Sydenham River

03/17/2026

Happy St. Patrick’s Day 🍀

It comes at a great time of year - when everyone is so looking forward to seeing more green around! But sometimes, if you’re lucky, you can find green all year round 😉

03/06/2026

12/02/2025

Your generous donations last year gave us the opportunity to do so much for our watershed:

🐢 Help protect and monitor at-risk reptile species
🌳 Plant more native trees and shrubs
🌱 Bring conservation education to more children
🦋 and so much more!

With your donation this GivingTuesday, we can continue improving the spaces you love, provide outdoor education, and protect local wildlife and habitat. Donate today:
https://shop.scrca.on.ca/product-category/foundation/

11/27/2025

Conservation Authorities play a vital role in protecting and preserving the aquatic ecosystems in Ontario’s rivers, lakes, and streams.

Through ongoing monitoring, mapping, and restoration initiatives, the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority helps safeguard the health and biodiversity of the biologically essential Sydenham River. This work also helps build stronger, more resilient communities for the future.

11/27/2025

Check out this conference that will focus on strategies and success stories on improving soil health in southwestern Ontario.

The SCRCA’s soil health conference returns in-person for the first time since 2020 with Phosphorus: The Balancing Act.

Farmers, researchers, and agronomists will provide tips, tools, and knowledge for building soil health that can be incorporated into their own farming systems.

Join us on February 12th, 2026, in Chatham! Registration and more info here: https://www.sydenhamriver.on.ca/phosphorus-the-balancing-act/

This conference is funded in part by the Government of Canada.

Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority
Conservation Ontario

11/27/2025

The SCRCA’s soil health conference returns in-person for the first time since 2020 with Phosphorus: The Balancing Act.

Farmers, researchers, and agronomists will provide tips, tools, and knowledge for building soil health that can be incorporated into their own farming systems.

Join us on February 12th, 2026, in Chatham! Registration and more info here: https://www.sydenhamriver.on.ca/phosphorus-the-balancing-act/

This conference is funded in part by the Government of Canada.

Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority
Conservation Ontario

11/26/2025

This proposal has the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority, which manages the Sydenham River watershed, becoming part of the Lake Erie Region Conservation Region. This would merge eight conservation authorities into one region serving roughly 80 municipalities across more than 23,000 km².

These changes could significantly impact how local watershed programs, services, and decision-making are delivered across our communities.

The proposal is open until December 22nd for public comment on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) ero.ontario.ca/notice/025-1257

10/29/2025

In honour of the Blue Jays making it to the World Series and tying it up last night, let's chat Blue Jays (the bird)!

Did you know they aren't actually blue? It's fascinating that small pockets of air and keratin in the feathers of blue-coloured birds can reflect light, similar to a prism! When light hits the feathers, all colours, except blue, within the light wavelength are absorbed. The blue wavelength is refracted, which is what we see!

If you happen to have a feather from a blue-coloured bird, you can backlight it and you'll notice the feathers appear brown! That's because the backlighting prevents us from noticing the prism effect, and all we see is the melanin in the feather!

Plus, Jays have incredible skills to scare away predators or other birds, just like our Blue Jays will scare away the Dodgers again tonight! Go Jays Go! 💙🤍

10/08/2025

In June, a local family witnessed a female Snapping Turtle lay her nest right by their patio. In September, they were lucky enough to witness her hatchlings make their way to the nearby stream and a wetland St. Clair Region Conservation Authority helped restore back in 2017.

We are always happy to see photos like this from our community. Thanks to Paul for sharing this happy moment.

09/30/2025

Today marks the fifth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is a day for reflection, learning, and honouring Survivors and the children that did not return home from Canadian residential schools and the impacts of that system. Today serves as a reminder of our shared responsibility in the ongoing journey of truth and reconciliation.

The staff of the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority is honoured to work alongside the original stewards of the land and water to continue protecting and restoring Jongquakamik.

09/30/2025

Today marks the fifth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is a day for reflection, learning, and honouring Survivors and the children that did not return home from Canadian residential schools and the impacts of that system. Today serves as a reminder of our shared responsibility in the ongoing journey of truth and reconciliation.

The St. Clair Region Conservation Authority and its staff live, work, and play on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabek (Ah-nish-i-na-bek), Haudenosaunee (Ho-den-no-show-nee), Lūnaapéewak (Len-ah-pay-wuk), and Chonnonton (Chun-ongk-ton) Nations.

Please join us in learning and recognizing our local history and First Nations today:

🧡 Read about the Mount Elgin Residential School (1867-1946), where children came to this school, located on the lands of the Chippewas of the Thames, from over 18 Indigenous communities in Ontario and Quebec, including from local communities.
Provided by the Elgin County Archives: To learn more, please click the links below to watch “Our Healing Journey”, a two-part video created by residential school survivors from the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation:
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bb1G6Sjcn4
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WlUvYKC6s0
Timeline of Mount Elgin Indian Residential School: https://bit.ly/3dRxvon

🧡 Learn about and from the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point, which is located along the Gichi-Aazhoogami-Gichigami, aka the “Great Crosswater Sea”, in Anishinaabemowin (named Lake Huron by French explorers) https://kettlepoint.org/history-culture/

🧡 Learn about and from Bkejwanong (be-kezh-wah-nong) First Nation, also known as Walpole Island First Nation, which means "where the waters divide" in Anishinaabemowin, describing the waters around the island to Lake St. Clair: https://www.walpoleislandfirstnation.ca/treatyinformation

🧡 Learn about and from Aamjiwnaang (oahm-jih-nong) First Nation, which means "meeting place by the rapid water" in Anishinaabemowin, as this is the First Nation outside of Sarnia, along the St. Clair River: https://www.aamjiwnaang.ca/history/

08/13/2025

So many benefits of wetlands

Did you know that wetlands provide a range of benefits not only to our local ecosystems, but also to our farmland? Let’s explore the benefits 👇

🧽 Flood Reduction: Wetlands act as natural sponges, collecting, storing, and slowly releasing water. This helps reduce the risk of soil erosion, flood damage, and drought.
💧Water filtration: Wetlands can convert sediment or excess nutrients, such as phosphorus, into by-products, helping improve water quality.
🌾Groundwater Recharge: Wetland vegetation can actually improve soil moisture and provide subirrigation (watering crops from the bottom-up instead of top-down) of surrounding crops and forage.
💫Carbon Storage/Sequestration: Wetland vegetation captures and stores carbon within the soil, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
🐝Pollinator Habitat: Wetlands within or adjacent to agricultural fields provide necessary cover for pollinators. This also allows them to move into nearby fields to pollinate crops.
🐟Recreational Opportunities: Fishing, birdwatching, hunting, ecotourism, and more!
🌦Temperature: Wetlands produce a temperature-moderating effect through evapotranspiration. Aka, wetlands help keep it a bit warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. This can also help create a source of moisture for crops!

Want a wetland on your property? The St. Clair Region Conservation Authority currently has funding under the Sydenham Phosphorus Reduction Initiative for wetland restoration on retired farmland, so reach us at [email protected], or give us a call at 519-245-3710 ext. 241.

Photo Credit (and project partner): ALUS Middlesex of a 2023 wetland project.

Environment and Climate Change
Conservation Ontario