Written by Jeremy Petrusma, Ontario Conservation Coordinator
Edited by Madison Chafe, Communications and Administrative Coordinator
October 2024
Water is something that connects all living things together! Not only in the sense that we all need it to survive, but also because water connects places, landscapes and ecosystems. As water flows over the landscape in rivers and streams or filters through wetlands and groundwater, the impact we have gets passed along to others. Cedar Haven sits at the top of the Bronte Creek watershed. We have a provincially significant wetland and stream that is part of the headwaters of Bronte Creek. Our care for these aquatic ecosystems impacts others downstream, and for the last several years we have seen a section of our stream under stress.
A culvert was installed many years ago so that a path could lead from our outbuildings to a small agricultural field east of our pond. This culvert has been failing for the last few seasons, and water was starting to erode the earth as it carved its way under the path. Two main issues quickly arose, the first being that the path edges were narrowing and ground became unsteady to walk on. The second is that this soil was eroding into the watercourse and was impacting the water quality, aquatic plants and animals downstream. Given the stress that our watershed is experiencing (Watershed Report Card) and the sensitivity of our habitat (Redside Dace Map), it was crucial to respond!
We started monitoring the fish species downstream and upstream of the erosion site. Collecting this baseline data gives us the ability to judge the impact of our stream restoration work in the future with follow up surveys. Once this data had been collected, it was time to roll up our sleeves and remove the failing culvert. This involved creating a dam both upstream and downstream of the culvert. Cutting off the water flow allowed us to work in the streambed without significantly impacting the water quality downstream. Our team got to work digging and removing soil, logs and other debris before uncovering the culvert. Once the culvert was uncovered we worked to remove large chunks of broken down metal from the stream bed with a pry bar. Following this arduous process the work of reinforcing the banks began. We laid down a coir matting to hold the soil in place and placed fieldstone where the banks were susceptible to erosion. Finally we were doneβ¦the daylighting portion at least.
The next major undertaking was to build a bridge to reconnect our path. This bridge building was led by Anthony Siegrist (A Rocha Ontario Director), and included lots of work to create a design and assemble all the lumber and tools for the job. The course of the project took three intense days from establishing the dams to finishing the structure of the bridge. In the following weeks, we were able to add more fieldstone as well as finish bridge railings and ramps. The final step is to execute our riparian replanting plan by adding species such as Nannyberry, Silky Dogwood, Black chokeberry and Red Osier Dogwood. This will add habitat for different species and naturally anchor the soil to prevent any future erosion.Β
This project was about more than just fixing our path. It was about living into our values as people who are animated by our Christian faith to take practical steps in caring for the created world. We desire to be an organization that embodies hope with our actions and provides opportunities for the church to live into its calling of serving and protecting ecosystems. Whether that be through learning about different species at our workshops or donating to projects like this. Our goal is to catalyze the church towards deep thought, care, and action as stewards of Godβs created order.
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Help support A Rocha Ontario’s conservation work by making a donation! Your donation will support projects and programs designed to restore and preserve habitats at the Cedar Haven Eco-Centre and more broadly in Southern Ontario. As well, your donation will help us to engage and train volunteers in hands-on conservation.