Kate Mon, Land, Stewardship and Education Manager of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority. (Photo by Bob Montgomery)Kate Mon, Land, Stewardship and Education Manager of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority. (Photo by Bob Montgomery)
Midwestern

Climate change in ABCA

A manager with the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority says climate change is having an impact on their land.

Kate Monk said the ABCA owns about 9,000 acres in their watershed and there's an impact.

“That's the change that we've probably seen the most. We now get large winter rainfall events where we used to manage the watersheds and water for the spring melt and the spring thaw, but now we're getting the large events in December and January,” said Monk.

Monk says invasive species that, at one time, were killed off by the colder weather in the winter and now doing very well with the warmer temperatures.

“We see impacts on our forests from invasive species, impacts on our trails from heavy rainfall events in our bridges and other structures like that. But it's important that we continue to plant the trees and acquire land that will help the people living downstream," added Monk.

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