One Mile Creek, Grade D
Map
Map
Story & Experience
One Mile Creek meanders through my town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, a tourist town surrounded by agricultural land. It travels mostly through private properties, eventually flowing into Lake Ontario.
For all of the more than ten years that I’ve lived here, this creek has received a grade of D on the watershed report card.
Water quality is degraded due to agricultural runoff and sewer overflows. Forests are important to watersheds in terms of increasing biodiversity and mitigating climate change impacts. Yet, the town has less than 18% tree cover and they were forced to remove 214 ash trees within the watershed, destroyed by the emerald ash borer. Local organizations have partnered to help restore the tree canopy, however, it’s incumbent upon private landowners to do their share by planting native trees, shrubs and wildflowers along the creek.
I spent time at one part of the creek, where I picked up litter and used it to create a bouquet of native plantings found along and in the creek.
One Mile Creek meanders through my town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, a tourist town surrounded by agricultural land. It travels mostly through private properties, eventually flowing into Lake Ontario.
For all of the more than ten years that I’ve lived here, this creek has received a grade of D on the watershed report card.
Water quality is degraded due to agricultural runoff and sewer overflows. Forests are important to watersheds in terms of increasing biodiversity and mitigating climate change impacts. Yet, the town has less than 18% tree cover and they were forced to remove 214 ash trees within the watershed, destroyed by the emerald ash borer. Local organizations have partnered to help restore the tree canopy, however, it’s incumbent upon private landowners to do their share by planting native trees, shrubs and wildflowers along the creek.
I spent time at one part of the creek, where I picked up litter and used it to create a bouquet of native plantings found along and in the creek.
Why this Place?
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
I chose this place because, despite local efforts, the creek is constantly bei g threatened by runoff, loss of forest cover, litter, and climate changes.
Act of Beauty
I used the litter as a way to showcase the natural beauty found in this place.
[isc_list]
RECENT STORIES
Joy & Grief As Sisters
On June 20th, our wild church group gathered with another faith community at Harrison Bay near Chattanooga, TN (USA) to observe the Summer Solstice and participate in the Global Earth Exchange. It was a truly[...]
Forest Threatened by Railroad Expansion
A new train line proposed to speed travel time from Helsinki to Turku would have a major impact on the city of Espoo, a few miles west of Helsinki across the bay. The development, estimated[...]
Final Resting Place
On our way to the walk, my partner and I shared what we know of the history of logging and tourism-related forest clearing in the area, as well as sharing some of our knowledge of[...]