Day 2 of the Harper Creek shoreline project

The People Behind the Project

I know that it is never wise to try and thank all of the people who make a project possible because there is always the risk of missing someone, and unfortunately it is the same with pictures.  For instance, I don’t have a picture of our photographer Gina Varrin, or of Sheila Nabigon-Howlett from the Council of Canadians who sat at the information table on Friday afternoon, of J.B. Jaboor who fixed our anchor driver, or of my husband Mark who helped with so many of the logistics, but had to work elsewhere during the two days of the project.

However, pictures are fun and they tell the story, so with apologies to those whose lovely countenances are missing from this post, on with the story….

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Day 1 of the Harper Creek shoreline project

We could not have been luckier today; it was dry, warm and the winds were calm.  The “dry” was really important for this first stage of our project as even a small rain event would have caused a significant discharge from the stormwater pond into the stream where we planned to work.  Also, the coir logs, seen below, while fairly light when dry, are quick to wick up moisture, making them pretty unwieldy when wet!

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An Opportunity to Make a Difference: Our First Remediation Project!

Pulling it all together

The level of excitement has been growing all summer.  Since Lauren Sharkey, coordinator of the Community Stream Steward Program (CSSP), first dropped off 97 native shrubs at the Zippel’s house in May, the HPSI executive have been dreaming up possible stream remediation projects.  

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Initial Public Consultation Meeting

The City of Peterborough is taking action to determine the extent and impacts of hazardous waste deposited within the boundaries of Harper Park due to operation of a legacy landfill operated from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s.

Dillon Consulting Ltd. has been awarded the contract to complete the initial Environmental Site Investigation, determine long term remedial action options and to implement short term remedial strategies on lands identified as the legacy Waste Disposal Site.

Dillon Consulting Ltd. will be holding a series of public consultation sessions, the first of which will be held on Thursday, June 7th.

The meeting particulars are as follows:

Date:   June 7, 2012

Time:  6:00 P. M. to 8:00 P. M.

Location:  Evinrude Centre, 911 Monaghan Rd., Peterborough, ON

The HPSI is an identified stakeholder within this process, and as such, we will be sharing our information on the Harper Creek Woodland and Wetland Complex with Dillon Consulting Ltd.

At a stakeholders meeting, also scheduled …

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Jane’s Walk May 5

Title:  Suburban Connections: How rooftops and roadways impact local streams

Location:  Meet at Fleming College, Brealy Campus, parking lot near tennis courts

When:  Saturday, May 5th 10 a.m. - noon

Walk Description:

The trails through Stenson Park all lead to the stormwater management pond that has become a haven for wild plants and animals capable of living in close proximity to suburban neighbours.  The Stenson Park pond is a central feature of our community, putting people in touch with the natural environment and each other. But the pond is also an engineered structure, connecting the runoff from rooftops and roadways to our local stream, Harper Creek.  Join our walk to discover and explore a suburban creek, and discuss the challenges that the built environment presents to streams and wetlands, and how we can make a difference!

What is Jane's Walk? 

Jane’s Walk is a series of free neighbourhood walking tours that helps put people in touch with their environment

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OFAH Stream Stewards Training

The month of March was an exciting time for the Harper Park Stewardship Initiative (HPSI) as we were joined by new members AND attended the Community Stream Stewardship Program (CSSP) workshop held in Holland Landing, hosted by OFAH (Ontario Federation of Angler and Hunters). Stream stewards from all over Ontario attended this workshop.  During this two day event discussion topics ranged from permitting to stream restoration techniques, with a large majority of the second day spent outdoors; this was a favourite portion of the course because despite the slightly colder weather, we all love to be outdoors!

Meagan is demonstrating the correct technique in this picture.

During the outdoor activities we were split up into two groups. The first group learned about stream morphology and how to properly measure the width and depth of a specified channel. Meanwhile, the second group had some fun kicking around the stream bottom as we learned the kick and sweep method used for collecting

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