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We wrapped up the planting season with a great fall tree planting day alongside MVCA. The mature trees were planted at an existing wetland project. Additional mature trees were planted to improve habitat, stabilize the area, and support long-term wetland health.
At another project site we planted conifer seedlings using the tree planter. Fall planting gives roots time to settle in, helping trees get a strong start when spring arrives. Looking forward to returning to this site in the spring to finish off the planting project.
Thank you to our directors and community volunteers for managing the fall projects and for their in-kind hours planting at the project sites.
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POLLINATOR GARDEN AT THE MCLARTY EDUCATION CENTRE
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PRWIN is excited to see the creation of a pollinator garden at the McLarty Education Centre! The Ripley and District Horticultural Society has developed 11 community pollinator gardens in our community. Thank you to members Christine and Jim Roberts for this upcoming initiative that will provide habitat and food sources for pollinators. The pollinator garden structure is currently covered and protected for the winter and the pollinator plants will be selected and planted this spring. A variety of native plants will be labelled to note what pollinators they will support. The pollinator garden will educate the public on the importance of native plants and biodiversity.
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Another season at the McLarty Centre. Winter is a season to celebrate the beauty of nature's quiet transformation! This area is designed for our community to learn about the Pine River and the education of the local wildlife and plants that this area supports. Community groups have enjoyed outdoor classroom experiences and exploring in nature at the McLarty location.
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SHORELINE REFORESTATION INITIATIVE
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PRWIN encourages shoreline residents to help restore beach dunes. Lower lake levels have widened beaches, leaving more sand exposed to wind erosion, especially in fall and winter. Larger plants with stronger roots are needed to rebuild protective dunes before lake levels rise again.
Low-growing junipers (Juniperus horizontalis ‘Blue Chip’) are an effective option. They trap blowing sand and snow in fall and winter, helping dunes form, and their roots hold sand in place during spring winds. Junipers should be planted in the swale or back-dune area of the shoreline. Over time, this will rebuild dunes strong enough to withstand future high water levels in Lake Huron. PRWIN will support the Shoreline Reforestation Initiative this spring.
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GEOGRAPHICS OF OUR WATERSHED
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Geographic Features of the Pine River Watershed
- The watershed is located in the Township of Huron-Kinloss.
- It covers about 160 km² as the core Pine River watershed, including the nearby Clark Creek sub-watershed (often grouped together for environmental work) brings the total to about 190 km².
- The Pine River flows 34 km through the landscape.
- It travels across primarily agricultural land before reaching Lake Huron at Lurgan Beach / Point Clark on the eastern shore.
- The watershed is dominated by agricultural soils and farmland before entering Lake Huron and then the river passes through seasonal and permanent lakeshore residential areas.
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ROCKS FOR CROPS
Rocks For Crops - this statement sounds strange, counterintuitive in fact, how can rocks be used for crops? We live in an area bountiful in gravel pits, should our crop production not be astounding?!! And are not rocks another form of pest for farmers and gardeners?!
Using rocks for crops falls under the umbrella of Agrogeology, the science of applying geological principles to the practices of agriculture.
This is such a fascinating opportunity and process, and is actually used around the world. I first learned about Rocks for Crops from a professor in university, Peter Van Staaten, an interesting and comical fellow of 100 and counting red reading glasses splayed across the piles and piles of papers atop his hidden desks. His research was primarily conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, though the use of rocks for crops is not exclusive to Africa, farmers in Canada have been utilizing rocks in their cropping $elds for hundreds of years starting with the indigenous peoples, and on the worldwide scale back to Egyptian and Roman times.
Regardless of location in the world, phosphorous is the most limiting factor in crop production as it is involved at every stage of plant life, from germination to fruit production. Phosphorus is found in phosphate rock which primarily consists of apatite, a calcium phosphate mineral. “Now both you and your soils have an appetie for apatite!” A Peter van Straaten line at the ready! It is found in sedimentary marine deposits, making it more easily collected (vs mining underground). Most will be processed to produce soluble P fertilizers, but there are opportunities for directly applying the (ground) rock to the field, avoiding extensive processing and allowing for a lower-cost nutrient source and option for organic crop production. This form is more like a slow-release nutrient as the rock has to weather in order for nutrients to be released. Product choice is dependent on cost, soil pH, soil P- fixing capacity, soil properties (ability to take on the phosphorous), product placement – soil surface or incorporated, crops applied on, and timing of application. The majority (>90%) of phosphate rock is turned into soluble P fertilizer, which indicates where the demand is and the desire for more immediately available nutrients.
Other rocks that are used in crop production are: Basalt, which contains Magnesium, Calcium and Silica, enhancing soil fertility and supporting plant growth; Gypsum which contains Calcium and Sulphur, does not alter pH, but does improve soil structure in heavy clay soils and helps to reduce the sodium content in sodic soils; and Limestone, which contains Calcium and Magnesium, increasing soil pH to provide a healthier plant growing environment and availability of nutrients, while also supporting beneficial microbes, and deterring slugs.
Rocks for crops, not only improve soil health and thus boost crop yields, but they also have the ability to sequester Carbon! Rock weathering, especially with silicate-based rocks allows for the process to initiate the movement of CO2 from the air to the soil, then on to our water system.
CO2 in the air comes in contact with water (rain or soil surface) forming carbonic acid (H2CO3). Once Carbonic acid meets the crushed silicate rock on the soil surface, where Calcium and Magnesium are available, the Carbonic acid reacts with the Calcium and Magnesium, dissolving them and neutralizing the acid. The moves the Carbon into a stable, dissolved state as bicarbonate ions HC03, which move though the soil water and ground water into lakes where it can be sequestered for a long time.
Rocks for crops contributing to not only the frustration of gardeners, but to the health and productivity of our soils, and slowly improving our climate by pulling carbon from the atmosphere. After you thank a farmer, thank a rock or two as well.
Article contributed by PRWIN Project Coordinator
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DONATIONS TO PRWIN'S 2026
SPRING SEEDLING PROGRAM
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To date, our sponsors for 2026 are the following:
Baywood Interior Millwork, B.M. Ross & Associates, Corteva Agriscience, Epcor, Greenfield Global, Meridian & OPG.
Their contribution will be put to great use to support our community spring seedling program.
We welcome sponsorship to host our tree initiative.
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RIPLEY REUNION -
GIVING BACK TO COMMUNITY
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We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Ripley Reunion for their generous donation in support of McLarty Educational Centre. This will support the growth of our outreach initiatives and educational opportunities.
The McLarty Centre is able to continue serving, educating, inspiring individuals and families in our community and ensure our programs remain accessible and impactful for years to come.
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We would like to thank our community members for their donations in 2025 to support our non-profit organization. Our committee is grateful for their contributions, as well as supporting our mission of "Clean water and a healthy ecosystem within the Pine River Watershed."
Thank you for recognizing & supporting our community projects.
"Time spent among trees is never time wasted”
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Have you wondered what our non-profit organization is all about?
Would you like to volunteer and make a difference in our local watershed?
Why not join PRWIN and be involved with the growth and future success of our organization?
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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 to be up to date with 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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