Background
The Hamilton Conservation Authority and its partners have been working together since 2007 to implement the Healthy Hamilton Watersheds Action Plan. Partners of this initiative include: Bay Area Restoration Council, City of Hamilton, Green Venture, Hamilton-Halton Watershed Stewardship Program (Hamilton Conservation Authority and Conservation Halton), Hamilton-Wentworth Stewardship Council and Royal Botanical Gardens.
The goal of the Healthy Hamilton Watersheds Action Plan is to improve the health of our local watersheds and ultimately, the Hamilton Harbour so that it may be delisted as a Great Lakes Area of Concern. The health of the watersheds is vital; they include many significant natural features and contain one of the most important Great Lakes coastal wetlands, fish hatcheries and migratory bird sanctuaries in Ontario – Cootes Paradise.
Taking action
Local stakeholders work together to develop strategies called Stewardship Action Plans. These plans identify environmental pressures and provide solutions to mitigate these pressures within individual subwatersheds. An important component of the initiative is public engagement in planning and implementing activities. The Stewardship Action Plans are implemented by the Healthy Hamilton Watersheds Action Plan Implementation Team. Each team member is responsible for identifying the stewardship actions in each plan that they will implement.
Stewardship actions include:
- Educating the public through community stewardship
- Undertaking new studies and collecting data
- Restoring the natural environment
Achieving results
- 337 environmental restoration projects implemented
- 25,545 trees and plants planted
- 79.39 acres of habitat restored/protected
- 2.8 kilometres of in-stream and riparian habitat protected/restored
- 285 community events held
The Healthy Hamilton Watersheds Action Plan has brought relevant stakeholders to the table to develop and own the plan, empowering the community to take an active role in implementing environmental solutions.
