www.grandriver.ca Grand River Conservation Authority

The Grand River watershed newsletter

November/December 2012 • Volume 17, Number 6

What’s Inside:

Watershed AwardsRick Ludkin . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1Friends of Mill Creek . . . . . . 3

What’s HappeningConservation grants . . . . . . 4Green Legacy nursery . . . . 4“Ebirding” is grand . . . . . . . .5

Look who’s Taking Action1,000 water clients . . . . . . . 6

Did You Know? River names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

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

Cover photoNancy Furber and RickLudkin admire a bird at theRuthven bird bandingstation. Rick received awatershed award.

Photo by Janet Baine.

By Janet BaineGRCA Communications Specialist

Rick Ludkin is up before dawn to do six

hours of continuous bird monitoring at

Ruthven Bird Observatory, which

operates seven days a week during the spring and

fall migration.

Ludkin shares his love and extensive knowledgeof birds with university researchers, school kids, adedicated team of keen volunteers and anyonewho happens to stop by the birding station atRuthven Historical Site near Cayuga. He is amaster bird bander and received a 2012 GrandRiver Conservation Award for his work.

During spring and fall migration, Ludkin andthe volunteers retrieve birds that have beencaptured in a series of nets on the 1,400 acre (567hectare) site. They put each bird in a coloured bagand bring it to the banding station. There each

bird is identified, measured, weighed, banded andthen released.

On a Friday during the fall, 79 birds of 33species were trapped, 61 were banded and 18 werebirds that already had been banded. In theevening Ludkin posts the statistics as well as manyphotos of birds, volunteers and visitors on hisblog: www.ruthvenpark.ca/natureblog. This addsanother three hours to his day.

“I wouldn’t be able to do this without thevolunteers,” Ludkin said. To him it is not a one-man show, but a team effort that has led to thesuccess of the banding station. Those at thestation that day included a long-time volunteerbander Nancy Furber, three visitors fromHamilton and a high school student who is doinga co-op placement. In a year Ludkin has about 40volunteers and about 10 of those come outregularly as often as several times a week.

According to Environment Canada, which

Ruthven’s master bird banderreceives 2012 GRCA award

Share the resources – Share the responsibilityPage 2

issues banding licences, banding is ascientific technique that requires expertiseand skill gained over many years of studyand field experience. Ludkin started with apersonal interest in birds and he ticked offbirds that he saw on a list until he wanted todo more. He then learned from a bander atSelkirk Lake, and moved to Ruthven in 1995.

Over the past 18 years, the banding stationhas grown. Rick started out by himself withonly three nets and a hunting shelter. Nowthere is a network of nets that arecontinuously monitored for six hours a dayspring and fall during the migration season.There is also a banding building whereseveral people can work or learn underLudkin’s guidance.

Results of the banding program are usedto monitor bird species health andpopulations, both in the lower Grand and aspart of the Canadian Migration MonitoringNetwork.

Rick’s enthusiasm is contagious “Rick’s personal experience is vast and his

enthusiasm contagious. The facility is usedfor university level research and Rick’spersonal time spent mentoring students isconsiderable. Most significant, is thecommunity learning resources whereby thegeneral public is becoming moreknowledgeable about birds in the lowerGrand,” said Ralph Beaumont, whonominated Rick for the watershed award.

He always makes people feel welcome. Hetries to give everyone a chance to hold a birdand release it back into the sky. Volunteerssay it is an honour and a privilege to visit theRuthven banding station, because Ludkinshares his knowledge freely no matter howmuch or how little the visitor knows aboutbirds.

Nancy Furber holds a sub-license underLudkin. She also bands birds and does apurple martin banding program and a night

time saw-whet owl program. Ruthven is part of the Canadian Migration

Monitoring Network of about 23observatories.

Ludkin is looking for assistance to add afull weather station at the observatory,because migration results are closelyassociated with weather.

His work was done on a volunteer basisfor many years, but he has been paid duringthe past couple years. Most observatories,however, have two paid banders.

He would also like to build relationshipswith more universities — researchers fromthe University of Windsor and WesternUniversity have worked at Ruthven, but hewould like to have researchers come fromother institutions, including those within theGrand River watershed.

A short video about Rick Ludkin isavailable at www.grandriver.ca/awards.

From top left clockwise: 1. A grosbeak caught in nets. 2. A small band is put around the bird’s leg so that it can be identified if it is recaptured. 3. An orchard oriole is set to be released. 4. A red-eyed Vireo is ready for release. 5. Rick Ludkin points out the specifics of identification on thewing feathers. 6. Flying off with a new band. 7. Each of these small colourful bags contains a bird that is taken back to the banding station. The

information collected by bird banding helps scientists learn about chinging bird migration patterns.

Photos by Janet Baine

1. 2. 4.3.

7.

6.5.

Page 3Grand Actions – November - December 2012

Ruthven by the numbers:10,000 birds banded at Ruthven in 201123 observatories within the CanadianMigration Monitoring Network2,800 visitors to the Ruthven observatory in 201140 volunteers who help with many banding initiatives

Friends ofMill CreekBy Janet BaineGRCA Communications Specialist

Set aside conflict, baggage and

confrontation.

Bring enthusiasm, creativity andcooperation and be ready to get your feet

wet.This is the winning

formula that the Friendsof Mill Creek hasadopted to improve thesmall creek that runsthrough PuslinchTownship and joins theGrand River inCambridge.

Improving the creekmeans working through a complicated set ofenvironmental challenges, but FOMC hasbeen up to the challenge. For their work, theFriends of Mill Creek received a 2012 GrandRiver Watershed Award from the GrandRiver Conservation Authority.

Now in its 15th year, Friends of Mill Creekhas aggregate companies, environmentalists,politicians, service clubs, governmentagencies and landowners working together.The group has a formalized structure, aboard, a president and an “opportunitiesplan” that is the strategic document to guidethem. There is a fundraising committee, atechnical committee and a communityoutreach committee. Two partners, DufferinAggregates and Capital Paving, received a2007 Watershed Award for their work withFOMC.

Their winning formula has been notedand used in other communities. FOMC ismade up of some noticeably strange

bedfellows who are working together torevitalize the small tributary of the GrandRiver. While they do this, they gain newrespect and appreciation for the variety ofviewpoints in the community.

“Everyone’s knowledge and enthusiasm isrespected and that energy is amplifiedthrough what we do. We don’t allow thetension to enter the (meeting) room to beginwith,” said Brad Whitcombe, the president ofFriends of Mill Creek and the former mayorof Puslinch Township. “Friends of Mill Creekcan tap into all that energy and expertise andreally get things done. It is everybody’sresponsibility to meet these challenges and itmeans not only respect for the environment,but respect for each other.”

Most of the creek is still bordered byforests and provincially significant wetlands.It has had to endure many changes. Earlysettlers dammed it for power, and thesedams still block the flow and warm thewater, making it harder for aquatic life tothrive in the creek. Parts of the creek wereeven moved when Highway 401 wasconstructed and then again when theHanlon Expressway was built. Forests havebeen removed, land has been converted toagriculture and gravel has been extracted.Fill and garbage has been put into the creekand all of this has really impeded the

waterway. Some accepted processes used to resolve

conflict are adversarial. This seemed to bethe case in 1990 at a 200-day “David andGoliath battle” at the Ontario MunicipalBoard, Whitcombe said. At the end of theday when the hearing was over, the aggregatecompanies got their licenses granted withrestrictions. Many in the community weredisheartened by this outcome.

“The system wasn’t working for thecommunity at that time. I felt we needed away to celebrate the watershed. The only waywe are going to succeed in our community iswith a healthy watershed where we can live,enjoy and recreate,” Whitcombe said.“Friends of Mill Creek is a healing processfrom that. There is only so much energypeople can put into confrontation.

Co-operation is proving to ignite theenthusiasm of many people. Businesses needa healthy watershed and they also bringexcellent resources to complete projects.

One key to the successful rehabilitation ofthe creek is the Mill Creek Rangers — theteam of four teenagers and a crew leaderwho are hired each summer to jump into thecreek with hip waders and hard hats. Theywork all summer to restore the creek little bylittle.

There are now nearly 40 former rangers

Brad Whitcombe

Community members, agency staff and Mill Creek Rangers gather to learn about riverrestoration from Jack Imhof of Trout Unlimited.

Share the resources – Share the responsibilityPage 4

Each year, the Grand River Conservation

Foundation presents Community

Conservation Grants to help finance projects

by organizations to improve river access,

protect and improve natural areas or other

works.

The money comes from two Foundationendowment funds: The Thiess RiverprizeFund and the Grand Champions Fund. TheThiess fund was established with the GRCA’smonetary award when it was named theworld’s top watershed management agencyin 2000. The Grand Champions Fund holdsthe foundation’s endowment donations.

This year Pollination Guelph received agrant to expand pollinator habitat on theTransCanada Trail in Guelph.

In addition, eight schools received grantsfor schoolyard naturalization projects. Theseschools are:

• Southridge Public School, Kitchener • James McQueen Public School, Fergus

Foundation awardsconservation grants

Two Mill Creek Rangers move a log to help create a moving waterway that is good habitat forfish and other aquatic life. The rangers are a cornerstone to the success of the work on the creek.

and many have gone on to careers in theenvironmental field.

The committee members and partnerstake great pride in seeing the creek that is atthe heart of the community improve eachyear. There are nearly 40 partnerorganizations and it is the community thatraises the money to pay for the Mill CreekRangers each summer.

“When it comes to the environment,agencies and governments can only do somuch,” said Whitcombe, adding co-operation of community members can worktowards solving these environmentalproblems.

Information and videos about all seven2012 watershed award recipients is availableonline at www.grandriver.ca/awards.

2013 Watershed Awards You can nominate an individual,

group or business for a 2013 WatershedAward.

The deadline for nominations is May1, 2013. The form can be found onlineat www.grandrive.ca/awards. Checkthe list of past award winners beforenominating someone, because awardscan only be granted once.

Anew tree nursery on the west side of

Luther Marsh Wildlife Management

Area opened up this fall on GRCA land.

The nursery is operated by WellingtonGreen Legacy and is a joint venture betweenWellington County, the GRCA and theUpper Grand District School Board. Thistree planting program received a 2010 GrandRiver Watershed Award for engagingthousands of volunteers to plant more than150,000 trees each year. Since 2004, over 1.4million trees have been planted throughoutthe county. The new nursery complimentsanother Green Legacy nursery located inPuslinch Township.

The long-term program goal and theGRCA’s goal is to reforest 30 per cent of thecounty — up from the current level of 17 percent.

“The Green Legacy Tree Nurseryexpansion stands as a tribute to the county’scommitment to enhancing tree coveragethroughout the county,” said Warden ChrisWhite. “I’d like to thank County Council, theUpper Grand District School Board and theGrand River Conservation Authority fortheir partnership and vision in creating thisproject.”

The northern tree nursery property wasdeveloped through a solid partnership withthe GRCA and the Upper Grand DistrictSchool Board, and consists of threegreenhouses, a shade cloth area and anoutdoor activity area.

“Each year approximately 4,500 peoplevolunteer over 16,000 hours to help makeWellington greener,” said Councillor ShawnWatters, County Planning Committee Chair.“I’d like thank all our community partnerswho have helped make the Green LegacyProgramme a success.”

Green Legacy is the largest municipal treeplanting program in North America.

New tree nurseryfor the north

W H A T ’ SH A P P E N I N G

• Onondaga-Brant Public School, Brantford • Sir Adam Beck Public School, Baden • Ryerson Public School, Cambridge • William G. Davis Public School,

Cambridge • St. Theresa of Avila Elementary School,

Elmira • Driftwood Park Public School, Kitchener

Page 5Grand Actions – November - December 2012

Top birderson ebirdBy Janet BaineGRCA Communications Specialist

There are some very keen birders in theGrand River watershed who are making theirobservations known globally to helpscientists learn more about birds.

Binoculars and cameras are a couple oftheir key tools, but the Internet is becominga preferred method of recording birds.Enthusiasts can track birds they seeregionally, provincially and nationally andthen anyone who checks the top 100 list for aregion, province or country can follow theirprogress.

This is how the website describes itself: “A

real-time, online checklist program,www.eBird.org, has revolutionized the waythat the birding community reports andaccesses information about birds. Launchedin 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithologyand National Audubon Society, eBirdprovides rich data sources for basicinformation on bird abundance anddistribution at a variety of spatial andtemporal scales.”

A big yearThe all-time highest number of birds ever

recorded by an individual in Ontario was setin 1996 by Glenn Coady who spotted 338species. For birders, this is called a Big Year— spending a year attempting to see as manydifferent bird species as possible in a pre-defined area.

Cambridge resident and recent Universityof Guelph grad Josh Vandermeulen hasbroken that record this year, with 344 speciesspotted by early November and he is stilllooking. His records are on ebird and thedetails of the challenge he has set for himselfto have a big year are in his blog.

“The “biggest” year does not make you thebest birder in the province,” writesVandermeulen. “If anything, having anumeric goal will give me the excuse to goon an adventure, explore some cool areas,see some amazing birds and meet moreindividuals in the birding community. Itshould be a wild ride.”

Josh Vandermeulen of Cambridge has sighted a record number of birds in 2012. He and manyother local birders are recording their sitings on ebird.org.

Two Mill Creek Rangers get set to plant sometrees from the Wellington Green Legacy

nursery.

The nursery officially opened in Octoberwhen 100 County of Wellington andTownship of Wellington North councillors,employees and their families participated inthe seventh Annual Warden’s Tree PlantingDay, planting over 1,500 trees on GRCA landnear Luther Marsh.

GRCA staff members Tony Zammit andKevin Tupman are in the top 10 for WaterlooRegion for 2012. But they have been beat outby young brothers Matthew and AnthonyVanderheyden. Zammit bumped into thebrothers who were with their parents on atour at Long Point earlier this year.

“I’d never met the Vanderheydens beforeand when I was touring the Long Point Areawith other members of the Ontario FieldOrnithologists, I ran into them, and was veryglad to see that they were youngsters whowere so enthusiastic about birds and thenatural environment,” Zammit says.

Birding is a growing pastime, as somepeople check their backyard feeder andothers travel far and wide.

Once observations are submitted on ebird,conservation researchers and ecologists havemore information to help them understandwhere species live, how abundant they areand to see any changes over time.

The GRCA also appreciates receivingreports about rare or endangered speciesseen on GRCA-owned land, as this helps usto know about our conservation efforts. Aform is available in the birding section atwww.grandriver.ca.

Share the resources – Share the responsibilityPage 6

By Janet BaineGRCA Communications Specialist

Richard Adamick is the 1,000th

landowner to take advantage of the

Wellington Rural Water Quality Program.

This fall after he upgraded his well,Adamick received $1,500 which covered 80per cent of the cost of the work that he did.Next spring he is planning to plant trees andshrubs along a stream on his land and heexpects another cheque back to help coverthose costs.

“You need financial incentives to initiatethese things and you have to treat everyoneequally, not based on financial need,”Adamick says of the program. “Thisprogram gets owners to make changes, and itgot me to do this now, instead of putting itoff.”

The idea behind the program is simple —if landowners take care of the land, the landwill take care of the water. In this way,people like Adamick help downstreamcommunities. He lives near the headwatersof the Grand River, so just about everyone inthe watershed is downstream of him.

During the 13 years since WellingtonCounty’s RWQP started, 1,000 rurallandowners have invested a total of $14.6million in more than 1,700 projects throughthis program. They’ve received $4.4 millionback in grants.

While clients of the program receive 50 to100 per cent of the costs back once the workis complete, the program is not only aboutthe money. Adamick completed anEnvironmental Farm Plan as part of theprocess. Through this he says he learnedabout other stewardship opportunities,which is why he will be planting trees alongthe stream this spring.

“This is exactly what we hope for with ourclients — that they start with one project,plan another and many years later, we arestill working with them,” explains GRCAconservation specialist Anne Loeffler, whosejob is to help rural landowners like Adamicktake care of their land. She studied both

agriculture and agroforestry and has a knackfor talking to rural landowners and helpingthem to achieve their environmental goals.

Loeffler has great respect for thelandowners she works with, since theseprojects take time and money. The biggestbenefit is often to the communitiesdownstream who are unlikely to even knowthat landowners are looking out for theirinterests.

“The landscape is really changing thanksto this program. You can see how it ischanging,” she says. On the drive up throughthe rural areas north of Cambridge, Loefflercan pick out projects all along the route thatshe and colleagues have worked withlandowners to complete. There are trees inrows along fields and around buildings(called shelterbelts and windbreaks), treesand shrubs planted along streams (calledvegetated buffers) as well as fences that keepanimals out of the water, so they don’ttrample the banks and defecate in the water.

The projects that are the most costly aremanure storage tanks or buildings. These aresome of the most expensive environmental

projects on farms, since they can cost$150,000 or more to construct. Through theRWQP, Wellington farmers nearwatercourses can now get up to $25,000 infinancial assistance when they work with theGRCA on these projects. Farmers haveinstalled 146 manure storage facilities at acost $9.5 million in Wellington County.

These projects have changed the landscapeand improved water quality. But Loeffler caneasily point out opportunities for more workon her drive through the countryside.Farmers often know they have anenvironmental issue, but it takes time to planand finance some of the more costly projects.One thing is for sure — once people knowwhat needs to be done and why, they want todo what they can to make improvementsthat have environmental benefits.

“Wellington County has shown greatleadership in environmental programs andthe Rural Water Quality Program is a successbecause of their long term commitment.Their support has helped to leverageadditional funding from other agencies,” saysTracey Ryan, manager of environmental

Conservation Specialist Anne Loeffler stands with Richard Adamick by a shelter belt near hishouse. He planted these trees many years ago and they now stand tall.“Trees are invaluable. You can’t go wrong planting them,” Adamick says.

1,000 clientsfor RWQP inWellington

Page 7Grand Actions – November - December 2012

education and restoration for the GRCA andthe woman who helped the county developthe program 13 years ago.

Wellington County is providing $425,000this year that the GRCA will turn over torural landowners. Administration costs forthe program are covered through the GRCAbudget and all municipalities in thewatershed.

“For all the money we are spending onwater programs after Walkerton, this one isgood bang for the buck. It is positive foragriculture and positive for the communityand a good use for money,” said Chris White,Warden of Wellington County.

The Rural Water Quality Program gotunderway in Waterloo Region first, thenWellington County. Now most municipalitieswithin the Grand River Watershedcontribute to grants for rural landownersthrough this program and there are similarprograms throughout the watershed.

The grants cover 50 to 100 per cent of thecost of projects, depending on the type ofproject. The Wellington program got a bigboost this past July when there was anincrease to the incentives to reflectincreasing costs.

For more information on RWQP grants,contact the Grand River ConservationAuthority at 519-621-2761. Information onthe new higher grant rates can be found onthe GRCA website at www.grandriver.ca inthe Rural Water Quality Program section.

By Janet BaineGRCA Communications Specialist

There are 11,000 km of rivers and creeksflowing through the Grand River watershedand we take them for granted. Ever wonderwhere the names of these rivers and creekscome from?

With a little delving and the kind help ofsome librarians, this is part of the story ofhow the rivers got their names.

According to the Geographical Names ofCanada set up in 1897, there are three GrandRivers in Canada, but only one Conestogo,Nith, Speed and Eramosa.

The Grand Native residents in the area called the

Grand River the Tintactuo. History bookssay that French priest and geographer Renéde Galinée was among the first explorers toencounter the Grand River and in 1669 henamed it “La Rapide”. French cartographerJacques-Nicholas Bellin published the firstmap that showed the river, and he named it,“R. d’Urse ou la Grand Rivière”. GovernorJohn Graves Simcoe christened it the “Ouse”in the 1790s. This is a river in YorkshireEngland, and this name is still commem-orated by a road called Ouse Street on theriverfront road in Cayuga. However, it is theAnglicized version of Jacques Bellin’s “laGrand Rivière” that the Grand River isknown by today. James Gordon wrote a songabout the Grand River called “She is fickle.”

The ConestogoThe Conestogo River that runs through

Drayton is spelled differently fromConestoga College in Kitchener. In 1809,Conestoga wagons took early Mennonitesettlers to the village of Conestogo, locatedjust north of Waterloo and the river waslikely named after these wagons. Perhaps itwas a spelling error.

The NithThe troublesome Nith River has no

reservoir and floods occasionally aroundNew Hamburg. It is named after the seventhlongest river in Scotland that flows throughDumfries, Scotland.

The SpeedJohn Galt named the Speed River because

he was impressed by the power of the river'scurrent. The name was intended to connotesuccess, fortune and prosperity, according tothe book Cambridge: the Making of aCanadian City by Kenneth McLaughlin.There’s a Tragically Hip song called theSpeed River.

The EramosaLocal history books say it is named after

Un-ne-mo-sah, an Indian word meaningdog. There is also evidence from books andthe internet that it could mean a specifickind of dog: black dog, dead dog, ornerydog, old dog or dog leg. Exactly which nativelanguage is a little murky.

Virve Wiland, the librarian at theWoodland Cultural Centre, discovered that

How the riversgot their names

D I D Y O U K N O W ?

By the numbers• $14.6 million is the total value of

projects with $4.7 million in grants paid out to help cover the costs

• $9.5 million cost for 146 manurestorage facilities

• 1,750 projects in total• 46 km of creek fenced so that 4,600

livestock are kept out of the water• 279 wells decommissioned and 245

wells upgraded• 145 km of windbreaks, offering

energy savings to farmers and helping to prevent erosion

• 509,000 trees planted on 929 acres• 50 to 100 per cent of the costs of

eligible projects are covered through the program The season is changing at Shade’s Mills

Conservation Area in Cambridge.

Photo by Sophie Gibbs

Follow the GRCA:Share the resources – Share the responsibility

T H E G R A N D C A L E N D A RThis 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 of 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:

Festive Frolic, Laurel Creek NatureCentre, Waterloo, Saturday, Dec. 15,2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Help prune the trails and learn aboutwinter tree identification along the way.With the greenery, visitors will make afestive centerpiece to take home. A frolicisn't a frolic without a stop to feed thechickadees! Phone 519-885-1368 to pre-register. The cost is $5 for children under 18years old and $10 for adults. Those 16 yearsold or younger must be accompanied by anadult.

Environmental SciencesSymposium, Saturday, Feb. 2,University of Guelph

The 19th symposium will take place onFeb 2 2013, focusing on TraditionalKnowledge & Cultural Perspectives on theEnvironment. For more information and toregister, visitwww.enviroscisymposium2013.com.

Guelph Organics Conference, Seedsof Co-operation, University ofGuelph, Jan. 31 to Feb. 3

This conference provides a comprehensiveprogram of workshops, a free organic expo

and sampling fair as well as a Friday nightkeynote talk and forum about the greeningof agriculture. For more information visitwww.guelphorganicconf.ca or call 519-824-4120 ext. 56311.

Heritage Day Workshop, Friday, Feb. 15, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30p.m., Dunnville CommunityLifespan Centre

Crossroads of Conflict, Pathways to Peace:The Haldimand Experience. This workshopbuilds on the theme from 2012 Crossroadsof Conflict, Pathways to Peace: DividedLoyalties. It is the second Heritage DayWorkshop to focus on the influence of thewar on the people, places and events in theGrand River watershed. The event is hostedby Haldimand County, the GRCA and theHeritage Working Group of The GrandStrategy. Visit the Heritage Day Workshopsection for the 2013 Workshop Program andRegister on www.grandriver.ca. Note thatthis workshop fills up prior to the event.

Note: Events at the GRCA’s conservationareas and nature centres are posted onwww.grandriver.ca/Calendar.

there is no “m” in any of the Six Nationslanguages. So she checked the Ojibwaydictionaries which give “animosh” as thetranslation for dog. She also looked into abook The Dog’s Children: Anishinaabe TextsTold by Angeline Williams and found thatmany Ojibwe/Anishinaabe stories are abouthalf-dog people.

Did you know that all of these rivers aredesignated as Canadian Heritage Rivers?When the Grand River was designated in1994, its four major tributaries were alsodesignated.

If you can shed further light on the origin ofother names of local waterways, please e-mailjbaine@grandriver.ca.

The Eramosa River near the covered bridge in Guelph.

Photo by Dan Baskin