NEWS RELEASE
UPPER THAMES RIVER CONSERVATION AUTHORITY
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The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority is establishing two new tallgrass prairies, one within Wildwood Conservation Area (12.7 ha) and the other in Fanshawe Conservation Area (10.3 ha). These prairies are being created to provide habitat for Eastern Meadowlarks and Bobolinks under an agreement with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). This is part of compensation requirements for habitat losses as a result of highway improvement work in the region.
Wildwood Field – Site preparation at the Wildwood field began in 2021 to kill the existing hay vegetation. In the fall of 2022, the field was seeded with a mix of nine tallgrass prairie species (four grasses and five flowers) by Ontario NativeScapes.
Under the MTO agreement, the vegetation is to be monitored for five years. In August of 2023 and 2024, staff conducted vegetation inventories. In 2023, a total of 45 species were recorded with only 31 per cent being native. Common dandelion dominated the field. A small number of prairie plants had established that first year, including six of the nine species planted the previous fall.
In 2024, there was a significant improvement. A total of 67 species were recorded, of which 48 per cent were native. A much larger number of prairie plants had reached maturity including Big Bluestem, Yellow Indiangrass, and Giant Sunflower. This tells us the field is progressing nicely and we can expect more prairie plants to dominate in the coming years. Prairie species are slower growing than the annual, non-native species that often quickly take over fallow fields.
Fanshawe Field – The Fanshawe field was seeded this past May. The ample rain and heat resulted in a “bumper crop” of annual weeds, which were crowding out the prairie species, so staff mowed the field in early August to reduce the competition. By September, staff saw many immature prairie grasses, a promising sign for 2025.
Each prairie restoration project is different. While the steps taken to establish a prairie may be generally the same, some sites are more challenging than others and require a bit more effort or time to establish. Monitoring is very helpful for tracking the progression from a weedy field to a diverse prairie where grassland birds and pollinators can benefit.
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