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Chad Gagne introduced the speaker Chris Ainsworth who is the Sponsorship and Events Manager from the Rare Charitable Research Reserve. Rare is an urban land trust and environmental institute in the Waterloo & Wellington regions with it's first 4 locations protecting almost 1,000 acres of highly sensitive lands. Conservation is Rare's priority and research is it's priority program. Rare has developed an unique method based on 3 fundamental principals. 1 - Undertake research to further science and equally value and support indigenous ways of knowing and being that will result in best practices for use around the world. 2 - Train the next generation of land stewards who will perpetuate these values. 3 - To create an entire community of support for them, and for shared goals between scientists and indigenous communities. Why Rare? As a land trust and environmental institute Rare's ultimate goal is to make the world a more sustainable place. They do this by making the environment relevant in people's lives through conservation, research and education in ways that are inclusive of different world views and all forms of inquiry. By providing hands on experiences and thought leadership that make's it tangible of why the environment matters. Everyone plays a part in protecting it. They are a connector that forges links between obvious and unusual partners and an attractor that pulls in the brightest minds from all sectors and communities. Rare is a catalyst that seeks opportunities for change through innovative ideas. How does Rare do it? Rare's emphasis on community, education, and engagement based on living together in reciprocity comes from their belief that sustainability is an attainable goal that can be reached if we recognize that people are part of the environment and work together towards responsible stewardship. The Rare chain of learning extends from the most senior scientists and indigenous knowledge keepers to the youngest students. In this way they respect the knowledge that was developed previously, apply that knowledge, and ask more questions that arise in the process. The entire field of knowledge progresses while hands on outdoor environmental education mirrors the knowledge systems. Rare Locations - Property 1 - The administrative Hub in Blair (the old tavern). There are 12 staff that work year around with more volunteers/summer students during the warmer months. Looking at developing more educational space within the property. Property 2 - North House - U of W sustainability project. The house generates energy and does not draw any from the grid and is run by a computer system. Springbank farms that contains community gardens and foodbank gardens. They have about 110 community plots that are open for 2020 rent now. Last year about 80% of the foodbank garden went to the Cambridge which delivered 8,500 pounds of fresh food. Every Wednesday/Saturday there are open volunteer hours for the foodbank garden. There is now a fruit orchard that is starting to produce fresh fruit. Property 3 - Eco Centre and Slit Barn along Blair road. The Slit Barn is the Hub for the every child outdoor programs. They work with local schools from kindergarten to university (2,800 students/yr). 8km of Trails that connect to the trails from Riverbluffs park. Rare has 24 different habitats (agriculture, cliffs, marshes, meadows, forests, ...) and have identified close to 4,000 species on the property. Property 4 - Rare has just purchased it's first property in Wellington county of 87 acres along both sides of the Eramosa river. When the charity started in 2001 it was a group of citizens wanting to protect an area and they didn't realize fully how rich this area is. As an organization they are not antidevelopment but are about selective development. Want to preserve pieces of land environmentally rich. One of the strategies going forward is to acquire more lands that are significant environmentally whether it is from fundraising, donations, or easements. There are benefits for Landowners donating land for conservation or easements where Rare would steward the land on behalf of the owner. Rare can offer research opportunities that other organizations can not. They do not have the same space and time restrictions because they own the land and can allow an organization to come in to run a 10 year project. Roger Mann thanked the speaker and closed the meeting. Remember what is Rare is worth protecting. |
