I reside in Thunder Bay, ON…

I reside in Thunder Bay, ON which is located in northwestern Ontario. We are currently under the management of the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority (LRCA). If successful, this downsizing operation will amalgamate my regions management in with southern Ontario's. This is a huge mistake. At our latitude, our ecosystem is distinct from southern Ontario's. We exist on the ecotone of the boreal forest with very little influence from the predominantly deciduous forests of southern Ontario. If you remove the expertise of the LRCA from this area, it WILL be mismanaged. It is not enough to do your research from a distance. These people have lived and worked here their whole lives. They know the forests, the unique flora and fauna, and the watershed dynamics. They are experts in their field and are familiar with the unique threats and environmental pressures this region faces. And they are not all the same pressures that are threatening the ecological integrity of southern Ontario's natural spaces. This region is distinct. It is valuable. It should be managed by people who know it well and who CARE, not by people hundreds of kilometers away that have never even been here. Also, if you can't tell, the LRCA has a huge impact on our community. You would be pressed to find someone living in Thunder Bay that doesn't frequent the conservation areas managed by the LRCA. Love for nature is at the heart of our city and they keep it alive. We are all involved in their organization, either as visitors, volunteers, or donors. Removing them as a management body is a mistake that threatens the ecological health of our region and the health of all those who benefit from these exceptionally managed areas, in a addition to all the work the LRCA does to benefit the environment in and around our city as a whole. I hope that you will recognize the unique and undeniable value that the LRCA has in a region that has management needs and ecolocal values that are distinct from southern Ontario's. And I hope that you will reconsider.