Landowners' efforts receive new support

Posted: September 4, 2009

Landowners receive boost for their environmental efforts

Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk provides $104,000

to support projects in Ausable River watershed to protect species at risk, water quality

Landowners in the Ausable River watershed now have more funding available for their improvement projects to help protect species at risk and improve water quality.

Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk (HSP) has approved $104,000 in new funding through the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) for environmental projects to improve the Ausable River watershed as part of the Ausable River Recovery Strategy.

Some of the funding will support local farmers to modify farm machinery to reduce crop land erosion. That helps keep soil on the land and keep sediment out of the Ausable River watercourse, which is home to many species at risk. The HSP support will also help restore wetlands in the Ausable River watershed to reduce sediment and nutrients in the local watercourse. Other habitat improvement projects include planting of native trees and shrubs along the river and support for landowner initiatives to fence livestock out of the river.

The funding will also support species at risk education in ten local school classes, public outreach, increased species at risk surveying and monitoring and stream habitat mitigation. Other initiatives made possible by the support of the HSP program include education and the closing of some river crossings to prevent damage by all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). The funding will also make it possible for the ABCA to work with the people of Port Franks and area to create a community-developed management plan to protect aquatic species at risk there.

Download local Habitat Stewardship Program flyer now.

It is members of the local community who make improvement of the watershed possible, according to Kate Monk, ABCA Stewardship and Conservation Lands Supervisor. “Local landowners volunteer their time on the Stewardship and Outreach Recovery Implementation Group and local farmers and other property owners are also the ones who are initiating projects to improve the watershed,” she said. Monk said the HSP funding allows more landowners to undertake more projects to improve the river and protect the species at risk that live in it.

Interested property owners near the Ausable River are encouraged to contact the ABCA at 519-235-2610 or 1-888-286-2610 or visit abca.on.ca or e-mail kmonk@abca.on.ca to find out about this and other programs to assist their positive stewardship efforts.