News

Post-secondary students who are planning a career in an environmental field may be eligible to apply for one of three scholarships offered by the Grand River Conservation Foundation.

The three scholarships, in the amount of $4,000 each in 2020, will support full-time or part-time students attending a Grand River watershed university or college. Applicants must be enrolled in programs that are focused on environmental science, resource management or engineering.

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) is pleased to announce a new grant program undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the federal Department of Environment and Climate Change Great Lakes Protection Initiative for agricultural producers in the upper Nith River subwatershed. These grants and incentives are available for farmers interested in trying out new Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) or implementing projects to manage phosphorus losses from their land.

The fourth phase of a plan to control an invasive plant at Taquanyah Conservation Area, just west of Cayuga, is expected to begin October 1 and last approximately two weeks.

While phragmites is a problem throughout the province, it is important to control it at Taquanyah – one of only two locations in Ontario where an endangered plant, Virginia mallow, grows.

Cover crops grown over winter are the right thing to do according to some local producers, who participated in the Grand River Conservation Authority’s Rural Water Quality Program and received an incentive payment last year. The program offers a per acre incentive to applicants in Waterloo Region, Wellington, Brant, Haldimand, and Dufferin counties. The benefits of cover crops are numerous as they can reduce erosion, build better soil structure and improve soil health. 

At the August 28, 2020 GRCA General Membership meeting, board members received Report Number GM-08-20-52 – Snowmobiling Agreements on GRCA Lands. Despite ongoing discussions, the GRCA and the snowmobile clubs have not been able to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.

A section of trail within Dumfries Conservation Area in Cambridge will be temporarily closed from August 31 through September 4 in order to undertake tree maintenance along a hydro corridor that runs through the park.

The GRCA will be reopening playgrounds at Grand River Parks, as well as its tubing operations at the Elora Gorge Conservation Area on Saturday, August 1.

The GRCA has launched a new tool to provide guests visiting Grand River Parks for the day with real-time information about the capacity at its parks, helping them to better plan their visits.

Visitors can now check www.grandriver.ca/parkstatus to find out if a park is welcoming visitors or if it has reached its daily capacity. The site provides real-time updates regarding the status of each park.

Water users throughout the Grand River watershed are being asked to cut their consumption by 10 per cent, because of the hot, dry weather.

Rainfall in June was sporadic with extended dry periods, and for the past ten days there has been almost no measurable rainfall in the Grand River watershed.

The GRCA will reopen additional programs and amenities in its Grand River Parks beginning in July.

Starting July 10, select Grand River Parks including Brant, Byng Island, Elora Gorge, Guelph Lake, Pinehurst Lake and Rockwood conservation areas will offer limited overnight camping.