Quinte Conservation and Lower Trent Conservation are among the groups receiving provincial funding for projects to help protect, conserve and restore the Great Lakes.
In Napanee on Monday, Northumberland Peterborough South MPP and Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Davie Piccini announced the provincial government is investing $6 million to support 30 multi-year projects to reduce plastic litter, excess nutrients and road salt entering lakes, rivers and streams, advance climate resiliency, and make significant progress on restoring environmentally degraded areas of the Great Lakes.
The projects are led by community groups, not-for-profits, conservation authorities, universities and Indigenous organizations and communities across the province and support commitments in the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health and Ontario’s Great Lakes Strategy.
Quinte Conservation received $162,791 to reduce nuisance algae and manage phosphorus in the Bay of Quinte Area of Concern.
The project will also monitor and maintain the area’s water quality, and fish and wildlife habitat while identifying emerging threats such as invasive species and climate change.
Quinte Conservation CAO Brad McNevin says, “Monitoring programs being delivered with this funding will assist with tracking long-term trends to ensure the health and sustainable use of local waterbodies. Stewardship activities to assist landowners with planting buffer strips and cover crops, fencing livestock, upgrading septic systems, and other activities contribute to reducing or mitigating impacts to Great Lakes water quality. These are some of the ways conservation authority programs are helping Ontario meet nutrient reduction targets to ensure healthy watersheds.”
Lower Trent Region Conservation Authority received $65,000 to work with area farmers to reduce excess nutrients from agricultural lands.
Kaiser Lake Farms in Greater Napanee is one of the farms taking action on their land to help improve water quality and help restore the Bay of Quinte Area of Concern.
Hastings-Lennox and Addington MPP Ric Bresee says, “We’ve always known that farmers are some of the best stewards of our lands. I’m so pleased to see our government partnering with farmers for environmental protection for all.”
