Kettle Creek Conservation Authority in partnership with Catfish Creek Conservation Authority hosted a breakfast workshop for local landowners on Thursday, June 25, 2015 to promote habitat restoration projects as a means of reducing nutrient runoff.
42 attendees listened to presentations by:
- Jake Lozon, Public/Industrial Stewardship Land Manager for Ontario Nativescape – Tallgrass Prairie in Riparian Buffer Zones
- Hugh Henry, Associate Professor of Biology at Western University – Nutrient Cycling in Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystems
- Darrell Randell, Conservation Programs Specialist for Ducks Unlimited – Erosion and Nutrient Reduction: The Ecological Goods and Services of Wetlands
- Betsy McClure, Coordinator of the Elgin Clean Water Program – Funding Opportunities through the Elgin Clean Water Program
Following the presentations, participants had the opportunity to tour a local wetland creation project on an operating cash crop farm. Landowner Tom Martin provided a detailed history of his property’s erosion and runoff challenges and toured attendees through the series of 8 wetlands that were installed in 2013. The wetlands help slow runoff from adjacent agricultural fields and tile drainage systems and provide new wildlife habitat connectivity between two woodlots on the property. The project has also improved efficiency of his farm operation by allowing the removal of a grassed waterway that used to bisect one of his fields.