Pine River Watershed Initiative Network 2024 Highlights
Pine River Wat…
Pine River Watershed Initiative Network 2024 Highlights

2024 was a rewarding year in so many ways.
Now that 2025 is only one week away, we can look back at our accomplishments.

 
COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS:
 
PRWIN projects highlight reforestation sites, a berm project, livestock crossing to improve water flow function, pollinator garden, ditch clean up and rip rap to stabilize and protect the soil surface against erosion.

Our PRWIN Spring Seedling Program offered ninety personal seedling orders. This spring, 5500 seedlings were handed out during our annual "FREE Seedling Give-Away Program." The program was created in 2014 and is a very popular community outreach program. Some of the orders supported the Kincardine Naturalization Project, 2nd Kincardine Scouts and the Ripley Huron Community School Green Team.

Community Groups: The Kinetic Knights, Kincardine 2nd Scouts, Sawjan Samanvay Sanatan Centre, Point Clark Beach Association, Enbridge, and PRWIN families worked together planting seedlings at our project sites. The volunteers hand planted seedlings, large stock trees and shrubs along with plants to create a pollinator garden. 

PRWIN participated in our annual PTARP – Potted Tree Ash Replacement Program to shoreline residents. The goal of PTARP is to provide the lakeshore communities with trees to replace those ash trees that declined due Emerald Ash Borer. This yearly program has enabled us to make a significant impact to an area that was devastated by the ash borer and has offered shoreline residents 190 mature potted trees.

The Shoreline Reforestation Project offered 100 junipers to lakeshore residents. PRWIN and the Township of Huron-Kinloss partnered to encourage residents along the township shoreline beaches to begin restoring the beach dunes following the high lake levels of the past few years.

Two of our current initiatives; Green Elements – Friends of the McLarty Centre and Cultivating Community Experiences at the McLarty Centre are projects to support a sun shelter and to upscale the McLarty outdoor education area.

THE MCLARTY ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY AREA:

The outdoor education area is located on Bruce Road 6/Side Road 20 in Huron Kinloss. It is open to the public to enjoy the great outdoors! This area is designed for our community to learn about the Pine River, wetland creation and the education of the local wildlife and plants that this area supports. PRWIN has installed a trail system throughout the area, created two wetland ponds, planted memorial trees, an osprey nest and reforested tree seedlings. Enjoy walking the trail, bird watching, photography, learning opportunities in an outdoor classroom and reconnecting with nature.
The Ripley & District Horticultural Society's "For Our Youth” coordinated engaging activities for the young club members at the McLarty Environmental Study Area. The group identified birds, explored the area with nature games and went frog fishing to learn about the frog life cycle. Also, the Kincardine 2nd Scouts, Ripley Huron Community School and the Ripley Wolf Cub Summer Camp stopped in to explore in nature.
 

 

PRWIN’S ENGAGEMENTS WITH COMMUNITY:

  • Our organization offers a quarterly e-newsletter to stay connected with our community and to feature current community programs to improve and protect our local watershed. PRWIN added “Get Soil Smart” a new section to our newsletter, to learn all about soil.
  • PRWIN celebrated National Tree Planting Day planting an Eastern Red Bud Tree to honour our retired director Bill Steele's work and dedication to PRWIN and the environment.
  • PRWIN directors Tory Colling and Bill Steele retired from our board of directors and we welcome new directors Shirley Fiebiger and Jen Middelkamp.
  • "Sponsorship Day" to recognize our sponsors contributions to PRWIN community programs.
  • PRWIN connects with the Ripley Huron Community School - Green Team to offer support and engagements with their school projects.
  • Submitted articles to support the Healthy Lake Huron Partnership - HLH e-newsletter and The Bruce County Federation of Agriculture annual paper.
  • PRWIN attended the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario (EFAO) Watershed Conference, Huron Soil and Crop Cover Planting Demo Day and participated in the Lake Huron-Georgian Bay Community Webinar: ‘A Deeper Dive into Monitoring and Evaluating the Lake Huron-Georgian Bay Ecosystem’.
  • In September, recipients received PRWIN’s Award of Merit to acknowledge the importance of our community members and connecting with local youth. PRWIN sponsored community events: Fall Fair Tree Raffle and participated at the Ripley Huron Fall Fair with an information vendor table.
To date, PRWIN has installed 21 berms (Water & Sediment Control Basins), 12 livestock crossings, and completed 5 bank restorations.
We have also planted over 364,000 trees (windbreaks, riparian areas, reforestations),installed 24 km of livestock exclusion fencing, 4 nitrate filters, established a pollinator garden and improved 7 wetland areas.
Our Potted Tree Ash Replacement Program has offered shoreline residents 190 mature potted trees.

PRWIN would not be where we are today without our
community sponsors, past/present director’s leadership
and dedication to our vision of
 “Clean water and a healthy ecosystem
within the Pine River watershed.”
 
 
Copyright © 2018 Pine River Watershed Initiative Network All rights reserved.


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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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