Dick
Brown
What is the background to your Elgin Clean Water Program Project?
The back of our property had a few different features. There are ponds that are part of an old oxbow of Catfish Creek, and prior to the project there was a Walnut and White Pine plantation. However, the Walnuts had developed canker and the pines weren’t doing very well either, and the understory began to be taken over by thorny undergrowth. I wasn’t sure what to do. I was talking to a friend about it, and he told me about the Elgin Clean Water Program and that there might be some funding available to do work on my property.
I got in touch with Catfish Creek Conservation Authority, and Tony Difazio came out to look at the property. He suggested doing a wetland creation project, and had Darrell Randell from Ducks Unlimited come to see if it could be a project they could help with.
What sort of project was finally undertaken?
Once Tony and Darrell had a look at the property, and saw how close to Catfish Creek it is, they suggested that a wetland project would be the best solution to replace our ailing tree plantation. With the spring flooding of the old oxbow ponds nearby, I realized this was a natural fit.
Once Tony and Darrell had planned it out, Frank Laemers came and did all the excavation work. He created all the ponds you now see here. It’s designed to fill up with flood water in spring, and any overflow connects into Catfish Creek. They also relocated many native wetland plants from our existing ponds to help colonize the newly created ones.
Have you seen any improvements to your property after completing the project?
We get a lot of satisfaction from seeing the increase in wildlife on our property. With these new ponds we now see snapping turtles, painted turtles, tree swallows, indigo buntings, and this spring we’ve had 80 to 90 ducklings hatched right here. We really want to do the best thing possible for the environment with this project. Even though this is a very small site, it provides habitat for so many animals that we know we’ve done the right thing.
How did Conservation Authority staff assist with this project?
They made it happen! They coordinated the whole thing; the Elgin Clean Water funding, Ducks Unlimited support, working with the contractor, and bringing in student volunteers to help with planting. Even creating access to the site to minimize impact to the existing wetlands was done be accessing our property through the adjacent Conservation Area.
What would you say to other landowners considering an Elgin Clean Water Program project?
Definitely pursue it. I’m fully committed to it. There have been a lot of benefits to us, it helps the environment and creates wildlife habitat, and the water purification benefits are important. People should go ahead with it if they’re thinking about a project on their land.