CHASING TARGETS
by Sami Rehman, Watershed Stewardship Program

As the Watershed Stewardship Program (WSP) comes closer to the end of Phase II, we are quite pleased with its activities and results over the winter. Moreover, we are very excited about our upcoming projects.

This past autumn and winter season gave the WSP staff a chance to become better tuned to the rhythms of the local ecosystems. The first heavy frost of the fall served like a starting pistol for our seed-collecting race. The Watershed Stewardship Staff competed with squirrels, deer, turkeys, and shrinking daylight hours to collect a variety of seeds from the nut bearing trees, characteristic of the Carolinian Canada life zone. These trees include Shagbark Hickory, Bitternut Hickory, White Oak, Red Oak, Bur Oak and Black Walnut. Some of these seeds were planted during the fall at various restoration sites on the Ruthven Park Demonstration Project, while some were stored for the winter to be planted in the spring projects. The Watershed Stewardship Program would like to extend its gratitude to all the volunteers who helped collect,plant and store seeds in the fall.

Over the winter, the WSP expanded its landowner contact program to other Ecologically Significant Natural Areas (ESAs) in the County of Brant and Haldimand County. Letters were sent to over 340 landowners. In Haldimand County, the natural areas included: Attercliffe Station Slough Forest, Caistor-Canborough Slough Forest, Dunnville East Forests, Gates Creek Marsh, Low Point, Mohawk Island, Mount Healy Woods, Dunnville Grand River Marshes and Grand River Marshes. In the County of Brant, the natural areas included: Burford Swamp, Horseshoe Valley, and Schofield Woods. The landowner contact program aims to share the value of these natural areas and natural systems associated with them to private landowners. The program also encourages private landowner stewardship to enhance and protect the natural heritage for our communities and for future generations.

It was also quite a pleasure for the WSP to meet various community groups and to deliver presentations about the Watershed Stewardship Program and share the mission of the Lower Grand River Land Trust. The WSP would like to thank the Brant County Dairy Producers, the Brant Woodlot Owners Association and Paris High School ’s Community Environmental Leadership Program (C.E.L.P.) for inviting the WSP to share its messages. The WSP is always looking to meet other community groups and deliver presentations. If you know of any community groups or organizations that would be interested,please contact us.

In the spring we presented two interesting ecological restoration projects that employed a direct seeding method of restoration. One of the ecological restoration projects was undertaken in partnership with the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA)and the Brant Resource Stewardship Network. The restoration site is located along the Nith River in Paris, Ontario on GRCA property. The other ecological restoration project was a private landowner’s property in the Oriskany Sandstone Natural Area.

The aim of these ecological restoration projects was to facilitate the naturalization process of the local ecosystems. The projects used the seeds of nut-bearing Carolinian Canada life zone tree species, as well as, Hawthorns and Staghorn Sumacs. In amongst the tree seeds that were planted, seeds of native herbaceous species were sown into the ground to minimize the invasion of non-native grasses and plants. The direct seeding method places the seeds in a better position to develop into healthy trees and into a healthy forest than by planting trees (i.e.seedlings).

For further information about Watershed Stewardship Program, contact Ruthven Park or visit the LGRLT website: www.lowergrandriverlandtrust.ca.