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NVCA receives provincial grant to restore wetlands

June 20, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority will be receiving a grant for $125,000 to restore and enhance eight wetlands in the Nottawasaga Watershed through the Wetlands Conservation Partner Program.

Around 70 per cent of wetlands have been lost in the Nottawasaga Watershed. This is comparable to other areas in Southern Ontario.

Dubbed ‘Return of the Wetlands,’ this project will restore and enhance 2.55 hectares of wetland habitat, providing linkages between larger existing wetland blocks and controlling invasive species that threaten shoreline wetland ecosystems.

“For decades, NVCA has worked to restore rivers and wetlands in the Nottawasaga Watershed,” said Fred Dobbs, Manager of Stewardship Services at NVCA. “Thanks to this grant from the province, we are able to work with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, South Simcoe Streams Network, local environmental associations, rural landowners and corporate partners. Wetland restoration projects help improve water quality, fish and wildlife habitat and flood resiliency across the watershed.”

More than 300 volunteers will be actively engaged as part of this initiative through the planting of 5,000 native trees, shrubs, and wetland plants and the removal of invasive Phragmites.

“It’s great to see conservation leaders working together to help enhance and restore wetlands, preventing flooding and improving water quality,” said Andrea Khanjin, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “Our government is proud to work with partners like the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority who are engaging with hundreds of volunteers to plant thousands of new native trees and remove invasive species to protect wetland ecosystems and support a healthy and prosperous Ontario.”

In 2020, Ontario introduced the Wetlands Conservation Partner Program. Over the past five years, the program has invested $31 million in funding to restore and enhance wetlands across the province.

The data collected from the Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network allows NVCA staff to develop a better understanding of the condition and health of the watershed. 

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