A successful screening of:

THE ERIE SITUATION

On February 16 2023, the DRCC screened The Erie Situation TWICE at Imagine Lakeshore Cinemas. A morning screening was provided to 120 students from three Detroit River watershed EcoSchools and those who have participated in environmental SHSM and stewardship activities including, Riverside High School, Catholic Central High School and W.F. Herman Academy Secondary School. Following the screening, a discussion took place with some very thought provoking questions from the students!


In the evening, 100 people came out to watch the free screening, and hear from an expert panel at the end of the show. Thanks to Dr. Katie Stammler (ERCA), David Ruck (THE ERIE SITUATION Director and Producer) and Kyle Davis (Municipality of Lakeshore) for providing great discussion and engaging the audience on such an important local and Great Lakes basin wide issue!

2023 Guide to Eating Ontario Fish

On behalf of the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, we are pleased to inform you that we have released the 2023 fish consumption advisories through the online Guide to Eating Ontario Fish.

 

We encourage Ontarians to check the fish consumption advisories before they go fishing. This will help them to make informed choices about the types and amounts of fish that are safest to eat from over 2,600 Ontario lakes and rivers.

 

The updated guide features new and easier-to-use information, including:

 

  • the sizes and amounts of fish you can safely eat
  • how to quickly and easily choose the safest fish to eat
  • how to best prepare fish
  • special advice for children and people who are pregnant or may become pregnant

 

The government continues taking action to protect the health of Ontarians and improve the health of lakes and rivers in the province, including the fish that live in these waters.

 

Thank you for helping us share important information regarding safe fish consumption in Ontario. If you have any questions, please contact: fishguide@ontario.ca

How To Crew Orientation

Looking to gain meaningful volunteer hours? Consider joining the How To Crew!


How To Crew members participate in ERCA’s community restoration events as the team that supports the planting plan, provide tree planting demonstrations, assist with event logistics, monitor planting quality to ensure long term growth and survival and manage all equipment on site during the event.


How To Crew Orientation will take place on March 21st from 6:30pm to 8pm in Committee Room C (second floor) at the Essex Civic Centre, 360 Fairview Avenue, Essex, ON. Currently, the public only has access to the north and west entrances.


All are welcome to attend, and please register in advance here.


For more information, please contact ERCA’s Partnerships and Outreach Coordinator,

gpannunzio@erca.org or 519-776-5209 ext. 245.

Celebrate World Wildlife on the Detroit River!

World Wildlife Day is celebrated on March 3 each year to celebrate all of the different plants and wild animals on Earth and raise awareness on the importance of conservation, highlight threatened or endangered species and connect individuals to action to do their part to protect wildlife. On March 3 in 1973, signatures completed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This year's theme is 'Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation'...


Thanks to over thirty years of binational, federal, provincial, municipal and local partnerships, the Detroit River continues to be recognized as one of the most biodiverse areas in the Great Lakes Basin!

  • Lake Whitefish and Lake Sturgeon are spawning in the Detroit River again since a disappearance at the beginning of the 1900s.
  • In a 2015 Creel Survey conducted by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, over 500,000 White Bass, 156,000 Walleye, 192,000 Yellow Perch, 100,000 Smallmouth Bass, and 4,000 Muskellunge were caught from the Detroit River.
  • The Detroit River intersects two major flyways (Mississippi Flyway and Atlantic Flyway), and over 350 bird species and other migratory species have been recorded (including waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, non-raptors, songbirds and butterflies). As the Detroit River is a major waterfowl migration corridor, 29 species of waterfowl are commonly found in the Detroit River.
  • Coastal wetlands and shorelines within the Detroit River provide habitat and breeding sites for waterfowl such as American Black Duck, Canvasback, Common Merganser, Wood Duck, Mallard, Common Loon, Belted Kingfisher, Canada Geese, Trumpet Swan, Tundra Swan, American Woodcock and more.
  • There are multiple locations along the Detroit River where Bald Eagles are nesting, producing and raising young. The breeding population has increased significantly from early monitoring programs, suggesting that the health Detroit River has improved for the birds to sustain a stable population.
  • The Detroit River hosts the International Wildlife Refuge (DRIWF), which was signed into law in 2001 through the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Act, the first one in North America. This area is actively managed and supports multiple partnerships to achieve conservation success.
  • There are a variety of mammals who call the Detroit River home such as Raccoon, Striped Skunk, Opossum, White-Tailed Deer, Coyote, Gray Fox, Eastern Cottontail, Muskrat, Mink, Beaver as well as multiple mole and mice species.

Renewing Ontario's Biodiversity Strategy

Ontario’s Biodiversity Strategy guides conservation across the province. It’s like a ‘to-do’ list for all people and sectors to protect and restore biodiversity.


The first strategy was created in 2005 and updated in 2011. It’s time to renew the strategy to 2030.

The Ontario Biodiversity Council is taking feedback until March 27 2023. Share your comments on the draft targets and actions! Completing the workbook should take you between 5-20 minutes, depending on the level of detail you include in your answers. You can comment on one or all of the targets and actions. We will consider all feedback we receive and report back on what we heard. The workbook is available until March 27, 2023.



Register for the webinar taking place on March 8, 2023 to learn more about the targets and actions.Join subject matter experts at a free webinar on March 8, 2023. Learn more about how Ontario’s strategy connects to national and international efforts, and then help identify gaps and opportunities in the draft.

Check out Great Lakes Now

For those who have their eyes and ears on all things Great Lakes, we encourage you to check out GREAT LAKES NOW!


With a monthly magazine-style television program and daily online reports at GreatLakesNow.org, the Great Lakes Now initiative offers in-depth coverage of news, issues, events and developments affecting the lakes and the communities that depend on them, while capturing the character and culture of the region.


Find their Watch Parties and other events HERE.

Housed at Detroit Public TV, Great Lakes Now’s growing network of regional partner public broadcaster stations and other media outlets contribute coverage to the television program and to the Great Lakes Now website. The monthly show, “Great Lakes Now,” launched in April 2019, and since then has expanded to a basin-wide, bi-national program carried on more than 25 PBS stations in six states as well as on more than 800 Canadian cable systems.


Visit their YouTube page to see some amazing coverage on many Great Lakes issues.

Subscribe to the Great Lakes Now newsletter

Call for Artists and Designers

The Belle Isle Conservancy in partnership with the Friends of the Detroit River, The Trashy Collection and College for Creative Studies invites artists and designers in the US and Canada to submit work to participate in a World Ocean Day exhibition at the Belle Isle Aquarium, scheduled in June 2023.


Submissions are due March 31 2023.

Visit our Website

City of Windsor - Urban Forest Management Plan

The City of Windsor is developing our first-ever Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP). The UFMP will establish a long-term vision, goals, and targets for the maintenance, protection, and enhancement of trees across the entire city.

The UFMP will be based on a detailed review of the current status of urban forestry in Windsor and identification of strengths, gaps, needs, and priorities for urban forest management in our community. The Plan will guide the City and its partners in responding to a wide range of challenges facing the urban forest, such as urban development, climate change and extreme weather, invasive species, and many others. Implementation of the plan will grow the city's urban forest canopy and ensure that the environmental, economic, and social benefits that trees provide are protected and increased for decades to come!

Visit Let's Talk City Windsor for more info

Sneak Peak at Earth Month Activities

Join the Detroit River Coalition and members in celebration of Earth Day this year! There will be many events and stewardship activities you can participate in along the Detroit River for the entire month of April. Save the date and keep an eye out for registration details on the DRCC website, through social media and in next month's newsletter!


Sandwich Litter Cleanup

April 15 2023, 10am to 12pm, various locations in Sandwich, Windsor


Little River Litter Cleanup

April 15 2023, 10am to 12pm, Teedie Park, 2470 Lauzon Road, Windsor


Earth Day Celebration at Malden Park

April 23 2023, 10am to 3pm, Malden Park, 4200 Malden Road, Windsor, ON


Earth Day Community Tree Planting

April 23 2023, 10am to 12pm, green space between Wyandotte Street east and Florence Avenue

International Day of Action for Rivers - March 14


The International Day of Action for Rivers is a day dedicated to solidarity - when diverse communities around the world come together with one voice to say our rivers matter.

Learn More

World Water Day - March 22


World Water Day, held on March 22 every year, celebrates water around the world.This World Water Day is about accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis.  

And because water affects us all, we need everyone to take action. 


That means you! 


You and your family, school and community can make a difference by changing the way you use, consume and manage water in your lives. 


Your commitments will be added to the Water Action Agenda, to be launched at the UN 2023 Water Conference – the first event of its kind for nearly 50 years. 


This is a once-in-a-generation moment for the world to unite around water. 


Play your part. Do what you can.

Learn More
Upcoming Local Events
Save the date for these great local events! Contact the organizers for more information. 

March Maple Festival

March 4,5,11,12,18,19, John R. Park Homestead and Holiday Beach Conservation Area


Experience this sweet-tasting tradition and a celebration of natural and cultural heritage in our community with special themes to enjoy each weekend. 


March is Maple Month, and this year we’re celebrating with an expanded Maple Syrup Festival that spans three weekends and two locations, with a Maple Trail connecting the two sites at the John R. Park Homestead and Holiday Beach Conservation Areas. 


For more information and tickets visit: https://essexregionconservation.ca/maple.

Beginner Birding with Nicole, hosted by Pelee Wings Nature Store

Various dates, March 4,11,18,25, various locations, 10am to 1pm.

 

Are you new to birding and are looking for a great way to pick up some tips to being a better birder? Join Nicole from Pelee Wings for a guided birding hike geared toward the new birder! This hike will be at a local birding hotspots in the Essex county area, exact location to be disclosed closer to each date. Saturday hikes will alternate weekly between a county location and a city location. This is a fun, all ages event but children must be accompanied by an adult. Hikes are $10 per person, payable in cash at the event or by Calling Pelee Wings Nature Store with a credit card.


Hikes start at 10am. Please dress for the weather, and bring anything you need for easy walking for an hour and a half or so. Bring binoculars if you have them rental pairs are available but if you don't have binoculars that is okay! Bring bird guides if you have them, or download the free Merlin Bird ID app.


To reserve a spot, please call Pelee Wings Nature Store at 1-877-326-5193 or e-mail Nicole at nicole.shangi@outlook.com.

Essex County Field Naturalists' Club Pop-up Outing at Jack Miner Bird Sanctuary

March 6 2023, 1:30pm to 4:30pm, Jack Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary, 332 Road 3 W, Kingsville, ON

 

This pop-up event will be at Jack Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary. We will be meeting at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 6, in the parking lot of Jack Miner property on the south side of Road 3 in Kingsville. There we will observe the large numbers of ducks and geese that overwinter in the fields. Depending on the conditions, this location can also be good for blackbirds, larks and sometimes even longspurs that feed on the corn left out for waterfowl. If you have a spotting scope, we recommend bringing it along.


The Jack Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary is located at 332 Road 3 West in Kingsville. Road 3 can be accessed via Arner Townline from the west or Division Street North from the east. The outing will be from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., but you can leave any time you need. Parking at Jack Miner’s is on gravel. Observations can be made from your vehicle or from the roadside at this location.

Hiking in Nature (Adult Program)

March 7 2023, 10am to 11:30am Oakwood Natural Area, meet at Capri Pirzza Recreation Centre, west entrance

 

Exercise your body and brain! These educational morning walks with one of Ojibway Nature Centre's Naturalists will introduce you to the many plants and animals in Windsor's natural areas.


To register:

www.activewindsor.ca

CRBC@citywindsor.ca

Central Registration and Booking Team at 519-255-1161

Essex County Field Naturalists' Club Annual General Meeting

March 8 2023, 7:30pm, Zoom

 

Join us for our annual general meeting. This meeting is a great way to find out what we’ve been doing and what we have planned for the year. At this meeting, we will be voting to fill vacancies on our board of directors and discuss other volunteer positions with the club. More information: www.essexcountynature.com.

DRCC Public Advisory Council and Education and Public Involvement Work Group Meeting

Tuesday March 14 2023, 4:30pm to 6:30pm, Riverside Public Library, 6305 Wyandotte St E, Windsor, ON


All are welcome to attend the upcoming DRCC Public Advisory Council (PAC) and Education and Public Involvement meeting. A formal agenda will start the meeting, followed by a special presentation hosted by Mike Fisher, President of the Friends of Ojibway Prairie (FOOP). He will highlight the exciting progress being made towards making the Ojibway Urban National Park a reality, and ways FOOP has been involved.


There is limited seating, and food will be served. Please RSVP latest March 12, by 4pm. Please note any dietary restrictions as well. RSVPs for in person attendance can be sent to drca@detroitriver.ca.


For those desiring to attend virtually, the meeting will be available via MICROSOFT TEAMS. Please email drca@detroitriver.ca to request the meeting room link.

Movie: Arctic Tale (2007)

March 14 2023, 1pm to 3pm, Point Pelee National Park, 1118 Point Pelee Drive, Leamington, ON

 

Nanu, a polar bear cub, and Seela, a young walrus, live and grow to maturity in the frozen wilderness of the North, where the tundra has been a haven to their kind for countless generations. Now Nanu, Seela and the rest of the Arctic's wildlife experience the diminishment of their environment, as global warming literally melts the ice beneath them. For more information please contact us at pelee.info@pc.gc.ca.

Movie: Happy Feet (2006)

March 15 2023, 6pm to 8pm, Point Pelee National Park, 1118 Point Pelee Drive, Leamington, ON

 

This is the story of a little penguin named Mumble who has a terrible singing voice and later discovers he has no Heartsong. However, Mumble has an astute talent for something that none of the penguins had ever seen before: tap dancing. For more information please contact us at pelee.info@pc.gc.ca.

Movie: The Nut Job (2014)

March 16 2023, 6pm to 8pm, Point Pelee National Park, 1118 Point Pelee Drive, Leamington, ON

 

An incorrigibly self-serving exiled squirrel finds himself helping his former park brethren survive by raiding a nut store, a location that also happens to be a front for a human gang's bank robbery. For more information please contact us at pelee.info@pc.gc.ca.

Movie: Avatar (2009)

March 17 2023, 6pm to 8pm, Point Pelee National Park, 1118 Point Pelee Drive, Leamington, ON

 

From Academy Award winning director James Cameron comes Avatar, the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people. For more information please contact us at pelee.info@pc.gc.ca.

Self-guided Dark Sky Night

March 18 2023, 7:30pm to 11:59pm, Point Pelee National Park, 1118 Point Pelee Drive, Leamington, ON

 

Explore the park on your own after dark and experience the dark skies of Point Pelee. You will have the opportunity to stay late and see what goes on after dark.

Note that there are no formal programs on these evenings. Visitors can pick up a seasonal star chart at the gate upon arrival. There will be a viewing of 'Cosmos: Possible Worlds' docu-series in the theatre of the visitor centre.The park is open until midnight, unless otherwise stated. For more information please contact us at pelee.info@pc.gc.ca.

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The Detroit River and Great Lakes in the news. Here are some links to articles that may pique your interest. Click the link to read on.  
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The Detroit River Canadian Cleanup is a partnership between government, industry, academics, as well as environmental and community organizations that work together to improve the Detroit River ecosystem through a Remedial Action Plan. Our goal is to remove the Detroit River from the list of Great Lakes Areas of Concern.