Re: Proposed Consolidation…

Re: Proposed Consolidation of Ontario’s Conservation Authorities

We are writing on behalf of the Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy to express our deep concern about the Ministry’s proposed consolidation of Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority into the “Huron-Superior Regional Conservation Authority.”

The Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy is a young and growing Land Trust, comprised of parts of Huron, Lambton, Middlesex, and Perth Counties. We work with landowners, community groups, and municipalities to acquire and protect land as natural habitat.

We are governed by a volunteer board of directors from across our catchment area. We all have unique skills and professions, but there’s one thing we all have in common: we care deeply about nature, which is under serious threat.

One of the most rewarding parts of our mission is working with the staff of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA). Their intimate knowledge of the local watersheds, and their technical assistance and expertise have been invaluable to our success as a Land Trust. Their roots in the community, cultivated over the last 80 years, have created a font of goodwill and trust.

As we at the Land Trust explore opportunities for conservation, we often find that ABCA staff have gone before us, paving the way. For instance, a year ago we received a very generous gift of 55 acres in the heart of Grand Bend – a property rich in biodiversity. The gift, celebrated by the community, was the culmination of a relationship between a landowner and an ABCA staff member that had been cultivated for the past 20 years through tree plantings and conservation advice.

In another instance, the Bayfield River Valley Trail Association raised funds to buy and donate a critical piece of land in Bayfield along the river. The community really got behind this project, with subsequent fundraising events to further enhance and protect the property. This is a great example of how local partnerships can work to make good things happen. In this instance, as well as others, the reputation of ABCA for environmental stewardship helped to build confidence and community support.

This strength of ABCA to work hand in hand with landowners and citizen-led groups creates community impact informed by community needs. We are very worried about losing this local connectivity by imposing a province-wide bureaucracy governed from a distance.

The Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy opposes the proposed “Huron-Superior Regional Conservation Authority.” We respectfully request that you reconsider the proposal for consolidation and continue to maintain a framework consistent with the local watershed-based approach built over many years by past conservative governments.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy