Friends of the Coves Subwatershed Inc.

About Friends of the Coves Subwatershed Inc.

Friends of the Coves Subwatershed Inc. is a community organization located in the Wortley Village area of London, Ontario. The group serves local residents and visitors by protecting, restoring, and celebrating the Coves, which consists of three oxbow ponds and an Environmentally Significant Area (ESA). The organization focuses on the stewardship of this natural landscape, which was formed by an abandoned meander of the Thames River and is situated southwest of downtown London. The organization works toward four primary goals identified in the Coves Subwatershed Plan: public access, stewardship, rehabilitation, and ecosystem education. Specific initiatives include bringing more land into public ownership, designing trails, and engaging local landowners in adopting ecologically-friendly practices on private property. They also work to enhance aquatic and terrestrial habitats, establish nature corridors, and involve area schools, community groups, and service clubs in conservation efforts. Additionally, the group performs ecosystem monitoring to assess parameters such as water quality. The Coves is recognized by the City of London as an Environmentally Significant Area due to its distinctive landforms, sensitive forest species, and its role as a corridor back to the Thames. The area is home to provincially rare forest types, including black walnut and hackberry, and provides breeding habitat for species such as the Savannah Sparrow and Brown Thrasher. The organization notes that because the ESA is almost entirely privately owned, its future depends on the care provided by local landowners and residents.