You need to install flash to see this content. click here.
The DRCC Newsletter
Join the Detroit River Canadian Cleanup mailing list to keep up-to-date about Detroit River news and events.
Your Email:  
E-newsletter

May 4, 2009

April was a really great Earth month! It seems everyone is gaining more awareness about the importance of a healthy environment. We had excellent participation for cleanups, tree plantings, and other events around the County. Please continue doing these types of environmental actions year-round.

I would like to welcome many new readers. Thank you for stopping by the DRCC booth during Essex-Windsor Earth Day and the State of the Strait conference to chat about the Detroit River and to sign-up for our E-newsletter. We hope to see you at other upcoming events!

Remember, we love to hear from you! Please email your environmental events/news or newsletter suggestions. Depending on timing, we can include your event in our newsletter or on our events calendar.

Natalie Green, RAP Coordinator
postmaster@detroitriver.ca

The DRCC is a community-based partnership between government, industry, academics, as well as environmental and community organizations that work collectively in helping to improve the health of the Detroit River. Our key goal is to implement the Canadian Remedial Action Plan (RAP) in order to restore the beneficial uses and remove the River from the list of Great Lakes Areas of Concern.

Did you know??

Did you know that composting is a great way to reduce your amount of household garbage by one third? By composting, you reduce waste and return organic matter and nutrients to your garden, lawn, trees, or potting soil.

Items to include in your compost:

  • leaves (crushed or chopped)
  • grass (not wet)
  • old potting soil
  • fruit/vegetables peelings and trimmings
  • tea bags
  • egg shells (crushed)
  • coffee grounds with filter
  • shredded paper
  • soft plant stems
DO NOT include:
  • meat
  • bones
  • plastic
  • metal
  • fats and oils
  • dairy (e.g., cheese, milk)
  • pet waste (e.g., dog or cat feces--harmful bacteria)
For more information about composting at home (even how to build your own composter), visit:

Underwater/Shoreline Cleanup a success!

All volunteers

Amherstburg - In celebration of Earth Month, the Windsor Skin and Scuba Club (with Project AWARE), the Detroit River Canadian Cleanup, and the Essex Region Conservation Authority partnered for an underwater and shoreline cleanup at Crystal Bay Conservation Area on Saturday, April 18, 2009. Beautiful weather and many volunteers contributed to a very successful event!
 
The partnering organizations would like to thank all of the volunteers especially those who offered their personal boats to transport people and supplies to Crystal Bay. Thanks are owed to Duffy's Motor Inn and Tavern for allowing us to use their marina as a meeting and launching point as well as Cooper's Marina for allowing boaters to launch from their site.
 
Thanks to help from 76 volunteer participants [photo above] we collected approximately 600 lbs. of garbage including a barrel, a BBQ grill, a chair, a rug, broken bottles, and other debris. Volunteers were provided with a boat ride to and from the island and a light BBQ lunch. The protection and enhancement of our Detroit River and its watershed through environmental efforts such as cleanups help enhance the quality of life for residents, makes the region more attractive to visitors and ensures a sustainable natural legacy for future generations.
 
The Crystal Bay cleanup was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Earth Month, promote stewardship and to highlight and cleanup the Detroit River, a Great Lakes Area of Concern and Canadian Heritage River. For details on future volunteer opportunities and events, visit www.wssc.ca, www.detroitriver.ca, and www.erca.org. Thank you to all involved!

Honeywell shoreline cleanup

Employees from Honeywell [photo above] (a DRCC member organization) also did their part for Earth Day by cleaning up a section along the Detroit River shoreline in front of their property. The group collected almost 30 bags of garbage!

Thank you to everyone who pitched in around the county! Remember, we should do our best to protect our Detroit River and our environment every day...

Drug-resistant E. coli bacteria found
 
The Hamilton Spectator recently (April 27, 2009) reported that an antibiotic-resistant strain of E. coli bacteria was found in Hamilton Harbour and the Detroit River (both Great Lakes Areas of Concern). Researchers suspect that the resistant strain might not be killed by the best available antibiotics. However, it's not yet clear what these findings mean because the researchers are among the first to use new DNA fingerprinting tools to identify the different strains of E. coli.

E. coli bacteria are commonly found in human and animal feces (they live in intestines). Most strains of E. coli are harmless but can cause illness (ear infection, diarrhea) if large numbers of them enter the body. One particular stain, O157:H7, was responsible for deaths in the Walkerton case a few years ago. Researchers confirmed that the strain found in these areas was not 0157:H7.

The study was originally conducted in the Hamilton Harbour Area of Concern and when they found it there, researchers from Environment Canada also sampled water near the Detroit sewage plant and found similar results.

Tom Edge, an Environment Canada scientist based at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters in Burlington, told a Hamilton audience that 10 to 20 per cent of the E. coli in treated sewage flowing from the a Hamilton wastewater treatment plant showed significant levels of antibiotic resistance.

"I expect we will find that's common around the Great Lakes, not just Hamilton Harbour," Edge told participants in a Bay Area Restoration Council workshop on concerns about the harbour.
He said researchers want to know, among other things, where the bacteria showing up in hospitals can be found in the human food chain, where resistance is evolving and whether the natural environment acts as a reservoir for the microscopic bugs.

Source: Modified from an article by Eric McGuinness, Hamilton Spectator, April 27, 2009

Save the Date...

for these upcoming events

Smogfest - Citizens Environment Alliance
Entire month of May

Smogfest is an annual series of events designed to create air quality awareness. Held throughout the month of May, events include an art exhibit, tours and public forums. View work from area artists in all media that reflects our dismal air quality or other environmental issues. Exhibition at Milk Coffee Bar, 68 University Ave. W., Windsor during the month of May. For complete details and to download the flyer click here.

First Annual "Migratory Bird Bash" - Humbug Marsh (U.S.)
Saturday/Sunday, May 9th -10th, 2009

7 am: Bird Walk with Greg Norwood

9 am: "Birds in a Cup" - Learn how the different ways in which coffee is grown can affect habitat loss, migratory birds, and even it's taste during this 45 min. program. Bring a mug and enjoy a cup of shade grown coffee at the environmental education shelter. 
 
1 pm: "Are You Talking to Me?" - This program is geared towards children ages 7-12 and will answer some questions about what birds are saying.  The program also includes a "scavenger hunt" as groups try to identify different bird voices. 

The program is free, but space is limited. Pre-registration is required. Please call 734-692-7649 for information and registration. All participants will receive an International Migratory Bird Day patch.

Hillman Marsh Conservation AreaShorebird & Songbird Celebration
Saturday, May 9th-10th, 2009

Join expert naturalist to celebrate shore and songbirds as they migrate through the internationally renowned shorebird habitat, and songbirds and shorebirds up close and personal as they are banded by experts. Not to be missed! Click here for more information.

Native Plant and Tree Sale
Saturday, May 16, 2009 11am to 2 pm

Attract wildlife to your yard with flowers, trees and shrubs. Attend the plant sale on May 16 from at Ojibway Nature Centre.

Pond Scooping - Ojibway Nature Centre
Thursday, May 21, 2009 - 6:30 am to 8 pm

Bring the whole family to the Ojibway Nature Centre for Pond Scooping with Frogs & Turtles on May 21, 2009 at 6:30-8:00pm. The cost is $6/adult and $5/child. Register early to avoid disappointment!

Ojibway Nature Centre
5200 Matchette Rd.
Windsor, ON
519-966-5852
www.ojibway.ca

Spring Excursion - Essex County Field Naturalists Club (ECFNC)
Monday, May 18, 2009

The Point Pelee birding walk has become a regular spring event for ECFNC members and friends. Meet at 8:30 am at the [Pointe Pelee] Interpretive Centre. We will bird in the woodland for the morning and eat lunch at the picnic tables. You can brownbag it or support the Friends of Point Pelee by buying lunch at their food booth.

Golfview Park Tree Planting
Saturday, May 23, 2009 - 10 am to 1 pm

Come out and help plant trees at Golfview Park located off Golfview Drive (off County Road 10) in Amherstburg. A light barbecue lunch will be provided for volunteers.

Spring Excursion - Essex County Field Naturalists Club (ECFNC)
Sunday, May 31, 2009 - 9:30 am

Join ECFNC member Don Bissonnette for a Sunday morning outing to see a nice variety of birds, maybe father bluebirds singing and mother bluebirds sitting on eggs, wild turkey and white-tailed deer. Due to the properties you will visit, please do not bring any dogs. There could be some wet spots, so wear waterproof boots if possible. Meet at 9:30 am in the Greenway parking lot at the Arner Town Line. After the outing you could go for brunch at a local restaurant.

Friends of Woodslee - Nature Photo Challenge
until June 24, 2009

The Friends of Woodslee are looking for rare, unique and fantastic photos depicting nature in Lakeshore, ON. Photos must be taken between February and June 2009. To enter, pick up your starter kit at the Woodslee Mini Mart. Judging date is July 1, 2009 (Canada Day).

Environmental Job Postings

(note: the links will expire soon after the deadline closes.)

  • Field Manager - Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (Galapagos)
    Deadline: May 31, 2009

email: postmaster@detroitriver.ca
phone: 519-982-DRCC (3722)
web: http://www.detroitriver.ca