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Earth

Safe Living With Canada’s Urban And Rural Coyotes

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Coyotes are a canine species similar to wolves, found only in North and South America and like other wild animals, sometimes come into conflict with humans.

Since migrating to the province of Ontario from the western side of Canada more than 100 years ago, coyotes have adapted well to urban environments and can now be found in both rural and urban settings. Coyotes are most abundant in southern agricultural Ontario and urban areas and there are ways to prevent and manage conflicts.

Factors That Influence Possibility Of Sightings

Changes in land use, agricultural practices, weather, supplemental feeding and natural food shortages may contribute to more coyote sightings in your community.

Homeowners and renters in areas of potential encounters should take these steps to make sure coyotes aren’t attracted to their homes and to keep their pets safe.

To reduce the potential for coyote encounters, the Ministry of Natural Resources has the following tips for the public.

Do not approach or feed coyotes

  • Coyotes are usually wary of humans and avoid people whenever possible. However, they are wild animals and should not be approached.
  • People should NOT feed coyotes — either intentionally or unintentionally. It makes them less fearful of humans and makes them accustomed to food provided by humans.
  • Aggressive behavior towards people is unusual for coyotes, but people should always exercise caution around wildlife. Secure garbage, compost and other attractants
  • Do not provide food to coyotes and other wildlife. Properly store and maintain garbage containers to help prevent coyotes from becoming a problem.
  • In the fall, pick ripe fruit from fruit trees, remove fallen fruit from the ground and keep bird feeders from overflowing as coyotes eat fruit, nuts and seeds.
  • In the summer, protect vegetable gardens with heavy-duty garden fences or place vegetable plants in a greenhouse. Check with your local nursery to see what deterrent products are available.
  • Place trash bins inside an enclosed structure to discourage the presence of small rodents, which are an important food source for coyotes.
  • Put garbage at curb-side the morning of the scheduled pickup, rather than the night before.
  • Use enclosed composting bins rather than exposed piles. Coyotes are attracted to dog and cat waste as well as products containing meat, milk and eggs.
  • Consider eliminating artificial water sources such as koi ponds.
  • Keep pet food indoors. Use deterrents and fences to keep coyotes away from your home and gardens
  • Use motion-sensitive lighting and/or motion-activated sprinkler systems to make your property less attractive to coyotes and other nocturnal wildlife.
  • Fence your property or yard.  It is recommended the fence be at least six-feet tall with the bottom extending at least six inches below the ground and/or a foot outward, so coyotes cannot dig under the fence.  A roller system can be attached to the top of the fence, preventing animals from gaining the foothold they need to pull themselves up and over the top of a fence.
  • Electric fencing can also help deter coyotes from properties or gardens in some circumstances.
  • Clear away bushes and dense weeds near your home where coyotes may find cover and small animals to feed upon.
  • Close off crawl spaces under porches, decks, and sheds. Coyotes use these areas for denning and raising young.

Keep pets safe

  • Cats and small dogs may be seen as prey by coyotes, while larger dogs may be injured in a confrontation. To avoid these situations consider the following suggestions:
  • Install proper fencing.
  • As coyotes are primarily nocturnal, pets should be kept inside at night.
  • Keep all pets on leashes or confined to a yard.
  • Keep cats indoors and do not allow pets to roam from home.
  • Spay or neuter your dogs. Coyotes are attracted to, and can mate with, domestic dogs that have not been spayed or neutered.

If You Encounter A Coyote

  • Do not turn your back on or run. Back away while remaining calm.
  • Use whistles and personal alarm devices to frighten an approaching or threatening animal.
  • If a coyote poses an immediate threat or danger to public safety, call 911.
  • Never attempt to tame a coyote. Reduce risk of predation on livestock
  • Barns or sheds can provide effective protection from the threat of coyotes preying on livestock.
  • Guard animals, such as donkeys, llamas and dogs, can be a cost-effective way to protect livestock from coyotes. Guard animals will develop a bond with livestock if they are slowly integrated and will aggressively repel predators.
  • For more information on preventing livestock predation and claiming compensation from the government, please visit the Ministry of Agriculture and Food website.

Managing Problem Wildlife

  • Landowners are responsible for managing problem wildlife, including coyotes, on their own property.
  • The Ministry of Natural Resources helps landowners and municipalities deal with problem wildlife by providing fact sheets, appropriate agency referrals, and information on steps they can take to address problems with wildlife.
  • The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act sets out the legal actions property owners can take to deal with problem wildlife. Generally, landowners or their agents may harass, capture or kill problem wildlife to prevent damage to their property.
Earth

This Spring Improve Survival Of Trees You Plant

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Every year the landowners of Ontario’s watershed areas collectively plant tens of thousands of trees. These trees help to restore the natural environment by protecting water quality in streams and rivers, providing wildlife corridors and purifying the air we breathe.

Unpredictable weather patterns mean it is even more important to keep planting trees. A number of crucial steps before and after planting will improve survival.

Right tree, right place

Factors such as soil texture, drainage and surrounding vegetation determine which tree species will thrive or die. Fine clay soils can hold trees like white cedar and Norway spruce. On the other hand, loose sandy soils are well suited to white pine and sugar maple. Silver maple and tamarack like wet sites, while larch and red oak will thrive in drier locations.

Road salt can contaminate the soil, but trees such as white spruce, larch and poplar have a higher tolerance for salt and these species are best for roadsides.

Site preparation

European buckthorn – Rhamnus carthartica – Invasive Plant Found In Ontario Watersheds
European buckthorn – Rhamnus carthartica

Preparing the land before planting will provide the best growth conditions for your trees. Clear areas of brush and invasive plants, such as European buckthorn. On larger sites, this can be done with a brush saw or a tractor and rotary mower to remove obstacles and provide growing space. Installing plastic mulch before tree planting is a great way to reduce weed competition and hold moisture in the soil. If planting into bare soil, seeding a cover crop of Dutch white clover is a great way to prevent excessive weed growth.

For the first years, control vegetation around the trees to make sure they have room to grow. This will give the trees the best chance of survival.

Click me to learn about Tree Planting incentives 🙂

Get trees into the soil quickly

The roots of bare-root stock (without soil around the roots) will dry out very fast when exposed to sun and wind and need to be planted very quickly. Keep these trees in their planting bag until they are directly planted into the ground. Potted trees can be kept in a shaded area and watered until they are planted.

Mulch madness

Mulching is one of the best ways to keep your trees growing well. Organic matter applied to the base of the tree acts as a blanket to hold moisture, protect against extreme soil temperatures and reduce grass competition. Make sure to place mulch in a donut shape around the tree, so that absolutely no mulch is touching the base of the tree. This can cause decay of vital root-collar tissue. A two to four inch layer of mulch at an inch or two away from the trunk is enough.

Water, water, water

For the first few years of growth, a tree expends a lot of energy trying to establish roots in the soil. Watering can be very important  during this time if rainfall is sparse. Water the tree right after planting and weekly during hot, dry weather. But be careful not to over water, because soggy soil inhibits the tree roots from accessing oxygen. There are many circumstances when watering is difficult due to distance from a water source or the number of trees planted. For the Silo, Lisa Stocco.

Culture

Ancient Arrowheads Made From Ancient Haldimand Stone

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I am sure some of  you may have heard this story before, a friend goes out for a walk in the forest and returns back later holding what appears to be an arrowhead.  Conversations about the artifact are followed with curiosity to learn more.  Questions are asked such as, who made the artifact? How old is it? What type of rock was used to make it?  How was it used?

For most people, arrowhead is a popular name used to describe the artifact they have found.  In archaeology, arrowheads are generally called projectile points, but we will call them points for now.  However, names are given to different types of points based on how archaeologists think they were used.  Depending on their weight, size, and shape points can be called a spear, dart, or arrow point.  Spear points are normally heavy, large, measure between 8cm to 17cm in length, and most likely tipped the end of a long wooden shaft.  Dart points tend to be thick in the middle, light in weight, usually measure from 4cm to 8cm in length, and tipped the end of a long narrow wooden shaft thrown with the help of a dart-thrower.  Arrow points are almost always triangular in shape, very thin in the middle, very light in weight, measure 2cm to 4cm in length, and hafted to a short narrow wooden shaft fired from a bow.

So who made these artifacts?

In most cases, they are referred to as Indians.  In fact the name Indian was given to the first people met by Europeans arriving in the New World because at first they thought they had landed in India.  The name has stayed ever since.  Aboriginal is a name used by anthropologists and archaeologists alike when discussing the first people to the New World.  We now know Aboriginals lived a hunting-gathering life style whether they lived nomadic or sedentary life styles.  We don’t know the original names of Aboriginal groups, but names have been given to their points to distinguish one type from another.  Some example names like Hilo, Nettling, and Genesee have been created for specific types of points.

Just how old projectile points are is determined using a technique called radiocarbon dating when uncontaminated organic material is recovered next to a point.

Archaeologists have been able to determine when a point was made in a specific time period based on the results of radiocarbon dating methods, but these are approximate dates.  In Canada, the oldest known points are called Clovis points dating up to 11,200 years ago.  Similar points have been found in the Great Lakes region dating around 10, 600 years ago.

Most projectile points found in the Lake Erie region of  Norfolk and Haldimand County are made from a sedimentary rock high in silica called chert giving the stone a glassy ring to it when two pieces are hit together.  What is unique to this region is that almost all points found in Norfolk County were made from chert originating from Haldimand County.  Aboriginals either made their points in Haldimand County or picked up chert as rectangular nodules and carried it in tumpline baskets into Norfolk County where stone tools were made, including points.

Chert was only one of several materials used to make these points.  Other materials such as wood, bone, and antler were also used, but because they are organic materials most of these points have decomposed over time.  There were some attempts to make points from metal such as natural copper, but after contact with Europeans arrow points began to be made from metal products traded with Aboriginals.

Most often projectile points were used to hunt animals because they could create a serious wound to an animal to slow it down, but they were also useful as other types of tools.

While points are sharply tapered, many are wide with rounded or curved cutting edges suggesting as use other than hunting animals.  Many points were used every day as knives, scrapers, and even drills because the chert they were made from produced a very sharp edge.  However, the one problem with all points is that they break frequently during use and need repairing on a regular basis.  This would explain why many broken projectile points been found.

Why are so many projectile points different from one another? 

Archaeologists suggest points were used to distinguish one group of people from another.  The abundance of points also suggests many were made for the purpose of exchanging and bartering for other resources, especially if they were made from a chert that was considered exotic in colour or resistant to breakage.  In fact, chert found along the Onondaga escarpment in Haldimand County and ends in southern New York State was widely transported and exchanged because it was resistant to breakage compared to other types of chert.  Lastly, point styles may reflect a response by Aboriginals to adjust the shape or style of the point to changing environments and food resources.

So the next time you get a chance to visit a museum with Aboriginal artifacts with a friend who found a projectile point, or maybe you found a point yourself, think about the amount of history held within this one artifact.  Remember, it was made by a person who once lived, breathed, and walked across the very same landscape you live on today.  If you look closely at a projectile point imagine what stories it could tell you about the past. For the Silo, Lorenz Bruechert.

 

 

Earth

Funding Available To Cover Up To 80% Of Tree Planting Costs On Your Open Land

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ironwood tree early ontario settlersSpring is for new ideas. Do you have idle land or extra acreage that could be enhanced? Planting trees is an excellent way to add value to your property and has never been easier. If you have 2.5 acres or more of open land, you may be eligible for the 50 Million Tree Program, and the trees are planted for you!

If you are considering a large-scale planting on your property, the 50 Million Tree Program can help by providing both funding support to cover a significant portion (up to 80%) of the total planting costs and technical assistance. A local planting partner will work with you to develop a site plan that suits your property’s unique needs; they will do the planting and conduct follow up assessments in subsequent years. The landowner can relax while the work is conducted by experienced professionals.

Mark McDermid
Mark McDermid

“One of the great things about the 50 Million Tree Program is that it’s full service. Landowners work with the Planting Delivery Agencies (PDA) to develop the plan and choose the species of trees being planted on the property,” explains Mark McDermid, a Field Advisor at Forests Ontario. “The PDAs – forestry professionals – are responsible for the purchase, delivery and planting of all trees in the program.”

The 50 Million Tree Program plants for landowners who want to make their property more aesthetically pleasing, for farmers who have an idle field or want a windbreak, and for golf course owners who want to add some shade. Every landowner has a different vision so the planting agents work with you to make sure that vision becomes a reality.

The 50 Million Tree Program makes tree planting as easy as possible for landowners in Ontario. To book a site visit, contact Suzanne Perry, our Forestry Outreach Coordinator at 1-877-646-1193 or sperry@forestsontario.ca. Please mention thesilo.ca when contacting.



About 50 Million Tree Program
Forests Ontario administers the Ontario government’s 50 Million Tree Program, part of the United Nations Billion Tree Campaign. The United Nations’ goal is to plant one billion trees worldwide each year. Ontario is committed to plant 50 million trees by 2025.

The 50 Million Tree Program is designed to significantly reduce the costs to landowners of large-scale tree planting and thereby increase the number of trees planted across the province.

forests-ontario-million-tree-planting-program-banner2About Forests Ontario

Forests Ontario is the voice for our forests. Working to promote a future of healthy forests sustaining healthy people, Forests Ontario is committed to the re-greening of Ontario through tree planting efforts on rural lands and in urban areas, as well as the renewal and stewardship of Ontario’s forests through restoration, education and awareness. Visit www.forestsontario.ca or follow us @Forests_Ontario.

 

Earth

When Are We Going to Get Serious About Invasive Species- Phragmites?

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The Phragmites invasion was identified as the number one concern facing the Long Point area at this summer’s Long Point Biosphere symposium on ecosystem stresses.

Phragmites growing along the Chesapeake Bay shoreline. image: chesapeakebay.net
Phragmites growing along the Chesapeake Bay shoreline. image: chesapeakebay.net

In the pond adjacent to my house, a few Phragmites plants appeared about 20 years ago. Those few stalks then turned into a patch covering 15 per cent of the pond. It took 20 years but I’ve now eliminated it – although it has cropped up elsewhere on our farm. I realize what I’ve seen for an increase is small in comparison to what has occurred in some areas, for example, Phragmites dominates the ditches along Highway 402.

More than 10 years ago, Dr. Scott Petrie and Long Point Waterfowl were one of the first to research the expansion of Phragmites in the Long Point area. At that time, the potential threat was just beginning to be realized. Its threat wasn’t widely known outside Long Point except amongst waterfowlers and naturalists.

The last session of the legislature debated Phragmites as a part of the Invasive Species Act. This bill has currently had its second reading.

My concern as a landowner is to have the tools to deal with Phragmites. The Invasive Species Act doesn’t provide this kind of help. Ideally, the Act should contain an education plan, funding and ways to prevent spread. The Act puts an emphasis on landowners to control invasive species, but doesn’t provide the wherewithal to make it happen.

This is not to say the Invasive Species Act is all bad legislation, it’s just big on stick and small on carrot.

Now in talking about tools, we realize the challenges of controlling Phragmites. It spreads through both seeds and rhizomes and is just about impossible to control without herbicide.

I recently attended a St. Williams meeting on Phragmites, hosted by the Ontario Phragmites Working Group and Long Point Ratepayers’ Association, that focused on methods of control. Control alternatives varied from manual extraction, to discing it under, to experimentation with herbicides, to prescribed burns. Herbicides are the best alternative for large areas, but the issue is approval needs to be granted for application over water.

When Phragmites colonizes an area, it spreads quickly and prevents the new growth of other plants. It’s also poor habitat for wildlife. It impacts humans as well through loss of recreational opportunities, negative tourism impacts, decline in property values and blocked sightlines.

Purple LoosestrifeWhen Purple Loosestrife was the hot invasive plant, I was Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources. In conjunction with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, hit squads went into areas where Loosestrife was rampant and manually removed it. It’s not that simple with Phragmites, and we have yet to see this kind of commitment from government.

During the St. Williams symposium, we learned the City of Thomas has tackled Phragmites with minimal expenditure. The goal is to have the city Phragmites-free by 2020. Lambton Shores has also been aggressive and the plant is now 99 per cent under control in the municipality.

When Purple Loosestrife was first identified as an issue, it was thought to be the worst invasive plant in the province’s history – Phragmites now has that dubious honour. It will take a concerted effort by government, communities and individuals to take it on. It’s time to get serious! For the Silo, MPP Toby Barrett

Toby Barrett

Earth

Australian Archaeologist In Ontario For Practices Exchange

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Lindsey Yulline & Phil discussing DGPS
Lindsey Yulline & Phil discussing DGPS

Phil Czerwinski of Perth, Australia and director of “Heritage Western Australia” an archaeological consultant company focusing on the survey of indigenous rock art, archaeological, and ethnographic sites in Western Australia came to learn about archaeology in southern Ontario. Phil arrived in Haldimand-Norfolk County July 4-11, 2014 to participate in an archaeological exchange with the Haldimand Norfolk Archaeological Regional Project (HNARP).

Phil was kind enough to take time from his schedule in Canada to answer a few questions about his experiences with archaeology in southern Ontario.

1. What kind of archaeology do you conduct in Western Australia?

I’m an archaeologist who does a lot of work in Western Australia. We have lots of cool archaeology such as artefact scatters, rock art, and caves with human occupation dating back 40,000 years ago. My main interest is in how hunter-gatherers use the landscape, and how these settlement patterns are shown in archaeological sites. Much of my work is for mining companies.

2. What interested you to come to Ontario and participate in this regional project?

I came to do fieldwork with the Haldimand Norfolk Archaeological Research Project (HNARP) in Ontario because Lorenz and I worked together in Australia a few years ago. He told me about his project and I thought it would be a great idea to see how things are done in Canada.

3. In Haldimand-Norfolk County much of the archaeology is conducted on private lands. When does your company deal with private land owners to access properties to conduct your archaeological work?

We do not do too much work on private lands as most of the work is on Crown Land, which is why I was interested in coming to see how HNARP relates to local landowners. What instantly impressed me during my time in the field with HNARP was the level of community engagement with the landowners and other stakeholders such as collectors. The way Lorenz Bruechert, Project Director spoke respectfully with them, listened to their concerns about accessing fields in crop, handling their precious artefact collections, and making sure the communication was a two way street was refreshing to experience. To have a beer and ‘talk turkey’ (in our case pigs) with landowners was wonderful. The fact that landowners and interested people get newsletter updates on HNARP is a great information sharing initiative.

4. HNARP attempts to develop long term relationships with land owners in an effort to develop community archaeology. When do consultant companies like Heritage Western Australia have an opportunity to develop community archaeology with their clients or within communities where development is planned?

Our archaeology is mostly mining based, so our relationships are with the companies and the Aboriginal groups on whose lands the mining companies want to mine. Often these turn into long term relationships, which have their ups and downs. We aim for sustainability in heritage; where we all get something out of the process.

5. How do corporations support community archaeology in Western Australia?

The main corporate interest in archaeology where I work is based on the approvals process, where heritage is often viewed as another box to check in the mining process. Some of the bigger mining companies do it differently, and sponsor larger regional studies in order to understand the Aboriginal heritage.

An Agate Basin paleo (ice age) projectile point- types studied by HNARP
An Agate Basin paleo (ice age) projectile point- types studied by HNARP

6. How do you see a regional archaeological study different or similar to how consultant archaeology is conducted in Australia?

There are long term goals in the type of regional study that HNARP is doing, whereas consultancy based archaeology often does not share this goal and is a get in and out quick approach to archaeology.

7. What benefits did you see in a regional study compared to consultant archaeology?

There are many benefits. By developing relationships with landowners HNARP can give something to the community that consultancy often does not – that being a sense of communal ownership and responsibility for regional heritage. It sheds light on large areas and hunter-gatherer settlement patterns across time and space.

8. The HNARP works collaboratively and in co-operation with land owners to engage them in public archaeology to protect archaeological sites and artifacts from destruction and permanent loss. What opportunities are there to conduct similar practices in for archaeological sites and artifacts in Australia?

Much of our work involves working with Aboriginal people and mining companies to manage archaeological sites for a win-win solutions. Mining takes up land, and archaeological sites are so prevalent in the Pilbara region of Western Australia where I work that this involves destroying sites. Here the aim is ensuring everyone is informed on what is going on, and when sites are to be destroyed they are done so in a culturally sensitive manner and in line with legislative requirements.

9. What finals comments would you like to share with Silo readers about your experiences with HNARP?

It is not easy to tell people about the ins and outs of archaeology in a way they can understand what you are trying to achieve, but being a local Lorenz understands the landowner’s issues and communicates in a down to earth manner. He works to develop long term relationships with landowners. This is rare in archaeology, be it in Australia or anywhere in the world. We have lots of stone artefact sites in Western Australia, although we do not have the nice artefacts such as arrowheads you folks have. To see these local treasures being studied in a project that is solely funded by the researcher is again uncommon.

Archaeology is archaeology anywhere in the world, but people are people. They have interests and issues that should never be over-ridden in the pursuit of academic studies. With the goal to put archaeology back into the community, HNARP is unique and deserves local support. After all, who best to understand the Haldimand-Norfolk area than an archaeologist who was raised and grew up a local farmer. Thanks for this opportunity to share my experiences about archaeology in southern Ontario. CP