The Friends of Mad River gathered on February 25th for the annual winter meeting. There was a great turnout of members old and new. The agenda and meeting notes are below.
Agenda:
- New FOMR Website
- Ideas for sites for spring tree planting
- NVCA update fro Laura Wensink – 2025 side channel installation at Carruthers Park.
- Jake Redmond – University of Guelph researcher studying erosion dynamics on the Mad River.
Meeting notes:
- 1. Website introduction – The funding for the website was generously sponsored by J.W. Gordon Custom Builders Inc. Thank you J.W.G. Custom Builders! This website project has been in the works for the last year and was completed by local web designer Gary Bruer in early 2026. It is now live!
- Let’s prioritize more presence at the farmers market this year to sell shirts, spread the word, and share the website for simple donation purposes.. figure out a way to make that seamless and donations done on the spot.
- 2. A group discussion on the river – a chance to share some local knowledge and experiences, potential sites needing improvement, future tree planting sites, any questions and concerns, and a chance to share some stories about the river. Potential tree planting sites discussed including small tertiary tributaries of the mad; Temperance Creek on river road – extension on that work
- 3. Presentation by Laura Wensink on the restoration work and side channel project completed last season. Laura explained the science behind the erosion we have seen and why the habitat restoration taking place is important, as well as how it works. The side channel that was installed will play a key role returning the alternated river bed to a more nature pattern, and one that is able to handle larger flow and flood events going forward.
- 4. University of Guelph guest speaker Jake Redmond is currently doing research on river bank erosion was here to share some info and findings! His work involves predicting the degree and forces behind soil and till erosion rates at the collapsing bank north of Carruthers Park. This is a 1 year research project taking place over 4 seasons and began last fall. Sampling and measuring/monitoring is done all year round, even this winter where they cut through 18 inches of ice! The test area is the eroding farm field bank, and is currently staked with T-posts to secure monitoring equipment so please leave this area clear when spending time on the river.
