CURRENT NEWS
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UARCD Visited Schools On World Water Day: March 22, 2010 Conservation District staff visited several elementary schools in the area to promote world water day. Presentations to grade 5 students focused on the importance of water and water conservation. Funding from the Shell Environmental Fund was obtained to help deliver the local school program and provide reusable metal water bottles for participants.
Rossburn Elementary Class The Conservation District asks you to evaluate your
personal water consumption and challenges you to conserve the amount water
use. Water conservation is good for the environment and it
saves you money!
UARCD Receives RBC Blue Water Community Action Grant The CD recently received a grant from The RBC Foundation. This grant will be used to purchase and install signage to identify areas of groundwater importance i.e. recharge areas and areas of potential contamination. This will both educate people as to their location but also remind stakeholders to protect and respect these areas, as they are a publicly owned asset. Nine municipal partners which have over 40 municipal wells will be part of the project. Much like a road sign, passers-by will be constantly reminded as to the importance of water source water protection and the ground water resource below. Thank you RBC.
Conservation District Completes Tree Planting Project At McAuley Country Store And Cafe: Thank You To The Walmart Evergreen Foundation With funds obtained from The Walmart Evergreen Foundation and assistance from the local store committee, and the R.M. of Archie conservation district staff successfully completed the majority of this project. Mature trees were planted along the north and east sides of the property. Organic wood mulch was added to the majority of the trees to reduce weeding and watering needs. The R.M. plans to install dripline irrigation to the site this year, also partially funded by the grant.
Mulched Spruce Row Looking West
Planting Day East End Thanks again to: Walmart Evergreen Foundation, RM of Archie, McAuley Country Store and Cafe. Come on over and check it out and have a great meal at the cafe or pick up a few groceries from the store.
Solar powered piston pump at Tokaryk Lake The district has three solar powered watering systems that are available for demonstrations and to allow landowners a chance to try these new alternative watering systems. One system is a piston pump capable of pumping long distances with a maximum vertical lift of 200 feet. The others are float pumps with the ability to lift 20 and 40 vertical feet and shorter distances. The systems were set up and used at several locations last year. Please contact the office if you are interested in trying one of these systems next season. Water Stewardship Grant For Patterson Lake
UARCD and local landowners the Drozda family, using a
grant received from The Manitoba Water Stewardship Fund, have worked
together to complete an exciting project to protect water quality and
enhance the shoreline around Patterson Lake. The grant provided funds to
build a riparian exclusion fence to keep livestock away from the water and
to install an offsite solar water system to provide water for the cattle.
The site will be monitored for a year with permanent evaluation sites set up
that could be revisited anytime in the future. UARCD has completed similar projects for riparian fencing
and establishing off-site watering in the past.
They have been successful increasing habitat and improving water
quality in riparian areas. Patterson Lake is located within the Upper Oak River
Subdistrict in The Manitoba Parkland Region 6.5 km north of Oakburn on
Provincial Road # 577. It has been stocked with trout and is a popular
destination for fly fishermen. Waterfront camping with full electrical
service is also available. Thank you to both The Manitoba Water Stewardship
Fund and the Drozda family for allowing this to become another water quality
project of The Upper Assiniboine River Conservation District. Getting Out With Students In Our Riparian Tree Planting Programs
Virden Students: Group presentation and planting along the Scallion Creek Several local schools and organizations within the UARCD expressed an interest in working with the Conservation District to promote the importance of healthy areas around creeks, streams and lakes. Presentations were made on the basics of riparian areas and their functions. Participants and staff also undertook the onsite rehabilitation of a local riparian area by planting appropriate trees and shrubs. It is well known that healthy riparian areas protect and stabilize shorelines, and provide a filter for runoff entering the watercourse thus improving water quality for downstream users, fish and wildlife. The Virden project was made possible with funds provided by the MAJESTA 'Trees By The Shore Program'. Ken Fosty from Tree Canada and the Manitoba Forestry Association along with Marilena Kowalchuk, Riparian Coordinator from Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation made presentations prior to planting. By all accounts the kids had a great day. The district staff are scheduled to work with students from the Birtle Collegiate and Shoal Lake School on June 14th and 15th. Trees for the Birtle planting are being provided by the Trees For Tomorrow Program. Shoal Lake tree stock will be from Trees For Tomorrow and Manitoba Hydro's Forest Enhancement Program. |
Hoopers Lake Riparian Fencing & Solar Watering System CD staff were busy June 8th and 9th constructing a riparian fence around the north end of the lake. A solar water system will be installed and cattle will be excluded from the lake. A short, low impact grazing of the riparian paddock by the lake will be allowed in the fall to control vegetation. A big thank you goes out to landowners: Tom Barnes and Ken and Betty Baskier. The site is a unique undisturbed native pasture adjacent to the north end of Hoopers Lake.
Newly constructed Riparian Fence West Side of Lake Assiniboine Riparian Park
On the trail looking south. The
CD staff have been working hard to create a riparian forest on Highway 83,
three miles south of Miniota.
At this "Assiniboine Riparian Park" over 600 trees were planted
in the fall of 2008. These trees were purchased with a grant received from
Manitoba Hydro's Forest Enhancement Program.
Another hydro grant saw another smaller fruit variety section being
planted recently last fall. The CD has also received grants from,
Manitoba Conservation's Special Conservation Fund, The Royal Bank Blue Water Fund
and Hometown Manitoba. This interpretive centre will serve as an
educational tool to create awareness and promote preservation in our
conservation district. Some of the planned educational demonstrations may
include tree types, growth habits, requirements, and insects associated
with trees and grasses. Native grass plots can be observed and all manner
of flora and fauna will be identified to the tourist on our walking trail.
We plan to continue to plant more trees as we have an orchard planned with
upwards of five different varieties of fruit. The walking trail is under a kilometre long. We are working towards getting benches and picnic tables to attract local and travelling tourists to the area. Tours and individuals can feel free to wander around or contact us to organize a tour and see the relationship between different varieties of trees and how they affect the wildlife, the relationship between native grasses and trees, the effects of tree roots and the preservation of the river bank just to name a few.
The Assiniboine Riparian Park will be an excellent educational
opportunity for local schools. Our philosophy is to provide students and
adults with a strong understanding of our natural world, how it functions
and how we, as humans, need to fit into it. Our programs are interactive
and experimental to provide "hands on" approach to learning
about natural science in our Outdoor Ecology Lab.
Some programs we look to offer are Pond/ Water Ecology , Insect
Ecology, Animals and Habitats, Instincts for Survival, The Seeds of
Change, Fantastic Forests, Unearthing Soil, Endless Energy, Winter
Ecology, and Snowshoeing just to name a few. The seasons will allow us to
deliver these programs accordingly.
We are hoping to have a grand opening this fall .
Watch for more details and do stop in and take a look if you are passing
by. We look forward to getting many of the area schools and clubs on board
to come and learn and tour. Please feel free to call us at the office for
more information or to book a tour. Streambank Stabilization Projects
The CD has had a great deal of success over the past few years with streambank and riparian restoration projects throughout the CD. A variety of different techniques are used, usually a combination of traditional rock armour and various bioengineering techniques. We again have a couple of streambank projects on the schedule. Willow Buffers For Riparian Protection And Energy Production
In
2010 and continuing again this year UARCD has decided to research the viability of willow planting as a
way to protect riparian zones as well as an alternative energy source. We
have developed three sites with the guidance of Dr. Bill Schroeder
of the Shelter Belt Centre at Indian Head, SK.
The planted areas consist of a double row of willow separated by a
2 meter buffer and another double row of willow. We are using three
varieties of willow for our trials. The project is
researching the production of willow crops, mainly on marginal
agricultural land, for processing into renewable energy. We hope in the
future to involve more land owners interested in bringing marginal land
back into use by lowering the salinity caused by clearing natural willow
stands and other woody shrubs. The benefits of projects like this are many. Nutrient interception which plays to improving water quality is very important in maintaining a healthy watershed and healthy riparian zones. Biomass production as an alternative energy source plays into renewable energy resource for heating purposes as well as helping to sequester carbon. The return of marginal land back into production also helps the farmer's pocket book. Expected harvest times are between 3-5 years. The CD is always looking for more sites, so if you have some marginal land please give us a call! Stop by our office at Miniota to apply for our 2010 programs or give us a call with any conservation project ideas you have.
Something to think about.............................
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