Birds such as downey and hairy woodpeckers, cardinals, house sparrows, and flycatchers have stopped visiting the east bank of the Mimico Creek riparian area at the Van Dusen Bvld bridge. Wildlife now favour the west bank, moving further downstream where shade and undisturbed vegetation is available. It is possible that a habitat patch has been lost due to erosion and removal of riparian forest along Mimico Creek.
Significance of the Area
The Mimico watershed is home to 503 species of plants and animals, which are highly dependent on habitat patches for movement north and south through the watershed (Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, 2013). The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority recommends riparian forest coverage of approximately 30% to maintain diverse, resilient, and healthy ecosystems (TRCA, 2016). However, the Mimico Creek watershed only has 2.2% coverage (Haynes, 2007, p.7).
Causal Factors
On July 8, 2013, a flood resulted in massive washouts along the Mimico Creek bank. One of the impacts of the flood was creek bed erosion causing damage to a sanitary pipe. The City of Toronto did extensive work to repair the pipe and stabilize the creek bed using concrete (City of Toronto, 2015). To accommodate large trucks and equipment during construction, trees and underbrush were removed from the east bank (City of Toronto, 2015). Although the notice states that trees will be replanted in the area, no such action has been taken. The tree removal opened up access for pedestrian traffic and recreation that has significantly increased.
References
City of Toronto (2015). Construction Notice – South Mimico Sanitary Trunk Sewer Erosion Protection. Retrieved April 17, 2017 from https://www1.toronto.ca/City%20Of%20Toronto/Engineering%20and%20Construction%20Services/Construction%20Information%20and%20Notices/Ward%2005/s-mimico_erosion-w5_oct26-15a.pdf
Hayes, S. (2007) Mimico Creek Study Area - Terrestrial Biological Inventory and Assessment. Retrieved from https://trca.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/MimicoCreekStudyArea-TerrestrialBiologicalInventoryandAssessment-April2007-Email.pdf
Toronto Region Conservation Authority. (2016). Watershed Features. Retrieved April 17, 2017, from https://trca.ca/conservation/watershed-management/etobicoke-mimico-creek/watershed-features/
Toronto Region Conservation Authority. (2013). Watershed Report Card – Humber. Retrieved April 17, 2017 from https://trca.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/2173_WatershedReportCards_Humber_rev15_forWeb.pdf
Observations From Members 