Helen Parker returned to her Hwy. 118 home June 17 to find a sign by her driveway warning that pesticides had been sprayed by Fowler Construction.

When she got out of the truck, she said she could smell and taste the chemical.

“Under the back of my tongue, I could feel a sensation. It is deeply offensive to me that, without notice, without scientific justification, without due diligence, a toxic pesticide was sprayed in the vicinity of my home and sensitive waterways,” she said.

Parker said the back of the sign gave no indication of why the spraying had been done, or what had been sprayed.

When she called Fowler’s 1-800 number on the sign, she claimed she was told they used Roundup – sprayed for phragmites, and ordered by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO).

Parker said they have a pond on their property and there are wetlands next to the highway. She added a large culvert allows water to flow to a tributary that feeds into local lakes. She added their home has been identified as a significant painted turtle and snapping turtle breeding area.

“A two-kilometre stretch both east and west of our home sees a waterway in most parts of the ditch on both sides of the highway. I have seen many dead turtles due to traffic hits. The last thing these turtles need in peak breeding season is Roundup,” Parker said.

She claimed there are “zero significant phragmites” in the waterway on their property, but said there are phragmites towards Carnarvon, some 10kms away.

A spokesperson for the MTO told The Highlander June 24 the ministry “has an established program to control invasive species along provincial highways to limit the spread of phragmites through a combination of herbicide application and plant cutting when conditions permit.” She added that when working in areas where invasive phragmites are present, their contractors must implement several environmental protection measures as detailed in the 2025 Environmental Guide for Managing Invasive Phragmites.

She said ministry staff confirmed the contractor complied with regulations. “Spraying was completed within the ministry highway right-of-way to control vegetation growth and improve sightlines to ensure the safety of all road users. No spraying occurred within 15 metres of a waterway.”

However, she added, “the contractor has been reminded that all signs must be properly filled out. Ministry staff will be monitoring for compliance.”

Connor Frazer, an environmental compliance officer for the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks in Peterborough, said on June 24, the ministry had not received public complaints about the spraying, or Fowler Construction.

“Although we cannot speak to the requirements and work ordered by the Ministry of Transportation, we can confirm the contractor has a valid Pesticide Operator Licence and licensed exterminators on staff to conduct roadside spraying. There are legislative exemptions for notification requirements when spraying roadside ditches for road maintenance. Ministry staff will follow up with Fowler Construction to discuss product(s) used and their application practises,” he said.

But Parker remains adamant pesticides should not have been sprayed.

“It’s sad that the first go-to is to spray poison near wetlands before asking is this necessary?

“My photos of dead vegetation show they did, in fact, spray within 15 metres of a wetland. For years, people thought asbestos was a terrific building product – now we know otherwise. Roundup is toxic – that’s why they erected the signs.”

Carolyn Langdon of Haliburton County Master Gardeners said it seems early in the year to be applying herbicide. “It is done before the grasses set seed. I hope it wasn’t a windy day or a hot day as this affects the uptake of the herbicide.

“Herbicide application in sensitive habitats should be restricted to late summer through to early fall. This timing coincides with senescence of most native plants and reduced activity of native wildlife and species-at-risk and allows for the herbicide to be translocated into the root system.”

She added, “HCMG agree that spraying in wetland areas needs to be assessed and done with great care. Applying herbicide in these habitats should be the last option of treatment. Plants can become resistant to herbicides so if herbicides are to be used, it is important that it is done properly.”

There will soon be a new nature-focused feature greeting people as they arrive at Archie Stouffer Elementary School (ASES) – and it has the entire school community abuzz.

The Minden facility recently secured Bee School status, following in the footsteps of its home township, which was named a Bee City in April 2024. ASES parent council member, Aurora McGinn, said the designation has been in the works since last fall.

“There were some really mature white pine trees cut down in the school’s parking lot last year – they were danger trees, so it had to be done, but the parent council really started talking about how we might beautify the area,” McGinn told The Highlander. “The purpose of the school council is to enhance student achievement. So, we began to think about how we can make this area pretty while also encouraging education.”

They landed on establishing a pollinator garden where the trees had once stood. It will be divided into two sections, with room for future growth. McGinn said the idea is for ASES to utilize the space during class time and after school.

““We want to put in native plants, which will help maintain biodiversity and balance the eco-system. ASES students are already connected to the environment in so many great ways, so this will be just another avenue for them to nurture that relationship, to get their hands dirty, have an outdoor classroom and get connected with nature,” McGinn said.

“Hopefully, we’ll provide them with the tools they need to create their own gardens at home – whether now, or when they’re older,” she added.

Key pollinators include bees, hummingbirds, beetles, flies and ladybugs, which move pollen from one flower to another, enabling fertilization and the production of seeds, fruits and vegetables. They’re a vital part of our food system, McGinn said.

McGinn noted several ASES teachers are involved in the project, with pollinators forming a key part of the elementary science curriculum. Talks are ongoing to establish a school garden club, in partnership with the Minden Junior Horticultural Club.

The Haliburton County Master Gardeners is assisting, offering suggestions for suitable native plants. McGinn said there will be lots featured, including scarlet beebalm, spotted joe-pye weed, American brown nut, biennial bee blossom, brown fox sedge, sweetgrass, wild chives, black-eyed Susan, slender mountain mint, New England aster, sky blue aster, tall sunflower, Prairie smoke, swamp milkweed, anise hyssop, white heath aster, and zigzag golden rod.

The team will begin planting flowers next fall. Now, they’re looking for the community to pitch in with tarp and mulch to prepare the site.

“We really think and hope this garden will be a community endeavour, and that we can inspire a sense of pride and ownership for the entire town. It would be lovely if this were here for the next 20, 30 years.

“Once it’s established, it really won’t need much care. These plants thrive on their own – they won’t need to be watered throughout the summer. We’re doing the work now, so that nature can take over,” she said.

Highlands-based charity Turtle Guardians has moved into new digs in Haliburton village, with lead Leora Berman hoping the relocation provides the non-profit with more of a presence in the community.

Staff and volunteers have spent months redesigning the lower level at 235 Highland St., creating a welcoming space for people wanting to learn more about one of the world’s oldest reptile species. The charity was located at the Haliburton fish hatchery on Gelert Road for about seven years, vacating the space in January.

“We’ve been looking for a new home for three years. Space was a challenge where we were, but the biggest problem was we didn’t have running water,” Berman said.

Berman said she loved being part of the community hatchery, but noted it was costing $800 a month transporting water to the site, while staff have been injured lugging around heavy buckets.

With about double the footprint to work with now, Berman and her team have given Turtle Guardians a fresh look. The main foyer was designed with children in mind. Bookcases line the walls, while there’s colours and decorations intended to mimic the outdoors; a structural support has been turned into a paper mâché tree, with the bright blue walls mimicking a clear summer day sky.

There are six rooms – some office space for staff, but also ones dedicated for turtle rehabilitation, turtle feeding, and youth programming. There will also be an “interpretive room” that Berman said will feature rolling exhibitions about things like turtle biology and behaviour.

Tours lasting 45 minutes are available during regular hours – Tuesdays/Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Wednesdays/ Thursdays from 1 to 6 p.m. – and are $10 for people 15 and older, and $7 for children.

“Each one will be different depending on what your interests are. But there will be lots of learning opportunities – we’ll show you how to safely handle a turtle, and how to work with snapping turtles,” Berman great variety of music, local news & info! said. “I don’t know a kid that isn’t inspired or intrigued by turtles.”

All of the 20 turtles in the charity’s care arrived from the Ontario Turtle Trauma Centre and other facilities because they were disabled. Berman regards them as ambassadors, or “teaching turtles.”

Turtle Guardians is the third largest incubator in Ontario, Berman said, providing a controlled environment for the care and protection of nests that were in risky spaces. They have volunteers out in the community daily responding to incidents involving turtles on the road.

The group has over 180 registered volunteers and six sister chapters across the continent, in Ontario, Texas, California and Florida. Turtle Guardians also works with the OPP and several Canadian municipalities on training and strategies to ensure turtle nesting sites aren’t disturbed during road maintenance.

She said it’s important to save as many turtles as possible as it can take up to 60 years to replace fully-grown adults, which play a “vital role” in our lakes.

The group carries out lengthy research projects, too. Michaela Bouffard, a biologist and road ecologist, has been working with Turtle Guardians for the past year investigating how adult pheromones impact hatchling turtles. Recently, staff have noted an increase in egg implosions when they’re excavated from nests.

“We want to do some analysis to figure out why that is – whether it’s down to calcium deficiencies in the environment, the presence of microplastics or glyphosatebased herbicides,” Bouffard said. Berman noted the Highlands region is the only one in the province reporting this type of issue.

The charity is also finalizing testing for a turtle eco-passage fencing prototype, which Berman said can be installed at known road crossings where there are existing culverts. She hopes it will limit the number of turtles being hit by cars.

“We just have to get engineer [approval] and they’ll be ready to roll out across Ontario.”

As of June 22, 11 crews, consisting of 56 fire rangers and 13 overhead staff, have been deployed from the Haliburton Fire Management Headquarters (FMH) to wildland fires in the northwest region of Ontario.

Shayne McCool, fire information officer northeast region, said four crews and two overhead staff are currently in the field from the Haliburton FMH.

So far this season, Haliburton staff have been deployed to Kenora, Red Lake, Fort Frances, Sioux Lookout and Nipigon.

A deployment is typically a two-week fire assignment, which can extend to as long as 19 days with travel time.

There have been three wildland fires in the Haliburton forest management area this season.

The last was Haliburton 3 at 40.7 hectares. It was located in the northeast corner of Algonquin Park, and was confirmed out on May 12.

Francis Thomas Contracting partnered with the Haliburton County Home Builders Association May 28 to host an educational site visit for Grade 12 students from Haliburton Highlands Secondary School.

The initiative, aimed at encouraging youth to explore careers in construction and mining, brought students to Francis Thomas Contracting’s quarry on North Shore Road for an immersive, hands-on experience.

Students began their day at the scale house, where they were introduced to the operational side of quarry logistics. They explored the digital systems that track and manage material flow, and gained insight into the responsibilities of scale house personnel – a critical part of the quarry’s daily function. Following this, students observed material stockpiling processes before taking a guided walk around the crushing plant, where the quarry’s crushing operations were in full swing.

“There’s a real need for youth interest in the skilled trades and mining,” said Keith Thomas. “We’re proud to help bridge that gap by showing students the real-world applications of what a career in construction can look like.”

At the Post House on Lake Kashagawigamog, chef Dan Sanders extends a container of locally-grown mushrooms to Haliburton Highlands Secondary School student Veronica Beynon to have a sniff.

Sanders was discussing his career with hospitality students June 12 as teacher Darla Searle’s class visited Molly’s Bistro Bakery, and the Post House to learn more about the industry. They also heard from Kayla Gardiner of the Bonnie View Inn.

Post House front of house manager, Justine Dart, took the students on a tour and talked to them about the business and job opportunities in tourism and hospitality.

Dart said the Post House operates as an inn and a restaurant “so there’s a whole bunch of different facets, and things that need to be covered, and as far as possible careers go, there’s lots of different ways to think about it. There is the serving side and the restaurant side, all the food and beverage, there is the cheffing side. Then, there is the business of getting rooms ready, and keeping them nice, and greeting everyone, and advertising.”

Gardiner talked about event planning. She handles weddings at Bonnie View, and plans others on her own. She told students she began at their age, starting a cleaning company in Grade 10, with many jobs after. She added the industry took her to Australia, Iceland and Banff.

Her advice? “Never too early to start and always having a side hustle.” She said being calm, goal-oriented and organized is necessary, as are communication skills.

Sanders’ advice for students wanting to one day chef was to get an apprenticeship, as it will get them into a kitchen as fast as possible. He suggested they work at the best fine dining restaurants to learn. He said it takes 10 years to get to be a chef. He added one has to be passionate and “into food” to choose the career. However, he said it takes hard work and requires constant learning.

Searle said, “as much as I can tell them in the classroom there’s eight sectors in the tourism industry, they still only think about the cooking as one. So, this opportunity provides them a way to see all of the different parts of the industry work together.”

She added most students don’t realize how much tourism and hospitality there is in the Highlands.

“Any time that I can expand their knowledge about the industry, show them real world examples of what this industry does; I also try to sell them that the hospitality and tourism industry is the one industry that is worldwide.” She said even if it is not their calling, it is a means to see the world as a young person. It can also provide jobs to pay for post-secondary education.

As for the day, Beynon said, “it’s been really fun…the small bakery was very nice and now we get to come to a larger scale restaurant kitchen. It’s nice to see the differences in person and talk to a chef.”

The County’s economic development and tourism team organized the opportunity, similar to the skilled trades event. Tourism coordinator Eric Casper said “the overall goal is just to get this sector of students realizing it is a career path.”