GRCA Current

May 2017 • Volume 22 Number 5

GRCA General Membership April wet and warm More information needed Chair Helen Jowett Precipitation in April was above-average across on Hidden Quarry Vice-Chair Chris White the watershed. GRCA staff has reviewed applications related to Townships of Amaranth, East April was also fairly warm. Temperatures the Hidden Quarry project and will not make Garafraxa, Melancthon and averaged 6.9 C at Shand Dam during the first half further recommendations on the project until Southgate and Town of Grand more information is received from the applicant. Valley of the month, which is about 3.6 C warmer than normal. Guy Gardhouse The proposal is for an aggregate extraction Townships of Mapleton April’s only flood message was a watershed operation of nearly 25 hectares that is two and Wellington North Pat Salter conditions statement issued April 6, after a kilometres east of Rockwood. It has a tributary of Township of Centre Wellington watershed-wide rainfall event. This event resulted Blue Springs running through it, while two other Kirk McElwain in high flows in watercourses throughout the tributaries and some wetlands are nearby. The Town of Erin, Townships of watershed. owner has applied to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry for a license for below Guelph/Eramosa and Puslinch Shand, Conestogo and Guelph reservoirs were Chris White water table extraction without dewatering. Zoning near the upper part of the normal range by the amendments are also required from City of Guelph end of the month. The GRCA reservoirs are Guelph/Eramosa Township and Wellington Bob Bell, Mike Salisbury operated very carefully at this time of year, due to County for this project. Region of Waterloo reduced flood storage capacity. Water will Les Armstrong,Elizabeth Clarke, continue to be taken into storage during the first The GRCA has provided technical review Sue Foxton, Helen Jowett, part of May, when lots of rain is expected. Geoff Lorentz, Jane Mitchell, comments in an advisory capacity, based on the Joe Nowak, Wayne Roth, The water level of Lake Erie continues to be well GRCA’s Memo of Understanding with Wellington Sandy Shantz, Warren Stauch above the long-term average. County. Municipality of North Perth A report to the board noted that the GRCA has and Township of Perth East George Wicke asked that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Water Festivals in May Forestry, County of Wellington and Township of Halton Region Cindy Lunau Guelph/Eramosa defer consideration of the City of Hamilton George Stojanovic Three children’s water festivals are taking place applications until the applicant’s consultant in May and they focus on five water-related Oxford County Bruce Banbury undertakes additional groundwater analysis and themes — science, protection, technology, has outlined several steps for this analysis that conservation and water attitudes. includes groundwater modeling and an updated Brian Coleman, Shirley Simons The first festival is May 16 to 18 at Mohawk ecological assessment. City of Park in Brantford. This festival is for Grade 4 Dave Neumann, Vic Prendergast Once the new information has been received by classes from schools in Brantford, Brant County staff, they will make another presentation to the Haldimand and Norfolk Counties and Six Nations of the Grand River. Bernie Corbett, Fred Morison GRCA board for information. Next up is the Haldimand Children’s Water Festival, May 24 to 25, at Taquanyah Nature Centre near Cayuga. This festival is also for Grade GRCA insurance coverage 4 students from schools in Haldimand County, Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of The GRCA's general insurance policies have the New Credit. been renewed for one year, starting on April 1, 2017. The final festival is the Waterloo Wellington Children’s Groundwater Festival, May 26 and May The GRCA purchases general insurance 29 to June 1 at Waterloo Region Museum. This through a group consisting of Conservation festival is for primary students in the Region of and 34 conservation authorities in the Waterloo, Wellington County and the City of province. Belonging to an insurance group can Guelph and is one of the longest-running water provide cost savings and other benefits, such as festivals in the province. the sharing of risk management programs and

www.grandriver.ca Grand River Conservation Authority expertise. In addition to property, auto and liability policies, the group negotiated improvements in coverage for emerging trends such as cyber fraud. The GRCA’s insurance premiums will be lower than 2016, due to winding down of the residential rental program and changes in the way premiums are allocated to the members of the group.

Tree sale May 12 The GRCA’s annual tree sale takes place at the forestry barn at the GRCA head office, on Friday, May 12, 8 a.m. to noon. Trees available include small bare-root seedlings, two or three foot potted trees and five to seven foot saplings of many species. In addition to trees, the sale includes native wildflower seed mixes and wildflower plugs. Photo by Myles Henderson Cancelled orders, trees not picked up and A grove of 150 large maple trees flanked by 600 white cedars was planted on Earth Day at the nursery overruns are part of this sale. The Guelph Lake Rotary Forest as the GRCA launched its Canada 150 campaign. The grove is shaped sale is first come, first served and line ups like a sugar maple leaf and will be visible from the sky as the trees grow. Inset is sugar maple start early. Once the sale starts, five or six flowers which are abundant this year. vehicles are brought to the loading dock. As those people leave, more cars are brought in. standards of safety, supervision and quality Warning booms installed The most popular trees sell out quickly, programming as mandated by the OCA’s By early May, warning booms or white but there are always trees available at the end standards. of the sale. buoys have been installed upstream of GRCA dams to warn paddlers, anglers and boaters to stay away from the dams. Maples join Canada 150 Summer camp now These are installed each spring as one of producing excess flowers the many safety procedures developed by the available at Taquanyah GRCA to reduce the risk for people who If you park your car under a sugar maple Registration is underway for summer enjoy water activities on rivers. camps at six nature centres operated by the tree you have probably noticed — sugar GRCA. maples across the Grand River watershed This issue of GRCA Current was have joined the Canada 150 celebrations by published in May, 2017. For the first time in many years, two flowering abundantly this year. weeks of camps are being held at Taquanyah It is a summary of the April, 2017 Nature Centre near Cayuga. Belwood Lake While flowers may be produced by mature business conducted by the GRCA board has four weeks of camps — and is expanding and other noteworthy happenings and sugar maples every year, they only come in topics of interest. beyond the popular fishing camps to offer abundance in the entire population about more variety. Rockwood will run camps every five to seven years. This is a year of The Grand River Conservation Authority throughout the summer and registration is welcomes distribution, photocopying abundance. The last time this happened was still available at the newly-renovated Apps’ and forwarding of GRCA Current. Mill Nature Centre near Brantford. Camp in 2013. spots at Guelph Lake and Laurel Creek are Next board meeting: Maples have clusters of tiny delicate nearly full. May 26 at 9:30 a.m., flowers that droop from a long thin flower GRCA Administration Centre Each week of camp has a different nature- stem, attached to the branch. By early May based theme that is geared to specific View and subscribe to GRCA Current these flowers had finished blooming, but and other news: interests and age groups. Descriptions of the they remain on the tree as the new growth of www.grandriver.ca/subscribe camps and online registration are available at sugar maple leaves unfold. www.grandriver.eventbrite.ca. View and subscrie to meeting Because there are more flowers, there may agendas: As of this year, these camps are accredited https://calendar.grandriver.ca/directors by the Ontario Camps Association (OCA). also be more suger maple keys that carry the Accreditation reassures parents that the seeds this fall, resulting in more small trees View and subscribe to coming events: GRCA camps adhere to the highest by next summer. www.grandriver.ca/events

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