EMERCA* is a registered charity established in 1990, to represent  the community’s commitment to wetlands ecosystem health in the Eramosa River valley and to provide publicly accessible natural areas for the community.

We appreciate and thank the Eden Mills Community Club for providing this web page, and for the use of the Hall for EMERCA meetings.

*While the ‘EMERCA’ acronym is new, we’re still the same environmental group in Eden Mills Ontario. The word ‘Millpond’ was replaced by ‘Eramosa River’ to reflect the change in focus due to the permanently low water level at the (former) millpond. We’re the Eden Mills Eramosa River Conservation Association.

Next Meeting

Thursday June 10, 7pm.

Please join us for our Annual General Meeting.  Register via email and to obtain the Zoom link. Thank you! Everyone is welcome to attend, but only 2021 members are eligible to vote. 

To keep up-to-date with current activities, please visit our Facebook page!   Questions? - send an email.

Activities & Updates

Educational opportunities, community involvement and regular meetings are facilitated by our dedicated volunteers and community-minded environmentalists.

Our most recent accomplishment was the completion of the ‘East Branch Naturalization Project’. (See Project Report below.)

Every year EMERCA collaborates with University of Guelph students on projects of mutual interest in the community. This year, the graduating Environmental Science students are creating a guidebook on ‘Wetland Ecology’ to inform young students about the biology of this area. It will be available in print and digital format in spring 2021.

The owners of the Edgewood Trails property have donated the 38 acres of protected wetlands & trails to rare Charitable Research Reserve, a registered land trust. These lands, with public access to trails, will now be preserved and protected in perpetuity.  Please visit the newly created web page for Edgewood Trails hosted by EMCC for additional information and contacts. 

The community has access for the peaceful enjoyment of natural areas in the village thanks to public-spirited landowners as well as the support of EMERCA leasing, maintaining and insuring the Millpond lands, and the Edgewood Trails property (rare refers to this as Property 2).

 

East Branch Naturalization Project Report

In 2020, community worked together to naturalize the head of the East Channel of the Eramosa River.

The slide show report outlines the details, drawings and lots of photos! Click here for YouTube video. To read some of the text slides, just pause the video.

The working group began in 2016, and developed a project vision and objectives: to restore a healthy and resilient river ecosystem and allow fish passage in times of low water flow, with no increase in the risk of flooding.