Medway Valley Heritage Forest ESA Conservation Master Plan

The Conservation Master Plan for the Medway Valley Heritage Forest Environmentally Significant Area (ESA) is being presented by staff to the Planning and Environment Committee of City Council at a public participation meeting on Monday, July 26. The item will be heard no earlier than 6 pm. The meeting will be via Zoom with no in person attendance by the public.

Members of the public are required to pre-register to speak at the public participation meeting. You must pre-register no later than 9:00 a.m. the day of the meeting. Pre-register by calling 519-661-2489 ext. 7100 or contact PPMClerks@london.ca Please indicate the meeting (Planning and Environment Committee meeting of July 26th at 6 pm regarding the Medway Valley ESA Conservation Master Plan and item when contacting the Clerk’s Office.

Registered speakers will be given the information to connect to the Zoom meeting and will also be able to present by phone. Directions on how to participate will be provided upon registration. Speakers will be limited to five minutes for their presentation.

If you wish to have a written submission on the committee meeting agenda, it can be sent to PEC@london.ca prior to 9 am on Monday, July 19th.

We believe this plan reflects what the majority of our community has said about the Valley for the past 25 years.

The full Conservation Master Plan can be downloaded from https://getinvolved.london.ca/medway-valley-cmp

Ward 6 meeting, Metamora contruction, trees, and bees.

REMINDER OF WARD MEETING WITH COUNCILLOR SQUIRE: The ward meeting with our city councillor Phil Squire via Zoom will be held on Thursday, May 13 at 7 pm. You need to pre-register to get the Zoom link. You can do so at psquire@london.ca or by calling 519-661-2489 x 4924.

METAMORA STORM SEWER RECONSTRUCTION: We have been advised that the work on the project will likely start late July or early August and run for approximately 6 weeks. The restoration plan includes native trees and shrubs. Additionally, native seed mix (a bee pollinator mix) is proposed for any disturbed areas from the construction. In total, 52 trees will be planted within the project area. This is the maximum number of trees that can be planted to ensure adequate spacing. Other areas within Medway Creek will be identified for planting the remaining number of compensation trees. Also included within the area are two bat boxes.

SHERWOOD FOREST PARK The city still plans to plant more shade trees along the pathways in the park as well as planting grasses, shrubs, and other plants in the “squares” by the seating areas. This work will either take place before the hot weather begins or the fall. The trees and turf grass planted last year will be inspected and any bare patches or trees that did not do well will be replaced.

REFOREST LONDON TREE GIVE AWAY TO FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN UNDER 18: ReForest London has secured special funding to have kids and their families to plant trees. London families with children under the age of 18 are invited to get a free tree for their yard through this Neighbourhood Tree Depot tree-giveaway program. This Tree Depot only runs from May 12th to May 20th, so order quickly. All orders must be submitted more than 24 hours in advance of pick-uptime. For more information: https://reforestlondon.ca/trees-kids-spring-2021-tree-giveaway

LONDON SPELLING BEE: This event caters to children aged 6 to 14 based on their age as of December 31, 2021. Children participate in one of three categories: (1) Primary, ages 6 to 8; (2) Junior, ages 9 to 11; or (3) Intermediate, ages 12 to 14.

The Bee is open to children who attend public, private, or on reserve schools or are home schooled. The area includes London and places within 1 hour drive of London. Registration closes on Monday May 31, 2021. If assistance is needed with registration or the fee please contact Dirka Prout Chapter President – London |(519) 474-0979 Ext. 2 | londonsboc@hotmail.com

www.facebook.com/londonsboc

|www.twitter.com/london_sboc

All activities from registration, coaching (if selected in the package) and the regional competition will be held online. The Regional competition will be held during one of the last two weekends in August 2021. The top three finisher in each category gets cash prizes and trophies. The top place finisher in each category will represent the London Region at the National Championships on Sunday, October 3, 2021.

Metamora sewer remediation project on-site info session – Tues, Mar 16, 9:30 am

Councillor Squire has been able to arrange an on-site information session with City staff about the Metamore sewer remediation project. He and city staff will be at the Metamora entrance to the ESA tomorrow, Tuesday, March 16, at 9:30 a.m. to meet with residents. Please observe COVID protocols and maintain social distancing. Sorry for the short notice.

Here is the latest from the city engineer who is leading the project.

In total, there will be 52 trees larger than 10 cm removed from the area. Of these, 11 are considered invasive species and another two are in failing health. Another 20 smaller trees will be removed. A Tree Inventory and health assessment was completed by a Certified Arborist to aid in determining the trees that would be removed. These removals are necessary in order to complete the stormwater outfall replacement. Tree removal has to take place before April 1 as the city has to comply with the Migratory Bird Convention Act.

As with any City of London project, our goal is to limit the number of removals and minimize our project footprint to the best of our abilities. The scoped Environmental Impact Study (EIS) is ongoing; the background information regarding the natural heritage has been collected and a two-season flora/fauna inventory was completed. The EIS will outline the requirements for land restoration once a design is finalized. The consultant should have a preliminary design by the end of the week. Once the city project managers are confident in the design, the Environmental Impact Study will progress to make recommendations based on the design footprint. At that point, the City will develop a presentation for the residents outlining the details of the design and EIS recommendations/land restoration plan. This will likely occur in May. For the time being, city staff have requested the consultant supply them with a preliminary landscape/layout of the area. This of course is subject to change.

In its current state, the outfall is failing and has caused extensive erosion on the surrounding slopes and into the creek. Several of the trees surrounding the current outfall have extensive root exposure which impacts the health of the tree. Without addressing this structure, further damage to the natural heritage may occur. We are currently in the design phase for the project. Although preliminary in nature, the proposed works looks to use a more natural design that blends in with the surrounding natural heritage and creek system. To prevent erosion and to protect the slopes in the area, a series of energy dissipating drop structures are proposed down to the creek to slow the flow of water from the outfall. Natural channel design will be utilized to tie into the creek. A land restoration plan will be developed to ensure trees are replaced at a 3:1 ratio, at a minimum, and use native species. A letter detailing the design and anticipated construction schedule will be sent out as the design progresses (likely June). Due to Covid-19, we are unable to host a Public Information Centre to share project information. Instead, information will be made available virtually for the residents of the area. More information on how to access this information will be provided in the Spring letter.