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56,000 trees planted
Highest number for spring planting in ten years
Tree planters at Ausable Bayfield Conservation planted more than 56,000 trees in the spring of 2018. This is the highest single-year total for spring tree plantings by staff in the watershed in the past ten years ... thanks to you and people like you!
The successful planting of so many trees took place despite a late start this year. Tree planters started planting later than normal because of cold and snowy weather in April. The tree planters were still able to get the trees planted before the end of May.
“We could not have planted these tens of thousands of trees without the support of local landowners and other partners including those who fund tree planting and stewardship incentive programs,” said Ian Jean, Forestry and Land Stewardship Specialist with Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA). “We finished before the Victoria Day long weekend thanks to hard work by staff and the tree planting crew."
The majority of the trees are row-planted using a tractor pulling a two-seated planter. Seated planters are able to plant more than 4,000 trees per day. Crew members must plant trees with a shovel in areas that are steeper or more remote.
The spring tree planting work was successful but there is still a lot of work left to do this year for forestry and stewardship staff at Ausable Bayfield Conservation. Staff members will be working closely with landowners, residents, and community groups throughout 2018 to provide grant support and technical expertise in planting and stewardship projects.
Right now is one of the best times of the year to start site planning and preparation for tree planting later this year or early next year, according to staff. To find out more about tree planting and forestry services at Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority visit their tree planting page at abca.ca at this link:
To learn more click on this link:
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Community working group recognizes generosity of early Platinum, Gold donors to pedestrian trail bridge project
Community has donated or pledged more than $180,000 to build Jones Bridge; fundraisers hope to raise $110,000 more to turn dream into reality
The Pedestrian Trail Bridge Community Working Group held a brief ceremony on June 5, 2018 to honour the early Platinum and Gold level donors who have kick-started the community project to build Jones Bridge on the South Huron Trail.
“I am so impressed by the generosity of the people in this community,” said Dave Frayne, Chairman of the Pedestrian Bridge Community Working Group. “Their generous donations bring us closer and closer to making the community safer and more active with a new pedestrian trail bridge.”
To donate or to learn more click on this link:
You are also invited to visit the Jones Bridge web page at this link:
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Huron County continues grant support for water quality projects by landowners, community groups through Huron Clean Water Project
The County of Huron is investing in the local environment by continuing its funding support, in 2018, for the Huron County Clean Water Project. A new brochure for the project is posted online at abca.ca, mvca.on.ca, and huroncounty.ca.
The new brochure provides the 17 categories of grants available to Huron County landowners and community groups; maximum grant levels; and contact names and information. To learn about grant rates and eligible projects you are invited to phone Maitland Conservation at 519-335-3557 or Ausable Bayfield Conservation at 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610. You may also find out more online at huroncounty.ca or mvca.on.ca or abca.ca.
Since 2004, Huron County landowners and community groups have, with support of Huron County Clean Water Project, completed close to 2,700 protects to protect local water quality. The total value of the completed projects is more than $10 million. Last year, $1 million worth of environmental projects were completed through the program. That’s good for water quality and good for the economy, according to staff delivering the program.
“Projects help to control erosion, preserve topsoil, keep nutrients on the land and out of creeks, and provide economic benefits as well,” said Kate Monk, Manager of Stewardship, Land and Education at Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA).
To find out about grants or to learn more phone 1-888-286-2610 or email info@abca.ca or visit this link:
You are also invited to visit the Huron County Clean Water Project (HCCWP) web page at this link:
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Students help to plant new rain garden in Hensall
About 50 students from Bluewater Coast Elementary School work to protect water by planting rain garden at Thompsons Limited in Hensall on Friday, June 15, 2018
About 50 students from Bluewater Coast Elementary in Hensall planted approximately 450 plants at a rain garden at Thompsons Limited in Hensall on Friday, June 15, 2018.
This garden will protect and improve water quality by capturing runoff from surrounding buildings, parking lots, and roads, according to Ausable Bayfield Conservation staff. By including elementary students and placing the garden in a well-traveled area this garden can be used as an educational tool and as a demonstration garden.
“As stormwater travels across paved surfaces, it can pick up a variety of pollutants,” said Megan Leedham, Wetland Technician with Ausable Bayfield Conservation. “By diverting water away from storm drains and into the rain garden, we allow the plants and soil to filter out sediment and other pollutants.”
Rain gardens are shallow, sunken gardens that are designed to capture water running off of roofs, driveways, and roads during storms.
Rain gardens are planted with a variety of native flowers, grasses and shrubs. Native plants are plants that occur naturally in a region. This makes them better suited to local growing conditions. It is the deep roots of these native plants, along with the soil of the rain garden, that help to filter oil, fertilizer and other pollutants from stormwater runoff.
To learn more visit:
For a photo album of photos of the rain garden planting visit this link:
To find out more about rain gardens, visit this web page at abca.ca at this link:
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$1,000 Student Award
Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation (ABCF) offers $1,000 Student Environmental Award
The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation (ABCF) is offering a $1,000 Student Environment Award for a graduating secondary school student or a student enrolled in university or college.
To apply for the 2018 Student Environmental Award, and for complete details, please download the flyer and the application form at the Student Environmental Award web page at this link:
The completed Essay, Application Form, and Two Reference Letters must be e-mailed with ‘Student Environmental Award’ in the subject line to info@abca.ca by 4:30 p.m. local time, Friday, June 29, 2018.
To learn more click on this link:
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Office closed Monday, July 2 for Canada Day
For the Canada Day weekend, the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority office is closed on Monday, July 2, 2018.
To learn more visit this link:
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Survey is taking place to find out about stewardship near wells.
How do you protect your well water?
Do you own a private well? Do you live in Ontario? Do you own or use a private water well? A survey on well water stewardship invites you to add your voice to a province-wide conversation about what you use your well water for, what you think about your well water, and how you protect your well water.
This survey is in collaboration with Queen’s University, McMaster University, Trinity College Dublin, Public Health Ontario, and University of Saskatchewan.
The survey is open until the end of June.
To take the survey click this link:
Sarah Lavallee is a Master in Environmental Studies (MES) candidate at the School of Environmental Studies, at Queen’s University. The graduate student said the survey takes about 12 minutes to complete. Participation in the survey is voluntary. Surveys will remain private and nameless. The survey has 38 questions, and participants may choose to skip any of the questions they do not wish to answer. No personal identifiers are used to determine the identity of participants or their property, according to the research team.
To learn more, please contact: Sarah Lavallee, MES Candidate, School of Environmental Studies, Queen’s University, at: 12sml7@queensu.ca
The information from this province-wide survey will contribute to a research project, led by Dr. Anna Majury, called ‘The WELLness Project.’
The WELLness Project looks at the knowledge gaps of private well water stewardship and will contribute to a separate project that will create a knowledge tool or smartphone application for private well owners.
This research project on groundwater drinking sources aims to add knowledge about private well water use and stewardship, with the aim to develop a knowledge-based tool for use by private well owners and stewardship specialists.
The information gathered from the survey will contribute to a research project called ‘Exploring, Developing and Evaluating Drinking Water Vulnerability Assessment Measures: Implications for rural Ontario communities using private groundwater drinking sources’ (The ‘WELLness’ Project).
To learn more click on this link:
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Habitat stewardship funding supports work by landowners to improve habitat for aquatic species at risk in Ausable River
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s habitat stewardship funding supports landowner projects, school programs, and monitoring to protect local watershed home to important species
Habitat stewardship funding supports work by landowners to improve habitat for aquatic species at risk in Ausable River
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s habitat stewardship funding supports landowner projects, school programs, and monitoring to protect local watershed home to important species
Landowners in the Ausable River Watershed now have a new opportunity to improve local habitat thanks to 2018-2019 funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) has received $76,050, from Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk, for on-the-ground habitat stewardship projects, education and outreach, and monitoring of aquatic species at risk in the Ausable River Watershed. The funding will help to implement the proposed Ausable River Action Plan and it will support work during the 2018-2019 year.
“We are very thankful to receive this funding from the Government of Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk,” said Kate Monk, ABCA Manager of Stewardship, Land and Education. “This continued financial support from the federal environment department makes it possible to improve habitat in the Ausable River and protect the nationally important aquatic species that live there.”
Grants are available for tree planting, wetlands, fencing cattle out of creeks, and cover crop planting in the Ausable River drainage area from Exeter all the way to Port Franks.
“We help to make it easy for local landowners to complete a project and we also look for funding from other sources beyond the Habitat Stewardship Program grants,” Kate said. “It is often possible to cover up to 100 per cent of a landowner’s cash costs for a project.” Staff members are pleased to visit a project site and provide personal service to participating landowners, she said.
The Ausable River Watershed has one of the most diverse populations of aquatic species of any watershed of this size in Canada. At least 26 species of freshwater mussels and 85 species of fish have been found in the river system. Seven of the eight turtle species found in Ontario are found in the Ausable River Watershed. Many of these species have been assessed as Endangered, Threatened or Special Concern.
To find out about grant opportunities and to learn more phone toll-free 1-888-286-2610 or email info@abca.ca or click on this link:
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New Chair, Vice Chair for Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA)
George Irvin is new Chairman; Doug Cook is new Vice Chairman
The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) Board of Directors elected George Irvin as the new Chair and Doug Cook as the new Vice Chair at the monthly board meeting held on Thursday, May 17, 2018.
George Irvin (at left in photo) is Stanley West Ward councillor with the Municipality of Bluewater and he represents Bluewater on the ABCA board. He moved up from the Vice Chair position on the ABCA board and replaced outgoing ABCA Chair Burkhard Metzger, former Central Huron representative on the board.
Doug Cook (at right in photo) is Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Lambton Shores. He represents Lambton Shores and Warwick Township on the ABCA Board.
In other changes, Municipality of Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn was named the new Central Huron representative on the ABCA board.
To learn more click on this link:
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South Huron Trail Fundraiser Golf Tournament to support project to build new pedestrian trail bridge
Thirteenth annual charitable golf tournament is to take place on Monday, August 27, 2018 at Ironwood Golf Club east of Exeter
The South Huron Trail Fundraiser Golf Tournament has chosen to donate net proceeds from this year’s charity golf tourney to the community project to build a new pedestrian trail bridge on the South Huron Trail.
The community golf tournament, now hosted by the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, has raised more than $50,000 for the South Huron Trail over the fundraising event’s history dating back more than a dozen years. The golf tournament has raised $14,379 since 2015 towards the construction of Jones Bridge. The 2018 FUNdraiser will continue to support this project, the organizing committee announced.
“The South Huron Trail Fundraiser Golf Tournament organizing committee is proud to support the Pedestrian Trail Bridge Project again this year,” said Bob Radtke, Chairman of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation (ABCF). “The construction of Jones Bridge will help to make our community safer and more active.”
The 13th Annual South Huron Trail Fundraiser Golf Tournament takes place on Monday, August 27, 2018 at Ironwood Golf Club at 70969 Morrison Line, two kilometres (about one mile) east of Exeter, just south of Highway 83. To learn more and to register visit southhurontrail.com or call Ausable Bayfield Conservation at 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610.
To learn more click on this link:
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South Huron Trail Mobile rides again
New South Huron Trail Mobile continues tradition of bringing nature experience to those with limited mobility
South Huron Community Grant; Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation grant make it possible to purchase new electric cart for South Huron Trail
The South Huron Trail Mobile rides again. People with limited mobility can once again experience nature on the South Huron Trail thanks to the purchase of a new South Huron Trail Mobile. The previous electric golf cart served well since 2006 but the aging cart needed to be retired.
A South Huron Community Grant, from the Municipality of South Huron, combined with a donation from the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation has made it possible to purchase a new electric cart and outfit it with added safety features. The new trail mobile has enough room for a volunteer driver and three passengers and it is faster and can navigate tight areas better than the original electric cart.
Residents of the area’s nursing and retirement homes, as well as individuals who aren’t able to walk the trail, have enjoyed this unique experience.
“Many of the riders lived in the countryside for years, or enjoyed walking in nature,” said Kate Monk, Manager of Stewardship, Land and Education. “We’re so pleased to get them back into the woods and along the river once again.”
Donations make the program possible and so do volunteers such as Trail Mobile drivers Jerry Mathers and Norm Eckel.
To learn more click on this link:
To find out about how to book a ride visit the South Huron Trail Mobile web page at this link:
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Source Protection Committee approves progress report, documents work protecting local drinking water sources
The Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Drinking Water Source Protection Committee (SPC) has approved the source protection region’s first annual progress report to the Province of Ontario. The progress report documents the achievements that have been made, by implementing bodies in the source protection region, to enact policies that add protection to local municipal drinking water sources.
The full report can be downloaded at sourcewaterinfo.on.ca at this link:
The Province of Ontario approved the locally developed source protection plans on January 19, 2015 and the plans took effect on April 1, 2015. The source protection authorities submitted the first annual progress report, on behalf of the source protection region, in April. The progress report documents policy implementation achieved from April 1, 2015, the effective date of the source protection plans, to December 31, 2017.
“This region has been able to add protection to local municipal drinking water sources thanks to the outstanding efforts made by our local municipalities and all our other partners and stakeholders,” said Matt Pearson, Chair of the Source Protection Committee.
The report said that implementation is “progressing well” and is “on target.” The majority of the source protection plan policies have been implemented or are in the progress of being implemented, according to the report. “Committee members from all sectors, municipalities, staff, and members of the public have all contributed to the development of source protection plans since 2007 and to the progress that has been made since 2015 to put into action the locally developed policies,” said Pearson. “It’s exciting to be at this stage of source protection planning, where policies are now put into action and are adding protection to our municipal drinking water sources.”
Plan policies address 21 activities (such as fuel or chemical storage; among others) that can pose a significant threat to municipal drinking water sources in certain circumstances (for example, in certain quantities and in the most vulnerable locations such as municipal wellhead protection areas). The progress report says that 77 per cent of policies, to address activities that could pose a significant threat to drinking water, have been implemented. Eighty-eight per cent of policies, to address moderate and low threats to drinking water sources, have been implemented, according to the report.
There have been 65 risk management plans (RMPs) established in the region since plans took effect in 2015. Almost 70 per cent of the estimated number of required risk management plans are in place or are in progress, according to the progress report. There is a 100 per cent compliance rate with the risk management plans established in this source protection region. “People living and working near a municipal well want to keep the water supply safe and clean,” said Pearson. “Our hats are off to the leadership they are showing by reducing risk on their properties and at their work through risk management plans.”
The progress report documents a number of actions taken by municipalities. Local municipalities have processes in place to ensure their day-to-day planning decisions conform with the approved source protection plans. Eighty-five per cent of municipalities have amended, or are in the process of amending, their Official Plan to conform with source protection plans for the region. “It is anticipated that all municipalities will complete their Official Plan update within the five-year timeline stated in the source protection plans for our source protection region,” according to the progress report.
Eighty-five drinking water protection zone signs have been installed in the source protection region. The signs are installed on roads near municipal water sources to alert citizens that their actions in these zones can have an impact on a municipal drinking water source. The signs are an effective way to educate and remind everyone of the need to protect our sources of water.
There are 205 on-site sewage systems (including septic systems), in the ABMV Source Protection Region, that are in the most vulnerable areas around municipal wells and subject to the mandatory re-inspection program under the Ontario Building Code. Ninety-eight per cent of those systems have been inspected in accordance with the Ontario Building Code. Inspection results found the majority (99 per cent) are functioning as designed or carrying out required pump-outs, according to the progress report. Four sites have connected to sanitary sewer and decommissioned the on-site septic system.
To learn more click on this link:
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