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Exeter Lions Club supports Jones Bridge project with $15,000
Community campaign to build pedestrian trail bridge surpasses $200,000 in donations or pledges with $90,000 more to go to turn dream into reality
The Exeter Lions Club has donated $15,000 to the campaign to make the community safer and more active with a new pedestrian trail bridge on the South Huron Trail.
The Exeter Lions Club commitment has helped the campaign to build Jones Bridge to surpass $200,000 donated or pledged by the community to date. The community fundraising partners hope to raise another $90,000 to make the bridge dream a reality in 2018.
The bridge is to be called Jones Bridge and it is dedicated by Donna Jones, in loving memory of Ted Jones. Ted Jones was a long-time member of the Exeter Lions Club and a dedicated community volunteer and conservationist.
“I would like to personally thank the Exeter Lions Club for their generous support of the project to build a new pedestrian bridge on the South Huron Trail,” said Kate Monk, Manager of Stewardship, Land and Education with Ausable Bayfield Conservation. “Their commitment and vision bring the community closer to the achievement of a bridge that will provide a safer and more scenic alternative to walking beside vehicle traffic in order to enjoy both sections of the trail.”
“On behalf of the Exeter Lions Club, I would like to say how proud we are to support this worthwhile project which will make our community safer and more active and will offer health benefits for local people and visitors to our community,” said Dan Turkheim, President of the Exeter Lions Club. “The new trail bridge will be a fitting way to remember the legacy of Lion Ted Jones and his love of nature and his community involvement.”
To donate, or to learn more, please click on the link below:
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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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Ausable River is home to many important fish, mussel species; Proposed Action Plan prepared to help protect these aquatic animals
Public is invited to review, comment until July 23, 2018 on Proposed Action Plan
The Ausable River supports one of the most diverse communities of aquatic animals in Canada. At least 26 species of freshwater mussels and 85 species of fish have been found in this watershed. Seven of the eight turtle species in Ontario are in the Ausable River watershed. Many aquatic species in this watershed are assessed as Endangered, Threatened, or of Special Concern.
There are several threats to the survival and recovery of aquatic species at risk in the Ausable River. Low oxygen concentrations, nutrient enrichment, sediment loads, and invasive species are some of the factors that can impact their populations.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada has prepared and posted a proposed Action Plan for the Ausable River in Canada: An Ecosystem Approach. The proposed Ausable River Action Plan is an update of the Ausable River Recovery Strategy developed by the Ausable River Recovery Team in 2002.
“Project partners have completed hundreds of stewardship and monitoring projects, since 2002, in this nationally important area,” said Kari Jean, Aquatic Biologist with Ausable Bayfield Conservation. “More work is needed and the proposed Action Plan provides strategies for continued work to protect and improve habitat around the Ausable River.”
You are invited to review and provide comments on the proposed Action Plan. The document is posted on the Species at Risk Public Registry. You may provide written comments on this document from now until July 23, 2018. To review the document and to provide comments visit the Species at Risk Public Registry at this link:
The proposed Ausable River Action Plan applies to the Ausable River Watershed, including its tributaries and wetland habitats. The proposed Action Plan identifies critical habitat – crucial areas that are vital to the survival and recovery of these important species at risk and where work is needed.
The updated proposed Action Plan includes timelines to complete recommended actions categorized as high, medium, and low.
Recommended actions for species recovery include monitoring of species and habitat; increasing awareness of species at risk through education and outreach; and completing best management practices (BMPs). These best practices include riparian buffers; non-riparian erosion control; and protection and enhancement of natural areas including wetlands.
The Ausable River watershed supports critical habitat for aquatic species at risk. Five freshwater mussels (Kidneyshell, Northern Riffleshell, Snuffbox, Mapleleaf, and Rainbow) and three fishes (Eastern Sand Darter, Lake Chubsucker, and Pugnose Shiner) are the focus of the updated ecosystem-based plan.
The Ausable River Recovery Team is made up of watershed landowners and staff from Ausable Bayfield Conservation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and local municipalities. Project partners began to take new conservation actions, starting in 2002, as part of the original Ausable River Recovery Strategy. The participants in this work completed voluntary stewardship activities to reduce sediment and nutrient inputs in the Ausable River watershed. Agencies also led management, monitoring, and education actions to reduce threats to species at risk. A new Action Plan will guide these partners in their future work to protect species at risk in the Ausable River.
To find out more, you are invited to download a free, new local fact sheet, produced by Ausable Bayfield Conservation, on the Ausable River Recovery web page at abca.ca at this link:
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Arkona Lions Club invites public to attend fun fossil event in tribute to memory of local fossil collector Charlie Southworth
Guided fossil hikes, fascinating fossil talks, food booth, fossil displays from private collections all part of event on Saturday, July 28, 2018 at Arkona Lions Museum and Information Centre at Rock Glen Conservation Area
The Arkona Lions Club is hosting a family-friendly community event to honour the memory of local fossil collector Charlie Southworth of the Thedford area. The public is invited to this fun fossil event and tribute which takes place on Saturday, July 28, 2018 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Admission is $4 per person.
Organizers call this event “one of a kind.” The event takes place at Arkona Lions Museum and Information Centre at Rock Glen Conservation Area, 8680 Rock Glen Road, in Arkona, Ontario, Canada. This is home to the famous, scenic Rock Glen Falls.
To learn more visit this link:
The event features local fossils on display from private collections and other museums. There will be two scheduled fossil talks (half an hour each) by popular speaker and fossil fan Bob O’Donnell, well known as The Fossil Guy. Conservation educators will also lead fossil hikes at scheduled times.
The Arkona Lioness Club and Arkona Lions Club will offer a food booth with food for sale. There is also a raffle table and much more. To find out more visit abca.ca.
Bob O’Donnell is organizer of the event and a member of the Arkona Lions Club. The organizer said now is a fitting time to honour the memory and legacy of Charlie Southworth (1880-1968), who died fifty years ago. “The Arkona Lions Club is honoured to pay tribute to Charlie for his many contributions,” O’Donnell said. “Charlie collected fossils in the Arkona and Thedford area for three quarters of a century and there are several fossils from this area that are named in his honour. Charlie had extensive knowledge of this part of Ontario and the fossils here and that knowledge drew many paleontologists to Arkona and area.”
The fossil event is a way to honour the legacy of a local fossil collector while combining nature enjoyment with fun learning activities, according to the organizer. “This entertaining, educational day is for the entire family and the whole community. People of all ages can enjoy this special event whether they are serious fossil enthusiasts or this is their first time finding out about fossils,” said O’Donnell. “This is a chance to visit a beautiful park in the summer, experience famous Rock Glen Falls, and learn about these special fossils and ancient creatures in a fun, active way while viewing amazing fossils that one doesn’t see every day.”
The event includes activities inside the Arkona Lions Museum and Information Centre and outside in shelters and picnic areas. The event will proceed rain or shine.
Arkona Lions Museum and Information Centre, at Rock Glen Conservation Area, has become a popular destination for international geologists, paleontology professionals, and amateur fossil enthusiasts. About 350 million years ago, the Arkona area lay beneath a warm, shallow, saltwater sea. There are fossils from those prehistoric times in the museum.
Visitors are amazed to view specimens of brachiopods, trilobites, crinoids, and horned coral, among others. There are also artifacts and fluorescent minerals on display at the museum. The July 28 fun fossil event and tribute to the memory and legacy of Charlie Southworth will feature significant fossils that are not part of the museum’s regular display.
To find out more about this tribute and fun fossil event visit abca.ca or contact organizer Bob O’Donnell, Arkona Lions Club member and The Fossil Guy, at: bob-carla@rogers.com or phone 226-927-4325.
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