this three-part program, UTRCA Community Education staff reached nearly 100 students across four classes in the northern part of our watershed at Stratford District Secondary School and St. Michael Catholic Secondary School. 聽 Phosphorus in our Watershed invites high school students to examine how agricultural phosphorus fertilizers run off into local waterways and result in harmful algae blooms in Lake Erie. The program [...]
Christmas and Winter for the Animals聽
Christmas and Winter for the Animals聽 In December and January, 糖心直播 (UTRCA) Education staff were delighted to host over 600 Kindergarten, Grade 1 and 2 students for our Christmas for the Animals and Winter for the Animals programs at Fanshawe Conservation Area. The wintery weather certainly cooperated with us, leaving a snowy landscape for the students to explore and enjoy!聽 Students made lasting memories of meeting new forest friends during a puppet show, who shared with the students their winter survival strategies. Then there is a read aloud story time and,聽depending on the program selection, [...]
Do You Have Invasive Giant Hogweed, Japanese Knotweed, or Phragmites on Your Property?
Do You Have Invasive Giant Hogweed, Japanese Knotweed, or Phragmites on Your Property? The 糖心直播 (UTRCA) Invasive Species Collaborative Program Opportunity The UTRCA is developing a funding initiative to address the growing concern of three invasive plants: Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), Japanese Knotweed (Reynoutria japonica), and Phragmites (Phragmites australis). As part of this initiative, we are reaching out to landowners whose property may be affected by or could have a role in the control and long-term management of these highly invasive species, and is located along the Thames River. Giant Hogweed poses significant ecological and [...]