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Niagara Sustainability Initiative 1st Annual Photo Contest

Filed Under: Contests by
Oct.10, 2011
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Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours is a proud sponsor of NSI's first annual photo contest.

 Attention! People of Niagara! – Here is  your chance to be

recognized for your photography work and imagination!

Don’t miss out on this exclusive chance to show off your camera skills!

The Niagara Sustainability Initiative is looking for photographs that capture the essence  of sustainability in the Niagara Region.

Top photos (as selected by the NSI team) will be featured on NSI’s website.

One “Winner” will be selected for each of the following four categories:

Contest Winners will have their photographs included in NSI’s first ever Year-end Report (Spring 2012). In addition, one “Grand Winner” will be chosen to have their photograph showcased on the cover of the report, as the new face of sustainability in Niagara!

Each Winner will also receive a set of 4 ride tickets for
Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours in Niagara Falls, Ontario!

Please submit all contest photos by email (as an attachment) to: photocontest@niagarasustainability.org

Also, please include the following information in your email submission:

  • Photograph Title
  • Photograph Description (Tell us about your photo! Where/when did you take it? What does it mean to you?)
  • Your Name(First and Last)
  • Phone Number
  • Your Home Town

Deadline to Submit Photographs is January 31, 2012.

Contest Terms of Use:

The NSI team will vote to determine photograph Winners will take place between February and March 2012, on NSI’s website (www.NiagaraSustainability.org). All Contest Winners will be contacted by the NSI team following the voting period to claim their prizes. Top photographs that are not voted in as “Winners” may still have a chance to be included NSI’sYear-end Report (with the photographer acknowledged, accordingly). The originators of any photos considered for inclusion in NSI’s Year-end Report will be contacted prior to the photos being used for such purposes.

By submitting a photograph to NSI (at PhotoContest@NiagaraSustainability.org) as part of this contest, you are hereby giving your absolute permission to Niagara Sustainability Initiative (NSI) to use your photograph(s). Personal information (i.e. names and phone numbers) are collected for inventory purposes only, and to acknowledge Winners in the NSI Year-end Report.Personal Information will never be disclosed or released to the public, or any other entity, without the owner’s written consent. For any and all questions or concerns with regards to this Photo Contest, please contact NSI at the email address listed above.



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The Grassy Brook near Chippawa Creek

Filed Under: Fishing by
Jul.08, 2011
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Got up early yesterday morning and got Brad’s new-to-him used Crestliner boat in the the water at a launch on Chippawa Creek. We’re both planing on spending a ton of time in this thing over the summer and in to the fall.

The top of the water was like glass, no one else was out yet! Visibility was fantastic. We ran the trolling motor East towards the intake for the Chippawa-Queenston Hydro Canal and then in to the Grassy Brook which is right across the Creek from it.

The brook is full of downed trees, lily pads and grass which is fantastic for bass fishing. Its also not uncommon to see beavers swimming around and deer on shore or in the park. If the deer see you though, they’ll take off in a hurry.





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Marty Nearly Became the Mudman

Filed Under: Trails by
Jul.05, 2011
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So Marty and I decided we’d go do some exploring today. We’ve both lived in a neighborhood around the McLeod/Drummond area in Niagara Falls for most of our lives, and just about a 5 minute walk away from each other.

We got up and hit Perry’s Place for some lunch, then 7-11 for some Gatorade and then walked down the back part of Drummond Road towards the Chippawa Creek.

The wooded area around the creek is a very popular spot for dirt bikes, ATV and in the winter, snowmobiling. There are a lot of trails through the area, but we are completely unfamiliar with them because neither of us have ever really participated in those sports.

Anyway, at one point I tried to warn Marty that he was about to step in a mud hole, but he either didn’t hear me or thought it would be fine and stepped in it anyway. Well, he lost his shoe. So, I took some slightly embarrassing video of him trying to pry it out with a stick. I’m glad though he didn’t end up like the mudman. That would have been a long miserable walk home.

All in all we were outside for about 5 hours walking along right into Chippawa behind Marineland and then down the Marineland Parkway/McLeod Road and back home. My feet were black top and bottom because I wore flip flops like a moron and Marty was full of mosquito bites.

Oh, also, I took a picture of another spiked plant I’m unfamiliar with. If anyone could fill me in on what this is it would be appreciated. I didn’t break one of these spiked bulbs open, so I’m not sure if its a nut, a seed or some kind of fruit. Hopefully, one of you will know.






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Lower and Upper Decew Falls

Filed Under: Water by
Jun.29, 2011
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I got a pretty sweet last second invite to go on a short hike to Decew Falls and the Morningstar Mill yesterday. I have to say: I need to get out more and start doing this stuff again. Holy out of shape!

It was a quick and easy hike down to the water. Once you’re down there though the trail becomes a bit more difficult. The rocks and downed trees are all very wet and slippery. I have to say though, getting to the end quickly and standing underneath that water fall made the short hike more than worth it.

We also explored the “mine” beside the upper Decew Falls all the way to the end. Basically, the mine is actually a miniature trail race of sorts. Water stored in the Decew Reservoir ran through this tunnel after spinning turbines to generate electricity. Its like the Rankin Trailrace tunnel, sort of, but on a much smaller scale. The end of the tunnel is all sealed up now. Theres an old rusty valve at the end attached to a flush steal barrier. My camera flash wouldn’t work under those conditions unfortunately so I don’t have any photos of the interior to share.

The video below shows some swimming in the water at the base of the falls. I wouldn’t recommend this unless your wearing water shoes or some kind of protection. People have been known to party here and there could be broken glass on the bottom.





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It’s that time of year…

Filed Under: Public Awareness by
May.25, 2011
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The (unconfirmed) Dog Tick I found on my leg last night

After my first mountain bike outing of the year to Short Hills Provincial Park yesterday, I felt something on my leg as I was going to bed. As it turned out, it was tick!!! In a state of panic (with thoughts of Lyme Disease running through my head), I swatted it off and proceeded to crush it with my thumb nail, as their hard shell makes them difficult to kill. Thinking it was dead, I tossed it in the garbage.

Only after doing that did I start pouring through Wikipedia and tick/Lyme disease dedicated websites. I then found out that; 1) you need to carefully remove a tick with tweezers, 2) should keep the tick for lab testing, 3) shouldn’t kill it with your hands as it can spread disease, and 4) not all ticks carry Lyme. Now really, I knew about the tweezer thing and the lab testing, but the moment I spotted the tick I went into panic-mode and wasn’t thinking. I’m not even sure if it bit me, as it was quite easy to remove.

As luck may have it, after calling my doctor this morning, I took a shot at finding the tiny parasite in the garbage. I found it!!! It was still very much alive to my surprise.

Now I’m no expert on these things, but I think the tick that latched itself to me is a dog tick and is not particularly known to carry or pass on Lyme to humans (sigh of relief). Nonetheless, I will be taking it in for testing just to be on the safe side.

The ticks people need to worry about most in the Niagara Region are deer ticks. They are well-known to carry Lyme disease and are working they’re way into the area. Reported incidences are on the rise for Lyme disease, so if you are hiking in the woods, you should take proper precautions to avoid this unwanted guest.

To avoid tick bites you should:

  • use insect repellent containing DEET
  • wear light coloured clothing so ticks are easier to spot
  • wear long sleeved shirts and tuck pants into your socks (always a good look, I know)
  • after being in the outdoors, check yourself! Especially your scalp, armpits, groin and between your toes

At this point I am still waiting to hear back from my doctor regarding the next course of action. I have contacted them saying that I found the tick and don’t think it is a deer tick. However they may still want to test it. I will keep all of you posted as I find out more information.

For further information on ticks and Lyme Disease, check out these links:

Niagara Region Website
Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation

 



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