Thank you to all who helped rehabilitate the Mindemoya River

To the Expositor:

A big thank you to all involved in rehabilitating the Mindemoya River in multiple locations this past year. In a couple of years these areas will look even better grown in—a very professional job done by all. To all the volunteers who took time out of their busy daily life to plant trees and shrubs, great job and thank you.

Having just returned home from walking parts of the Mindemoya River with Manitoulin Streams and College Boreal we met to discuss future rehabilitation projects, while doing so we particularly noted that from the highway bridge to the walk bridge that has recently been restored that someone has taken it upon themselves to steal 50 shrubs, mainly berry shrubs that were planted for the birds and to stop erosion—the same shrubs that were planted by volunteers who gave up their day in the heat to plant them! I would hope that this thief will make an anonymous donation to the Manitoulin Streams. Fifty shrubs at $20 each shrub, plus tax and volunteer time…you can do your own math. Get out your purse or wallet, allow your conscience to do the right thing. Maybe this letter will make you feel like stealing even more shrubs planted by volunteers? Now Manitoulin Streams will have to ask the same volunteers to come back to replant what has been stolen this fall. These volunteers did not plant these trees for their own personal betterment, they planted these trees for all to benefit now and in the future generations. Because it is not about I, me, me, my. Please stop stealing these shrubs and slapping the faces of everyone involved.

This is the third year that the mouth of the Mindemoya River has been dredged in September. Because of this it has allowed thousands of adult salmon to spawn and not die on the beach. Thank you to the Municipality of Central Manitoulin, Manitoulin Streams, the Department of Oceans and Fisheries and the Ministry of Natural Resources. The only realistic solution for the mouth of the Mindemoya River is have the water flow or with the use of a backhoe. With restoration done at the mouth of the Mindemoya River there will be increase of water flow. Please keep the permits coming every year, as the dredging works. As an MNR officer recently said to me “do not stop the restoration of the river.”

I look forward to another decade of rehabilitation for the Mindemoya River, as all of Manitoulin benefits directly or indirectly from all of this hard work.