| Summer 2005 Newsletter |
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ERCA Newsletter |  |
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| Greetings! We have introduced a new newsletter format for your convenience. Please read on to find out about our latest news and activities!
On August 16, Ontario Great Lakes Renewal Foundation board director Tom Fuerth presented a cheque for $25,900 to Matthew Child, Coordinator of Habitat and Aquatic Resources at the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA), to assist with the restoration of the Smith Property on County Road 12, as part of the Essex Region Biodiversity Conservation Strategy. Fuerth noted that the monies will be directed specifically to restoring the Smith Property, utilizing traditional as well as the new pit and mound forest technique, which best emulates the undulating topography found in natural forests. “To date the Foundation has directed over $1.5 million to restoration and rehabilitation projects in the Detroit River Watershed, including the Healthy Watersheds program in Southwestern Ontario,” Fuerth added. "We are very grateful for this contribution from the Ontario Great lakes Renewal Foundation, which allows an additional 30 acres of habitat to be restored in the Detroit River Watershed," said Child. "Healthy watersheds are the key to the health of our Great Lakes, and restoring habitat within the watershed ultimately helps to create a cleaner, healthier water source.” The Ontario Government established the Ontario Great Lakes Renewal Foundation (OGLRF) in 1998 with a $5 million initial grant. The foundation focuses on restoring the remaining 16 Areas of Concern that were identified in the 1987 Water Quality Agreement, which was jointly agreed to by Canada and the U.S. as the most severely degraded areas on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes. “Since its inception the Foundation has been able to leverage over $5 million to bring about more than $25 million in rehabilitation and restoration work at 63 projects in designated as Areas of Concern around the Great Lakes,” Fuerth concluded. The OGLRF and the ERCA have partnered to complete a number of restoration projects over the last several years.
The Windsor Assembly Plant CAW/DaimlerChrysler Joint Workplace Environment Committee and CAW Local 444 Environment Committee are once again partnering with DaimlerChrysler Canada Inc. and our community to create a cleaner, healthier environment for this region. On Wednesday, July 6 at 11a.m. at the Oldcastle Community Entrance to the Chrysler Canada Greenway, the Windsor Assembly Plant announced that they will contribute $8,250 toward the One Million Trees program. This complements the $1,500 contributed by the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA). With the help of community volunteers, these funds will allow one tree to be planted on behalf of each employee at DaimlerChrysler’s Windsor Assembly Plant each year for the next 10 years. “The sponsoring of the One Million Tree program is a culmination of years of hard work and dedication to Windsor Assembly, its workers, the community and the environment," said Dan Hillock, Plant Manager, Windsor Assembly Plant, DaimlerChrysler Canada Inc.. While the first 6,600 trees will be planted during the 2006 spring tree planting season, Windsor City Councillor Alan Halberstadt, ERCA Chair Tom Wilson, Mr. Hillock and Mark Bartlett, CAW Environmental Representative planted the first tree Wednesday to celebrate this announcement. The Windsor Assembly Plant CAW/DaimlerChrysler Joint Workplace Environment Committee and CAW Local 444 Environment Committee have an established track record of working together towards planning and implementing environmental improvements. During the past several years, they have partnered to give away trees to their employees during Earth Day celebrations in April, and this program has grown as an extension of these Earth Day activities. “This 10 year commitment is living proof of the Union and Company's shared commitment to improving our environment for ourselves, our community and future generations," said Bartlett. The One Million Trees program was introduced by the City of Windsor to facilitate the volunteer planting of 100,000 trees per year for ten years in Windsor and Essex County to replace trees lost as a result of Emerald Ash Borer. The Essex Region Conservation Authority is a partner in the initiative, and annually plants more than 150,000 trees across the region. The four organizations look forward to their continued partnership that will help to create a cleaner and healthier environment for Windsor and Essex County.
The Essex Region Conservation Foundation 19th Annual Golf Tournament was a great success this year with a record turnout. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors Landmark Engineering (Gold Sponsor) and Miller Canfield LLP (Silver Sponsor) and our many hole sponsors, golfers and auction donors, the event raised over $20,000. These funds will play a crucial part in the protection of our regional environment. Erie Shores Golf and Country Club was once again an enjoyable venue. Congratulations to the winning foursome from Landmark Engineering - Dan Krutsch. Joe McCarthy, Peter Goldhawk and Jim Lyons - successfully defending their title. If you were not able to make it this year, consider making 2006 the year that you 'tee off for conservation' to protect the critical natural resources of The Essex Region.
Now is the time to start thinking about restoration opportunities for Fall 2005 and Spring 2006! As the Essex Region Conservation Authority continues to strive to reach a state of sustainability for the community, there are a number of grant programs available as financial incentives to landowners who wish to contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment. EAB Response – Natural Areas Restoration Grants are now available to landowners whose projects:
Natural Areas Restoration Grants are available for native seedlings grown from locally collected seeds, and stewardship agreements will apply. Landowners will agree to contribute at least 25% of the project costs. Grants are awarded on a first-come, first serve basis, and are being implemented by ERCA, the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority, the Essex County Stewardship Network and Stewardship Kent, with funding from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Contact: Mark Thibeault, Technician, 776-5209 ext. 305 or mthibeault@erca.org Clean Water ~ Green Spaces Grants are region wide incentive grants to implement water quality improvement projects. Financial incentives of up to $1500 are available to landowners with at least one acre of property who wish to construct rock chutes and plant buffer strips and windbreaks to reduce soil erosion and improve water quality. As well, tree planting for habitat restoration also may qualify for a grant. Well capping projects also fall within the range of eligible initiatives, and capping an unused well can help to protect the local groundwater supply. In the Detroit River and Wheatley Harbour Watersheds, grants for septic system upgrades are also available. Contact: Tim Impens, Agricultural Technician 776- 5209 ext. 369 or timpens@erca.org Large Scale Naturalization Projects may also be eligible for funding for landowners that wish to restore large parcels of properties to natural area. Over the past few years, ERCA has partnered with dozens of landowners to conduct 25 acre, 65 acre and even 100 acre restoration projects. Contact: Kate Arthur, Restoration Biologist 776- 5209 ext. 303 or karthur@erca.org
Make a note in your diaries to visit the Festival of Hawks at Holiday Beach Conservation Area, located on County Road 50, approximately 15km southeast of Amherstburg. The event will be held throughout the migration period on September 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th and 24th 2005, from 9am - 3pm. Bald Eagles, Monarch butterflies, hummingbirds, and magnificent hawks can be witnessed at the migration spectacle that is the Festival of Hawks. Southwestern Ontario funnels migrating raptors along the shore of the Great Lakes. Reluctant to cross large bodies of water, raptors gain altitude over the farmlands, rising easily with the thermals. With appropriate wind and weather conditions, birds pile up along the lakeshore moving west until they reach the narrowest cross point of the Detroit River at Holiday Beach Conservation Area. In a single autumn season more than 100,000 raptors soar over the Hawk Tower.
A lawn contributes greatly towards the look of a property and can provide an attractive place to relax and play. But how many people consider the environmental impact of their lawn maintenance? Here are a few tips for nurturing that green space and minimising the side effects.
Two sections of the Little River Dykes are currently being lowered to provide emergency overflows into parklands east of dykes and south of the Little River Sewage Treatment Plant. The Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) is overseeing this project which will enhance protection of residential neighbourhoods in the area. “In the event of a major or extreme rainfall event, water will spill in controlled fashion into the large parkland area of the floodplain so that it won't be able to flood the developed areas,” explains Tom Wilson, ERCA Chair. “This work will use the storage areas, and restores the natural function of the floodplain to store water and alleviate flooding downstream.” Protecting homes and people from the dangers of flooding and erosion is one of ERCA’s key strategic activities. This project is part of a major Flood Control and Stormwater Management Program for the East Riverside Planning Area in Windsor. It has been designed and implemented jointly by ERCA, the City of Windsor, and major developers. For this component of the project, ERCA was successful in obtaining $350,000 in Provincial funding towards the project. This represents 50% of the total project cost, as the project protects existing development as well as the Sewage Treatment Plant. ERCA carried out a major construction and improvement program on the dykes along the full length and both sides of the Little River from Riverside Drive to the Canadian National Railway in the 1980s. These important flood control structures protect over two thousand homes both west and east of Little River, in addition to the sewage plant.
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