St. Clair Region Conservation Authority
205 Mill Pond Cr. N7G 3P9 Strathroy, ON, Canada

The SCRCA wishes to congratulate Sharon Nethercott on her retirement! Sharon has led our conservation education department for 33 years and has been integral in the success of our programs. Enjoy this next chapter, Sharon. We will miss you but look forward to hearing about all your birding adventures and time with family and friends!

MEDIA RELEASE - Province Misses Chance to Respond to Ontarians’ Concerns About the Environment Conservation Ontario's response to the passing of Bill 229 yesterday by the Provincial Government.... #conservationmatters

Water Safety Bulletin issued ahead of anticipated rain and wind this weekend.

Has this years’ high water levels and recent Gale winds washed away much of your beach? Here are 3 steps you can take to improve the resiliency of your beach and reduce sand loss due to wind and waves. 1. Install sand fencing parallel to the beach (3m wide by 1.2 m tall), this will help reduce the effects of wind-driven erosion. 2. Grow native dune vegetation you can even ask your neighbour for some! Grow plants like American Beach Grass, Wheat Grass, Wild Rye, and Sandba...r Willow, and space them 30 cm apart behind the fence. September-October is the best time to plant. Dune vegetation is adapted to the harsh shoreline conditions of wind and waves some plant roots dig down as far as 8 ft to hold on to the soil! 3. Create an S-shaped walking path to the beach; straight paths promote the loss of soil by wind due to a ‘corridor’ effect. While adding sand to your beach after a storm may seem like a solution, the fix is only short-term and costly (and technically, illegal!), as the next storm could wash it all away. For more information, check out these links: https://www.saugeenshores.ca//Waterfront-Best-Management-P https://9cf4491b-02a7-4038-a046-22c8be7f1bec.filesusr.com/ https://www.lakehuron.ca/beaches-and-dunes

Dr. Laura Van Eerd's 1st year University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus Environmental Science students created infographics on aquatic species at risk in the Sydenham River Watershed to highlight unique aspects of these species and what can be done to reverse population declines. Check out Stephan Hotz's infographic on the Grass Pickerel #workingtogether

Dr. Laura Van Eerd's first year Environmental Science students at University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus created infographics on aquatic #speciesatrisk in the Sydenham River Watershed. Check out Madeline Knowler's infographic on the elusive Salamander Mussel - the only freshwater mussel with a non-fish host. Their young attach to the gills of a mudpuppy) for nourishment and transportation. #workingtogether

Doug Rogers from Lambton Shores shares his experiences w #covercrops, #biostrips & building #SoilHealth over the last 10 yrs. His goals include reducing erosion, creating #pollinator habitat and reducing his impact on water quality, being so close to #LakeHuron #ontag There is still time to apply for a cover crop grant in Lambton Shores! Email Jessica Van Zwol [email protected] today! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcGBTywhs-g

Each year, the St. Clair Region Conservation Foundation is fortunate to receive funds through BINGO games offered by the Sarnia Charitable Gaming Association. Thanks to the Foundations dedicated volunteers, proceeds raised have allowed the SCRCA Education team to purchase important equipment and resources to connect students to nature.

The SCRCA held a virtual Board of Directors meeting on November 12, 2020. The full meeting can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoTlbIqQWFQ

MEDIA RELEASE - Budget Bill Changes Fail to Address Concerns, say SCRCA Officials Strathroy, December 6, 2020 - New changes made to the Schedule 6 amendments proposed for conservation authorities (CAs) fall well short of addressing concerns and introduce new additions which create further delays and costs, in addition to allowing the Minister of the Natural Resources and Forestry to disregard CA science-based decision-making for development. Our Board of Directors has conce...rns with the impacts of some of the changes to the Conservation Authorities Act being proposed under Schedule 6 of Bill 229, says Joe Faas, Chair of St. Clair Region Conservation Authority. These changes don’t address our concerns and further erode our ability to protect people, property and the environment. While it appears that a few amendments around board governance may address some of our concerns and those of our member municipalities, overall, the proposed changes don’t go far enough, particularly around planning, permitting and enforcement, continued Faas. The Bill was reviewed by the governments’ Standing Committee earlier in the week. A new section was added to Schedule 6 which requires a conservation authority to issue a permit when the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing issues Ministers Zoning Orders (MZO) which can override conservation authority science-based decisions. The SCRCA, along with other conservation authorities throughout Ontario would be required to issue a permit even if the application failed to meet the criteria for issuing a permit, explained Brian McDougall, General Manager of the SCRCA, These criteria were developed to protect the lives and property of our watershed community against flooding and other natural hazards. The addition of the MZO section and other changes proposed in the Bill are expected to create even more delays and costs, not just for conservation authorities but also for municipalities and applicants. Conservation authorities are the second largest landowners in Ontario. Conservation authorities will find themselves in a position where they are basically the only landowners in Ontario who cannot appeal most planning decisions which affect their lands, McDougall explained, This seems to conflict with one of the Province’s proposed mandatory programs that CAs are to manage their lands to protect sensitive ecosystems. Schedule 6 of Bill 229 should be withdrawn, Faas stated, Conservation Authorities deserve the opportunity to meet with the Province and work together to chart a course that will meet the objectives of the Province, our Municipalities and Ontario’s Conservation Authorities. #ConservationMatters #RemoveSchedule6

Let your local MPP know why Ontario needs Conservation Authorities and why #ConservationMatters. Request the removal of Schedule 6 from Bill 229.

Are you looking to retire not-so-productive, small, and/or square off awkward-shaped farm fields? Consider planting trees! We have grants to cover the costs of planting windbreaks, riparian buffers & block planting. Now is the time to plan for spring tree planting. Connect with Jeff or Steve today! Win = soil erosion ... Win = land enjoyment This spring, we planted over 47,000 trees on over 54 acres with 21 landowners throughout our watershed with grant funds from Fisheries and Oceans Canada Forests Ontario, and other funders. Call today! See more