County Biologist Rachel White praises ecosystem, stewardship in ACW
BY SCOTT STEPHENSON
Huron County Biologist Rachel White was invited by Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh Council (ACW) on March 19 to offer an update on the municipality’s stewardship efforts.
She began by detailing her role as a biologist. White works as part of the environmental team, alongside forester Dave Pullen and climate change specialist Derry Wallis. The three are currently collaborating on an invasive species management plan and a natural asset valuation project for Huron County properties. The issue of invasive species is one of great concern in the area. Healthy farms, waterways, parks and forests can all be thrown out of balance by the encroachment of invasive species, and a quickly-changing climate is creating an environment in which these interlopers can flourish.
White is also a co-ordinator for the Water Protection Steering Committee, and is one of the administrators for the Huron Clean Water Project (HCWP), where she works alongside the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) and Ausable Bayfield Conservation. She also reviews any planning applications that may have some impact on the natural environment.
White made it quite clear that the reason she works on so many projects geared towards protecting Huron County’s environment is that she’s a big fan. “I want to start by gushing a bit about how cool the natural environment is in ACW - it has really interesting communities of plants and animals! The Lower Maitland River has a really interesting ecosystem, and is home to some animals that are relatively abundant in the river, but rare in other places in the province.” White used endangered examples like the Queensnake, the green dragon plant, hairy valerian, and various turtle species. White also pointed out that the area is a breeding habitat for bald eagles.
“Another interesting area is the Morris Tract, which is home to possibly the oldest trees in Huron County, and also the Saratoga Swamp. It is the good stewardship of past generations that has maintained these very diverse natural areas,” she said, before going on to explain how these spaces are actually a great asset to nearby agricultural lands. “There are many benefits to maintaining a resilient natural cover in order to support a productive agricultural landscape. It slows down water in the landscape, and captures sediments and nutrients. It also assists with flood control and cleans the air.” She also pointed out that natural environments create a habitat for wildlife and for human recreation. “This supports the economy through tourism. And we were reminded of the importance of being outside in the pandemic, when people were visiting and revisiting natural areas. We’ve seen that people are keeping up those habits post-pandemic.”
White went on to congratulate ACW for their excellent work in continuing stewardship with the HCWP, which is a cost-share program that gives funding to assist landowners doing stewardship work on their properties. As of the fall of 2023, 653 of 3,800 planned projects had already been completed. The HCWP has been in operation for 20 years, and in that time, has funded tree planting, wetland creation, erosion control, clean water diversion, well decommissioning, manure storage, forest management plans and cover crops, among other things. “Hats off to the landowners who have done all this really great stewardship through this program!” she exclaimed.
White also went over some of the methods that Huron County uses in the effort to maintain its natural cover, including proactive outreach, incentive programs, forest and shoreline conservation bylaws, and land-use planning policies. “It’s my opinion that the most effective approaches are proactive approaches, but there are also bylaws and land-use policies... there are policies that protect the natural environment.” She mentioned the Provincial Policy Statement, conservation authority regulations and municipal policies as the key regulators of the natural environment in Huron County. In her position reviewing proposed developments, White asks whether or not the proposal will have a negative impact on the natural environment. She listed wetlands, shoreline areas, woodlands, valley lands and wildlife habitats as natural features that are protected by municipalities. Environmental impact studies are done when one of these areas might be affected by development.
White concluded by reiterating that all the tools she uses as the Huron County biologist are intended to contribute to and preserve a thriving natural landscape that has long benefitted from the excellent stewardship of past generations, which, in turn, will increase agricultural productivity in the area.
Councillor Jennifer Miltenberg enquired as to whether or not Queensnakes are poisonous, and was assured they are not. “I was not a fan of snakes when I started this job. Queensnakes made me become fond of them - that’s saying a lot!”
Miltenberg also asked for more information on the Invasive Species Management Plan. “So, right now, we’re drafting the plan,” White explained. “One of the goals of the plan is to provide credible information to anyone in Huron County. The plan will include practical management tools. We’ll have a detailed technical document that will be available to the public, but we’ll also be creating some materials that we’ll be able to share with landowners in order to inform their management.” The first draft of the plan should be complete in roughly one month’s time.