Get Involved

Donate

Donate to the Captive Hatch and Release Program (CHRP). Each dollar will go directly towards actions that directly benefit our native turtles, such as egg collection and protection, site monitoring, habitat restoration, and much more!

Donate online here: https://shop.scrca.on.ca/product/captive-hatch-and-release-program/

Plant a tree

Help restore the local environment by planting trees or constructing a wetland on your property. Trees help improve water quality by capturing nutrients and runoff, anchoring soil in place with their roots, and providing cooling shade for streams. But that’s not all – forests and wetlands offer many important benefits such as habitat, clean drinking water, flood reduction.

Contact the SCRCA to learn about tree planting programs and possible grant opportunities for rural landowners.

Improve soil health

Whether on a farm or in a garden, improving soil health helps to improve water quality. Cultivate healthy soils by using ground cover (aka cover crops in farming), not disturbing soil structure, increasing organic matter (mulch, compost). Healthy soils are able to retain more moisture so they need less watering.

Reduce runoff

Pollution from overland runoff is one of the biggest threats to the aquatic environment. During a heavy rain or the spring snow melt, water moving across the land picks up pollutants like fertilizers, sediment, salt, or pesticides and carries it into local stormwater drains, ditches, rivers and eventually lakes. Planting trees especially along streambanks and shorelines, restoring wetlands, improving soil health, using a rainbarrel, disconnecting rain gutters from septic systems are all ways to reduce runoff and capture pollutants.

Only use chemicals like fertilizers at the right time

Be careful not to spread manure, apply fertilizer or pesticides before a heavy rain, on top of snow, or on frozen ground as they will spend little time on the land where they are needed before being washed into local watercourses. In winter, also try to reduce your use of road salt only to what is needed.

Just as nutrients from fertilizers and manure help grow plants and crops on land, they also help to grow plants in water – this results in algal blooms and low oxygen levels that fish and other aquatic animals need to survive.

Visit the Sydenham

Whether its camping at a Conservation Area, paddling on the river, or simply going for walk outside – take some time to step into nature and marvel at the natural wonders in the Sydenham watershed!

Join an environmental group

Local environmental groups and volunteer organizations are great places to share your love of the environment with others in your community and work together to help conserve the biological treasures found in the Sydenham.

Share

Tell your friends, family, neighbours, and local representatives why the health of our watershed matters to you and the ways we can all benefit the environment.

Keep learning

There is always more and new information to learn! Visit the Resources page, attend our educational events, and tell teachers about the Conservation Education Programs offered to schools or try one of our free sponsored Virtual Education Programs.

Stay up-to-date

Be sure to follow us on social media to stay up-to-date!