Remembering Newell Hastings
Baby boom for Sydenham turtles
August 28, 2018
It’s not often you get to hold a birthday bash for 500 babies.
But that’s exactly what happened Friday at the A.W. Campbell Conservation area near Alvinston.
The second ‘Turtley Awesome Shellabration’ event was held to mark the progress of an ongoing turtle hatchling program of the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority.
Normally, one in 1,000 turtles will survive to birth if left on their own but the conservation authority’s hatching program means one in 100 survive.
“This is a success story,” says Kelli Smith, watershed biologist for the authority. “We’re here to give the turtles a helping hand and to boost their numbers.”
For more on this story, pick up your copy of The Independent in stores now.
NEXT
Graham wants to put experience gained in homeland to work in Petrolia
PREVIOUS
PETROLIA ELECTION: Purdy wants more youth facilities, crosswalks and to revisit composting
Front Page
Remembering Newell Hastings
June 14, 2025
Heather Wright/The Independent Sunday, Newell Hasting’s service to King and Country over a century ago was remembered in a peaceful church cemetery near Watford. Hasting was born in Petrolia and his family moved to Watford around the turn of the century. He signed up to serve in the miltia with Watford’s 149th Battalion before being called up for service. He
Read More
Front Page
Sidewalk projects around First Ave this summer
June 13, 2025
Heather Wright/The Independent Sidewalks along First Street in Petrolia will be getting an upgrade once school is out for the summer. It’s part of the latest large project to improve the town’s sidewalk system. In 2023, BM Ross and Associates completed a study on Petrolia’s sidewalk system and found it lacking. It suggested $1.5 million in sidewalk construction was needed
Read More
Front Page
Aamjiwnaang evacuates parts of community as INEOS decommissioning increases benzene levels
June 13, 2025
Leaders of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation are evacuating residents between Churchill Road and Tashmoo Ave after high levels of benzene have been detected in the area. Just before noon Friday, INEOS Styrolutions issued a notice saying hourly benzene emissions have been detected about 0.021 parts per million. The company is decommissioning the plant which is within eyesight of Aamjiwnaang’s band
Read More
Front Page
St Philip’s student wins big at national fair
June 13, 2025
The Independent Ben Harper made a splash at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Fredericton taking home a bronze medal. The Grade 8 student from St. Philip’s in Petrolia presented his climate-focused project called A Wavy Problem – Navigating the Surges of Climate Change last week and won a bronze medal in his division. The Petrolia student tested six different offshore
Read More