Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) hosts Flood Emergency Planning Meeting in Exeter
Emergency coordinators, firefighters, police, municipal staff, reporters attend annual meeting about flood emergency preparedness held at Masonic Hall, Exeter on February 19, 2019; Gerald Cheng, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, presented
An annual Flood Emergency Planning Meeting, hosted by Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA), was attended by more than 30 people. Attendees included emergency coordinators and police; municipal staff and firefighters; and conservation authority staff as well as local journalists. Gerald Cheng, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, spoke at the event, held at the Masonic Hall in Exeter on February 19, 2019.
He spoke on weather and flooding in the past year (2018-2019) and a look ahead to the rest of 2019. The presenter reviewed weather the past autumn and winter and outlined a high number of weather events and systems over the 2018-2019 winter. September was very warm but temperatures dipped down to below seasonal in October and in November came a “big chill,” the speaker said, with below-seasonal temperatures from an unexpected Arctic chill anomaly, that confounded long-term seasonal forecasts.
The weather in late November included record cold temperatures for November 22-23, 2018. There was also a “deep freeze” late in January of 2019.
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The Exeter radar station is the next station to be “renewed” in Ontario, Cheng said. The upgraded station will have better range, less “attenuation,” and better resolution. Instead of radar every ten minutes it will be every six minutes. Forecasts for the Exeter area can be issued quicker and with more confidence when the upgrade is complete.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has developed a weather app to deliver severe weather alert notifications, and weather and forecast information, straight to mobile devices. To get this application visit this website link:
The app is also available for free in the Google Play and Apple stores.
Key features of the application include: current conditions, hourly and seven-day forecasts for more than 10,000 locations in Canada; push notifications for weather alerts issued by ECCC for one’s location and saved locations anywhere in Canada; weather information for one’s location (following them as they travel) as well as for saved locations; high-resolution radar animation on a zoomable map background; a message centre with weather facts and climate information relevant to current weather; and short-range forecast widget for at-a-glance weather information.
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Exeter’s Ann Johns wins Early Bird Prize Draw to arrive at 30th Conservation Dinner in limousine
Conservation Dinner Chairs draw winning name from early purchasers of tickets to charitable auction; Exeter woman wins limo ride, for up to 14, to and from fundraising event in Exeter, courtesy of Wave Limo and Tours (Wave.Limousine), of Grand Bend
The Conservation Dinner on April 11, 2019 is going to be a special one for all the patrons at this year’s event as the community fundraising auction celebrates its 30th year of supporting community projects. The charitable fundraiser is going to be extra special for Exeter’s Ann Johns who bought her Dinner ticket early and was eligible for the Early Bird Prize Draw and was drawn as the winner. Dinner Committee Co-Chairs Larry Taylor and Jim Beckett drew the Exeter woman’s name, at the latest Dinner Committee meeting, as the winner of this year’s exceptional prize – a limousine ride for up to 14 people, to and from the event, courtesy of Brad Oke and Wave Limo and Tours (Wave.Limousine), of Grand Bend. Judith Parker, Secretary of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, presented the prize certificate to the winner.
“I’m so excited,” the prize winner said. “We’re going to have a great time.”
To find out more visit this link:
“The Early Bird Prize of a limousine ride for up to 14 people is a grand way to begin a stand-out year for an event that continues to be a community success story,” said Dinner Committee Co-Chair Larry Taylor. “We would like to thank Brad Oke and Wave.limo for this generous donation.”
The charity fundraiser is a sold-out show year after year and organizers say tickets are selling briskly. To buy tickets, or to donate, visit the Ausable Bayfield Conservation office east of Exeter at 71108 Morrison Line (just south of Highway 83) or phone 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610 or email info@abca.ca
About the Conservation Dinner
Net profits from the Conservation Dinner are split evenly between community conservation projects of Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation and community conservation projects of Exeter Lions Club. This charity event supports projects in local communities. Projects include accessible nature trails in Bayfield, Clinton, Parkhill, Lucan, Arkona, Exeter, and Varna; busing for students to experience outdoor nature education programs; a $1,000 student environmental bursary benefitting students in local communities; a summer job at Ausable Bayfield Conservation for a senior secondary school student; turtle monitoring and events in Port Franks and Ailsa Craig; aquatic habitat studies in Old Ausable Channel at Grand Bend; and other projects such as nature day camps, fishing derby and Owl Prowl, and parks and conservation areas.
The Conservation Dinner takes place on Thursday, April 11, 2019 at South Huron Recreation Centre at 94 Victoria Street East in Exeter. Tickets are $85 each. Patrons receive a charitable gift receipt, for income tax purposes, for a portion of that amount.
The Conservation Dinner has raised more than $1.1 million over almost three decades thanks to donors, attendees, volunteers, and artists. The annual charitable event features live and silent auctions of art and other distinctive items including travel packages and sports and entertainment memorabilia.
The Dinner includes special raffles, general raffles, appetizers, wine tasting, fun and fellowship, and a wonderful meal.
The Conservation Dinner Committee thanks all the creative people who have been feature artists over the years in media ranging from paintings to ice sculptures to metal art to culinary arts to other creative disciplines.
You may find out more at abca.ca and conservationdinner.com
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Donation in Brian Clarke's memory to stairs for new Pedestrian Bridge on South Huron Trail
The family of the late Brian Clarke has made a generous donation of $5,000, in Brian’s memory, to help make the community safer and more active through the Jones Bridge Project. The platinum-level donation will go towards the construction of stairs linking the South Huron Trail with the new pedestrian bridge.
To learn more visit this link:
Brian’s wife, Barb Down, and other family members were at the future site of the bridge stairs, near Exeter, to present the cheque to Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation. Shown in photo, from left to right, are Jaimee Clarke; Cohen Meidinger; Tom Prout (a Foundation director and member of the Pedestrian Bridge Community Working Group, accepting the cheque on the Foundation’s behalf); Jillian Clarke; Barb Down; Justine Clarke, holding Bria Meidinger; Shayne Mudge, holding Sawyer Mudge; and Janelle Mudge.
Fundraising is continuing to meet the fundraising goal to complete the Jones Bridge Project. To donate or to learn more visit abca.ca or phone 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610.
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Wuerth's Shoes Ltd. donates $4,000 to Pedestrian Bridge on South Huron Trail Project
Wuerth’s Shoes Ltd. is helping to make the community safer and more active with a generous $4,000 donation towards the Jones Bridge community project for the new pedestrian bridge on the South Huron Trail.
Presenting the donation in photo are owners Sarah Geoffrey; John Wuerth; and Linda Wuerth. Accepting the donation, on behalf of the Pedestrian Bridge Community Working Group is Peter Darbishire (second from right in photo), a director on the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation.
To learn more visit this link:
Wuerth’s Shoes began in 1938 and has been in business for more than eight decades and Sarah Geoffrey is the fourth generation of the Wuerth family in the local business.
John Wuerth said it is a privilege to contribute to this community project.
“Linda and I and Sarah and our grandchildren all use the trail regularly,” he said.
“We love the trail,” added Linda Wuerth.
It is very fitting that the new pedestrian bridge is called Jones Bridge, said Sarah Geoffrey, as the bridge is dedicated by Donna Jones in loving memory of Ted Jones and the Jones family is such an important part of the community.
The new bridge has provided a safer, more scenic alternative to walking beside vehicle traffic while enjoying both sections of the popular trail.
The fundraising campaign is continuing this year to complete the Jones Bridge Project including stairs and other ancillary structures and trail approaches and connections in 2019.
Thanks to generous donations like this one, more than $280,000 has been pledged or donated to the bridge project so far and each donation is bringing the community closer to the achievement of the funds needed to complete the project.
To donate to the bridge project please visit https://www.abca.ca/ or phone 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610 or speak with one of the community working group members.
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Province of Ontario approves source protection plan amendments for Maitland Valley, Ausable Bayfield source protection areas
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) has approved the Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley Source Protection Authorities’ amendments to source protection plans to reflect recent changes in six area municipal well systems: Benmiller, Blyth, Dungannon, Molesworth, Ripley, and Varna. The Ministry also approved revisions to two source protection plan policies.
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The Ministry approved the amendments and revisions on January 31, 2019 and they took effect on February 5, 2019.
“The approved changes to wellhead protection area mapping and source protection plans reflect improvements that local municipalities have made to their drinking water systems,” said Matt Pearson, Chair of the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Committee (SPC). “Wells have been added or replaced to ensure communities continue to have reliable drinking water. The plan amendments ensure municipal water supply continues to be protected through the drinking water source protection program.”
The provincial approval follows a public notice period held from January 3, 2018 to February 8, 2018. Consultation included direct notification to landowners in the affected areas plus two Open House sessions held in Blyth and Varna in January of 2018. The local source protection region submitted the proposed amendments to the source protection plans, to Ontario’s environment ministry, on February 16, 2018 for review.
Drinking water sources in the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Region include groundwater, drawn from aquifers underground, and water drawn from Lake Huron. The source protection plans set out policies that use a variety of tools to protect municipal drinking water sources from contamination. These tools include education, risk management planning, prohibition and land use planning. Policies in the Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley Source Protection Plans first came into effect on April 1, 2015.
Visit the region’s local website at sourcewaterinfo.on.ca or the Province of Ontario web page at ontario.ca/page/source-protection to find out more.
These web pages provide information about source protection plan policies, mapping of municipal wells and water resources, activities that could contaminate drinking water in certain circumstances and that require risk management, and positive actions you can take at home and work to help keep our drinking water safe and clean.
The Notice of Approval of the amended assessment reports and source protection plans for the Ausable Bayfield source protection area and Maitland Valley source protection area is also posted on Ontario’s environmental registry at this link:
If you have questions about the approved changes, please contact Program Co-Supervisor Mary Lynn MacDonald at 1-888-286-2610 or Program Co-Supervisor Donna Clarkson at 1-519-335-3557.
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Ausable Bayfield Conservation to host partner appreciation evening Thursday, March 21, 2019
Trevor Dickinson, Professor Emeritus, University of Guelph, to speak at local event on Climate Change and Development in Rural Areas: Impacts on Streamflow and Floods in Southern Ontario
Protecting water, soil, and living things in Ausable Bayfield watersheds is only possible thanks to the work of many community partners. We want to say ‘Thank you’ to those community partners at a partner appreciation evening in March. Ausable Bayfield Conservation is hosting the evening on Thursday, March 21, 2019 at Ironwood Golf Club, 70969 Morrison Line, 2 km east of Exeter.
There is no fee to attend the event but you are asked to please reply in advance to Sharon Pavkeje at spavkeje@abca.ca, by Thursday, March 14, 2019, for meal numbers, if you would like to attend. Visit abca.ca or phone 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610 to find out more.
If you have special dietary needs, you are asked to let us know in advance.
To find out more visit this link:
The Partner Appreciation Evening starts with a social time at 5 p.m. followed by a light supper at about 5:30 p.m. The formal programme begins about 6 p.m. or a little later with presentation of the Conservationist of the Year Award as well as Years of Service Awards for directors and staff.
The awards are to be followed by the keynote presentation by Trevor Dickinson, Professor Emeritus, University of Guelph. He is to speak on the topic of Climate Change and Development in Rural Areas: Impacts on Streamflow and Floods in Southern Ontario.
Increased awareness of extreme weather and changes to our climate have forced us to take a closer look at the data to determine what is happening in southern Ontario, according to the speaker. Temperatures have been climbing over the past 100 years in Ontario, and winter temperatures have risen at the greatest rate, according to the presenter.
Data indicate Ontario’s winter hydrology is changing as winter temperatures have risen, winter snowmelts have become frequent, and other changes have been tracked. Changes in streamflow patterns include the number of floods and the timing of flooding – for instance, winter streamflows are increasing.
The patterns of rural and urban river flows have also changed in recent decades, these changes being most pronounced in highly urbanized watersheds. Even when the number of rainfall events, the amount of rain, and the severity of rainstorms have remained relatively steady, the number of runoff events during the growing season has increased dramatically in urban watersheds. Some of the changes to river flow patterns may reflect changes in our climate, and some of the changes reflect land use changes such as urban development.
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 Municipalities, provincial ministries and agencies, federal department, conservation authorities all play important roles in flood emergency planning
At the Flood Emergency Planning Meeting, , held at the Masonic Hall in Exeter on February 19, 2019, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) Water Resources Coordinator Davin Heinbuck reviewed the roles and responsibilities of different partner organizations including municipalities; conservation authorities; the Province of Ontario – specifically the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry or MNRF and Emergency Management Ontario; and Environment and Climate Change Canada.
To find out more click this link:
Municipalities have key roles creating emergency plans, acting as first responders, and ensuring the welfare of their residents, Heinbuck said. Municipalities assess and determine if a declaration of an emergency is necessary and implement an Emergency Response Plan in the case of an emergency.
During a flooding situation that is not an emergency the municipality monitors the situation and liaises with others, including the conservation authority.
Conservation authorities have an important supporting role collecting and interpreting data; providing flood messages; and receiving early weather notices from MNRF.
Personnel at ABCA, during a flood event, include a Flood Response Coordinator; Flood Duty Officer; and technical support, office, communications, and field support.
The conservation authority helps to prevent flood damage and to “minimize loss of life, property damage, and social disruption” through flood forecasting and warning to municipalities; support for emergency planning; through planning and regulations to keep development away from natural hazards; and technical support for projects that reduce erosion and capture flood waters.
The conservation authority provides municipalities with advance warning of flood events through flood messages (ranging from a Watershed Conditions Statement – Flood Outlook and Water Safety; to a Flood Watch; to a Flood Warning); conducts river watch monitoring and reporting; and maintains an internal flood emergency plan.
The conservation authority may also act as a liaison and provide technical assistance and facilitate planning.
Conservation authority staff also operate the Parkhill Dam.
The Water Resources Coordinator shared a number of examples of past flood events in the watershed. He reminded the attendees that flooding emergencies do happen. Heinbuck said snow depth was less than normal at the time of the meeting but that ice jams or future significant snowstorms followed by heavy rain could increase flooding potential.
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Fifty-Fifty Draw to be held for first time in conjunction with 30th Conservation Dinner
Winning raffle ticket to be drawn on evening of charity auction but winner does not need to be there to win
The Exeter Lions Club has been a major partner in the Conservation Dinner charity auction event for close to three decades but this year the club is doing even more in support of the community by adding a 50-50 Raffle draw. Raffle tickets are available now.
There are only 1,000 tickets printed and they are only $10 each, according to Lions Club members. If all tickets are sold, the cash prize could be as high as $5,000. The draw (Licence #M681352) is to be held at the Conservation Dinner on Thursday, April 11, 2019 at South Huron Recreation Centre at 10 p.m. You don’t need to be at the Dinner to win. You can buy a ticket from Lions Club members or phone 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610.
“This is a great chance to support projects in your local communities and to have a chance to win big,” said Jeff MacLean, President of the Exeter Lions Club. “The Exeter Lions Club is pleased to help support community betterment projects and the 50-50 Raffle is another way we can do that.”
To find out more click this link:
The Conservation Dinner is a community success story that has raised more than $1.1 million in net proceeds in support of parks and recreation, trails, family-friendly fishing derby, nature education, and other projects in local communities in an area from Exeter to Port Franks to Bayfield and all points in between.
“I congratulate the Exeter Lions Club for adding this great new way to support community projects,” said Conservation Dinner Co-Chair Jim Beckett.
“I encourage people to buy a 50-50 Raffle ticket to earn a chance at winning a great prize while also giving back to their community at the same time,” said Conservation Dinner Co-Chair Larry Taylor.
To buy 50-50 Raffle tickets, or Dinner tickets, or to donate to the 2019 Conservation Dinner, phone 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610.
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South Huron District High School (SHDHS) students raise more than $1,600 to support Pedestrian Bridge on South Huron Trail
Students from South Huron District High School (SHDHS) in Exeter, Ontario have helped to make their community safer and more active by raising $1,612.75 for the Pedestrian Bridge on the South Huron Trail Project.
“It’s nice to be able to make a difference in your community,” said Stephan Ducharme, Chair of the school’s Athletic Council. “It’s a good feeling.”
The SHDHS Athletic Council, with the support of students and local businesses, donated the money to Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation and the Jones Bridge Project. Students gathered in the secondary school gymnasium on Tuesday, February 5, 2019 to present the cheque to Lorne Rideout, a member of the Pedestrian Bridge Community Working Group.
“We always do a fundraiser each year,” said Stephan. “This year we decided it should be the project to build a new Pedestrian Bridge on the South Huron Trail – we thought it was great.” Jones Bridge will benefit young people in the community, he said. “The bridge will be really helpful,” he said. “We use the trail quite a bit.”
The Athletic Council Chair said students took part in a number of activities to raise the money. The chance to watch their school’s hockey teams play through a voluntary ‘buy-out’ was one incentive which encouraged students to contribute.
The Athletics Council also hosted activities such as a puck shoot-out competition and selling tickets for raffle baskets. The Chair of the Athletic Council thanked Darren Kints and Dairy Queen of Exeter for offering prizes and matching money raised in the shoot-out contest in order to help students to achieve the generous fundraising total they did.
“We have a really generous community,” Stephan said. “This is definitely a good demonstration of how our community gives back.”
The community has now donated or pledged more than $280,000 towards the project to complete Jones Bridge and donations are still needed to complete the project. The pedestrian bridge has been placed on the South Huron Trail and is open for use and ancillary structures such as stairs are to be placed this year.
Thanks to the community support for the pedestrian bridge, people can now travel from one trail section to the other without walking beside vehicle traffic in order to do it. The bridge is called Jones Bridge as it is dedicated by Donna Jones, in loving memory of Ted Jones. Ted Jones was a dedicated community volunteer and conservationist and a long-time director of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation and a long-time member of the Exeter Lions Club.
Donations to the Jones Bridge project, made directly to Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, are eligible for charitable gift receipts for income tax purposes.
To learn more, or to donate, visit abca.ca or phone 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610. You are also invited to contact any of the members of the community working group. Their names are in the bridge brochure available online and in printed copies.
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Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority Board of Directors approves new, updated Shoreline Management Plan
New plan incorporates several changes in response to public comments
It has been more than four years in the making but there is now a new, updated Shoreline Management Plan for the Lake Huron shoreline within the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority’s area. The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) Board of Directors approved an updated, amended Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) at the board meeting and annual meeting held on Thursday, February 21, 2019.
The approved plan provides a consistent, up-to-date guide for development and municipal land use planning along the shoreline, according to ABCA. The plan helps to protect existing development from potential impacts of new development and to ensure new development is not located in the most hazardous areas (where flooding, erosion, and dynamic beaches could pose the highest risk to life and property).
The approved, updated plan provides newer information on shoreline recession rates, brings local policies and application of the Regulation more up-to-date with Province of Ontario policy, and keeps policies current in light of emerging land use trends.
“The new plan includes up-to-date technical work to accurately reflect natural hazards along the shoreline, policies that reflect current land use trends and provincial policy, and new, clear, consistent, practical, local guidelines,” said Geoffrey Cade, Water and Planning Manager. “The approval of an updated plan gives people certainty about what local policies are so property owners proposing development will know what the requirements are for permit applications.”
The previous Shoreline Management Plan had been in effect since 2000 and ABCA began technical work, and consultation with municipalities and the public, starting in 2015.
“It has taken a long time to complete the update process but we wanted to take the time necessary to collect the best information possible and to talk to shoreline residents and municipalities and to respond to public questions, concerns, and comments,” said Cade. “We wanted a plan that is current and responsible in effectively protecting life, property, and the environment and we also wanted a plan that was local and practical and this new plan achieves that balance.”
To find out more click this link:
The new Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) reflects public input between 2015 and 2019. Shoreline residents and other interested persons provided written comments during the most recent period for written comments (November 28, 2018 to January 25, 2019). People had also provided comments on the draft development guidelines during a previous consultation period (August 11, 2018 to September 15, 2018).
In response to public comments, staff recommended several amendments to the Draft Proposed Shoreline Management Plan (2018) prior to approval. The public also provided written comments in response to previous reports. The new plan incorporates several changes to the draft plan in response to public comments during the consultation and a summary of those changes is posted online at abca.ca.
The revised, approved Shoreline Management Plan (2019) is posted online at abca.ca on the shoreline management plan page:
The new, approved plan differs profoundly from the approach recommended by the 2015-2016 consulting team, according to ABCA. In 2016, the ABCA Board of Directors had rejected some key recommendations of a draft recommendation report from the 2015-2016 consulting consortium.
The ABCA Board of Directors held a special meeting on November 3, 2016 where the board made clear it opposed “outright prohibition of all shoreline protection works” and rejected “the underlying principle of managed retreat” and rejected the development guidelines in that report. The Board at that time directed staff to re-engage the public in the update process.
The conservation authority later contracted a different firm, W.F. Baird and Associates, to develop a new proposed plan for the Board’s consideration. Conservation authority staff also worked with municipal staff to develop new proposed development guidelines. The new approved plan incorporates some technical work from the original consulting team but includes different development guidelines and different policies for proposed shoreline protection works.
If you have questions, please contact Geoffrey Cade at 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610.
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