Coastal Centre is looking for volunteers to join Goderich Shoreline Clean-up
Goderich Shoreline Clean-up takes place Saturday, April 20, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Christopher’s Beach
The Lake Huron Coastal Centre (LHCC) is celebrating Earth Day early this year by hosting a beach clean-up event in Goderich.
This family-friendly event is held to " ... bring our community together to fight back against plastic pollution on Lake Huron."
The Coastal Centre invites volunteers to stay afterwards to enjoy a free beach barbecue courtesy of Zehrs Goderich.
The LHCC welcomes all volunteers to join the Goderich Shoreline Clean-up on Saturday, April 20, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Christopher’s Beach.
To find all the details, and to register, visit the beach cleanup web page.
This event would not have been possible without the partnership of Tanner Steffler Foundation; Zehrs Goderich; Rotaract Club of Goderich; and sponsorship from Compass Minerals; Cait’s Café; Yoga Den; Goderich Lions Club; and Goderich Port Management Corporation.
In 2023, 180 volunteers removed 600 pounds of litter from the Goderich shoreline.
The LHCC is a non-governmental charity dedicated to supporting a healthy coastal ecosystem through education, restoration, and research.
To learn more, visit the Coastal Centre website. You are also invited to follow them on Facebook/Meta; Twitter/X; and Instagram (@coastalcentre).
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County of Huron's Clean Water Project now accepting applications
The Huron Clean Water Project (HCWP) is a fund that supports water quality projects in Huron County.
There is a total of $500,000 in available funds, in 2024, for water quality projects by Huron County residents, landowners, and community groups.
The Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) and the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) deliver the program on behalf of the County of Huron.
“The total value of past Huron Clean Water projects is an astounding $14.5 million,” said Warden Glen McNeil. “These investments made by the County, community partners and community members demonstrate Huron’s commitment to being good stewards of our land and waterways now and in the future. Well done, to all involved in this important project.”
Investing and participating in on-the-ground water quality improvement projects contributes to a healthy environment and will provide lasting benefits for the residents of Huron County and generations to follow.
Limited funding assistance, covering up to 50 per cent of the costs of eligible projects, is awarded to county farmers, rural landowners, businesses and community organizations.
County of Huron funding can be combined with other sources such as provincial and federal funding programs, as well as programs offered by other environmental organizations and local foundations. Program delivery staff are available to help connect county residents with these additional funding opportunities.
The Huron Clean Water Project is in its twentieth year of providing financial and technical support to improve and protect water quality on Huron County farms and rural properties.
Since 2005, Huron County residents have completed nearly 4,000 stewardship projects with funding from the Clean Water Project, including:
- 113 liquid manure storages decommissioned
- 435 wells upgraded
- 620 wells decommissioned
- 38,000 acres of cover crops
- 1,319 tree planting projects
- 304 erosion control projects
Learn more about the Huron Clean Water Project at:
To apply for funding, or to obtain further information, call Maitland Valley Conservation Authority at 519-335-3557, extension 236, or Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority at 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610, extension 227.
Learn more:
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Public learns about flora, fauna at environmental study area
The McLarty Environmental Study Area is located on Bruce Road 6/Side Road 20 in the Township of Huron Kinloss.
The study area is open to the public to enjoy the great outdoors.
This area is designed for the Pine River watershed community.
At the study area, the young and young at heart learn about the Pine River and about wildlife and plants the watershed supports and about wetland creation there.
The Pine River Watershed Initiative Network (PRWIN) has installed a trail system throughout the area, created two wetland ponds, planted memorial trees, added an Osprey nest and reforested the area with more than one thousand tree seedlings.
Community groups have enjoyed outdoor classroom experiences at the McLarty location.
The Pine River Watershed Initiative Network encourages people to " ... come in and explore in nature."
Local youth groups, clubs and day camps are welcome to experience this opportunity, according to PRWIN.
To learn more, email PRWIN at pineriverwin@yahoo.ca
Visit the Pine River Watershed Initiative Network website to learn more about projects you can do that benefit your property, the environment, and local communities.
These projects improve soil retention and add resilience to severe weather and provide habitat for wildlife.
Also, learn about a community tree planting day on Saturday, May 4, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Register at pineriverwin@yahoo.ca
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Eastern Canada Farm Writers to visit Huronview Demonstration Farm
Agricultural journalists from the Eastern Canada Farm Writers' Association (ECFWA) are going to tour the Huronview Demonstration Farm, near Clinton, Ontario, as part of their Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Monday, May 13, 2024.
These Eastern Canadian farm writers are to learn about grassroots, farmer-led research on cover crops, innovative tile drainage, water quality monitoring, and more.
Huronview Demonstration Farm is owned by the County of Huron and operated by Huron County Soil and Crop Improvement Association (HSCIA).
Staff from Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) monitor water quality metrics at the demo farm.
To learn more about water quality and best management practice monitoring in Huron County visit the Huronview Demo Farm website.
The farm writers will also visit other locations, during their AGM, including the Port of the Town of Goderich.
The ECFWA represents approximately 125 members in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
The Eastern Canada Farm Writers' Association represents agricultural communicators, including reporters, writers, editors and broadcasters, as well as those in industry, government and academia who are involved in agricultural communications.
To learn more about the Eastern Canada Farm Writers' Association, visit the ECFWA website.
#HealthyLakeHuron #LandtoLake #PieceofthePuzzle
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Eco Exeter students encourage us to use reusable containers instead of single-use plastic water bottles
Eco Exeter students speak to more than 60 people, urging public to reduce use of single-use plastics that can pollute Great Lakes
Students from Eco Exeter, at South Huron District High School (SHDHS), presented to more than 60 people on March 21, 2024. Their topic was Away from pollution, towards solutions: Keeping plastics and other contaminants out of our water.
The world is producing about 430 million tonnes of plastic per year and two thirds of that is used for a short period of time, according to the students, citing a 2023 report from the United Nations. There is the equivalent of more than 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic dumped, every day, into Earth’s rivers, lakes and oceans.
The students told the crowd how only a small percentage of plastic (less than nine per cent) is recycled after losses and almost half of plastic waste ends up in landfills. Plastic pollution affects the health of people and animals, the students said. Even in Lake Huron, they said, plastic remnants have been found in the digestive systems of different species.
Plastic is made from fossil fuels and it contributes to climate change, the students said. They cite a Center for International Environmental Law report that says “ ... plastic contributes to greenhouse gas emissions at every stage of its lifecycle, from its production to its refining and the way it is managed as a waste product.”
The students urged people to find ways, such as reusable mugs, to reduce the need for more single-use plastic. The students are continuing their local work with upcoming events such as a community cleanup; educational sessions at the Eco Conference of Avon Maitland District School Board; and other future pollution prevention initiatives.
Eco Exeter was formed in 2019. Since then, the students have reached a wide audience with a message about decreasing use of single-use plastics in order to reduce plastic, microplastic and nano-plastic pollution in the Great Lakes and the world’s oceans. There are more than 20 students in Eco Exeter. The students are featured in a documentary film called Plastic People.
In 2022, the students donated to local tree plantings. Their $2,000 donation supported work to plant thousands of tree seedlings on private lands and at Triebner Tract near the Hay Swamp wetland complex northwest of Exeter. They took part in a planting day at the property and helped to plant 500 plants and shrubs.
Learn more:
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Landowners planting trees, enhancing wetlands, planting cover crops with benefits to Lake Huron
The healthy watershed staff at St. Clair Region Conservation are thanking all the landowners who have planted trees, created wetlands and improved soil health to the benefit of watercourses.
The participation of local landowners in healthy watershed projects helps to create habitat needed by species at risk and helps to protect and improve the quality of water entering streams, rivers, and Lake Huron.
In 2024, staff at St. Clair Region Conservation Authority (SCRCA) are already hard at work helping landowners to improve forest conditions.
SCRCA staff are working with 34 property owners, in the spring of 2024, to plant more than 66,000 trees.
More than 60 landowners, in the SCRCA watershed, have purchased 5,400 seedlings to plant on their own.
The work taking place in 2024 builds upon a foundation of past years including a busy year last year.
In 2023, St. Clair Region Conservation staff, working with landowners and residents and other community partners, made it possible to:
- Plant more than 65,000 seedlings
- Plant more than 82 acres of trees
- Restore 12 acres of wetlands
There were more than 190 landowners who took part in tree and healthy watershed programs in the St. Clair Region area in 2023.
Staff thanked partners and funders including:
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
- Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
- St. Clair Region Conservation Foundation
- ALUS Middlesex and Lambton
- Ducks Unlimited
"As successful as 2023 was, we are looking forward to 2024 and another great round of stewardship projects to implement across the watershed," according to the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority website. "The SCRCA has been able to secure several funding sources for habitat restoration and agricultural best management practices, one being through Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Carolinian Priority Place."
This program allows St. Clair Region Conservation Authority, in partnership with Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, to offer the Carolinian Priority Place Cover Crop Incentive.
This program encourages growers to try new cover crop mixes and techniques and help demonstrate their use. By planting cover crops, farmers will assist in protecting groundwater by promoting biological nitrogen fixation, as well as providing soil protection and reducing soil erosion, which benefits local watercourses.
Landowners in the St. Clair Region watershed (Lambton Shores), can contact Jessica Van Zwol at jvanzwol@scrca.on.ca or 519-245-3710, extension 241.
Landowners in the Ausable Bayfield Watershed, can contact Brooklyn Rau at brau@abca.ca or 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610, extension 261.
Learn more:
#HealthyLakeHuron #LandtoLake #PieceofthePuzzle
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Take positive action for Lake Huron this Earth Day
Monday, April 22, 2024 is Earth Day.
Are you looking for ways to make global change with local action?
You can find ideas for action from local conservation organizations and in Watershed Report Cards.
To learn more about Watershed Report Cards and watershed monitoring and reporting, along Lake Huron's southeast shoreline, check out the following web links:
#EarthDay
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Farm family wins award for years of stewardship
Michael and Lindsay Groot and family, of Crediton area, win Conservationist of the Year Award
Michael and Lindsay Groot and family are winners of the Conservationist of the Year Award in Ausable Bayfield watersheds.
Ausable Bayfield Conservation presented the award, to the Crediton-area family, at the Partner Appreciation Evening, on March 21, 2024, at Ironwood Golf Club.
Marissa Vaughan is Chair of Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA). The ABCA Chair thanked the Groot family for the work they have done at their farm, Wholesome Pastures, to plant trees, to use no-till crop management and cover crops to reduce runoff and erosion and to build soil health, and to make other improvements and innovations that benefit their farm operation and watershed resources.
“On behalf of Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority and its Board of Directors, and staff, I would like to thank Michael, Lindsay, and the entire Groot family, for their dedication, over many years, to enhance watershed resources and build a brighter future.” She praised the vision and commitment of the Groot family and said “the improvements that are happening in our watershed simply could not happen without the dedication and commitment of landowners and watershed stewards like Michael and Lindsay Groot and their family.”
Ian Jean, ABCA Forestry and Land Stewardship Specialist, introduced the award winners: “Through no-till cropping, cover cropping, and rotational grazing, the Groot family is building soil organic matter, and improving the soil health,” he said.
Why are healthy soils important? “On our working landscape, healthy soils are extremely important to healthy water and healthy watersheds,” he said. Healthy soils “hold more water, they filter more water. Of course, there are other benefits to growing food and raising livestock.” He also praised the Groot family for sharing information with peers in the industry through tours at the farm and by speaking at workshops. “I’m not sure how they do it all, but I’m sure it’s because of their passion for the environment and their community and I’m so glad we’re able to recognize their efforts,” he said.
In accepting the award, Michael Groot said “it is very humbling to be added to that list of esteemed winners over the past 41 years.” He thanked his family for their support. He also thanked the organizations that have helped them to complete stewardship projects that protect soil and water.
The Groot family received congratulatory certificate of recognition scrolls presented on behalf of: Ben Lobb, MP, Huron-Bruce; Lisa Thompson, MPP, Huron-Bruce; Lianne Rood, MP, Lambton-Kent-Middlesex; John Nater, MP, Perth-Wellington; and Matthew Rae, MPP, Perth-Wellington.
Michael and Lindsay and family have planted thousands of trees. They have improved the management of runoff and erosion and created habitat for wildlife. They have established about 5.5 kilometres of new windbreaks on three farm properties. They have moved from conventional tillage to no-till. Through no-till crop management, they help to keep soil undisturbed in order to keep erosion in check and keep soil structure and root systems intact. They have made extensive use of cover crops as well.
Learn more:
#HealthyLakeHuron #LandtoLake
Thanks for being a #PieceofthePuzzle
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