The St. Clair Region Conservation Authority (SCRCA) held its 2022 Annual General Meeting virtually last week, and prior to the business portion of the meeting, Authority Chair, Lorie Scott reflected on the challenges and successes experienced by the Authority over the past year. The Authority also celebrated it’s 60th Anniversary in 2021 with a small event on National Tree Day to acknowledge two significant milestones, the planting of over 4 million trees and the creation of 100 hectares of wetland, over it’s 60-year history. Conservation Awards were presented during the meeting to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions of community members to the health of the St. Clair Region.
The annual meeting also marked the release of the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority’s 2021 Annual Report that highlighted the innovative and creative work of the Authority’s staff and Board to maintain services and connect with the local community. Of note in 2021, the Authority:
– Continued to experience increased traffic and demand for camping at local Conservation Areas.
– Planted 79,000 tree seedlings throughout the watershed.
– Secured almost $300,000 in grant funding to support 42 stewardship projects on local landowner’s properties.
– Built on the success of their 2020 Captive Hatch and Release Program with the release of over 2,000 turtle hatchlings into the wild – including over 1,100 of the endangered Eastern Spiny Softshell turtle.
– Completed shoreline protection projects along local shorelines to protect critical municipal infrastructure and properties from flooding and erosion.
– Undertook a service delivery review of the SCRCA’s Planning and Regulations department to review efficiencies and provide recommendations to support the increased demand for planning and regulations services throughout the watershed.
– Engaged students in conservation education through innovative virtual and in-person programs developed to meet the different learning models implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bluewater Association for Safety, Environment, and Sustainability (BASES)
The Bluewater Association for Safety, Environment, and Sustainability (BASES), launched in May 2021, was created to provide a home for the interactive exchange of information in Sarnia-Lambton related to the protection of workers, the public, and the environment. It bridges three local organizations – Sarnia-Lambton Community Awareness and Emergency Response, the Sarnia-Lambton Environmental Association, and the Sarnia-Lambton Industrial Educational Cooperative.
As a result of community feedback received during the organization’s development, the BASES website provides Sarnia-Lambton residents with requested information pertaining to 1) industrial initiatives implemented by member companies to identify, assess, and control risks posed to the environment, 2) real-time notifications through the Community Awareness Emergency Response (CAER) network, 3) results from air and water monitoring stations through the Sarnia-Lambton Environmental Association (SLEA), and 4) key lessons learned from relatively serious emergency incidents that have occurred in the region, among other relevant topics.
The staff at BASES contribute to many important community initiatives. From an environmental perspective, representatives from BASES are actively involved in local environmental organizations throughout the watershed including the Friends of the St. Clair River community group, the Thames-Sydenham and Region Drinking Water Source Protection Committee, and committees associated with the St. Clair River Area of Concern (AOC) program.
Since the launch of BASES, there has been greater communication, education, and transparency with the Sarnia-Lambton community which highlights BASES continued commitment to the safety and improvement of the environment in the St. Clair Region.