We live in a very unique part of Ontario and Canada, if not the world. And we must preserve what we have.
In this week’s Chatham Voice, you’ll find stories on water and wildlife conservation, as well as our special section saluting our local agricultural community.
The paper is a great blend of stories, just as Chatham-Kent is an amazing blend of man, wildlife and agriculture.
They are all truly connected, and it is something we too often take for granted. Keeping a proper balance is the challenge.
We are an agricultural hotbed. We literally do, as the economic development saying goes, “grow for the world.” We produce a diverse selection of grains, soybeans and vegetables. We have some dairy, beef, pig and chicken operations as well.
And with that, we have limited forest coverage, limited pollinator havens in terms of plants that help bees and other insects, a necessary part of agriculture, survive.
We also have limited forest coverage. Check us out from the air and we look like one big garden, with Rondeau Park serving as a bush lot, supported with smaller clumps of forestation here and there.
Wildlife corridors are needed to allow all forms of creatures native to our area to traverse safely. Roads criss-cross our municipality. There are too few safe corridors for various species to travel without worry of being hit by passing vehicles.
At the recent Chatham-Kent and Lambton Water Festival, officials educated visiting students on water conservation and preservation, as well as overall eco-awareness.
We must all be eco-aware; aware of what is needed for our local flora and fauna to thrive.
Be it turtle tunnels to help the various species go under, rather than over, roadways, or more forestation along municipal drains and creeks, allowing all sizes of creature to travel in safety, or just planting more pollinator plants in ditches and yards, we can all do better.
Every little bit helps and even a small step is a start.
It’s not all up to rural land owners. We urbanites can help as well. Plant more native species on your property, in terms of trees and flowers.
We cherish what we have; but we can work harder to preserve it.