Sustainability and the Environment
Tay Township is located on the shores of Severn Sound (Georgian Bay) and is a rural and small urban municipality with a permanent population of 10,000.
Pollinator Week
June 17-23, 2024 is National Pollinator Week! This is an annual event celebrated internationally in support of pollinator health. It's a time to celebrate pollinators and spread the word about what we can do to protect them.
National Pollinator Week was marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. Pollinator Week has now grown into an international celebration, promoting the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats, beetles, moths, wasps, and flies.
Additional information can be found at the Severn Sound Environmental Association or Pollinator Partnership.
The Ontario Tree Atlas: South Central region website is a great tool to learn which trees are native to Ontario and the best species to plant where we live.
Tay Township is one of 8 municipalities that make up the Severn Sound Environmental Association, who are all included in the Severn Sound Watershed.
Sustainable Severn Sound (SSS) is a collaborative, multi-sector sustainability program with the objectives to:
- Educate municipalities on best practices and connect them to resources.
- Encourage the adoption of practices/policies within local municipal operations to support sustainable communities.
- Advocate for sustainable environmental, social and economic practices/policies.
SSS is currently leading the development of the region’s first Regional Climate Change Action Plan and Local Climate Change Action Plan.
Tay Township is almost 140 squre km in size, with approximately 70 km of shoreline, only 5% of which is owned by the municipality. More than 1,000 properties are located along the shoreline in Tay - this means that property owners can do a lot to influence the health of the Tay shoreline.
The purpose of the Tay Township Shoreline Guide is to provide information and education about interesting aspects of the Tay shoreline, and to improve awareness about the positive contributions waterfront property owners and lake users can make to enhance and sustain the health of the shoreline and lake.
Turtles in Ontario are protected under the fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. If you see a turtle, please do not disturb it or remove it from its habitat. If you see a turtle wandering over land in spring or early summer, it is most likely a female about to lay her eggs. Watch it, love it, but leave it!
What To Do With Turtles on Roads
If you find a turtle on the road, lane, or road ditch and it is injured contact the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre. If the turtle is not injured and isn't nesting move it across the road in the direction the turtle is facing.
If you find a turtle at a wetland, land, or garden do not move the turtle unless it is in immediate danger.
Proper Turtle Handling
Do:
✅Use both hands, positioned firmly at the side of the turtle.
✅For snapping turtles, position hands at the rear of shell. For larger snapping turtles, position one hand and the rear of the shell and the other underneath the turtle.
✅Expect the turtle to hiss and/or scratch your hands.
✅Expect the turtle to possibly urinate.
✅Always be aware of the turtle's head.
Do Not
❌Tap on the shell or knock it
❌Pick up a turtle that you are not comfortable with holding
❌Pick up by tail
Nesting Turtles
When you find a nesting turtle on a roadway
1- If safe to do so pull over
2- Keep your distance to avoid spooking the turtle (at least 2 car lengths away)
3- Call the Saving Turtles at Risk Today hotline (705) 955-4284
4- Wait until the turtle has stopped nesting and is walking away. Once the turtle covers the nest, make sure it has gotten off the road safely.
SSEA's Invasive species program involves working with area partners to prevent, detect, monitor and manage invasive species in the severn sound area.
Learn what invasive species may be in your garden.
European Gypsy Moth, now being referred to by its scientific name 'Lymantria dispar dispar' or LDD, has continued to cause defoliation in the County of Simcoe since 2021.
Read a letter from the County of Simcoe Operations Forester Will Cox, Associate R.P.F (September 15, 2021).
The Gypsy Moth is a non-native, invasive insect that was brought to North America in the 1860s from Europe. It was first established in Massachusetts and spread to Ontario by 1969. It is now a well-established forest pest throughout much of the province.
An important characteristic of the Gypsy Moth is that their populations are cyclical in nature. Their population surges approximately every 7-10 years and when it rises rapidly, it has historically been followed by a crash. This may be due to competition for resources or mortality from a host-specific virus or fungus.
Ontario’s Invasive Species Centre offers resources and information to help people prevent LDD moth from damaging their trees.
- In the spring, landowners can put bands of burlap around their trees. This gives the larvae a place to congregate during warm days and they can be physically removed and killed.
- In the fall, landowners can remove and destroy egg masses.
Landowners wishing to reduce impacts on their property can also have trees sprayed with Btk (Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki) in the spring by a licensed insecticide application company. This is best carried out by coordinating efforts with other local landowners. Landowners can check their local listings for a reputable insect control provider in their area. In the past, demand for aerial spraying of LDD has exceeded industry capacity. If landowners are considering having their property sprayed, it is best to engage a licensed insecticide application company as early as possible.
The pest was first discovered in southern Simcoe County in 2013. By 2016 it has been found in over half of the local municipalities within the County, including several locations in Tay Township.
For further information on the Emerald Ash Borer, please visit the links below:
Species at Risk
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources provides a list of species at risk in our region that are an important part of our natural heritage.
That the report dated March 19, 2014 pertaining to Tay Township becoming a Blue Community be accepted;
And that Council endorses the Blue Communities Project with the understanding that bottled water can still be sold at municipal facilities and during municipal events during a transition period;
And further that the Township will consider options on how to increase access to water refill stations.
Township Staff Report - March 19, 2014
Council of Canadians Blog: WIN! Tay Township votes to be a blue community
Tay Township
450 Park Street, PO Box 100
Victoria Harbour
ON L0K 2A0
Phone: 705-534-7248
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