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The speaker was Sarah Fleischhauer from both the Grand River Conservation Authority and the Grand River Conservation Foundation. She runs the volunteer program for the GRCA and does grant applications & fundraising for the GRCA foundation. The GRCA is 1 of 36 conservation authorities across Ontario. The conservation authority is governed by the conservation authority act initiated in 1946. Essentially they are a water management agency and they function based on a watershed boundary. So they cross multiple municipalities and it involves everything that would flow into the Grand River and all the resources that are involved with that. The GRCA watershed is bigger than Prince Edward Island. Their mission is to create a healthy watershed where we live, work, play, and prosper in balance with the natural environment. The 4 strategic priorities of the GRCA are - 1. Protect life and minimize property damage from flood and erosion. 2. Improve the health of the Grand River watershed. 3. Connect people to the environment through outdoor experiences. 4. Manage land holdings in a responsible way. The volunteer program was created in 2014 to standardize the volunteer process within the GRCA and they wanted to enhance their community partnerships as they are a driving force with a lot of what goes on. Over the past 4 to 5 years volunteers have planted well over 46,000 trees. The volunteer program only works on GRCA property. GRCA volunteer program works with 3 main groups - community groups, corporate groups, and general public events. Some of the projects from 2019 are tree/shrub planting, trail maintenance, setting up nature centres, turtle nest protectors, build turtle nesting beaches, work at conservation areas, bird boxes maintenance, and habitat enhancements. If Rotary Cambridge PH is interested in participating there are many activities in the Cambridge area (Shades Mill, Dickson, Pinehurst). Roger thanked Sarah and closed the meeting. |
