GUELPH POLITICAST #38 - Colin Oaks, Project Biologist for Trout Unlimited Canada

The months of May and June mark that time of year when we tend to spend less time in the house and more time outside. The weather is right in the Goldilocks zone: not too hot and not too cool, it's less cloudy and more sunny, and long walks by, let's say the river, are much more enjoyable. So not coincidentally, May and June also mark the 2Rivers Festival here in the Royal City.

According to the festival's website "Since its beginning in 2012, people have gathered to share, enjoy and discover all that these rivers bring to our community. By showing that we value our rivers, we contribute to actions that will help to protect them." Amongst the year's events are a photo scavenger hunt, a moonlight walk, a Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival event, a bike ride, bird watching, and, of course, the annual 2Rivers Clean-up (previously known as the Speed River Clean-up) now in its 37th year.

Water is always a hot issue in Guelph, and a two-month long celebration for our major water ways felt like it deserved some kind of coverage on this local news site, but how? I've talked to the organizers of the clean-up on several occasions, and while it might have been just as easy to reach out and interview the organizers of 2Rivers, I wanted to do something a little deeper. I started looking for an expert on Guelph's rivers, and that's how I found Colin Oaks of Trout Unlimited Canada.

Thanks to Colin's help, this podcast will track the history of the Speed and Eramosa Rivers, where the best fishing in Guelph is, the clear and present danger to our local water ways, and whether we all have a proper appreciation for our local rivers. It's a State of the Rivers report in other words. Along the way, we also learn about Colin's job as a project biologist, what that entails it terms of restoring the greatness of our local ecology, and a little more about the work of Trout Unlimited Canada, of which Guelph happens to be eastern headquarters.

So download this podcast and head down to the river trail, because this Guelph Politicast is dedicated to the water.

You can more about Trout Unlimited Canada at their website here, and you can learn more about the 2Rivers Festival by visiting its website here.

The theme music for Guelph Politicast is provided by Crazy Pills and their song "Break It Down" courtesy of Free Music Archive.

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Stay tuned for future editions of the Guelph Politicast!