The Egret Article

By Catherine Hogg and Aileen Petrozzi

April 2023 to April 2024

It was a wonderful time to meet our members. Socializing and talk not only about nature but other topics. Contributing to our list of flowers, birds and trees etc.

Thank you to all our members and friends that joined us. Hope you will join us for another year at Spring Garden monthly walk. Starting June 23^rd at 2pm.  Spring garden walk will be the last Sunday of the month going forward.

There were too many highlights of the year. Here is just three that have interesting facts:

Prickly Ash

A source of medicine for our First Nations. (Tooth Ache Tree) This Shrub is used by the pharma companies today. The shrub can grow into trees and belongs to the Citrus family. It is the host to the Giant Swallowtail (source google)

American Ground Nut

Gathered as a source of Food by our indigenous people who sliced and cooked it like potatoes (source I nature)

Magnificent Sycamore Tree

Flower pollen and seed flowers grow on the same tree. Fruit aggregate persists during winter, wind dispersed and frequently reproduced from stumps. (source Trees Canada, John Farrar)

Hope to see you on our walks!

Catherine Hogg and Aileen Petrozzi

Saturday, 13 April, 2024

By Laura Neufeld, Jacqueline Serran and Ian Naisbitt

We acknowledge that the Little River Watershed is in the traditional and ancestral territory of the Caldwell First Nation, a member of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations, which includes the Ojibwa, the Odawa and the Potawatomi Peoples.
We recognise that Indigenous Peoples had an original connection with their ancestral land. We are dedicated to learning about and helping Caldwell First Nation to protect, preserve and restore their ancestral lands and waters. We value and respect the contributions and relationships of the Indigenous Peoples in their ancestral territory.
Mnaadendamowidaa Shkaakaamikwe
Respect Mother Earth

The Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA), Detroit River Canadian Cleanup (DRCC) and the City of Windsor partnered together to sponsor the River Cleanup at Teedie Park in east Windsor. Essex County Nature/ Lil’ Reg were welcomed to participate in the cleanup.

The public was invited to pick up “Winter Blown” litter along the area adjacent to the river. The cleanup began at 10 a.m. and continued until noon. We have had abundant amounts of rainfall currently so the level of water in the river was high and muddy water was streaming down river! At the end of the day, volunteers collected 193 kilograms of litter. Some of the items included: a basketball, flip-flops, calculator, construction wood,  lots of plastic items, spray cans and of course another shopping cart!

Mother Nature provided another wonderful day for working outdoors. Daybreak revealed a temperature of 6 C → feels like 2 C = Yikes! However, the forecast is a high of 14 C and sunny = Yahoo! Wind will be northwest at 30 km/ h gusting to 60 km/ h. Mister Beaufort’s translation: “Fresh Breeze” to “Near Gale” = Yikes again! UV index 5 or moderate. It turned out to be a sunny day with a wee zephyr. No rain whew! 

Today’s cleanup will address two of the Beneficial Use Impairments (BUI) of the Detroit River Area of Concern (AOC):

• Degradation of fish and wildlife populations (BUI # 3).
• The loss of fish and wildlife habitat (BUI # 14).

Nestling Bees

Obviously, we noticed the white flowering first. Upon closer observation though, we noticed tranquil bees resting in the curled up flowers. It was a chilly morning and apparently the bees found protection from the cold by nestling in the flowers.

Shopping Cart Nightmares

Today, one volunteer managed to retrieve 1 shopping cart from the river. However, we also found 2 old shopping carts in the river. We have noticed these 2 remnants before, they are firmly stuck in the river bed. They brought back nightmares for some of the older volunteers who have spent hours pulling carts from the river in the past.

The record for retrieving carts from the river in one day is 68! Nightmarish indeed!

Muddy Water = Erosion of soil upstream.
However, notice the soil that has been deposited in the bends of the river course.
Over the years, trees and shrubs have established themselves and grown to create wildlife habitat! It’s Mother Nature’s way.

Watching the water flow in a serene moment of the cleanup.

By Chris Hart

During the Member’s Orientation Meeting in January; there was expressed interest in learning more about the the Club’s involvement in various environmental issues. The Board of Directors often reviews and discusses relevant initiatives and campaigns, and following a successful vote, provides comments and/or letters of support.

Recent support from the Club includes:

September 2023 – Signed Ontario Nature’s joint letter to the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) urging the implementation of key recommendations of the government-appointed Protected Areas Working Group. Such recommendations included partnering with Indigenous Nations and engaging the public to immediately implement a strategy to protect 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.

November 2023 – Signed Ontario Nature’s joint letter to the MECP in opposition of the proposed changes to ERO 019-7378 Black Ash Regulation, which would make a large proportion of endangered Black Ash trees exempt from current legal protection.

January 2024 – Signed Ontario Nature’s joint letter requesting that the Government of Ontario invest $100 million per year over four years in the establishment of new protected and conserved areas, as recommended by the government-appointed Protected Areas Working Group.

February 2024 – Provided comments to the Town of LaSalle regarding the potential impacts of the proposed Howard Bouffard Development on the existing natural environment. 

February 2024 – Signed Ontario Nature’s joint letter to the the MECP in opposition of Regulatory changes under the Endangered Species Act (ERO# 019-8016), that would see decreased protection and increased exemptions for various species and habitats. 

Please let the Board know if there are any issues you think the Club should support.