Fred Dobbs, manager of stewardship services at the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA), received an Award of Recognition June 29 at the Natural Channels Systems Conference, a national event held every four years.
Dobbs was recognized for his outstanding commitment to advancing the field of natural channel restoration.
“Over his ongoing 37-year career, Fred has worked with many conservation partners and funders to restore stream and floodplain habitat in the Nottawasaga Watershed,” said Doug Hevenor, CAO of NVCA. “His personal commitment to the field almost matches the passion he brings to his work. Fred is always willing to share his knowledge with newcomers, with an infectious enthusiasm.”
While at NVCA, Dobbs coordinated the natural channel design for the Black Ash Creek Floodway in Collingwood, constructed floodplains on Beeton Creek in New Tecumseth, and completed multiple dam removal projects among countless other smaller projects.
Most recently, he and his team are working at restoring 10 kilometres of the Nottawasaga River and just completed one of southern Ontario’s largest trout stream restoration projects. They also worked on species at risk protection initiatives, including Lake Sturgeon research and Brook Lamprey habitat creation.
In addition to strong field skills, Dobbs and his team use existing support to develop funding applications designed to leverage additional dollars. Every dollar provided through municipal levy typically generates four dollars of external funding for projects.
“This award is a testament to the partners, funders and volunteers in the Nottawasaga Valley, as well as NVCA staff and board members who contributed to and supported the restoration projects,” said Dobbs. “I enjoy giving a little back to our naturalenvironment by coordinating the restoration of the Nottawasaga River and its tributaries. One side benefit is that I get to enjoy flyfishing in these beautiful watercourses.”
Dobbs received his award at the Natural Channels System Conference banquet in Guelph. The Natural Channels Initiative is supported by the Canadian Water Resources Institute.
Friends of the Mad River, NVCA invite community input on Avening project
The NVCA and The Friends of the Mad River will be hosting a community meeting and information session in Avening on Wednesday, July 26 to discuss bank stabilization and habitat enhancement.
Partners will be sharing the design drawings for the first project site at Carruthers Memorial Conservation Area in Avening.
They are also hoping to consult with park users about how they use the park, what they value about it and how they can incorporate park user’s ideas into the restoration designs. An online survey is being circulated in advance of the meeting, available at www.surveymonkey.com/r/HHFVWBY.
Meet at the pavilion at Carruthers Memorial Conservation Area at 6 p.m. People are welcome to bring snacks to share to contribute to a potluck.