FYI April 2010 (also available as pdf file)

• Welcome to the Web!
• Season Opener Coming Soon
• New Swipe Card Gates at Pittock CA
• Spring 2010 Communities for Nature
• Species of the Month: Steelhead
• Who's Dam is it, anyway?
• On the Agenda

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Welcome to the Web!

The Conservation Areas Unit is pleased to announce the development of web sites specifically for Fanshawe, Pittock and Wildwood CAs!

In this on-line world, most people do their research and reservations on the Web. CA staff have received many comments over the years indicating that our customers were not able find information about our parks. The three new web sites will use new media strategies and technology to keep our customers informed on what our beautiful CAs have to offer.

Customers will be able to find our visitor guides, trail guides and other commonly requested brochures. The sites will be simple, cost effective and pleasing to the eye. Be sure to watch for the official launch of our web sites, coming soon! They will be found at:

• www.wildwoodconservationarea.ca,

• www.fanshaweconservationarea.ca, and

• www.pittockconservationarea.ca.

Contact:

•  , Marketing Specialist

•  , Superintendent, Fanshawe CA

•  , Superintendent, Pittock CA

•  , Superintendent, Wildwood CA

Season Opener Coming Soon

It’s that time again! As the 2010 operating season rapidly approaches, staff at Fanshawe, Pittock and Wildwood Conservation Areas are hard at work preparing for our opening on April 23.

Over the past few weeks, all three parks have been bustling to ensure that everything is up to the high standards our patrons have come to expect from us, and that any new facilities are ready.

One of these new facilities is Fanshawe’s campground splash pad (left). This great new feature was made possible through the efforts of several different organizations and agencies. Work to seed and landscape the area surrounding the pad has begun. The splash pad highlights our goal of our patrons getting the most out of their camping experience.

Wildwood staff is also toiling away to get their brand new Lake Trail in tip top shape for the operating season. New boardwalks (below), obstacles and maintenance equipment have been brought in to make this trail a highlight that campers and day use visitors won’t want to miss.

Pittock’s big news for the 2010 operating season is the departure of Chris Earl, the former superintendent, who has taken a position with Parks Canada. We wish Chris all the best at his new job. Taking over the helm is Ryan Datema, who has moved from his position as assistant superintendent. Brent Verscheure, formerly FCA’s park operations technician, takes over as the assistant superintendent. We are confident that Ryan and Brent will create a successful team at our Woodstock park.

Also on the “to do” list throughout the UTRCA is hiring seasonal staff. Thanks to a lot of hard work from the HR department and park staff, we can put a big check mark beside this task! On April 10, all of our new and returning seasonal contract staff will attend an orientation session at their specific CA.

With the long list of tasks that need to be completed before opening, a few lucky staff members have already been brought on to get the parks up to snuff.

In accordance with drinking water regulations and our safe drinking water responsibilities, over 2000 taps have been outfitted with backflow preventers to guarantee that no impurities are making their way into the water that we provide in our campgrounds.

Preparing for opening day: Staff clear debris left on the Fanshawe Lake Trail by high water (left), and take a break from clean up activities in the Fanshawe campground.

All of the parks have also been fixing the wear and tear that can occur over the winter months. Soon it will be time to turn the water and power on to the campgrounds and day use facilities, and troubleshoot any issues that may arise.

Please feel free to stop and say hello to any of our seasonal staff. The conservation areas will become very busy in the coming days and weeks.

Contact:

•  , Superintendent, Fanshawe CA

•  , Superintendent, Pittock CA

•  , Superintendent, Wildwood CA

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New Swipe Card Gates at Pittock CA

Pittock Conservation Area is introducing a controlled access swipe card system at its front gates. The swipe card system will allow registered campers and day users easier access to the park and will reduce wait times. At the same time, it will provide a greater level of security by helping to prevent trespassers from entering the park.

When a camper or seasonal day user receives their vehicle pass sticker, they will also receive a small plastic card, called a proximity card or swipe card. Each card is coded with a number that is linked to a customer account profile. The profile includes basic information about that customer (i.e., name, address, site number and vehicle), the range of dates during which the card can be used, and information on usage.

After receiving their proximity card, each registered camper or seasonal day user can enter the park in two ways:

• Gate Attendant Entry: The customer approaches the gate so that the gate attendant can clearly see the vehicle pass (sticker or camping permit) and raise the gate arm.

• Swipe Card Entry: The customer pulls into the outside entry lane, stops and waves the proximity card in front of the card reader. If the card is linked to an active account, the gate arm lifts automatically.

Each swipe card is tied to a specific vehicle, so each vehicle entering the park with a swipe card will still require a valid vehicle pass (i.e., vehicle sticker, camping/overnight permit, or transferable vehicle pass).

If a customer’s account is not in good standing or a customer has been evicted from the park, then any swipe card tied to that customer’s account will be deactivated.

After each use a card cannot be used again for 15 minutes. This safety feature is designed to prevent illegal entry into the park via pass back or card sharing.

If a card is reported lost or stolen then that card will be deactivated and a new card will be issued to the customer at a cost of $15.

We expect that the controlled access swipe card system will help us provide a better level of service and safety to all our customers.

Contact: , Superintendent, Pittock CA

Spring 2010 Communities for Nature

Students, trucks and trees are all confirmed for the start of the spring community forestry season, on April 13. We will reach more than 2600 students and 1600 community members over the following three and a half weeks.

Locations for new native trees and shrubs include Komoka, London, Woodstock, St. Marys, Stratford, Arva, Ingersoll, Mitchell and Kintore. Funding for the projects is coming from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (Woodstock, London and Stratford branches), Suncor Energy Foundation through Earth Day Canada, Clean Water Program, City of Stratford, Town of St. Marys, Enbridge through Tree Canada, EcoAction, Ministry of the Environment, City of London, City of Woodstock, Sifton Properties and CAMI.

A special invitation is extended to all for London Earth Day on Sunday, April 18, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm at Watson Street Park.

Contact: , Resource Specialist

Species of the Month

Steelhead (AKA Lake-run Rainbow Trout)(Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are native to Canada’s west coast and are closely related to other Pacific Salmon species found there. They have been widely introduced throughout the Great Lakes and now exist there as an important gamefish through natural reproduction and continued stocking. Although some Ontario strains stay in streams and rivers for their entire life cycle, most (often referred to as Steelhead) migrate to the Great Lakes, similar to the ocean migration of their Pacific relatives, to mature into adults.

That a lake-run steelhead population exists in the Thames River, as evidenced by annual spring spawning runs, is somewhat remarkable. Steelhead require cool, relatively clear water conditions throughout their life cycle. The adult fish seek out headwater streams with cool, clear flows over clean substrates of a specific type (pea-size gravel) to spawn. The young fish stay in these streams for a couple of years before migrating downstream to find suitable conditions to mature into adults. In the Thames, this requires migrating from the London area down the Thames to Lake St. Clair, through the lake and either north up the St. Clair River to Lake Huron, or south down the Detroit River to Lake Erie, where they need to migrate to the eastern basin to find suitable conditions for survival.

While the most likely scenario is that the fish mature in Lake Huron, it defies logic that these fish begin their return migration to spawn as adults by traveling downstream through the St. Clair River.

Thames steelhead numbers are supplemented by the efforts of the Thames River Anglers Association (TRAA). Each year, eggs are collected locally and incubated in the club’s Komoka Creek Hatchery. TRAA releases about 30,000 young fingerlings in area streams the following fall.

This spring, the TRAA, assisted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and UTRCA, initiated a study to hopefully solve some of the mysteries associated with the Thames steelhead run. By late March, adult lake-run fish had been tagged and scale samples collected to determine the age and genetic origins of both juvenile and adult fish. The anglers club should be commended for their efforts to preserve and enhance this sportfishery and to contribute to our knowledge of this important resource.

Contact: , Aquatic Biologist

A steelhead is tagged (left) and a scale sample collected, before it is released back into the stream (right).

Who’s Dam Is It, Anyway?

Fanshawe CA staff photographed this beaver crossing Fanshawe Dam at 7:00 am on March 31. Checking out alternative technology, perhaps?

On the Agenda

The following items will be presented at the UTRCA Board of Directors meeting on April 27, 2010. Click HERE for Board meeting minutes.

• Administration and Enforcement - Section 28 Report

• Presentation – “The UTRCA in Stratford: What Have We Done for You Lately?”

• Fanshawe Pioneer Village Report

• Administration and Enforcement - Section 28 Report

• Education Program Fees

• Building Committee Update

• Tier 3 Water Budget Consultant Selection

• UTRCA Assessment Report Consultation

Contact: , Executive Assistant

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