Support for Private Land Habitat Restoration

On August 16, Ontario Great Lakes Renewal Foundation board director Tom Fuerth presented a cheque for $25,900 to Matthew Child, Coordinator of Habitat and Aquatic Resources at the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA), to assist with the restoration of the Smith Property on County Road 12, as part of the Essex Region Biodiversity Conservation Strategy.

Fuerth noted that the monies will be directed specifically to restoring the Smith Property, utilizing traditional as well as the new pit and mound forest technique, which best emulates the undulating topography found in natural forests. "To date the Foundation has directed over $1.5 million to restoration and rehabilitation projects in the Detroit River Watershed, including the Healthy Watersheds program in Southwestern Ontario," Fuerth added.

"We are very grateful for this contribution from the Ontario Great lakes Renewal Foundation, which allows an additional 30 acres of habitat to be restored in the Detroit River Watershed," said Child. "Healthy watersheds are the key to the health of our Great Lakes, and restoring habitat within the watershed ultimately helps to create a cleaner, healthier water source."

The Ontario Government established the Ontario Great Lakes Renewal Foundation (OGLRF) in 1998 with a $5 million initial grant. The foundation focuses on restoring the remaining 16 Areas of Concern that were identified in the 1987 Water Quality Agreement, which was jointly agreed to by Canada and the U.S. as the most severely degraded areas on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes.

"Since its inception the Foundation has been able to leverage over $5 million to bring about more than $25 million in rehabilitation and restoration work at 63 projects in designated as Areas of Concern around the Great Lakes," Fuerth concluded. The OGLRF and the ERCA have partnered to complete a number of restoration projects over the last several years.