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Pine River Watershed Initiative Network Fall 2024 Newsletter
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PRWIN 2024 ENVIRONMENTAL AWARDS OF MERIT

 
Picture above are: Teacher Jessica Adams with members of the RIpley-Huron Community School Green Team (left), with PRWIN Director Angela Thompkins. Photo courtesy of Kincardine Record.
Picture above are: Ripley & District Horticultural Society’s - For Our Youth Leader Melody Smillie (left), with PRWIN Director Angela Thompkins. Photo courtesy of Kincardine Record.
PRWIN Director, Angela Thompkins presented our 2024 Award of Merit at the Ripley Huron Fall Fair Ambassador Program on September 27th. Recipients at the presentation: Jessica Adams and Melody Smillie. 

The following recipients presented the importance of community volunteering and the connection with our local youth this past year:

Ripley Huron Community School Green Team Leader - Jessica Adams

Jessica is a teacher at Ripley Huron Community School and has been involved with the school’s Green Team for several years. Students sign up to take part in the club and participate in environmental awareness activities. The Green Team provides an opportunity to educate, raise awareness and engage with pressing environmental issues inside and outside the classroom. The Green Team can help the school community move forward to be eco-conscious, promote a green environment and promote recycling and waste reduction practices. Also, Jessica hosts an environmental week in April to highlight Earth Day. The environmental week provides hands on learning and engaging conversations about the environment.
Thank you Jessica, for your leadership with the Green Team and for making a positive impact at our school.

Ripley & District Horticultural Society "For Our Youth" - Melody Smillie

Melody has been a leader with the For Our Youth since 2019. Mel has taken on the important role of Club Administrator, keeping other leaders and the 30 children and youth organized and on time. She also acts as Treasurer, ensuring that the small budget is well managed. Her big smile and warm greetings are often the first things the kids see when they arrive at meetings to receive their name tags. The club loves Melody's programming ideas, and her knack for planning, programming and providing solid leadership, even as she contributes to her community in many other ways. The group is so thankful to have her in the club!
The junior horticultural club is supported by the Ripley and District Horticultural Society. For Our Youth – participate in monthly meetings that are filled with crafts, growing projects and outdoor activities that encourage involvement with the Ontario Horticultural Association, the RDHS flower show, the Ripley Fall fair, the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens and the Pine River Water Shed. Last year, the “For Our Youth” celebrated their 10th anniversary.
Thank you Melody for your time and efforts to support this wonderful club.

Troy Middelkamp and Family

Troy and his family are Huron Kinloss residents. Over the years with our organization, he has always been a great participant to help with our tree planting initiatives in the Pine River Watershed. Tory’s interest in many aspects of agriculture and work with PRWIN’s environmental in-ground projects, like tree planting, have ensured our work as good stewards in our watershed. We thank Troy for his contributions to PRWIN and we look forward to working with his family at our upcoming planting projects. 
 

PRWIN POTTED TREE ASH REPLACEMENT PROGRAM

 
This fall, we had 24 recipients receive a tree, courtesy of our Potted Tree Ash Replacement Program (PTARP). The goal of PTARP is to provide the lakeshore communities with trees to replace ash trees that devastated properties by the Emerald Ash Borer. 
The Point Clark Beach Association (PCBA),Lurgan Beach Blairs Grove Association (LBBGA) and the Bruce Beach Cottagers Association (BBCA) worked together, to ensure that our program trees get planted in the most needed areas along the lakeshore.
This program has enabled us to make a significant impact to the lakeshore community. To date, the PTARP has offered shoreline residents 190 mature potted trees. We appreciate our directors' time planning and delivery of the trees. 
A special thank you to Smeltzer's Garden Centre for ordering the trees, as well as the Township of Huron Kinloss - Community Well Being Program for supporting our 2024 fall tree initiative.
GET SOIL SMART

 
PRWIN is excited to bring another “Get Soil Smart” article to our newsletter.

WHAT KIND OF SOILS DO YOU HAVE?

Its time to bring soils home to each and every one of you. Something that every one may be asking is What kind of soil do I have?!
Well, in southern Bruce County there are 43 soil types! Here is the link to the Bruce County soil maps if you would like to take a look for your location’s soil type: Soil Survey of Bruce County (agr.gc.ca). As previously talked about, soils are made up of 3 (main) ingredients: sand, silt, and clay, and every soil type has a slightly different combination of the three.
Pine River is predominantly Clay Loam, which is dark grey in colour (coming from the soil organic matter), has a heavier texture and poor drainage (both due to the tight plate like structure of clay - higher density and threadlike pore space). Now, what can we do with this information and why is it important to know your soil type? Knowing our soil type allows us to make good choices on how we treat and work with our soils. It allows us to determine: the best types of plants to have in our gardens, why existing plants are struggling, the drainage abilities and issues, and how we can improve both the quality of our soil through adding compost and the growth potential of our plants by adding fertilizer.
 
A simple test to determine your soil type is The Sedimentation Test, one that you can easily do at home! All you need is a jar with lid (1L mason jar), water, dish soap, marker or tape (to mark jar) and soil.
An example has been provided after the instructions.
  1. Fill jar half full with soil.
    1. Take out any organic matter (roots, leaves, etc.) and rocks.
    2. Break up any large clods of soil.
  2. Add a few drops of dish soap. This will help the soil particles separate and disperse in the water.
  3. Add water, filling the jar to 90%.
  4. Place lid on jar, shake vigorously for about 1 minute to ensure all soil gets mixed.
  5. Leave jar on level surface.
    1. After 1-2 minutes the Sand will have settled at the bottom of the jar. Use marker or tape to mark the top level of Sand.
    2. After 1 hour the Silt will settle above the sand. Use marker or tape to mark the top level of Silt.
    3. After 24 hours the Clay will have settled above the Silt. Use marker or tape to mark the top level of Clay.
(Anything floating at the surface will be organic matter.)
  1. Measure the height of Sand in the jar, followed by Silt, then Clay.
    1. Then calculate the percentage of each: Sand, Silt, and Clay. i.e. (3cm Sand) / (Sand + Silt + Clay heights)
  2. Use the Soil Textural Triangle to determine your soil type!
    1. Use the 3 percentages you determined above on the triangle below. The arrows below each soil component indicate which graph lines to follow through the triangle.
      The intersection of the 3 lines will determine your soil type.
Here is an example to get you on your way!
The test has already been put together and all soil layers have settled. The measurements of each layer are listed next to the jar and calculations determining percentage of each layer are on the very right.
 

Article provided by Lisa Holland, PRWIN Project Co-ordinator.
 

EXPLORE THE MCLARTY CENTRE

 
Aerial photos of the McLarty Centre capture a wide variety of the landscape. There is a trail system throughout the area, two wetland ponds, an osprey nest and thousands of mature trees. The McLarty Centre offers many opportunities! Enjoy walking the trail, bird watching, photography, learning opportunities in an outdoor classroom and reconnecting with nature.
If you are interested in a group visit, contact PRWIN at pineriverwin@yahoo.ca

HOWICK MUTUAL INSURANCE

 
Thank you to Howick Mutual Insurance for supporting our initiative Green Elements - Friends of the McLarty Centre. The funding supports a sun shelter to aid in our program to educate about our local watershed with community groups at the McLarty Centre. PRWIN Director, Conner Dixon accepts the donation from Blair Pollock, Howick Mutual Insurance Representative.

RIPLEY WOLF CUB CAMP

 
The Ripley Wolf Cub Adventure Camp planned a trip for the young campers at the McLarty Centre. The summer camp went on a nature hike, went frog fishing and explored in nature!

SHORELINE ASSOCIATIONS DONATE TO PRWIN

 
Thank you to the Pine River Boat Club and Lurgan Beach/Blair's Grove Association for your continued support. Your contribution is enabling us to accomplish our goals, to provide community programs.
Thank you for recognizing and supporting our organization! PRWIN Directors, Shirley Fiebiger and Gib McIlwarth accept a donation from Point Clark Beach Association, President Rob Foster. The donation will be used to continue our PRWIN programming.

NATIONAL TREE DAY

 

PRWIN celebrates National Tree Planting Day! We planted a Eastern Red Bud Tree to honour our retired director Bill Steele's work and dedication to PRWIN and the environment! Thank you to directors Murray Jamieson, Murray Yungblut and Bill Smith for planting the tree at this lovely property.
Special thank you for Smeltzer Garden Centre for the lovely tree!

OPG DONATION

 
Thank you to OPG, a partner and long-time supporter of the PRWIN, for your donation. We appreciate your support of environmental programs.  As a sponsor, their contribution is vital to continue our community tree programs. PRWIN Director, Conner Dixon accepts the donation from Kaitlyn Nevill, OPG Communications.

GERMANIA MUTUAL INSURANCE

 
Thank you to Germania Mutual Insurance for your donation. Our committee greatly appreciates their support to assist us with our 2025 Spring Seedling Program. PRWIN Chairperson, David Grant (center) accepts the donation from Germania Mutual Insurance Representatives.

HURONVIEW DEMO DAY

 

PRWIN attended the Huron Soil & Crop -  Cover Crop Planting Demo Day at Huronview Demo Farm. PRWIN observed how cover crops are planted by a modified sprayer and drone.
 

FALL FAIR SEASON

 

 

PRWIN had an opportunity to take part in the Ripley Huron Fall Fair by having a vendor table at the exhibit hall. This was a chance for us to connect with our community! We had PRWIN directors on hand to share with the public our projects and programs. PRWIN participated in the Ripley Huron Fall Fair Decorating Contest to enhance our curb appeal in our community and took part in the Ripley Huron Fall Fair Parade with PRWIN Director Conner Dixon driving a tractor with a tree planter.

Wally Houston of Ripley, was the winner of the Free Blaze Maple Tree from our "PRWIN Fall Fair Tree Raffle." We had over 100 entries for the raffle. Thank you to everyone for stopping by to see us at our vendor table. This beautiful, stunning maple tree was purchased at Smeltzer's Garden Centre.

NEW BOARD OF DIRECTOR

 
We would like to welcome our new PRWIN Director Jen Middelkamp! Jen is a resident of Huron Township and has brought to our organization countless volunteer hours to assist us with our spring seedling program and community planting projects. Also, her family has taken on PRWIN in-ground programs that have installed multi level restoration projects to their land. Jen is a past Ripley 4-H Conservation Leader for our local youth and her family have been involved with our community planting initiatives. Her dedication to our vision of “Clean water and a healthy ecosystem within the Pine River watershed“ will be a welcoming addition to our organization.

We encourage our vital community members to share our newsletter, website, and Facebook page. There is an opportunity for everyone to sign up for our newsletter. We have resources about our organization on our website and our social media page that will inform our community about our present and future projects.

http://www.pineriverwatershed.ca
https://www.facebook.com/pineriverwatershedinitiativenetwork/
Please email pineriverwin@yahoo.ca to sign up for our newsletter.

    
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86 Huron Street, Ripley ON N0G 2R0 Ph: 519.395.5538
Our website is:
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Our email is:
pineriverwin@yahoo.ca or pineriverwatershed@pineriverwatershed.ca
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The Pine River Watershed Initiative Network · 86 Huron Street Unit 2 · PO Box 367 · Ripley, ON N0G2R0 · Canada

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Bruce County, Huron-Kinloss, Kincardine, Pine River, Point Clark
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Pine River Watershed Initiative Network Fall 2024 Newsletter
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