Welcome new DRCC Staff!

Our Detroit River Canadian Cleanup RAP Coordinator, Jackie Serran began her maternity leave in April 2022 and is expected to return in December 2023. The RAP Assistant, Gina Pannunzio will begin her maternity leave in August 2023 and is expected to return in August 2024. During their absence, we welcome both Sarah Lanoue and Laura Neufeld to the program!

Sarah Lanoue, Detroit River Remedial Action Plan Coordinator

Sarah is a University of Windsor graduate with both a Bachelors of Science in Chemistry and a Certificate of Environmental Engineering. She comes to the DRCC with 2 years of environmental experience working on a major infrastructure project in Canada. She is passionate about local ecology in Windsor-Essex.

Laura Neufeld, Detroit River Remedial Action Plan Assistant

Laura is a graduate from the University of Windsor and Women’s Hockey Lancer Alumni.  Laura began working for the Conservation Authority as a student in 2015 and since have held multiple roles in the Watershed Management and Conservation Services departments. After completing her Bachelor of Environmental Studies with focus in Resource Management, Laura gained the role of Risk Management Official/ Inspector as part of the Essex Region Source Water Protection Program. Laura is passionate about community enhancement and committed to supporting and promoting environmental improvements locally in public service. 

Thank you to the Town of LaSalle, Essex Region Conservation and Just Fishin' Friends for helping us host the Detroit River Family Fishing Event! The event was held during Family Fishing Week (July 1-9, 2023) where Canadian residents can fish in Ontario for free. This means you do not need to buy a fishing license if you want to fish.

There were many families and guests in attendance who went fishing on the Detroit River at Front Road Park, learned some techniques from expert anglers and went home with some DRCC swag.

Taken from The Wildlife Society, June 2 2023

The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has removed bald eagles from the provincial endangered species list. Environment Minister David Piccini announced the decision, made by the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario, which determined that bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in the province should be listed as “not at risk” now rather than its previous status of “special concern.” Some reports had placed nest numbers as low as about two dozen in the 1990s, but bald eagles climbed to roughly 2,600 nests by 2022. The agency credits the banning of DDT and other environmental efforts for the species’ recovery.

The Bald Eagle is one of the most recognized symbols of the Detroit River, and their return is a positive indication that we are making a difference! Starting in the 1950s, Bald Eagle numbers in the Great Lakes began to decline because of widespread use of pesticides, like DDT, and habitat loss. Bald Eagles are excellent indicators of environmental health and help researchers track trends in bio-accumulative toxins in aquatic ecosystems. By monitoring the health and productivity of Bald Eagles, we can learn more about the potential risks to human health and the overall health of the Detroit River. In the last 20 years, researchers have seen a tremendous recovery in Bald Eagle populations across southern Ontario.

WINDSOR, Ont. — A trio of University of Windsor faculty have established Canada’s first research, teaching and community engagement project focused on the creation of national urban parks.

The University of Windsor National Urban Park Hub (UW-NUPH) launched on April 1 after a $1.2 million contribution from Parks Canada with match funding from the University and will be led by Healthy Headwaters Lab Director Catherine Febria, Faculty of Science Indigenous Knowledge Keeper Clint Jacobs and Centre for Cities Director Anneke Smit.

Over the next two years, the innovative hub for research and engagement will focus on the co-creation of a national urban park in Windsor and provide expert advice as Parks Canada develops its National Urban Parks Policy, which will be the mechanism for designating new national urban parks across Canada.

The Community Benefits Plan includes the Neighbourhood Infrastructure Strategy, a $20 million investment in the local communities of Sandwich/west Windsor and Delray/Southwest Detroit. Approximately $5.1 million ($2.6 million in Canada and $2.5 million in the US) is currently available and the project team intends to assign a portion of this funding this year to support the expansion of existing projects and add new initiatives.

In spring 2023, a community survey helped identify community programming priorities for the host communities. The following community investment areas were prioritized for each community through the consultation:

Sandwich/west Windsor

1. Community safety
2. Business development
3. Green initiatives
4. Local history and culture
5. Tourism

Delray/Southwest Detroit

1. Community safety

2. Business development

3. Food security

4. Green initiatives

5. Wellness

Through this call for programming proposals the project team intends to invest up to $750,000 in each community. Organizations interested in submitting a proposal are strongly encouraged to attend an information session to learn more and discuss the programming proposal with a project team member.

• Virtual information session will be held via Microsoft Teams at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 3, 2023.

Interested organizations can learn more and download the 2023 Community Benefits Programming Proposal document at GordieHoweInternationalBridge.com. Please register for the virtual information session. Registration is not required for in-person sessions. All investments relating to Community Benefits are noted in Canadian funds.

Proposals must be submitted by Wednesday, August 16, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. EST.

Fifty years ago, on July 18,1973, the Essex Region Conservation Authority was founded as the 37^th Conservation Authority in Ontario by Order in Council 1900/73, which stated “the Authority has jurisdiction over the watersheds of all streams within the County of Essex flowing into Lake St. Clair, Detroit River and Lake Erie…”.  An office was established in what is now MacKenzie Hall in Windsor, and Robert Pulleyblank, former Reeve of Sandwich South Township was elected as its first Chairman.

Over the past five decades, significant strides have been made in improving the sustainability of the Windsor-Essex-Pelee Island region.



 “When ERCA was established in 1973, the natural areas coverage of the region was at about 3%,” says Tim Byrne, ERCA CAO. “Since that time, we’ve planted nearly 7 million trees and restored thousands of acres of natural habitat, and our regional coverage is now more than 8.5%.”

As well, ERCA has protected more than 10,000 homes from the dangers of flooding and erosion, established 16 publicly accessible conservation areas, developed more than 80 kilometres of connect Greenway Trail system, and has connected hundreds of thousands of children to nature through Conservation Education programs.

The Authority led the regional charge to protect drinking water at its source, and to have the Detroit River designated as a Canadian Heritage River. To this day, it is the only river in North America with both Canadian and American Heritage River designations.

Despite being one of the last authorities to be formed, it was the first to undertake comprehensive shoreline mapping and regulations, resulting in the protection of new development from flooding and erosion.

“It is truly remarkable to reflect upon not only the many conservation successes that have taken place over all these years, but also the challenges that we have overcome,” Byrne goes on to say. “And while we’ve drastically improved the state of sustainability of our region, there is still much work to be done to ensure we are resilient to the impacts of climate change, and to balance development and the environment so that we don’t leave an ecological deficit for future generations. We look forward to working with our member municipalities, senior levels of government, and our many partners to continue to implement the watershed-based conservation initiatives which continue to be so important to our region.”

A public celebration of ERCA’s 50 years of conservation was held on Sunday at the John R. Park Homestead. The exhibits featuring highlights from the past 50 years will remain at the Homestead until Sunday, July 23. As well, a curated art exhibit entitled “50 Years of Conservation – Through the Artist’s Eye’ will remain on display through Labour Day. 

The Essex Region Conservation Authority is a public sector organization established by the Province of Ontario and governed by local municipalities. For 50 years, it has delivered programs and services that further the conservation, restoration, development and management of natural resources in watersheds in Ontario.

Carolinian Canada has launched a variety of tools and resources available on their website to learn about stewarding native seed collection areas. The information provides best practices and an opportunity to connect with other seed saving communities.

Included in the resource list:

• Seed Strategy
• Seed Saver Tool
• Who is Part of this Journey?
• What are we Doing Together?
• Seed stories
• How to Get Involved
• Resources
• Seed Saver Training Video Series

If you collect native seed, please keep in mind,

• Permission from the landowner, whether private, municipal, conservation lands etc. is required.
• Do not destroy a native plant colony, or compromise wildlife depending on the seed as a resource for food. Take no more than 10% of what seed is available. If there are signs that someone else has already collected from the patch, leave the rest to nature.
• Do your research on what plants are common and are a species at risk. Never collect species at risk unless approved by an appropriate government regulatory body.

Growing plants to develop your own seed bank is a great idea! Consider adding native plants to your garden or property. Learn more about native plant gardening by visiting Carolinian Canada's IN THE ZONE program.

The Canada Water Agency has been created within Environment and Climate Change Canada. It is the federal focal point for fresh water, working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, provinces, territories, and stakeholders to strengthen collaboration on fresh water.

Legislation will be introduced in 2023 to establish the Canada Water Agency as a stand-alone Agency.

Roy Thomas, Water Clan, 1992 lithogaph on paper, 20/115, 50.0cm by 63.0m. Gift of the estate of Elizabeth Gillespie, 2003

This exhibition brings together artists whose works explore the importance of water from Indigenous perspectives. Artists in the exhibition are Christian Chapman, Ruth Cuthand, Melissa General, Tanya Harnett, Roy Kakegamic, Glenna Matoush and Roy Thomas.

Through their works, these artists explore how water is a sacred, living entity in need of care and protection. They communicate individual and collective relationships to water, highlighting how water flows deep into Indigenous memory, knowledge, and identity. 

Through their use of storytelling and critical reflection, they are able to honour their cultural connections to water while drawing attention to systemic inequities of unsafe drinking water within Indigenous communities. 

In bringing these works together, this exhibition calls attention to the need to care for the earth’s most sacred resource. This exhibition pays special tribute to those who take up that important work and honors all Water Protectors across Turtle Island.

Visit this exhibit on the third floor of Art Windsor Essex until September 10 2023 at 401 Riverside Drive, Windsor, ON.

There are an estimated 476 million Indigenous peoples in the world living across 90 countries. Indigenous peoples are the holders of a vast diversity of unique cultures, traditions, languages and knowledge systems. They have a special relationship with their lands and hold diverse concepts of development based on their own worldviews and priorities.

August 9 is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples - a day to raise awareness and protect the rights of the world's Indigenous Peoples.

Photo Credit – Museum Windsor

Did you know that Indigenous Peoples have been stewards of the Detroit River and the Great Lakes for more than 6,000 years? The Detroit River and the surrounding land is the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations, comprised of the Ojibway, the Odawa and the Potawatomi Peoples.

The name of the Detroit River is “Wawiiatanong” in the Ojibway language, which means, ‘where the river bends’.

Upcoming Local Events

Wondering Wednesday Series

Various dates and locations across the region

Join ERCA's Education Team for a structured play and exploration morning with expert. This 90 minute program includes a make and take art activity, a theme-based nature hike and concludes with story and songs – all while answering some big questions about nature in some of our region’s most beautiful natural spaces. Enjoy the chance to explore our various conservation areas and learn about the world around us.

Open to children 1 – 5 and their adult. $15 child and one adult chaperone. Additional children from the same family can register for $10/child.

Wondering about the Food Web? August 2 2023,

August 2 2023, 10am to 11:30am, 10am to 11:30am,John R. Park Homestead, 915 County Road 50, Harrow, ON

Who eats what and how are we connected? Let look into how we are all connected and why everyone from the ants to the raptors are needed to keep our web working.

Register for tickets.

Wondering about things with Wings?

August 9 2023, 10am to 11:30am, Hillman Marsh Conservation Area, 1826 Mersea Rd 2, Leamington, ON

Bees, Bugs and Butterflies! Learn why these pollinators are important and how they help us grow the food we eat? How can we help them? Register for tickets.

Wondering about more things with wings?

August 16 2023, 10am to 11:30am,John R. Park Homestead, 915 County Road 50, Harrow, ON

Up in the sky or down in the marsh, who are the birds in our neighborhood?

Register for tickets

Wondering about sand and soil?

August 23 2023, 10am to 11:30am, Holiday Beach Conservation Area, 6952 County Road 50, Amherstburg, ON

What’s so important about dirt below our feet? What can the dirt tell us about what happens in our environment. Register for tickets.

Wondering what's in the garden?

August 30 2023, 10am to 11:30am, John R. Park Homestead, 915 County Road 50, Harrow, ON



There’s been lots happening in the garden over the summer! Let’s explore what’s growing and who’s living in the garden at John R Park. Register for tickets.

19th Century Toys Day

August 5 2023, 11am to 5pm, John R. Park Homestead, 915 County Road 50, Harrow, ON

Join us for a day of fun as the tours today will focus on 19th century toys and games. Visitors of all ages will enjoy riddles, parlour games, stilts, rolling hoops, potato sack races, and more! Included with museum admission. Admission is $8 for Adults, $6 for Children 3-12 / Seniors 65+ , or $30 family maximum. Purchase a family season pass to provide unlimited access to all conservation areas and special events for just $80 for the year!

Fingernails, Fresh Breath and Bathing

August 5 2023, 12pm to 5pm, John R. Park Homestead, 915 County Road 50, Harrow, ON

Special tours given at 12:00pm, 2:00pm, and 3:30pm will focus on personal hygiene in the Victorian era. What were the Park Family’s toothbrushes made from? Have all of your wonderings about personal care answered by the Homestead’s Interpreter, Kat Bezaire, in these interesting and informative sessions. Admission is $8 for Adults, $6 for Children 3-12 / Seniors 65+ , or $30 family maximum. Purchase a family season pass to provide unlimited access to all conservation areas and special events for just $80 for the year!

Sciensational Ssssnakes

August 6 2023, 11am to 4pm, Point Pelee National Park Visitor Centre, 1118 Point Pelee Dr, Leamington, ON

Are you curious about the secret lives of reptiles? Interested in where they live or what they eat? Point Pelee National Park is pleased to welcome Sciensational Sssnakes!! which provides hands-on education about reptiles and amphibians to audiences of all ages. Their presentation will include information about the animals, their ecology and conservation issues as well as a session in which participants are able to interact, touch and hold the animals. The team will be on hand with a variety of reptiles, some of which can be found in Point Pelee National Park.. For more information please contact us at pelee.info@pc.gc.ca.

Dark Sky Night - Perseid Meteor Shower

August 11 to 12 2023, Point Pelee National Park, 1118 Point Pelee Dr, Leamington, ON

Explore the park after dark and experience the dark skies of Point Pelee with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Windsor Chapter. You will have the opportunity to stay late and see what goes on after dark.The park will stay open all night August 11 to August 12 for the Perseid Meteor Shower. For more information please contact us at pelee.info@pc.gc.ca.

Lost Arts Festival

August 13 2023, 11am to 5pm, John R. Park Homestead, 915 County Road 50, Harrow, ON

Save the Date for this year’s Lost Arts Festival! Purchase a family season pass to provide unlimited access to all conservation areas and special events for just $80 for the year!

Play with Puppets

August 19 2023, 1pm to 5pm, John R. Park Homestead, 915 County Road 50, Harrow, ON

Join us at 1pm and 3pm to play with old fashioned forms of fun – puppets! Try your hand at shadow puppets in our auditorium, and make a sock puppet to take home. Included with museum admission. Admission is $8 for Adults, $6 for Children 3-12 / Seniors 65+ , or $30 family maximum. Purchase a family season pass to provide unlimited access to all conservation areas and special events for just $80 for the year!

The Power of Pollinators

August 20 2023, 12pm to 5pm, John R. Park Homestead, 915 County Road 50, Harrow, ON

Tour the Homestead’s kitchen garden and pollinator garden at 12:00pm, 2:00pm, and 3:30pm. See pollinators at work, and learn about the power of pollinators and the lifecycle of butterflies and moths. Learn what you can do at home to help the pollinator population! Admission is $8 for Adults, $6 for Children 3-12 / Seniors 65+ , or $30 family maximum. Purchase a family season pass to provide unlimited access to all conservation areas and special events for just $80 for the year!

Furs, Feathers and Fins

August 26 2023, 1pm to 5pm, John R. Park Homestead, 915 County Road 50, Harrow, ON

Join us for a sharing circle at 1:00pm and 3:00pm, where we examine different animals groups and we get hands-on with natural history specimens. After the sharing circle, one of ERCA’s Environmental Educators will lead a guided hike of the Fox Creek nature trail and invite everyone to take their chances in a rousing game of ‘Predators and Prey’.

Admission is $8 for Adults, $6 for Children 3-12 / Seniors 65+ , or $30 family maximum.

Purchase a family season pass to provide unlimited access to all conservation areas and special events for just $80 for the year!

Fantastic Trees and Where to Find Them!

August 27 2023, 12pm to 5pm, John R. Park Homestead, 915 County Road 50, Harrow, ON

Join one of ERCA’s Environmental Educators at 12:00pm, 2:00pm, and 3:30pm for a fun tree walk and talk. Learn about the wonderful array of Carolinian tree species on-site, as well as about a few other tree anomalies. A tour that will appeal to all of the senses and is great for guests of all ages. Included with museum admission.

Purchase a family season pass to provide unlimited access to all conservation areas and special events for just $80 for the year!

Festival of Hawks

September 16 and 17 2023, 10am to 3pm, Holiday Beach Conservation Area, 6952 50 Cr, Amherstburg, ON

Save the date! The Festival of Hawks will take place on Saturday September 16 and 17 2023 at Holiday Beach Conservation Area. For more information and the festival activities, click here.

Essex Region Conservation Bike Tour

September 23 2023, 8am to 5pm, Windsor-Essex Region

The Essex Region Conservation Bike Tour returns to raise funds for conservation initiatives across the Essex Region! For the past two years, people have flocked to conservation areas and trails in unprecedented numbers. Show your love for for these special places by joining us on Saturday, September 23, 2023, to ride in support of conservation efforts in the region! For more information and to register, click here.

Essex County Field Naturalists' Club Annual Dinner

November 4 2023, 6:30pm, Royal Canadian Legion, Metropolitan Branch 594, 5030 Howard Avenue, Tecumseh, ON

he ECFNC 36^th Annual Dinner is on Saturday, Nov. 4^th at the Royal Canadian Legion, Metropolitan Branch 594, 5030 Howard Avenue, Tecumseh, ON. (South of Hwy 3; across from the Heavenly Rest Cemetery). Doors open at 5:00 pm; Dinner at 6:30 pm, tickets are $40.00 each. This event includes a silent auction, cash bar, door prizes and a county style sit down dinner.

Enjoy an interesting talk by Dr. Dennis Higgs, a Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of Windsor; his topic is Fish Communications. Dr. Higgs has been described as very engaging and interesting; previous audiences have really enjoyed his talk. Take part in honouring a special member for his/her outstanding work for the club.

Purchase tickets in person or online: Ojibway Nature Centre, open Wed. to Fri. 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm, and Sat. 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Or reach out to Aileen Petrozzi - petrozzi2@gmail.com or JoAnn Grondin - 519-734-0056 or online.

The last day to buy tickets is midnight on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023.