Malden Park

Earth Day returned to Malden Park this year and was as successful as ever! Initial estimates that up to 750 people attended and visited the DRCC booth despite the weather delivering a chilly rain-sleet mix at times.

Thanks to DRCC PAC Chair Tom Henderson for helping with the booth set up and telling visitors about all the great work the DRCC does. Our "Fish of the Detroit River" poster proved to be the most popular give away we had, lots of folks were willing to pay for them and were elated to find they were free!! We ran out of posters an hour before the event ended! Other popular SWAG was our colouring sheets and bookmarks. The City of Windsor's Environmental Master Plan team did an excellent job hosting the event as they always have done. It was a well organized, highly educational and fun event. The DRCC looks forward to participating in Earth Day events again in 2024. If you did not make it to this years event, make sure to put it on your calendar for next year!

Earth Day Community Tree Planting

Across the City of Windsor, over 1,000 volunteers came together to plant over 1600 native trees and shrubs at the green space near Wyandotte Street east and Florence Avenue. The volutneers represented Green Teams, clubs, families, schools, businesses, friends and more from across the region. Thank you to the City of Windsor and the Essex Region Conservation Authority for hosting this important greening event and to ENWIN Utilities Ltd. for sponsoring the event, and CUPE 543 for their financial support!

License Free Fishing Weekend

City of Windsor Announces Official Bird and TWEPI Launches Birding Guide

Windsor Urban Birding Challenge - a new event for experienced and new birders!

Join Pelee Island Bird Observatory in a multi-day celebration of World Migratory Bird Day! There will be virtual bird talks with local and international guests on Thursday, May 11 and Friday, May 12. A 24-hour urban bird race in the city of Windsor from Saturday at noon to Sunday at noon. A kickoff night on Wednesday, May 10th with a BirdLife International speaker, Ian Davidson, and an awards night on May 14th to celebrate the winners of the race. There will be lots of great prizes for the winners of the race, as well as food and drink. Registration to join the race and for all the events are FREE! Visit www.pibo.ca to register or call 519-982-7426. This event is open to new birders and experienced ones alike. Family-friendly!

Litter Cleanups in Little River and Sandwich April 15, 2023 were a Great Success!

On Saturday April 15 2023, volunteers from across the region came together to participate in two litter cleanups in the Detroit River watershed. The total litter removed from the Detroit River shoreline and Little River watershed is 519.82 kg (about 1146.01 lb) or 0.52 metric tonnes. In Sandwich, the Windsor Port Authority, Rotary Club of LaSalle Centennial and their Youth Interact Club, HMCS Hunter, UWindsor Alumni, Detroit River Canadian Cleanup Public Advisory Council Chair Tom Henderson, City of Windsor, Essex Region Conservation Authority and 65 volunteers removed litter from various properties in Sandwich, Windsor. 

In the Little River watershed, Caesars Windsor CodeGreen,35^th Tecumseh Cubs (Scouts), Deputy Mayor Joe Bachetti of the Town of Tecumseh, MPP Andrew Dowie, Councilor Angelo Marignani, members of the Little River Enhancement Group, Essex Region Conservation Authority, the City of Windsor, the Detroit River Canadian Cleanup and volunteers worked together to remove litter from the tributary, slopes and surrounding Ganatchio Trail.

Interesting items from both sites include regular winds blown items such as disposable, single use plastics, take out material, glass bottles, smoking and drug paraphernalia, an animal skull, a bicycle and bike lock, personal clothing items, an iPOD, fishing line, wires, concrete, shingles, stuffed animals, diapers, COVID19 tests, an old metal car jack, and bricks.

Litter cleanups are imperative to the Windsor Essex region, as waste can persist in the environment and impact green spaces negatively for a long time. Every waste, small to large that is removed from our watersheds and shorelines and disposed of safely means there is one less item in the environment that can harm local fish and wildlife populations.

These cleanups are part of the binational Earth Month stewardship initiatives held by partners of the Detroit River Coalition representing organizations from Canada and the United States. The partners represent a binational environmental resource hub for the purpose of plastic pollution removal & protection of the Detroit River.

Thank you so much to all of the partners and volunteers who committed their Saturday morning to help make a difference locally!

Great Lakes Commission awarded over $10 million for habitat restoration in Great Lakes Areas of Concern

Apr 6, 2023 | News and Announcements

ANN ARBOR, MI – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) announced that it has been awarded more than $10 million to fund habitat restoration in the Great Lakes basin. The funding will accelerate projects in the Niagara River and Maumee Areas of Concern (AOCs): the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park Restoration Project in Buffalo, New York; the Collins Park Restoration Project in Toledo, Ohio; and the University of Toledo Swan Creek Restoration Project, also in Toledo, Ohio.

The funding was awarded as part of a new regional partnership between the GLC and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to restore Great Lakes coastal habitat, with a focus on areas of historic pollution more formally known as AOCs. This work directly contributes to efforts to remove the Niagara and Maumee Rivers from the list of Great Lakes AOCs.

“This is the fifth time since 2008 that the Great Lakes Commission has been awarded funding for habitat restoration, with over $76 million being directed to priority sites across the basin,” said GLC Chair Todd L. Ambs of Wisconsin. “We appreciate NOAA’s continued support and look forward to working with our federal, state and local partners on these critical projects. Restoring Great Lakes coastal wetlands and riparian areas protects the environment and human health, as well as being a great economic driver for the region.”

To celebrate its new partnership with NOAA, the GLC has released a new video highlighting the benefits of this collaboration. This video was produced by Great Lakes Outreach Media and features key partners. The video can be viewed here.

For more information about the GLC’s habitat restoration work, visit https://www.glc.org/work/habitat.

Parks Canada and partners take big steps toward a new national urban park in Windsor

Media Release provided by Parks Canada, April 17 2023, 9:45am

Three significant achievements represent great advancements for the proposed national urban park project

WINDSOR, ON, April 17, 2023 /CNW/ - Access to nature plays a unique and vital role in the lives of Canadians. New national urban parks that are readily accessible provide urban green spaces and cultural resources that are doubly important as we address the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Today, Irek Kusmierczyk, Member of Parliament for Windsor—Tecumseh and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, on behalf of the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, and on behalf of the Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport, announced several major milestones toward a proposed new national urban park in Windsor.

The Windsor national urban park takes a big step forward with the completion of the much-anticipated Ojibway Shores land transfer from Transport Canada to Parks Canada.

The Ojibway Shores property has significant ecological value. It includes the only remaining undeveloped shoreline of the Detroit River in the Windsor-Detroit area and offers a vital ecological connection between the river and the Ojibway Prairie Complex.

These lands and waters are also culturally and historically significant to the First Nations peoples who have stewarded them for millennia. The creation of a national urban park in the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy is an opportunity to support and foster First Nations' leadership and stewardship in conserving and restoring these lands and waters. The Detroit River itself is also a culturally significant place in terms of Black history, and its connection to the underground railroad. Because of its rich ecological and cultural connections, Ojibway Shores is planned for inclusion in the proposed national urban park.

With this transfer, the federal Government can now begin the process of remediation through cleanup operations that will benefit the local environment and the many species of plants and animals that depend on it for survival. Ojibway Shores provides critical habitat for many rare and threatened species. It is also an important stop-over for migratory birds including eight species at risk and the natural shoreline acts as a movement corridor and provides nesting habitat for turtles such as the endangered Spiny Softshell.

Mr. Kusmierczyk also announced the completion of the pre-feasibility phase for the proposed park. This confirms that the candidate site aligns with the National Urban Parks Program objectives. Parks Canada recognizes the important work undertaken by the Windsor Partner Committee and partners' commitment to advancing the program objectives. This includes Caldwell First Nation, Walpole Island First Nation, the City of Windsor, the Town of LaSalle, the Province of Ontario, and Hydro One. The partner committee's work is reflected in the pre-feasibility report and will inform future planning for a national urban park in Windsor.

The purchase of an additional and strategic piece of land to further complement the proposed national urban park also formed part of today's announcement. Parks Canada provided $1.3M to the City of Windsor to purchase a residential property which holds tremendous value for the proposed park. Acquiring this property will provide the opportunity to restore the land and improve ecological connectivity between the surrounding natural areas that all lie within the proposed park study area.

As well, Parks Canada released a background document and discussion paper today to solicit input from partners, stakeholders, and the public to inform a new National Urban Parks Policy.

This new policy will guide the designation and management of new national urban parks across the country to ensure that they meet the program objectives of conserving nature, connecting people with nature, and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

As part of the Government of Canada's commitment to protect biodiversity and to conserve 25 percent of lands and waters by 2025, and 30 percent of each by 2030, Parks Canada, in collaboration with a wide array of partners, will continue to work toward realizing the vision of establishing a network of national urban parks in many of Canada's major urban centres.

'This land means everything': the messy journey to create a national urban park in Windsor

From The Narwhal: Parks Canada’s ambitious agenda of 15 new national urban parks by 2030 is being put to the test: can Ojibway National Urban Park repair colonial harms, satisfy politicians and bring a community needed green space — soon?

By Fatima Syed

Photography by Kati Panasiuk

April 20, 2023

The last remaining untouched parcel of natural land in Windsor, Ont., is intimidatingly surrounded by the gargantuan industrial structures that loom along the Detroit River that naturally divides Canada and the United States. 

The invasion of human activity on the small stretch of sandy, tree-lined beach that makes up Ojibway Shores is somehow both gorgeous and grim. To the left, near the city’s salt mine, an enormous wheat-carrying ship stands silently docked in the shimmering water — one of more than 600 that cross through Ontario’s third-largest port every year. To the right, a power plant spews smoke in the air above another pitch-black ship, a grey aggregate factory, a forgettable Canadian Border Services Agency processing plant and the half-built skeleton of the Gordie Howe Bridge, soon-to-be the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America. Across the river is the black automotive and steel jungle Henry Ford helped build. 

On this beach, the hums of industry harmonize confusingly with the chirps, rattles, whistles, trills and croaks of 252 species of animals, half of which are migratory birds. But as you walk away from the beach into one of the very few old-growth forests left in the province, the buzz of manufacturing — an excavator backing up, a jackhammer drilling, generators vibrating — fades away. Among 261 different types of plants, the silence that can only be found in intact nature fills your senses. 

“This land means everything,” says Mary Duckworth, Chief of Caldwell First Nation, one of two nations that claim these shores as their once-stolen homes.

Upcoming Local Events

Festival of Birds

May 1 to May 22 2023, various dates and times, Point Pelee National Park, 1118 Point Pelee Drive, Leamington, ON



The Friends of Point Pelee and Point Pelee National Park invite you to celebrate spring migration at the 2022 Festival of Birds from April 30 to May 23. We’re happy to welcome you back! Read more about all of the program offerings during the Festival of Birds by visiting their website.

Shorebird Celebration

May 1 to May 22 2023, various dates and times, Hillman Marsh Conservation Area, 1826 Mersea Road 2, Leamington, ON



The annual Hillman Marsh Shorebird Celebration takes place at the Hillman Marsh Conservation Area in Leamington Ontario from May 1 to May 21 2023.

Over one hundred species of birds use Hillman as a migration stopover which draws sandpipers, ducks, warblers and frequently spotted annual rarities such as the Yellow-headed Blackbird, Willet, Marbled Godwit, Eurasian Wigeon, Glossy Ibis and Eastern Kingbird.The diverse habitats of Hillman Marsh attract and support marsh, shore and field birds such as herons, egrets, terns, songbirds, waterfowl, and birds of prey.  

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, offering outstanding viewing opportunities.

Learn more of the program offerings during the celebration by visiting ERCA's website.

Spring Hike at Kopegaron Woods Conservation Area

May 3 2023, 5pm to 6pm, Kopegaron Woods, Leamington, ON

Discover the incredible variety of classic Carolinian species in Kopegaron Woods including trees, shrubs and spring ephemerals, or early woodland wildflowers. Spring is an exciting time to explore forests in Windsor-Essex County as everything is waking up, and there is lots to see! This diverse plant life supports a variety of wildlife, and with luck we may see or hear some residents living in the forest!

Attendees should remember to dress for the weather. Boots are recommended. Some trail sections are on boardwalks, others are on the forest floor/trail. Standing water sections and mud are possible to encounter on this walk. Bring binoculars and your camera if you wish.

Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Tickets are $8 per person. Please pay in advance, we will not have a payment system or take cash payments on site.

Location: Kopegaron Woods and Conservation Area, Highway 3 East, just west of Wheatley. *There is no 911 address for this conservation area.

Windsor Essex Jane's Walk

May 5 to 7 2023, various times and locations

The Windsor-Essex Jane's Walk Festival grows to two weekends for 2023: Essex County weekend (Friday, April 28 to Sunday, April 30) and Windsor weekend (Friday, May 5 to Sunday, May 7).  Explore thirty walks and activities that celebrate the rich culture and history of the region.

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Whether you're a long-time resident of Windsor-Essex or you're new to the area, the 2023 Jane's Walk Festival is the perfect opportunity to discover the unique character of different neighbourhoods and connect with your community. With so many walks and activities to choose from, there's something for everyone!

Detroit River Walleye Classic

May 6 2023, Gil Maure Park in LaSalle (Laurier & Front Road).

The Detroit River Walleye Classic is an annual fishing tournament, hosted by the LaSalle Firefighters Associations. It takes place at Gil Maure Park, the first Saturday of May each year.

All proceeds from the tournament benefit the LaSalle community through sponsorships, donations, families in need and local charities.

Registration is open to the public, and we also offer a wide range of sponsorship opportunities. Please contact us with any questions you may have regarding the Detroit River Walleye Classic.

More information: https://www.detroitriverwalleyeclassic.com.

Annual Plant Sale

May 6 2023, 8am to 2pm, City of Windsor greenhouses, 2449 McDougall Avenue, Windsor, ON



The Friends of Ojibway Prairie will be selling native prairie plants at the City of Windsor's Annual Plant sale while they last!

Bird Names in Anishinaabemowin

May 6 2023, 10am to 1pm, Hillman Marsh Conservation Area, 1826 Mersea Rd 2

Leamington, ON



Join Caldwell First Nation and Joe Pitawanakwat on Saturday May 6 2023 at 10am at the Hillman Marsh Conservation Area nature centre for a special presentation on shorebird names and meanings. Joe will share his knowledge along with his partners Junaid and Andres. They will share bird names in Anishinaabemowin, the Ojibwe language, and what those names mean. 2022 to 2032 is the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.

For more information, please contact Carrie Ann at cultural.dev@caldwellfirstnation.ca.

Friends of the Homestead Yard Sale

May 7 to 2023, 11am to 5pm, John R. Park Homsestead, 915 Essex County Road 50, Harrow, on



Join the Friends of the John R. Park Homestead at their annual yardsale! Discover treasures old and new, there's something for everyone!

Self-guided Dark Sky Night

May 20 2023, 7:30pm to 11:59pm, Point Pelee National Park, 1118 Point Pelee Drive, Leamington, ON

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. Hosted by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada - please check at the entrance kiosk for the location of programming in the park. The park is open until midnight, unless otherwise stated. For more information please contact us at pelee.info@pc.gc.ca. More information on Dark Sky Nights

Live Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF) Training

May 25 2023, 10am to 12pm, virtual

Are you currently managing or planning to manage Phragmites within the Great Lakes basin or in neighboring watersheds within Great Lake States or Provinces? If so, consider participating in PAMF and do your part to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Phragmites management. You can learn more about the benefits of joining the PAMF program here.  

Join the live training session to learn all about the ins-and-outs of the PAMF program and ask the PAMF staff all your questions. The live virtual training will take place Thursday May 25th, from 10:00AM -12:00 PM EST. Register here.

Windsor Sportsmen's Club Kids, Cops and Canadian Tire presents the 65th Annual Fishing Derby

June 6 2023, 8am to 11:30am, Reaume Park, 236-246 Pillette Road, Windsor, ON

This free event is open to all kids 12 and under to participate in the 63rd annual derby at both Reaume and Dieppe Parks in Windsor at the riverfront. Free bait is provided. Awards and a light lunch will be held at the Windsor Sportsmen's Club afterwards. Please bring your own rod and bait containers. For more information, please contact Greg Rossyan at truckergreg62@gmail.com.

Detroit River Family Fishing Day

July 8 2023, 8am to 1pm, Riverdance Park, Front Road, LaSalle, ON

Save the date! We will be hosting the Detroit River Family Fishing Day on July 8 2023 with Just Fishin' Friends!