Conservation Centre Ready For Another Year to Help Injured Turtles

As we get to embrace spring weather, turtles are emerging everywhere and are at risk of being injured.

Dr. Sue Carstairs (pictured) graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife. She completed Ontario Veterinary College in 1987 following her degree. Photo Courtesy Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre.

The Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, a local charity, is getting prepped for another busy season. The Peterborough turtle hospital is the only one in the province and admits approximately 1,000 turtles a year.

If you see an injured turtle in Ontario, you can contact the centre to get the it transported from one of 900 volunteer drivers across the province or bring it in yourself.

When fishing, do not leave behind hooks, especially with bait as it can hurt them according to Carstairs. Photo Courtesy Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre.

A common injury is from being run over by vehicles, the second biggest threat to turtles after habitat loss. Dr. Sue Carstairs gives tips on how to help turtles cross the road if you encounter them while driving.

“Pull over and put on your flashers,” she said. “Pick it up and move it in the direction it’s heading. Don’t cross unless it’s safe.”

It can take a snapping turtle 60 years to produce enough eggs to be able to replace itself. Photo Courtesy Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre.

Turtle conservation is important for the environment since they help with wetlands maintenence. They act as a filter for healthy water sources according to Carstairs.

Report dead turtles to the conservation centre since they can still incubate and hatch the eggs through their hatchling program if the mother has any.

Once hatched and ready, the centre will release the newborns roughly one kilometre within the location of where they were found in an appropriate body of water.

Turtles given to the centre stay there for a minimum of 8-12 weeks before being released into the wild. Photo Courtesy Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre.

There are eight different turtle species in Ontario: Spotted, Blanding’s, Eastern Spiny Softshell, Wood, Eastern Musk, Northern Map, Snapping and Painted.

Carstairs has been given the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest honour, in February last year.

All donations can be made at the centre’s official website.

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Otonabee Conservation & TD Collaborate To Plant Trees At The Brock Mission In Peterborough

More than 300 native trees and shrubs are being planted at the Brock Mission this week. The grounds at the newly built Brock Mission men’s shelter at 217 Murray Street is being planted with serviceberry, eastern redbud, tulip tree, red oak, white pine, honeylocust, fragrant sumac, and chokeberry.  

TD provided generous funding for this planting project as part of their commitment to supporting communities most vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19.

“The benefits of planting trees are widely known,” says Dan Marinigh, CAO at Otonabee Conservation. “Being surrounded by trees can help mitigate stress, improve cardiovascular health, and enhance mental health. We are pleased to collaborate with TD and the Brock Mission to add this greenspace in support of some of our community’s most vulnerable people.”

Bill McNabb, Executive Director of Brock Mission, stands next to a garden bed planted with fragrant sumac and spring flurry serviceberry at the build site for the new Brock Mission men’s shelter (Photo courtesy Otonabee Conservation)

"Too often the plan for greenspace in a project like ours gets eliminated due to financial pressures, so we are very grateful to Otonabee Conservation and TD for reaching out and ensuring that this integral part of our project is a reality,” says Bill McNabb from Brock Mission. “We are excited to be able to offer a safe outdoor space for our residents that will be filled with native trees and shrubs.”

For more information about Otonabee Conservation’s fall planting events, please visit otonabeeconservation.com.

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Otonabee Conservation Just Planted 1,500 Native Trees To Help Rehabilitate A Selwyn Township Gravel Pit

On Friday (November 6th), Otonabee Conservation planted 1,500 trees at a gravel pit in Selwyn Township in order to help rehabilitate the site and return it to its natural state.

Staff from Otonabee Conservation and Selwyn Township along with local Youth Leadership in Sustainability students planted white pine, white spruce, eastern white cedar, tamarack and red oak. These native species will provide habitat for wildlife, increase biodiversity at the gravel pit site, and will help to regenerate the soil that was previously removed during aggregate extraction.

“Each year, we partner with Selwyn Township to plant trees at various sites throughout the watershed,” says Dan Marinigh, Otonabee Conservation’s CAO.

“Projects like this contribute positively to the watershed community in many ways by mitigating climate change impacts, enhancing watershed health, and providing opportunities for students to get outside and engage directly with nature.” 

This is the final tree planting event of the season, wrapping up with a total of 5,690 trees planted across the watershed at eight different locations with support from many community partners including: City of Peterborough, Selwyn Township, Siemens Canada, Brock Mission, and Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

Generous funding is also provided by Tree Canada, Forests Ontario, TD Canada Trust, and One Tree Planted.

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You Can Airbnb It At An Awesome Geo Dome On A Farm Near Peterborough Overlooking A Pond

With staycations now becoming the It thing in this pandemic era, Millen + Smith Acres farm in Keene, Ontario near Peterborough is delivering on that in a beautiful way, bringing you back to nature with farm animals grazing near you while you chillax in their just launched Geo dome.

The Geo dome, which includes a king size bed, love seat and wood stove, is nestled right over a pond that’s perfect for bird watching and canoeing in the summer, and skating in the winter months. In true rustic fashion, there is no bathroom but there is an outhouse close by.

Owners Matt Smith and Jenn Austin-Driver have created quite the utopian-like getaway. Imagine staying in a Geo dome in the great Canadian outdoors with its own pond, while nearby you are sheep, alpacas, chickens, geese, ducks, goats, cows, horses and two pot belly pigs (Billy Ray and Jolene) that you can visit by hiking around acres and acres at the farm. Pretty idyllic, eh?

At night, you can rock your best Canadian plaid while strumming your guitar and singing along to Gordon Lightfoot songs in the private campfire area, with your cooler stocked full of say, Bobcaygeon beer, while you view the constellations. It’s magical stuff.

Jenn Austin-Driver tells PTBOCanada that the inspiration for the farm and Geo dome came from the growing trend of staycations and farm stays the couple were seeing and partaking in themselves on Airbnb.

“We wanted to incorporate additional options for Agri tourism on our farm and thought this would be a really cool and modern attraction,” says. “We started doing farm tours on Airbnb this summer and it’s been amazing—we’ve hosted over 150 guests for tours since August!”

Owners Matt Smith and Jenn Austin-Driver at the farm

The couple has had such amazing feedback from the day trippers and are seeing first hand the increase in people wanting to connect with nature and farm animals, and learn about the local food cycle.

“We want make connections with as many folks as possible through as many diverse avenues as possible,” Austin-Driver tells PTBOCanada. “The more time we spend connecting and talking about the farm and sustainable farming practices, the more people think about incorporating better food choices into their day to day, and in turn farmers are highlighted more and more—which only helps our local agricultural industry. Farmers feed cities.”

The Geo dome just opened overnight last week, and has already started to fill their remaining 2020 fall/winter dates. This thing is sure to be a hit right into 2021 and beyond.

“The Geo dome is a year-round stay, with tons of seasonal activities to partake in on and locally off the farm,” Austin-Driver tells PTBOCanada. For those concerned with Covid cleaning, the couple adheres to rigid Covid cleaning policies and procedures to protect hosts and guests alike.

For more on the farm, check out the Airbnb listing here, the Instagram page here (this farm is so gram worthy), and Facebook here.

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Local High School Students Just Planted 350 Native Trees & Shrubs At Marsdale Drive Stormwater Management Pond

On Friday (October 23rd), Otonabee Conservation and local secondary school students from the Youth Leadership in Sustainability (YLS) program planted a variety of trees and shrubs along the shoreline of the stormwater management pond on Marsdale Drive in Peterborough. 

The variety of native trees and shrubs selected for this shoreline naturalization project include fragrant sumac, red osier dogwood, elderberry, snowberry, serviceberry, black chokeberry, and silky dogwood. These species provide a number of benefits including habitat for wildlife and stabilization of the shoreline around the pond. 

YLS Lead teacher and Coordinator, Cam Douglas, inspects the roots of a red osier dogwood with student Kaitlin Potter before planting at the Marsdale Drive Stormwater Management Pond in Peterborough. (photo courtesy Otonabee Conservation)

“We are pleased to collaborate with the City of Peterborough, who is responsible for the ongoing vegetation management and operation of the stormwater management pond, to engage local youth in naturalization projects like this,” says Dan Marinigh, Otonabee Conservation’s CAO. “These types of opportunities allow students to participate in positive, meaningful actions to mitigate climate change in our watershed.”

The YLS program is an experiential-learning program based in Peterborough that prepares grade 11 and 12 students for leadership roles in sustainability initiatives at the local and global levels.

“One of the goals of YLS is to connect students to the organizations that are doing important community work,” says YLS Lead Teacher and Coordinator, Cam Douglas. “It’s important for students to learn about the work itself, and also to see the faces of organizations like Otonabee Conservation, so they can begin to understand what people do and the educational pathways people follow to get into this kind of work.”

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Otonabee Conservation & TD Collaborate With PRHC To Plant Trees In Honour Of Frontline Healthcare Workers

On Wednesday (October 21st), 78 native trees and shrubs were planted near the staff entrance at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC). TD provided funding for the planting, as part of their commitment to supporting those who are most impacted by COVID-19. The City of Peterborough generously supported the planting by providing compost and mulch to promote tree health and growth.

The native species planted included white spruce (which provides excellent shelter for wildlife) and fragrant sumac (a drought-tolerant shrub boasting beautiful red foliage in fall). Both species will support natural diversity and wildlife habitat on the PRHC property, and in time, will create shelter and a windbreak for employees accessing the staff entrance.

Gord Mackay, Groundskeeper at PRHC, plants a fragrant sumac alongside the staff entrance at PRHC. (Photo courtesy Otonabee Conservation)

“Trees provide countless benefits from filtering the air we breathe, to regulating temperatures and providing shelter for wildlife,” says Dan Marinigh, CAO for Otonabee Conservation.

“Planting trees, which are symbols of life and growth, is an ideal way to acknowledge front line health care workers who are working tirelessly to care for our community during the pandemic, and always,” he adds.

Paul Finigan (front) and Pat Kramer (back) from Otonabee Conservation, plant native shrubs at PRHC (Photo courtesy Otonabee Conservation)

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the generosity of our community has been overwhelming,” says Brenda Weir, VP and Chief Nursing Executive at PRHC. “Planting these new trees outside the Health Centre will be appreciated by our healthcare professionals, support staff and volunteers, and also by the patients and visitors who are here at the hospital every day.”

Otonabee Conservation is organizing several native tree plantings that will take place throughout the fall, planting 5,690 trees that will sequester over 1.2 million kg of Carbon over their lifetime. To learn more about the organizaton, click here.

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Otonabee Conservation Just Planted 600 Native Trees At Harold Town Conservation Area

On Tuesday (October 20th), Otonabee Conservation planted 600 trees at the Harold Town Conservation Area on Old Norwood Road in the Township of Otonabee South Monaghan, just outside of the City of Peterborough.

Staff from Otonabee Conservation (see pics below) planted red pine and white cedar trees, which will provide habitat for wildlife and increase biodiversity in the area adjacent to the parking lot at the conservation area.

“Each year, we plant trees at several of our Conservation Areas,” says Dan Marinigh, Otonabee Conservation’s CAO. “Trees provide multiple benefits including mitigating the impacts of climate change and enhancing watershed health. We are pleased to have the support of many partners to enhance the area near the road and parking area at Harold Town Conservation Area.”  

Otonabee Conservation’s CAO, Dan Marinigh spreads mulch around a red pine tree he planted at Harold Town Conservation Area on October 20th. (Photo courtesy Karen Halley, Otonabee ConSERVATION)

The Harold Town Conservation Area is named after the Canadian painter who owned the property from the mid 1970s until the early 1990s.

Harold Town enjoyed this property as his personal retreat until he passed away in 1990. On April 11th, 1994, The Harold Town estate donated the property to Otonabee Conservation. It was then named in his memory and was dedicated as a park for public purposes.

Otonabee Conservation’s Kerry Norman plants a white cedar tree at the Harold Town Conservation Area. (Photo courtesy Karen Halley, Otonabee CONSERVATION)

Harold Town Conservation Area has become the area’s premier mountain biking area with an extensive trail system designed for off-road cycling and hiking. Trail building and maintenance is conducted in partnership with the Peterborough Trailbuilder’s Association and with generous support from Wild Rock Outfitters and an anonymous donor.

This Fall, Otonabee Conservation is planting 5,690 trees with the generous support from community partners, including City of Peterborough, Selwyn Township, Siemens Canada, Brock Mission, and Peterborough Regional Health Centre, and with generous financial support from Tree Canada, Forests Ontario, TD Canada Trust, and One Tree Planted.

For more information about Harold Town Conservation Area, visit otonabeeconservation.com.

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Siemens Canada, Tree Canada & Otonabee Conservation Collaborate To Enhance Habitat With Native Tree Planting

Otonabee Conservation is planting 78 native trees and shrubs at the Siemens Canada plant in Peterborough, in partnership with Tree Canada and Siemens Canada.

Employees from Siemens Canada in Peterborough and Otonabee Conservation will plant a variety of native species of trees and shrubs, including red oak, red maple, nannyberry, red osier dogwood, white cedar and white pine. This will increase species diversity at the site and enhance habitat for local wildlife.

Paul Finigan, Watershed Biologist at Otonabee Conservation, gives direction to employees of Siemens Canada as they plant native trees and shrubs adjacent to the manufacturing plant in Peterborough. (Photo courtesy Karen Halley, Otonabee Conservation)

“Through our partnership with Siemens Canada, Tree Canada, and Otonabee Conservation, we have a wonderful opportunity to enhance the habitat around our facility in the City of Peterborough,” says Connie Condon from Siemens Canada in Peterborough.

“We take great pride in supporting this annual event, which engages the community and benefits the environment,” adds Faisal Kazi, President and CEO, Siemens Canada. “With all safety protocols in place, we’re pleased that we can continue this proud tradition with our employees and partners.”

An employee of Siemens Canada plants a red oak tree next to the Siemens manufacturing plant in Peterborough. (Photo courtesy Karen Halley, Otonabee Conservation)

Tree Canada is the only national non-profit organization dedicated to planting and nurturing trees in rural and urban environments. Since 1992, with their community partners and sponsors, they have planted more than 82 million trees. 

“Tree Canada is pleased to have the opportunity to work with like-minded organizations such as Siemens Canada,” says Tree Canada CEO, Danielle St-Aubin. “Siemens is an example of a socially responsible organization that is truly making a positive environmental impact in the communities they work in.”

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Peterborough & Kawarthas Receives Great Recognition At Water Canada’s Water's Next Awards

Peterborough and the Kawarthas received great recognition at the Water’s Next Awards on June 11th during an event that was held virtually from Ottawa, hosted by Water Canada and the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA).

Innovation Cluster President John Gillis took the award in the Business Leader category, for using his time and knowledge to give back to the cleantech community through his work at the Innovation Cluster.

“I was completely surprised, shocked, as well as totally humbled on receiving this award,” says Gillis. “Clean technology and water tech is a passion of mine and will continue to work with all our associate groups in the region, like Peterborough and Kawartha Economic Development, City of Kawartha Lakes, Trent University, Fleming College CAWT, CleanTech Commons, City of Peterborough and all the work we do here at the Innovation Cluster to support startups in the CleanTech environment.”

John Gillis

In the Projects and Technology category, local company and Innovation Cluster alumni Aclarus Ozone took the award. Aclarus aims to provide a practical, affordable system for the complete treatment of rain water and green roof run off water for non-potable reuse without chemicals.

Peterborough was recognized again as Chris Metcalfe of Trent University was nominated in the Academic Leader category for his focus on his research on the distribution and toxic effects of contaminants in the environment.

PUTTING PETERBOROUGH ON THE MAP

Peterborough & the Kawarthas is known for the successful and innovative individuals and companies that are helping to put this destination on the map as a hub for clean technology.

In 2018, Water Canada named Peterborough the best place in Ontario and second in Canada to grow a watertech startup.

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MP Maryam Monsef Announces $6 Million To Build Composting Facility In Peterborough

On Tuesday (February 11th), Maryam Monsef announced up to $6 million in funding to support a City of Peterborough climate change initiative that is equivalent to removing 25,000 cars from the road annually.

The funding will support the development of a Centralized Composting Centre that will divert food and waste to a new, modern facility. It is projected that to prevent approximately 32,000 tonnes of organic debris from entering the landfill each year and will support local job creation.

Mayor Diane Therrien and MP Maryam Monsef pictured at announcement at Beavermead Park

“Peterborough has been piloting a composting program for years,” says Monsef. “Our Government sees Peterborough as a leader in environmentalism and climate action. Today’s investment of $6 million to expand Peterborough’s composting program is a vote of confidence in our community.”

The funding comes from the Partnerships stream of our Government of Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Fund, which invests in projects that reduce carbon pollution, save money, and create good jobs.

Announcement at Beavermead Park

Monsef reflects on the impact of this announcement in this video posted to her Twitter account…

Peterborough has been piloting a composting program for nearly 20 years. Our Government sees @CityPtbo as a leader in environmentalism and climate action. Today’s investment of $6 million to expand Peterborough’s composting program is a vote of confidence in our community. pic.twitter.com/uA2w3piJ2B

— Maryam Monsef (@MaryamMonsef) February 11, 2020

The City of Peterborough has been running a small, successful pilot Green Bin program for a number of years. This funding will support the expansion of this program city-wide.

"We are excited about a city-wide organic waste collection and composting program,” says Mayor Therrien. “It will reduce both greenhouse gas emissions as well as our reliance on landfill. It’s a service that our residents have long been asking for that we’re pleased to be able to deliver with support from the federal government’s Low Carbon Economy Fund."

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