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March 28, 2018

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LEAMINGTON BLOOD DONOR CLINIC

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Volume 9, Issue 10

WARMER WEATHER IS

COMING!

It’s time to start thinking about Spring Maintenance! • PLUMBING • HEATING • • HVAC SERVICES • 1 Iroquois Rd., Leamington

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Weekend Weather Thursday

H 11º L 3º

Friday

H 9º L -3º

Saturday

H 6º L 0º

Sunday

H 8º L 0º

As reported from Environment Canada www.weatheroffice.gc.ca Harrow AAFC

The Government of Canada is investing approximately $5.5-million in federal infrastructure funding, while celebrating several completed infrastructure projects in Point Pelee National Park. The announcement was made Monday, March 26 by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna, as Canada’s southernmost park prepares for its 100th anniversary and a year-long celebration of bringing people and nature together. This federal infrastructure funding will support the renewal of two popular day use areas – the Marsh Boardwalk and the Tip area. The tower and stationary section of the marsh boardwalk will be refreshed, and a brand new observation tower will be erected near the Tip to provide an all-new visitor experience of exceptional views of this iconic area of the park. Similar investment work has recently been completed on a number of other infrastructure projects, while achieving several conservation gains. Repairs to the park’s break wall will help to renew shoreline protection by replenishing the sand along the western shore and protecting fragile habitat, as well as stabilizing the trail that connects visitors to the most southern tip of mainland Canada. Improvements to the park’s Northwest Beach area is also now complete. In addition to ensuring the restoration of the fragile dune habitat, this project improved services for visitors, including families, with

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INC.

DBI Service’s Adam Walker administers a three part diesel, one part gasoline mix of fuel to a prescribed burn along the western boundary of a 12-acre plot of land at Hillman Marsh Thursday, March 22. The burn was the second at the same location in two years, implemented as a revitalization strategy to promote new growth for native species of vegetation. (SUN Photo)

Prescribed burn returns to Hillman

By Bryan Jessop While outdoor temperatures hovered around the freezing mark, things were noticeably warmer at an Essex Region Conservation Authority site. For the second time in precisely two years, ERCA’s Hillman Marsh in southeast Leamington was targeted for a prescribed burn. The event was carried out with the same objective as in 2016, with certified burn team members focused on helping maintain and rejuvenate a prairie tallgrass habitat within close proximity to the site’s parking lot and elevated observation platform. As the fire suppresses shorter shrubs that can otherwise take up too much space, the taller growth — which provides shelter for certain species of wildlife — is permitted to reach full size. The 12-acre, rectangular plot was the subject of a low complexity prescribed burn on Thursday, March 22, where drip torches started the ignition process at about 1 p.m. — 45 minutes earlier than on the same date two years earlier. With more challenging wind conditions however, this year’s burn had to begin at the southeast corner rather than along the field’s northern perimeter. “This year was trickier with a diagonal wind, but this way is more thorough and effective,” explained ERCA biologist/ecologist Dan Lebedyk, who again led the process from start to finish. “Backing the fire into the wind is slower than using a head wind, but it kills woody material from the ground. A head wind is too fast and just gets the

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$5.5-million investment in Point Pelee National Park

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top layer.” Whereas the 2016 burn was completed in just under 60 minutes, this year’s revitalization effort took about twoand-a-half hours to stretch from the southeast to northwest corner. This time around, the Hillman Marsh burn team was made up of nine members including three full time staffers from ERCA, two from Ontario Parks including Wheatley Provincial Park superintendent Jim Wigle, two employees of DBI Services and two from the City of Windsor’s Parks and Recreation department. “For different groups to team up like this is nothing new,” Lebedyk explained. “Anyone who’s certified likes the experience to keep their skills up.” Lebedyk noted that ERCA was greeted with ideal weather conditions for the burn last week, as reasonable temperatures were coupled with the required lack of recent rainfall. Last year’s burn at the same location was the first at Hillman Marsh since 2008, which was in turn preceded by a similar project as far back as 1996. The City of Windsor and DBI Services were also involved in the 2016 burn at Hillman Marsh. “At the start (of this year’s burn), we learned about what the fire likes to do in this weather,” Lebedyk said. “The wind direction really controlled the operation today.” On the same day, controlled burns took place at Point Pelee National Park and the Ojibway Nature Reserve near Windsor.

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