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The Huron-Erie Corridor Great Lakes Virtual Field Trip begins with the sharing of Indigenous perspectives and knowledge by First Nations people for whom the Huron-Erie Corridor is home.
Great Lakes virtual field trips are available online
by Donna Blue, Manager of Communications, St. Clair Region Conservation Authority
The Great Lakes play a vital role in the lives of residents who are lucky to call the Great Lakes Basin home but, for many, the importance of these significant natural features is not appreciated as much as it could be. In an effort to increase awareness of the role the Great Lakes have in our everyday lives, St. Clair Region Conservation Authority (SCRCA) created an online Virtual Field Trip. The field trip engaged students on the ecosystem services provided by the waters of the Huron-Erie Corridor and local threats facing their future.
Through funding provided by Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks, viewers are taken on a trip through the Huron-Erie Corridor from the southern shores of Lake Huron to Lake Erie. The trip features stops at the St. Clair River, Bkejwanong/Walpole Island, and the Detroit River. During their trip, participants Learn, Care, Protect, and Connect with the water through insights from Indigenous Water Protectors, community activists, and other inspirational individuals.
While the SCRCA Great Lakes Virtual Field Trip focused on the Huron-Erie Corridor, other online tools were also developed for participants to explore other regions of the Great Lakes Basin.
To visit the Great Lakes Virtual Field Trips produced as part of this project, please visit the links below:
St. Clair Region Conservation Authority:
Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority:
EcoSuperior:
South Nation Conservation Authority:
The Virtual Field Trips were tailored to connect to Province of Ontario science, geography, and history curriculum expectations for grades 8 to 10.
St. Clair Region Conservation Authority would like to thank Essex Region Conservation Authority; Lower Thames Valley Region Conservation Authority; Lambton Shores Phragmites Community Group; Ipperwash Phrag Phighters; Aamjiwnaang First Nation; Walpole Island/Bkejwanong First Nation; Kettle and Stony Point First Nation; Detroit River Canadian Cleanup; Leamington District High School Eco-Team; and Friends of the St. Clair River for their assistance in the development of the Huron-Erie Great Lakes Virtual Field Trip.
Participants in the Great Lakes virtual field trips visit six stretches of the Huron-Erie Corridor during the Virtual Field Trip tour where they learn more about the unique characteristics of each region, why they are important, and what can be done to help protect these precious resources.
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World Wetlands Day observed locally and globally on Wednesday, February 2, 2022
Help to protect, restore and enhance coastal wetlands; Consider water management on your property
Every year, on February 2, the world observes World Wetlands Day.
The theme for World Wetlands Day in 2022 is ‘Wetlands Action for People and Nature.’
This year’s #WorldWetlandsDay focuses on taking action to protect and restore wetlands.
To find out about stormwater management improvements and wetlands, and projects you can do to enhance them, visit the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation or contact your local conservation authority or conservation organization.
There may be financial incentives and staff support in some watersheds to help you protect wetlands in the Lake Huron-Georgian Bay Watershed.
Our coastal communities along Lake Huron's southeast shore recognize Lake Huron as key to the well-being of residents and a pillar of economic development.
Wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services and support many rare species on Lake Huron’s coast.
Wetlands include coastal marshes, swamps, fens or bogs.
Wetlands along Lake Huron's southeast shore offer habitat for many species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and macroinvertebrates.
Great Lakes coastal wetlands provide many benefits.
- They trap sediment from nearshore and river sources.
- They filter water and protect and improve water quality.
- They reduce erosion of shorelines by creating a natural buffer.
- They provide habitat for plants, fish, amphibians, and reptiles
- They provide an area to alleviate fluctuations from lake level changes.
Wetlands are critical carbon banks.
They store carbon dioxide in the vegetation that grows within them.
Properly removing invasive species, especially Phragmites australis, is extremely important to preserve habitat for fish, turtle, and bird species that rely on wetlands for nesting and feeding.
Creating vegetated, naturalized buffer zones around wetlands protects them from pollution, nutrients, and sediment contained in runoff.
This helps to protect and improve water quality and the ability of wetlands to complete their important functions.
Coastal wetlands are unique, complex ecosystems.
Wetlands are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems in the world.
They benefit water quality and also water quantity.
Wetlands capture water when there’s too much water on the landscape during flooding and runoff and release water gradually when water is needed during times of low water and drought.
This World Wetlands Day, consider managing water on your property.
Water running off of your land during storm events contributes to downstream flooding and erosion.
There are ways to manage stormwater to limit flooding and erosion.
On agricultural land, you could consider cover crops to improve filtration, pasture strips around woodlot edges, berms, and ponds or buffer strips with native plants, trees or shrubs.
If you live in a village, town or city consider soakaways, rain gardens and disconnecting downspouts.
You can also support local wetland enhancement through a donation.
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All the best of the new year to you and yours
The partners of the Healthy Lake Huron – Clean Water, Clean Beaches Partnership would like to wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy new year in 2022.
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Stay safe in Lake Huron watershed this winter
Residents and visitors reminded to avoid lake and other waterbodies during season of cold temperatures
Great Lakes municipalities and other community partners across the Lake Huron-Georgian Bay Watershed are reminding residents and visitors to stay safe this winter season.
Lake Huron is beautiful but to stay safe people need to enjoy it from a considerable distance.
The return of winter and dropping temperatures is a time for residents and visitors to remember to keep safe by keeping their distance from Lake Huron and creeks and rivers.
Put safety first this season.
As ice forms on the lake, it constantly breaks up, refreezes, and gets pushed toward the shoreline. This forms ice shelves that can stretch several metres out into the lake. It appears almost as an extension of the shoreline in some places. This may tempt some people to consider walking near or on these formations but these surfaces are not safe to walk on.
Compared to ice that forms over bodies of standing water, ice forming over the Great Lakes is thinner and more unstable because the lake is always moving beneath it. What appears to be thick, stable ice, can hide large cracks or caverns. One wrong step and individuals can find themselves falling through the cracks and getting trapped in the caverns or plunging into the frigid waters. Hypothermia can set in within minutes in cold temperatures. Depending on conditions, it can be difficult for rescue crews to respond. As beautiful as these natural phenomena are, it is far better, and safer, to enjoy them from a great distance.
The message to ‘Never walk on shelf ice’ is one to be shared.
Avoid icy shorelines and ice shelves and learn about the phenomenon of ‘ice volcanoes.’
Read more in this article:
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Planting trees is one way you can improve health, resilience of Lake Huron-Georgian Bay watershed
Planting trees adds resiliency
People in our Lake Huron communities have been resilient especially over the past two years.
The natural areas we depend on along Lake Huron's southeast shore must also be resilient.
Forests and natural areas are an important part of resilient communities.
Enhancing the qualities that help natural areas recover from stress are more important now than ever.
We can all help.
In backyards, planting native wildflowers to enhance pollinator habitat is important.
On farms, naturalizing unproductive land, small or odd-shaped fields, or rough valley lands improves resilience.
Planting different kinds of trees and native vegetation can be used to enhance diversity.
More diverse forests are more resilient to disease, pests and climate stress.
Order native tree species now, through your local conservation organization or nursery, for planting this spring.
Or, donate now to permanent tree planting through the Carbon Footprints to Forests initiative.
Donate $11 to Footprints to Forests and two trees will be planted. Donate $22 and four trees will be planted. Donate $99 and 18 trees will be planted.
The Oxford online dictionary defines resilience as " ... the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness." For forests these difficulties could be drought, disease, pests, storms, fire, invasive species, other disturbances.
Resilience is the ability to recover from a disturbance or trauma. Watersheds can experience damaging events such as floods. Watershed resilience (or resiliency) is the ability of a watershed to recover from severe events and extreme weather. Projects such as tree planting, wetlands and other stewardship enhancements can build the resilience that make watersheds better prepared to adapt to and recover from extreme events including floods, droughts, and extreme weather.
Planting trees to enlarge and connect natural areas helps build resilience. Larger forests and natural areas have less edge effect and tend to have stronger associations between plants, fungi and animals. This reduces opportunities for invasive species and improves recovery from stressors. Connecting natural areas allows movement of wildlife, pollinators and genetic exchange necessary for adaptation and recovery following disturbance.
Learn more in this article:
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Don't forget to visit the Healthy Lake Huron website!
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