“Years ago, I had no idea of the impact of residential development on the environment,” said Fonthill resident Kerry Kennedy, one of the most active voices in defense of the natural habitat in Niagara.
And it’s not just urban sprawl that has her worried. Invasive plants and critters are also a concern.
“Through my association with the Niagara Falls Nature Club (NFNC) I volunteer to steward the Harold Mitchell Nature Reserve, a property in Wainfleet,” she said. “An invasive bug species called Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (HWA) was found there, and on the neighbouring Long Beach Conservation Area property, in 2019. It was the first Ontario detection that was not able to be contained by removal, and burning the trees.”
Kennedy said that this insect, which more recently was detected in Pelham as well, will cause tree mortality in less than seven years without intervention.
“I am helping to coordinate a group of Niagara College Ecosystem Restoration program students, who will be monitoring the distribution with a project in their Wild Species Management class.”
Bring Back the Brookies is another Kennedy-led initiative. Hosted by the Niagara chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada (TUCN), Bring Back the Brookies is a learning and restoration program focused on preserving and protecting the cold water aquatic habitat in the upper section of Twelve Mile Creek. Aimed at Grades 7 to 9, but suitable for both younger children and adults, the local focus is on the declining population of brook trout, which are a strong indicator of a healthy aquatic environment. Modules include workbooks and videos, and emphasize experiential learning through field trips and walks along the creek.
“It’s an opportunity to take action to improve resilience and mitigate climate change impacts on the watershed and the community,” she said. “Planting trees and increasing forest cover help to address increased water temperatures and flood damage in the region.”
Raised in Alberta, Kennedy came east with her husband (current Niagara College president Sean Kennedy) and their two young sons in 2006, and remembers marvelling at Ontario’s hardwood forests. An elementary school teacher by training, her love of the outdoors prompted her to study ecosystem restoration at Niagara College, a one-year graduate certificate program within the College’s School of Environment and Horticulture, based at the 125-acre Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
These days her role is that of casual outdoor educator with the District School Board of Niagara, working at the Living Campus at Woodend Conservation Area in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and the Adventure Campus on Holland Road in Pelham.
Kennedy received the Award of Merit in 2021 from the NPCA, recognizing her significant efforts as a dedicated environmental educator and activist with several local organizations. She previously was an active member of the Birds on the Niagara Steering Committee, and a former co-chair of a bi-national conference that aimed to increase awareness about birds on both sides of the Niagara River. Kennedy has also worked with Niagara Envirothon on planting events and other educational programs for future generations.
One of Kennedy’s more recent involvements has been with NFNC’s partnership with students in Niagara College’s Ecosystem Restoration Program. The College has installed a Motus Tower at its Niagara on the Lake campus, which tracks the flight patterns of migratory birds and works in conjunction with hundreds of other such towers across North and South America. A $2500 donation from NFNC will fund a field training program for Niagara College students, tracking bird migration using radio transmitters tagged to individual birds. The system traces the exact path of a specific bird as it travels south, and over time, the data generated will help indicate the impacts of climate change, and may serve to assist at-risk species.
While at the family cottage during the summer, Kennedy works with the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation, leading an environmental awareness volunteer program for high schoolers called Youth Corps.
In her spare time during the winter months back in Pelham, she loves to cross country ski along woodland trails, when the snow accumulation is plentiful.
“My husband and I are empty nesters these days,” she said. “Our son Aidan is working at a ski hotel in Switzerland, and his brother Neil is recently married and working in Miami.”
