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The DRCC participated in two community Earth Day celebrations across Windsor. On Sunday April 28 the DRCC participated in the City of Windsor's Earth Day celebrations at Malden Park with over 1,000 people in attendance!
On the other side of town, the DRCC was also busy planting over 2,000 trees along Little River with Essex Region Conservation, the City of Windsor and over 1,200 people. Check out our Facebook page for pictures of the day.
Did you know that this year's event was the 100th planting in the Little River watershed?! Learn more about the event here!
Hoping to plant more trees this spring? There are still ways to get involved! Check out the events below or visit essexregionconservation.ca.
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Symmetry and solitude: Status and lessons learned from binational Areas of Concern
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A recent peer-reviewed paper entitled Symmetry and solitude: Status and lessons learned from binational Areas of Concern examines the unique challenges in binational Areas of Concern and provides a case study analysis of the Detroit River and St. Lawrence River AOCs. The authors' findings suggest that remediation for Areas of Concerns across the Great Lakes requires coordination of networks, partnerships and governance in a science and ecosystem based approach.
For more information and to review the paper, click here.
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Little River #trashtag Cleanups
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CodeGreen Cleanup
Eight shopping carts, one lawn chair, one bike, one garbage pail, two recycle bins, garden hoses, two tents, wood, one aquarium, a stove pipe baffle and an additional 52 bags of landfill and recyclable materials were removed from the banks and channel!
Thank you to all the volunteers who came out! We can all do our part to keep the Detroit River and its watersheds clean.
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Walking in Her Footsteps 2019 Ganatchio Trail Cleanup Honouring Anne Widholm
The second annual litter cleanup took place along the Ganatchio Trail honouring Anne Widholm on April 13 2019. The DRCC, along with many community groups, volunteers, businesses and families helped to collect about 200 bags of litter! Check out the news section below for links to media articles and photo galleries of the event.
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Happy World Migratory Bird Day! - May 11th
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Northern Harrier. Photo taken by Paul Pratt.
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This day highlights the need to conserve migratory birds and protect their habitats. Celebrate our migratory birds doing some bird watching this month during peak spring migration season!
The Detroit River is located in one of the most biologically diverse parts of Canada between two major waterfowl migration flyways, the Mississippi Flyway and the Atlantic Flyway. This means waterfowl, raptors and songbirds all use the region as important stopover habitat.
Bald Eagles and Osprey have returned to nest here and it's not out of the ordinary to see hundreds of thousands of hawks and other birds cross it on migration each year! The Lower Detroit River is also an Important Bird Area with IBA Canada for staging waterfowl in the winter.
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Celebrate World Turtle Day! - May 23rd
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Shellebrate World Turtle Day today! In May 2018, COSEWIC designated the Midland Painted Turtle as Special Concern. This meant that all of Ontario's eight turtle species are now at risk of disappearing from Ontario (article link).
How can you help?
- Reduce turtle road mortality by driving with caution in their habitat range, and keep an eye for wildlife crossing signs along roadways.
- If you see a turtle, consider submitting the sighting to the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas (ontarionature.org/atlas).
- Keep learning about turtles in Ontario and check out this great page here, from the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre.
Did you know...?
- Detroit River Canadian Cleanup partners study local Snapping Turtles for effects of pollution. Due to their long life span, much of which is spent in or around water, Snapping Turtles provide excellent insight into environmental health. Locally, researchers monitor turtle nests to ensure turtles are hatching normally and to ensure mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are not accumulating in eggs. Research shows no significant difference in hatching success or deformities between samples from the Detroit River area and samples collected at Long Point. Furthermore, PCB levels in eggs have been decreasing over time.
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World Biodiversity Day! - May 22nd
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The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.
Ongoing collaborative efforts between DRCC stakeholders ensures progress in restoring the river to a healthier ecosystem and maintaining our incredible biodiversity!
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WindsorEssex Community Foundation: 2019 Vital Signs Survey
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The WindsorEssex Community Foundation wants to hear from you! Tell us what you think of Windsor-Essex as a place to live, learn, work, play, and grow by taking the 2019 Vital Signs Survey. Click the link https://bit.ly/2CFCRgx . Those who complete the survey have a chance to win $100.
Vital Signs is an annual check-up that measures the vitality of our community, identifies significant trends, and assigns grades in areas critical to our quality of life. |
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Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
The Detroit River and Great Lakes in the news. Here are some links to articles that may pique your interest. Click the link to read on.
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Upcoming Events
Save the date for these great local events! Contact the organizer for more information.
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Shorebird Celebration
May 1 to May 19 2019, Hillman Marsh Conservation Area, 1826 Mersea Rd 2, Leamington, ON
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Bird enthusiasts from around the world make Leamington, Ontario one of their bucket list destinations each May, and Hillman Marsh is ready to greet these guests from May 1 - 19 at the Shorebird Celebration. Join experts from the Ontario Field Ornithologists at the Shorebird Viewing Shelter from 3pm - 5pm daily except Mondays to help guests identify these stunning creatures.
The shorebird habitat at Hillman Marsh is unique in North America. The managed habitat creates the perfect combination of mudflats to provide nutrition and a resting area for migrating shorebirds. The birds are often very close to the shoreline which makes for exceptional viewing. A large bird blind is open for visitors to photograph and study the birds.
$6/vehicle.
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Festival of Birds
May 1 to May 20 2019, Point Pelee National Park, 1118 Point Pelee Dr, Leamington, ON
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Save the dates! Share the excitement of birding at Point Pelee in 2019: learn about shorebirds, explore the world of urban birding, and complete the 100 Species Challenge.
For more information, please contact at [email protected].
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Friends of John R. Park Homestead Yard Sale
Saturday May 5 2019, 10am to 4pm, John R. Park Homestead, 915 Essex County Rd Essex, ON
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Help the Homestead by donating quality items in advance or by coming out to bargain hunt. Discover treasures old and new. There is something for everyone at this giant sale.
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Garlic Mustard Pulls
Multiple dates and locations
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Volunteers should wear weather appropriate clothing. Long pants and shirts are recommended with sturdy close-toed footwear. Equipment will be provided, but we suggest bringing your favourite garden gloves and knee pads along! High school students who would like to earn volunteer hours should bring their paperwork along.
Garlic Mustard Pull at Camp Cedarwin
Join the Friends of Cedar, Mill and Wigle Creeks as they pull Garlic Mustard at Camp Cedarwin on May 7 2019. The event will run from 5pm to 7pm with their regular scheduled monthly meeting. The Sawmill entrance at Camp Cedarwin is located at 2945 County Road 20 in Kingsville. For questions about the event, please contact FOCMWC President, Paul Bourque at [email protected].
Garlic Mustard Pull at the John R. Park Homestead
Join the Friends of the John R. Park Homestead and Essex Region Conservation pull Garlic Mustard at the Homestead on May 14 2019. The event will run from 5:30pm to 7:00pm with some light refreshments to follow. For questions about the event, call Gina at 519-776-5209 ext. 245.
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Healing Our Waters - Great Lakes Restoration Conference
May 8 to 9 2019, Detroit Michigan
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This year the Great Lakes Conference will be held in Detroit, Michigan on May 8-9, 2019. Registration is now open! If you have questions, please check out our frequently asked questions page. Click here for more information.
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Essex County Nature Meeting
Wednesday May 8 2019, 7:30pm, Ojibway Nature Centre, 5200 Matchette Road, Windsor, ON.
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Jessica Middleton is a newly certified Forest Therapy Guide and volunteer with the Global Institute of Forest Therapy (GIFT). Forest Therapy (aka Shinrin Yoku or Forest Bathing) is gaining in popularity world wide due in large part to its numerous scientifically proven health benefits. Join Jessica as she shares about her journey into forest therapy and explains the art and science of the practice."
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Forests Ontario Community Tree Planting
Saturday May 11 2019, 10am to 12pm, City of Windsor's Former Wood Disposal Yard on Cherry Blossom Road,
Windsor, ON.
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Spring has sprung and what better way to "dig in" to the warmer weather than with a family fun tree planting event! Forests Ontario, ERCA, Detroit River Canadian Cleanup, and The City of Windsor are excited to invite you and your families to participate in the 2019 Community Tree Planting Event happening in Windsor this May.
Trees, shovels, gloves and refreshments will be provided. This event is suitable for all ages and will take place rain or shine, so dress appropriately! High school students are eligible to receive volunteer hours for participation.
Space is limited and pre-registration is required More info and to register, click
here.
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Lets Go Trash Fishing
Saturday May 11th, 2019, 9:00am, Delray Boat Launch, Detroit, MI, United States
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Trash Fishing is like fishing for fish, but we fish for trash. It's fun, it's free, it's great for the environment, and you are welcome to join us! This is the first trash fishing contest of 2019. Do you want to have fun? Do you want to clean up the environment? Do you like fishing? Do you like exploring? Do you enjoy the outdoors? Boating? If you said yes to any or all of these, you'll love Trash Fishing. Come join us for the first trash fishing contest of 2019. We'll be exploring some great areas and we usually find some really unusual trash. Trash fishing is surprisingly fun. Thanks to some great donors we will have free donuts and every new boat that shows up will be given a great trash grabbing tool for FREE! Repeat visitors will also get a free T-shirt.
What do you need to Trash Fish? Well, you will need a boat of some kind. It helps if it has some kind of motor, because all of the good trash is usually a little distance away from the boat launch. We will have most of the other supplies you need including trash bags, grabbers, and even rubber gloves. Just bring yourself, possibly a friend, and your sense of adventure. Kids are definitely welcome.
This is a contest, so some folks will be attempting to collect the most trash, or the most unusual trash, or the biggest piece of trash. We'll have prizes for that.
For more information click here. |
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Free Lecture on the Great Lakes
Monday May 13 2019, 6pm. St. Clair Centre of the Arts, 201 Riverside Drive West, Windsor, ON
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The Canadian Society of Zoologists is hosting its national meeting in Windsor!
A free lecture to the public will be delivered by Dr. Andrew Muir, the Science Director of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. It will take place on Monday May 13 at 6 pm at the St. Clair Center of the Arts on Riverside Drive.
The Great Lakes Fishery Commission is a binational organization established in 1955 by the Canada/U.S. Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries to coordinate fisheries science, control the invasive sea lamprey, and facilitate cooperative fishery management among state, provincial, tribal, and federal management agencies. The Commission's strategic vision is centered around three pillars reflective of the duties charged under the convention. Dr. Muir will provide an overview of the Commission's science program and by highlighting new and exciting science initiatives, discuss challenges and opportunities of delivering a multinational science agenda in the 21st century. For more information, please visit https://csz-scz2019.com/ or contact [email protected] or [email protected].
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The Nature of Music
Monday May 13 2019, 6pm to 7pm, Hillman Marsh Conservation Area, 1826 Mersea Rd 2
Leamington, ON
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Join Essex Region Conservation and 4th Wall Music as they present "The Nature of Music", at Hillman Marsh Conservation Area in Leamington.
Since its inception in 2013, 4th Wall Music has been committed to taking down the wall between audiences and performers by presenting classical music concerts that are interactive, educational, and diverse. "The Nature of Music" promises to bring to life music that sparks like fire, flows like water, gusts like wind and sings like birds - flute, viola, harp and voice. Crossing borders in many ways, 4th Wall performance nurture the inquisitive and adventurous sides of people of all ages.
Donations gratefully accepted at this free outdoor performance.
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Self-guided Dark Sky Night
Saturday May 18 2019, 7:30pm, Point Pelee National Park, Leamington, ON, Visitor Centre Parking Lot
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Explore the park on your own after dark and experience the dark skies of Point Pelee. You will have the opportunity to stay late and see what goes on after dark. Note that there are no formal programs on these evenings. Visitors can pick up a seasonal star chart at the gate upon arrival. The park is open until midnight, unless otherwise stated.
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Woodcock Walk
Saturday May 18 2019, 8pm, Point Pelee National Park, Leamington, ON, Visitor Centre Parking Lot
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Visitors will have the chance to see the quirky and interesting mating rituals of the American Woodcock. Aerial displays and calling will be featured on this short walk.Visitors can stay after the program to explore the park and view the night sky. The park will be open until midnight.
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Essex Region Children's Water Festival
May 28 to May 31 2019, Canadian Transportation Museum and Heritage Village, 6155 Arner Towline, Kingsville ON
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The Essex Region Children's Water Festival educates thousands of Grade 3, 4 and 5 students about the critical importance of clean water to their future.Held annually during the last week of May/first week of June at the Canadian Transportation Museum and Heritage Village, the festival continues to be a smashing success.Pre-Registration is required to attend the Essex-Region Children's Water Festival. For more information, click
here.
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The Detroit River Canadian Cleanup is a partnership between government, industry, academics, as well as environmental and community organizations that work together to improve the Detroit River ecosystem through a Remedial Action Plan. Our goal is to remove the Detroit River from the list of Great Lakes Areas of Concern.
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