Keeping track of Medway Creek’s rehabilitation one photo at a time

The public has an opportunity to help document the changing landscape of a wetland in London. CTV’s Lauren Stallone brings the details.

A new addition to an ecological restoration site at Western University’s Medway Creek Bank is inviting visitors to be a part of the rehabilitation process, captured through the lens of a phone.

Visitors to the site, located behind Westminster Hall, are encouraged to place their phone on the photo station, snap a photo, and it is automatically added to the Chronolog timelapse, where they can monitor environmental changes over time.

“We will be able to track how the vegetation community is growing, and people can see what it looks like to restore Creek Bank,” said environmental advocate and Project Lead Brendon Samuels.

The project first began in 2023 when environmental advocates noticed flooding in the Thames River watershed. They said as storms become more frequent, due to climate change, flooding will become an increasing problem.

“What we are trying to do is ensure that our watercourses have robust, riparian zones around them,” said Samuels. “Vegetation that grows and helps limits the effects of flooding in our neighborhoods.”

Students and volunteers planted live stakes cut from sandbar willow trees and shrubs to stabilize the creek bank and restore the habitat.

“It’s also much better for biodiversity and for human health and well-being,” said Samuels. “Creating access to nature and making sure that wildlife can move safely through the city.”

The new contribution to the site will serve as an opportunity for Londoners to learn more about the ecosystems that make up Ontario’s Forest City.

“This provides a really focal example for our community,” said Samuels. “Not only showing what’s effective but also how the project is expected to change over time.”

The photo station is the first of its kind in London.