CVC Foundation extends appreciation to Phil King
CVC Foundation thanks Orlando Corporation and Phil King, CEO of Orlando Corporation for their generous donation of a work trailer. The trailer is used for all of CVC's workdays and tree planting.
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Phil King, CEO-Orlando Corp
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A successful Sedimentation Control Workshop
"Our continuing commitment to the preservation and enhancement of our watershed, has helped place us at the forefront of erosion and sediment control planning and implementation ", said Hazel Breton, CVC's Manager, Water Resources at the Sedimentation Control Workshop . Held jointly by CVC and UDI (the Urban Development Institute) o n April 12th , this workshop highlighted the latest techniques and issues on erosion and sediment control . The workshop brought together developers, contractors, consultants, municipal representatives from all locales of our watershed and other related guests to provide their expertise on this important topic.
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| Shawn Taylor, Ezio Savini, Karen Ralphs and
Muneef Ahmad
acted as panel members at the workshop |
There were presentations by Bob Morris, CVC's Biologist, Bob Edmondson and Joanne McHenry of Conservation Halton, and Paul Muldoon, CELA. Participants were enlightened about the latest control techniques and methods to avoid issues or delays related to siltation impacts on watercourses. As well they were provided with an overview of legislation and erosion and sediment control guidelines. The panel consisted of Ron Starr, of Dean Lee Management as the moderator; Ezio Savini - City of Mississauga , Transportation and Works Department; Shawn Taylor - Dillon Consulting; Karen Ralphs - Ontario Great Lakes, Fisheries and Oceans Canada; and Muneef Ahmad – Sernas Group Inc.. The interactive discussion focused on erosion and sediment control approaches. Rae Horst, CVC's GM and Ted Goddard, UDI wrapped up the morning sessions. Following lunch some of the participants visited a site where they saw firsthand the effects of soil erosion and sediment control.
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Yellow fish painted beside a storm
drain |
Have you ever walked
by a storm drain and noticed a little yellow fish painted beside
it? Don't mistake it for graffiti! This little fish is helping
to protect our watercourses.
Introduced by Trout
Unlimited in 1991, the Yellow Fish Road is a program that serves
to educate the community about the link between storm drains
and the environment. Through this program, community groups apply
yellow fish decals next to storm sewers. The same groups also
distribute information to homes in the neighbourhood to let residents
know of the meaning behind the yellow fish. A common misconception
is that storm water first goes to a treatment facility before
it is released into the environment. That's not the case! The
Yellow Fish Road program reminds residents that any material
that goes down a storm drain goes directly into a creek or river.
Some common pollutants that may go down storm drains include:
hazardous waste such as used motor oil, paint and pesticides;
as well as fertilizer, pet waste, road salt, and sediment from
erosion and construction sites. As individuals, we can make simple
choices to help prevent such pollutants from entering a watercourse,
such as taking our hazardous waste to a designated facility rather
than dumping it down a storm drain.
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Girl Guide participating
in "Yellow Fish Road" program |
The City of Mississauga supports
groups participating in the “ Yellow Fish Road ” by helping them
obtain the appropriate permits and insurance and by providing
them with the information and materials needed to carry out the
program.Credit Valley Conservation is assisting a number of Girl
Guide groups in Mississauga by making presentations at their
meetings prior to the Guides going out and marking the storm
drains. CVC staff introduce the Guides to the concept of a watershed
and explain that what happens in one part of the watershed has
an effect on what happens downstream. Through discussions and
an activity, the Guides gain an appreciation for the many forms
of pollution and how they may enter a watercourse. As part of
the Lake Ontario watershed, the health of the Credit River ultimately
has an effect on Mississauga 's source of drinking water. Protecting
our rivers is important for ensuring an abundant supply of clean
water for people and the environment. The “ Yellow Fish Road ” is
an important initiative that helps us make a connection between
our actions and their impact on the environment.
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Career Day at Leeder Middle
School |
On Thursday April 7 th , David Leeder Middle School held
its annual Career Day. The purpose of the day was to give
grade seven students the opportunity to be exposed to a
variety of possible career paths. Speakers included representatives
from the medical profession, the army and the police force.
Kari
Van Allen, Natural Heritage Ecologist,
from CVC gave three forty- minute
presentations about what it means to be an ecologist. She
spoke with between fifty and seventy five students. The
presentation included explanations of what a watershed
is, what conservation authorities do and what areas CVC works to protect.
CVC's
goal is to protect the natural environment within the
approximately 1000 square km that drains into the Credit River
and its 1500 km of tributaries. In order to provide this
protection, CVC employs specialists
in a variety of disciplines including conservation land
management, forestry, hydrology, hydrogeology, planning,
and stewardship.
What do
Natural Heritage Ecologists & Technicians
do?
Natural heritage
has been described as: “the natural places
in our country, province or town that belongs to everyone” and “the
original environment that includes indigenous species,
habitats and ecosystems, and geological and physiographical
elements, features and systems.” Ecology has been described
as “the branch of science that studies the distribution
and abundance of living organisms, and the interactions
between organisms and their environment.”
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| One of our Natural Heritage Ecologists at work |
Our Natural Heritage Ecologists and Natural
Heritage Technician research, assess and document
the natural heritage system of the Credit River Watershed
in support of planning and resource management programs.
The tasks that they perform include carrying out field
inventories in support of subwatershed studies, settlement
and servicing master plans and other studies, integrating
data into spatial and tabular databases, interpreting
data on natural communities from a variety of sources
(including air photos, land use maps and remote sensing
imagery), and producing reports and information summaries.
They also provide advice to land managers, planners and
other public and private partners.
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Contractor Awareness Forum
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On Wednesday, March 23rd, 2005, the
Region of Peel hosted its second annual Contractor Awareness
Forum. The forum educated contractors about what to be
cautious of when working along regional roads that are
in proximity to watercourses and other natural features
(ex. Underground utilities). It also provided contractors
with information on what approvals are needed from the
Region and local municipalities in this situation.
The
utility companies that were present at the Forum included
Bell , Enbridge Consumers Gas and Rogers Cable, and the
local municipalities included the City of Brampton and
City of Mississauga . These organizations expressed their
concerns and issues with road works and what to look
out for during the construction process, through visual
displays and presentations.
This year, Credit Valley Conservation
along with the Toronto Region Conservation Authority became involved with this initiative.
Dorothy Di Berto and Chris Hibberd informed interested
contractors of the permit requirements of CVC by making
information available at the CVC booth. The Erosion and
Sediment Control Workshop which CVC hosted on
April 12 th, 2005 was also showcased as invitations
and registration forms were available to the Forum attendees.
Overall,
the Forum was a success involving over 100 attendees.
The Region plans on making this a regular event with
different involved agencies hosting in the future. Next
year, the invitation list will be broadened to include
the development community. This will allow for a greater
information exchange and CVC will have another opportunity
at highlighting its cause and approval requirements to
the development industry.
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The partners in the West Credit Appreciation, Rehabilitation
and Enhancement Project submitted an application for
funding to the Ontario Trillium Foundation on March 1,
2005 . If successful, this application will permit the
employment of a project coordinator to conduct the day-to-day
operations of the WeCARE project for the next three years.
Highlights of the draft work plan, developed by the WeCARE
Steering Committee, include an annual Community Conservation
symposium featuring workshops and seminars on conservation
and environmental stewardship topics; volunteer workdays;
community outreach and education; and the continuation
and development of community-based monitoring programs
such as the brook and brown trout spawning surveys traditionally
conducted by the Greg Clark Chapter. A volunteer workday
is scheduled in the West Credit watershed for Saturday
May 28, 2005 . Join in and help plant trees
along the banks of the West Credit River just east of
Erin . A second riparian tree-planting day will be held Saturday
June 11, 2005. The meeting place will be the
Elora Cataract Trailway parking lot on Station Street
in Hillsburgh. These two events are listed in the Workday
Calendar along with contacts for confirming dates, times
and places. If you have ideas or wish to help with this
initiative, please contact Amy Doole at CVC, (905) 670-1615.
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| Dave Beaton accepting the Roderick Haig-Brown Award |
Just back from his adventures in South America Dave Beaton, CVC's Community Stewardship Specialist was awarded the Roderick Haig-Brown Award by the Izaak Walton Fly Fishing Club at the 29th annual Fly Fishing Forum, held this year in Burlington. The award for 'significant contribution to fish habitat conservation' was presented during the forum banquet Saturday April 9th, 2005. Dave's excellent work here at CVC organizing volunteer workdays with community groups all over the watershed, advising private landowners, promoting conservation projects and groups as well as his personal commitment to projects in the Hanlon Creek watershed inspired the Izaak Walton Fly Fishing Club to choose him for this award. Dave dedicated his award to the groups and to the individuals he works so closely with, insisting these dedicated volunteers are the real heroes of conservation.
The namesake of the award, Roderick Haig-Brown was a fly fisher, writer and conservationist hailing from Campbell River B.C. Past recipients of this award have included CVC's Bob Morris (1995) and the Upper Credit River Rehabilitation Initiative (2003).
Roderick Haig-Brown on conservation (Measure of the Year, 1950):
"It seems clear beyond the possibility of argument that any given generation of men can have only a lease, not ownership, of the earth; and one essential term of the lease is that the earth be handed on to the next generation with unimpaired potentialities. This is the conservationist's concern."
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