Thanks to a major grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, more will be learned about Lambton County streams and creeks flowing into Lake Huron. Partners on the project include Carolinian Canada Coalition, St. Clair Region Conservation Authority and Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation.
Students participating in the program will conduct a stream investigation, learn about aquatic monitoring techniques and make pledges to protect aquatic habitats.
“The best way to learn about the aquatic environment is by standing in the water. Students flip rocks, net river critters and check minnow traps. As educators, we emphasize connections between habitat and aquatic health, but I think the greatest benefit comes from having students experience a healthy babbling creek and its fishes and other creatures first-hand. ” Melissa Gill, Conservation Education Technician for St. Clair Conservation.
“We look forward to working with local youth to come up with solutions to protect and restore these natural resources” Bronwen Buck, Outreach Coordinator, Carolinian Canada. “This region, the Carolinian Zone, has over 500 rare species and habitats, making it Canada’s number one ‘biodiversity hotspot’. By working with students through our Grow Wild! outreach program, we teach them about the importance of local ecosystems and empower them to make their actions count.”
Aquatic surveys will also be conducted as part of this program. Starting in early June biologists began visiting creeks and rivers that drain to Lake Huron to identify, measure, and weigh fish before releasing them back to the water. Late in the summer biologists will re-visit the area looking for freshwater mussels.
According to Aquatic Biologist, Erin Carroll, “fish and mussels are excellent indicators of water quality because different species respond to pollution in different ways. If rivers are healthy, we will know it by the types of aquatic animals we find.” Information collected will be published in Watershed Report Cards which summarize the current state of St. Clair Region’s watersheds. The report cards track and report on the surface and groundwater quality and forest conditions in the watersheds.
This Lake Huron program will engage students with their own watershed and help us appreciate how local actions impact local streams.
