www.grandriver.ca Grand River Conservation Authority

The Grand River watershed newsletter

May/June 2013 • Volume 17, Number 3

What’s Inside:

FeaturesBridge inventory . . . . . . . . . .1

Did you knowGrand bridges . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

MilestonesRockwood CA is 50 . . . . . . . 2

What’s happeningBobolink study . . . . . . . . . . . 3Salamander monitoring . . 4Healthy hikes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4New prices for parks . . . . . . 5Movies in the park . . . . . . . . 5

Taking ActionWaterloo Cattlemenhelp the Conestogo River . 6A Grand adventure . . . . . . . 6Stocking fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Cover photoThis wooden covered bridgewas built in 1992 in Guelphand is an inspiration tophotographers and artists,including Eustacio Dionisio,who submitted this photo tothe GRCA photo contest.

By Janet BaineGRCA Communications Specialist

Hunting for bridges in the Grand River

watershed is more likely to become a

weekend passion for some people now

that a full-colour inventory of bridges is

complete.

About a third of the 678 bridges in theinventory have heritage value and listings of theseinclude a colour photo along with a fulldescription. If you are curious to find the oldestor most unusual bridge, or even learn a fewdetails about the bridge you cross every day onthe way to work, this inventory may help.Photographers, artists and historians will find itinteresting.

“People are drawn to bridges and there aremany hidden gems that some people will beinterested in finding,” says Barbara Veale,coordinator of policy, planning and partnershipsfor the GRCA.

Bridges demonstrate the role of rivers in the

early industrial and cultural development ofCanada. They are a factor that led to the CanadianHeritage River designation for the Grand, Speed,Eramosa, Nith and Conestogo rivers in 1994.

In addition to the tourism and heritage value,the inventory has a very practical use, Veale says.“About two-thirds of the bridges do not have anyheritage value so that immediately screens themout and will expedite matters when bridges arebeing looked at for repair or replacement. This ishelpful to municipalities to streamline theirEnvironmental Assessment process.”

The inventory was completed over the past yearby the Heritage Resources Centre at the Universityof Waterloo with funding from several sources,most notably the province. The inventory, calledArch, Truss and Beam: The Grand River WatershedHeritage Bridge Inventory was published in Apriland includes maps to help locate the bridges,which are listed by municipality. Copies have beenmade available to the municipalities, the GRCAand First Nations. While there are no extra printcopies available for purchase, the inventory is

New heritage bridge inventory

Share the resources – Share the responsibilityPage 2

By Lindsay BenjaminHeritage Resources Centre

The oldest bridge: is a masonry archbridge built in 1837 that crosses Mill Creekin Cambridge. The second oldest bridge inthe watershed was constructed in 1854 onGlen Morris Road East in Brant County.

Most controversial bridges: TheCaledonia and Cayuga bridges are bothimpressive multi-span structures. TheCaledonia bridge is a nine-span concretebridge constructed in 1927 and is the longestbowstring arch bridge in Canada. It is slatedfor demolition. The Cayuga bridge, a truss

available online at www.grandriver.ca andalso on the Heritage Resources Centre’swebsite by June.

“The history of bridge construction isimportant to understanding the cultural anddevelopmental evolution of any area. It hasrelevance not just locally, but speaks to thedevelopment of Canada as a nation,” writesauthor Lindsay Benjamin in a section of theinventory about the history of local bridges.

An earlier bridge inventory was completedin 2004 and had information about 70heritage bridges in it, so this is morecomprehensive. The new inventoryincorporates research from the Region ofWaterloo’s bridge study called Spanning theGenerations. If you have questions about thebridges, please call 519-888-4567 ext. 36921or email hrc@uwaterloo.ca.

D I D Y O U K N O W ?

1. Bridge 27 on Sideroad 20 is one of seven remaining bowstring bridges in Centre Wellington, where there were once 36 bowstring bridges.2. Bridge 10 in Melancthon Dufferin is a truss frame construction that dates to 1920.

3. The second oldest bridge in the Grand River watershed on Glen Morris Road East in Brant County, constructed in 1854.

Photos by Melissa Davies

1

1

2. 3.

steel bridge built in 1924, is in the process ofbeing replaced.

Bridge captured in literature: WellesleyBridge Number 6 spans the Nith River and isa literary landmark within the community. Itwas featured in Jane Urquhart’s awardwinning Canadian novel, The Stone Carvers.It is on Township Road 18 South.

A suspension bridge: There is in fact asuspension bridge in the Grand Riverwatershed. It crosses the Nith River nearNew Hamburg in Wilmot Township onprivate land.

The prettiest pedestrian bridge:Heffernan Street Footbridge, constructed in1914 that crosses the Speed River in Guelph.

Most spectacular bridge: David StreetBridge that crosses the Irvine River and isnear Elora. While the pier was constructedin 1867, the bridge itself was constructed in2004.

Interesting private bridge: Old FourthLine Bridge in the Township of CentreWellington, built in 1908, is the oldestremaining concrete arch bridge in thewatershed. It is located on agriculturalproperty.

Oldest covered bridge: West MontroseCovered Bridge, aka the “Kissing Bridge” isthe oldest surviving covered bridge inOntario.

Newest covered bridge: Crosses the SpeedRiver in central Guelph and was constructedin 1992 by 400 volunteers from the TimberFramers Guild of North America who wereattending a conference.

Municipality with the most designatedbridges: The City of Guelph has fivedesignations under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Hidden gem: MacPherson Bridge on 12thLine in East Garafraxa is a two-span tied

Grand bridges

double concrete bowstring arch bridge builtin 1921. It is the only remaining bowstringarch bridge in the Township of EastGarafraxa and is one of very few doublebowstring arch bridges built in the GrandRiver watershed.

M I L E S T O N E S

Rockwood50 years youngRockwood was the fourth Grand River

conservation area to open and it turns

50 this year.

Its breathtaking beauty makes it unique tosouthern Ontario and certainly the mostphotographed of the GRCA’s conservationareas.

The land once belonged to three sons ofpioneer John Harris — John Richard,Thomas, Joseph and their brother-in-lawThomas Wetherald started the RockwoodWoolen Mills in 1867, the year ofConfederation. This date can still be seencarved into a square of limestone at the topof the ruins. Business flourished and at onetime the mill employed 80 people. Over thedecades the mill was powered by the water ofthe Eramosa River, steam and hydro.

However in1925 it closed and ownerWilliam Harris decided to use the stunninglandscape that surrounded it for a park thatwas called Hi-Pot-Lo Park.

Visitors were charged an admission fee.Many people came for the quaint and ruggedscenery, including author Lucy MaudMontgomery.

Page 3Grand Actions – May June 2013

In 1959, the GRCA purchased the mill and79 hectares of land from the Harris family. Acouple of years later, the road system,parking lots, gatehouse and pavilion wereconstructed, laying the ground work for theconservation area to open in 1963 aroundthe time that the beach area, picnic areas andcampsites were developed.

85,000 visitorsToday, over 85,000 patrons visit every year

to enjoy the geological wonders of the parkand visit the historic and beautiful millruins. The park offers 110 campsites,canoeing, hiking, fishing and swimming.The pond is stocked with brown trout eachspring.

The geology includes over 200 potholes ofvarying sizes, a cave system and steeplimestone cliffs that were left behind whenthe Wisconsin glacier melted at the end ofthe last ice age.

Rockwood’s biodiversity is uniquelyintertwined with the local geology. The plantcommunities and species on the propertywere inventoried intensively in the late 1960sand early ’70s as part of the InternationalBiological Program. Over 300 plants andanimals were found during a 24-hourinventory.

Much of Rockwood is designated by theprovince as a significant area for earth andlife science.

You can show up at RockwoodConservation Area on a beautiful weekendand notice that the park is popular forvisitors who speak a multitude of languagesfrom around the world. But on an evening inJune, you can put your canoe into the lakeand be alone with the nesting swallows.

From top, clockwise: Rockwood entrancewhen it was Hi-Pot-Lo Park, tan advertismentfor the mill products and the mill in winter

before the fire in 1965.

W H A T ’ SH A P P E N I N G

Bobolink studyat Luther MarshBy Janet BaineGRCA Communications Specialist

Some of the bobolinks that are singing

their bubbling musical song at Luther

Marsh Wildlife Management Area

will have a tiny bit of extra weight on their

journey to and from South America over the

next year.

They will be part of a research project thatis looking into why the number of bobolinksis declining. This medium-sized songbird isfound in grasslands and hayfields at LutherMarsh and it is one of 56 threatened speciesin Ontario. It also undertakes one of thelongest annual migrations of any NorthAmerican songbird, making a round trip of

approximately 20,000 km. Dan Kim from Oregon and Roz Renfrew

from Vermont have worked with bobolinksand geolocators in the United States. In Mayand June, they will be at Luther Marshworking with Canadian Wildlife Servicesongbird biologist Mike Cadman, a studentand some volunteers.

“We’ll be searching the area for nests, andwatching birds to map territorial boundaries.Then we’ll be using mist nets in thoselocations and sound playbacks (using iPodsand small speakers) to lure the birds into thenets,” explains Cadman. “The birds will eachbe banded with a government band, andgiven a unique three colour-band set ofanklets, as well as the geolocator. We’ll alsobe taking a small blood sample as part of alarger study on bobolink parasites.”

The researchers hope to band 20 malesand 20 females. They expect the research willshow that the bobolinks at Luther are linkedto various locations in South America. Nextyear, these same birds will need to berecaptured and the data downloaded to findout where they have been, Cadman says.This data will be added to data about thisspecies in other sites across Canada and theU.S. to see what may be causing the declinein bobolink.

During their summer breeding season,male bobolinks are black with a white backand yellow collar. By late summer, males losetheir breeding plumage to resemble thefemale’s tan colour with black stripes.

Bobolink are in decline and researchers willlearn more about them.

Photo by Kevin Tupman

Share the resources – Share the responsibilityPage 4

Bobolinks are hard to see because they feedon insects and seeds on the ground. Theyseem to appear out of nowhere and can bespotted flying in the sky or over the tops ofvegetation.

As a wide ranging species that migrates inand out of Ontario, there are likely severalcauses for their decline. Along theirmigration route and in their wintering areasin South America, they are considered a pestof grain crops. A decline in grassland habitatcombined with other factors is leading to lesshabitat for the bobolink. Mowing hay duringthe breeding period may inadvertentlydisturb nesting adults and young birds anddestroy eggs and nests. Haying is tending tooccur earlier over time due to modern hayproduction practices such as earliermaturing seed mixtures and shorter croprotation cycles.

Research using geolocators is quite new forsongbirds, because this device has onlyrecently become small enough at less thanone gram that the small birds can carry themwithout any problems, Cadman says.

New bobolink habitat Glenaviland Development Corporation is

paying for 16 hectares of grassland habitat atConestogo Lake Conservation Area. Underthe Ministry of Natural Resources’Endangered Species Act, a permit obligesGlenaviland to replace grassland habitat thatis being lost due to a new residential and golfcourse development planned for Drayton.The company is maintaining two times asmuch grassland habitat as is required for 20years.

The Jeffersonsare moving in

It’s confirmed — the Jeffersons are living

at Taquanyah Conservation Area in the

southern Grand..

Jefferson salamanders are endangeredprovincially and nationally and are protectedunder the Ontario Endangered Species Act.

“This year despite the cooler start tospring, I sampled a record number ofsalamanders at Taquanyah,” says LindsayCampbell, restoration specialist with theGRCA. She samples at two vernal ponds thatwere confirmed as breeding ponds for thefirst time this year. A vernal pool is atemporary water body that fills with waterfrom melting snow, storm water orgroundwater during the spring. These poolsusually dry up during the summer.

It has been a good year for salamander inthe southern Grand River, Campbell says.She found eggs that are most likely Jeffersonsalamander, but could be Jefferson-Bluespotted complex salamander. Interestingly,GRCA staff take a small tissue sample fromthe tail to test the salamanders DNA to findout which species it is, because this is theonly way to know for sure. A visualinspection is not enough.

These results will help the GRCA assessthe current salamander population atTaquanyah and to enhance or mitigatethreats to their habitat. Last year DNAresults confirmed that Jefferson salamandersare at Taquanyah.

A salamander found at Taquanyah is measured.

Adults live in moist, loose soil, under logsor in leaf litter. Your best chance of spottinga salamander is in early spring when theytravel to woodland ponds to breed. They laytheir eggs in clumps attached to underwatervegetation. By midsummer, the larvae losetheir gills and leave the pond and head intothe surrounding forest. Once in the forest,Jefferson salamanders spend much of theirtime underground in rodent burrows, andunder rocks and stumps. They eat primarilyinsects and worms.

Join the challengeand win prizesThe GRCA and its partners have kicked

off a new hiking campaign called

Healthy Hikes.

Healthy Hikes encourage people toenergize their body and mind by spendingmore time in nature at GRCA conservationareas, nature centres and trails. Participantscan also hike at more than 270 otherconservation areas throughout Ontariomanaged by Ontario’s 36 conservationauthorities. The program continues untilOct. 31.

Ontarians are encouraged to take theHealthy Hikes challenge by registeringonline and then recording their time spenthiking at www.healthyhikes.ca. They canearn bonus points by participating inqualifying activities at conservation areasand nature centres. Information on GRCAevents is on the GRCA website atwww.grandriver.ca/calendar.

There are $2,500 worth of great prizes upfor grabs for Challenge participants. Theseinclude a grand prize of a $1,200 Merrell giftcard, donated by Merrell, a leading supplierof hiking equipment.

Research shows that spending timeoutdoors provides many health benefits.These include increased energy andimmunity, increased weight loss and fitness,increased Vitamin D production, reductionin symptoms of anxiety and depression, and

Page 5Grand Actions – May June 2013

attract more visitors during quiet times ofthe year, and also to maximize revenueduring the busy summer season and on longweekends.

The parks are entirely dependent on gatefees for their operating costs. No tax dollarsare used to operate the parks.

More information on each park, includingfees, can be found in the Parks section of theGRCA website at www.grandriver.ca.Camping reservations can be made atwww.grcacamping.ca or by calling 877-558-4722.

The GRCA park system records more than1.1 million paid visits a year. It has about2,500 campsites, making it the second largestnetwork of campgrounds in the province,second only to Ontario Parks.

The healthy hikes challenge encourages people to boost their body and mind by getting outinto nature on hikes. The GRCA is offering many family based activities at conservation areas

through this program.

a reduced risk of diabetes, heart attacks, andcancer.

The GRCA has many kilometres of trailsin its conservation areas and nature centres.As well, the GRCA owns the Cambridge-Hamilton-Brantford Rail-Trail and theElora-Cataract Trailway. Information on allof these is available on the GRCA website.

Across Ontario, conservation authoritiescollectively own over 2,500 km of trails. Theconservation areas that they operate helpprotect ecologic features such as wetlands,forests, rivers and streams, and great lakesshoreline, all of which contribute to ouroverall health and well-being. The air webreathe, the food we eat, and the water wedrink are impacted by the health of thenatural environment.

Other organizations partnering with theGRCA, Conservation Ontario and theconservation authorities include theCanadian Mental Health Association, TreesOntario, York Region, the Ontario TrailsCouncil, Ducks Unlimited Canada, TheBruce Trail Conservancy and the DavidSuzuki Foundation.

Healthy Hikes events are taking place atmany GRCA parks, including Rockwood,Laurel Creek in Waterloo, Pinehurst Lakenear Paris, Brant, Elora Gorge and Shades’Mills in Cambridge.

Full details of these events are availableonline.

New park pricingGrand River parks have a new price

structure that will help people enjoy the

parks more often.

The new prices encourage mid-week andshoulder season visits with lower campingand day-use fees. Prices will be higherduring the busy summer season and onweekends.

And this year there is a new 10 per centdiscount for seniors for day use. There is alsoa ten per cent seniors discount on vehicleseason passes.

The GRCA operates 11 parks, eight ofwhich offer camping. They will be open toOct. 15.

Campers will get a $7 a night break if theyvisit one of the eight campgrounds on aweekday before June 13 or after Sept. 3.That’s a reduction from the normal summerweekday fees of $34 to $51 a nightdepending on the park and level of service.Campers will pay a bit more on weekendsand long weekends.

Fees for adult day use will range from$5.50 to $6 depending on the park and theday of the week. The child’s fee (ages six to14) will range from $2.75 to $3. Children fiveand under are free.

Season passes, which allow unlimitedaccess to all parks for a carload, will be $122.

The goal of the new few structure is to

Movies in the park

Come watch movies under the stars

starting at dusk every Friday night

beginning June 7 until the end of September

at Shade’s Mills Conservation Area on

Avenue Road in Cambridge.

The movies are free for season passholders and day pass holders. Or, up to sixpeople in a vehicle can gain admission for aspecial flat fee of $10 on Friday nightsstarting at 8 p.m.

“This was very successful last year whenwe did it for the first time. We had peoplecoming from all over and we have a greatschedule of family favourites planned for thissummer as well,” says Brian Hunt, parksuperintendent.

The food concession will be open andoffering snacks and drinks. Visitors shouldbring lawn chairs and blankets to sit in frontof the big screen. Cancellations due to poorweather or schedule changes will be postedon Facebook and twitter or call the park at519-621-3697.

Movies start shortly before sunset, and thetimes vary between 8:45 during the longerdays of June and July and 7:15 p.m. bySeptember.

The movies are all rated parental guidance(PG) or general admission (G)s. Specificmovies for each Friday are listed in theNewsroom on the GRCA website atwww.grandriver.ca/newsroom/news.cfmand also on www.grandriver.ca/calendar.

Email bjhunt@grandriver.ca or call 519-621-3697 for more information.

Share the resources – Share the responsibilityPage 6

cropped fields, but the GRCA encouragestree buffers along waterways to stabilize thebanks and filter runoff, Loeffler said.

Several school groups have helped plantthe trees, helping to educate the nextgeneration about the importance ofprotecting water quality.

Cattle producers have also spent millionsof dollars on other environmental projects.These include manure storage facilities,nutrient management plans, erosion controlprojects, upgrading fuel tanks and wells anddecommissioning unused wells. All of theseprojects improve water quality.

“Kids who swim in the creeks apparentlycome out of the swimming hole cleaner thanwhen they went in, and that’s animprovement from 15 years ago,” Loefflersaid.

Information about all seven 2012watershed award recipients and video linksare available online atwww.grandriver.ca/awards.

Keeping cattle out of the river in Wellesley

Rural Water Quality Program. She said thecattle farmers are looking far beyond theirown fence lines and are great neighbours tothe water users downstream by protectingthe water from manure runoff, pathogensand sediment.

“There is no law that states that livestockmust be fenced out of watercourses, but thepractice is strongly recommended. It’s an actof stewardship and speaks of thecommunity’s respect and caring for others inthe watershed,” Loeffler said.

Wellesley cattlemen have invested at least4,000 hours in 80 stream fencing projects.The capital costs of fences was about$400,000.

“It is quite amazing to have the entirelength of the Conestogo River in ourmunicipality fenced and cattle free. What agreat achievement and environmentalimprovement for water quality in the GrandRiver watershed. The cattle producers ofWellesley Township are to be commendedfor their individual and cumulative efforts,”said Susan Duke, recently retired clerk ofWellesley Township who submitted thenomination for the award.

The creeks which drain into the Nith Riveron the western side of the township are alsowell fenced. Fences aren’t necessary on

Cattle grazing beside the river are kept away from the river thanks to fencing installed byfarmers. This helps to keep the water cleaner.

Photo by Anne Loeffler

By Janet BaineGRCA Communications Specialist

Cattle producers in Wellesley Township

are outstanding fencers.

They are most likely tops in Ontario, if notin Canada. The Waterloo Cattlemen’sAssociation received a 2012 Grand RiverConservation Award for the work done bybeef farmers in Wellesley.

About 70 Wellesley Township farmershave fenced 37 km of waterways in thistownship on the west side of WaterlooRegion. The fencing was constructed overthe past 15 years to keep 2,800 cattle out ofthe rivers and streams. We all know whatcomes out of cattle when they are cooling offon a hot day in a stream, so fencing helpsprotect drinking water for the communitiesdownstream. It also helps slow down erosionof the stream banks.

The cattle producers also planted 20,000trees between the fences and the rivers tostabilize the stream banks and help filter anyrunoff before it gets into the water.

“Participation in Wellesley Townshipexceeds anything we have anywhere else inthe Grand River watershed. They are settingan example for cattle producers everywhere— in Ontario and beyond,” said AnneLoeffler, conservation specialist with theGrand River Conservation Authority whoworked with the beef producers through the

L O O K W H O ’ S T A K I N G A C T I O N

Benefits of environmental work:• Stable streambanks• Improved resiliency to extreme

runoff • More abundant fish• Better water quality• Fewer algae blooms• Cleaner water downstream

For two years running, Derek Lippert and

JP Bartle of the landscape firm Quiet

Nature Ltd. paddled the Grand River, from

the scenic upper reaches to Lake Erie at Port

Maitland.

It was seven days, 250 km and one GrandRiver. The pair raised over $3,000 each of thepast two years for the GRCA’s tree plantingprogram. Judging from their photos, theyhad lots of fun doing it and enjoyed theglory of the Grand and the communitiesalong the river.

In 2012 the water was low whereas in 2013it was high. They left April 21 this year and

A grand adventureraises funds for trees

Page 7Grand Actions – May June 2013

completed their journey April 27 at PortMaitland early on an unusually calm LakeErie morning. They posted a video showingthe serenity of the lake at that moment.

“Derek and JP have done a great job —

not just of raising funds for tree planting, butalso for raising the profile of the Grand Riveras a great natural resource in ourcommunity. Following their trip was veryinspiring,” says Sara Wilbur, executivedirector of the Grand River ConservationFoundation.

By providing source to mouth insight intothe river, Derek and JP hoped to increaseawareness of watershed-wide environmentalissues and tourism potential while raisingfunds for the tree planting and naturalizationefforts.

They collected many sponsors whodonated prizes for donors and held a drawfor these prizes after they completed theirtrip.

Stocking the rivers with brown trout: Each year volunteers stock 40,000 brown trout in the Grand and Conestogo rivers using canoes andbuckets. Photos 1 to 5 are taken on the Conestogo River and photo 6 is taken at Soper Park in Cambridge. The fish are supplied by the Ontario

Ministry of Natural Resources. Brad Knarr (photo 4) takes time off from his job to organize the stocking on the Conestogo each year. Volunteers arefrom Google in Kitchener, the Rotary Club, local angling clubs and community groups. Many people come every year. Al Newsome organizes the

stocking on the Grand River, while Friends of Mill Creek organize stocking on Mill Creek.

Photos by Janet Baine

1. 3.2.

6.5.

4.

Photo of the pair of Grand Adventurers at the start of their trip in Riverview.

Follow the GRCA:Share the resources – Share the responsibility

T H E G R A N D C A L E N D A R

This newsletter is produced bi-monthly by the Grand River Conservation Authority.

More information:Current and back issues as well as completesubscription information is available onlineat www.grandriver.ca/GrandActions.

Submission deadlines: The 15th of February, April, June, August,October and December. Submissions maybe edited for length or style. Photos andevent information is also welcome. We doour best to publish items, but we are notable to guarantee publication.

To subscribe by e-mail:GrandActions-subscribe@grandriver.ca

To subscribe by mail, change yoursubscription or for information:

Janet Baine, Grand Actions editorPhone: 519-621-2763, Ext. 2302E-mail: jbaine@grandriver.caMail: Box 729 400 Clyde RoadCambridge ON N1R 5W6

About Grand Actions:

2 Rivers Festival set to go June 9 to 16, GuelphTwo dozen partner organizations areholding 30 free events focused on the Speedand Eramosa rivers in Guelph. This festivalbegins on Canadian Rivers Day. These twosmall rivers were granted Heritage Riverdesignation in 1994 along with the GrandRiver. The events include hikes, paddling,water-related talks, performance, riverheritage and children's events. The annualSpeed River Clean Up takes place SundayJune 9th. There will also be a free concertand celebration on June 15. This is thesecond year of the festival.

The Guelph Lake Nature Centre is holdingtwo events that are part of this festival. Theyare. a walk to the nature centre Tuesday June11 at 6:30 p.m. and catching crayfish in theriver Sunday June 16. at 1 p.m. by thecovered bridge.

See www.2RiversFestival.org for the fullschedule.

Bringing back Mill Creek,Sunday, June 16, 2:00 p.m. to4:00 p.m., Aberfoyle

Mill Creek, Puslinch and CambridgeFriends of Mill Creek is celebrating 15

years of stewardship along Mill Creek byholding a series of walks to highlight thework that has been done. This second walkstarts at the Puslinch Community Centre inAberfoyle.

For more information and to register, seethe Friends of Mill Creek website atwww.friendsofmillcreek.org.

Still space availablein some day camps

The GRCA offers many environmental

day camps for kids six to 16 at Apps’

Mill near Brantford, Laurel Creek in

Waterloo, Rockwood, Belwood Lake near

Fergus and at Guelph Lake.

While many camps are full, there is stilllots of space during some weeks.

Day camp programs at GRCA facilitiesoffer numerous opportunities for children to

learn about the environment whileenjoying the outdoors.

They are action-packed with a focus onthe environment, but also geared to specificinterests such as art, survivor skills andfishing. Campers participate in activitiessuch as pond studies, bug hunts andenvironmental games for younger kids.Older children may go on a canoe trip,learn to fish or participate in a naturalist-in-training program.

Registration and availability informationis available at grandriver.eventbrite.ca orvisit www.grandriver.ca to learn more.

It was a cold and snowy day when the GuelphRotary Forest was planted this year. Lots of

trees went in across the watershed this spring.

Healthy Hikes challenge atmany locations until the endof October

The Healthy Hikes events offered by theGRCA are part of a provincial challenge thatallows people to win prizes when theyparticipate in Healthy Hikes events. Theseevents at the GRCA are primarily geared tofamilies and children and are taking placeuntil the end of October. Healthy Hikesevents are taking place at many GRCA parks,including Rockwood, Laurel Creek inWaterloo, Pinehurst Lake near Paris, Brant,Elora Gorge and Shades’ Mills in Cambridge.A complete listing is available onwww.grandriver.ca/calendar.

The tree planting weather allowed for somegood photo opportunities.

Photo by Tom Wilson