The Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority’s Board of Directors approved a new Stewardship Plan in October 2021. This Plan provides long-term guidance for MVCA to achieve the following goals:

• Maintain, enhance, and restore natural features and systems so that they may continue to provide ecological services to communities
• Mitigate the impacts of urban and rural settlement and climate change
• Engage communities and landowners in effecting improvements to publicly- and privately-owned lands

With the Stewardship Plan in place and the recent creation of a full-time Stewardship Coordinator position, MVCA intends to pursue and promote the following types of projects:

• Restoration and enhancement of shoreline buffers
• Habitat enhancement projects
• Riparian clean-ups
• Invasive species management
• Agricultural stewardship in the form of an ALUS Lanark Program within County of Lanark (stay tuned for more information on this program)
• Septic Re-inspection Program within Tay Valley Township, Township of North Frontenac, and Township of Central Frontenac

MVCA intends to support these initiatives through engagement and collaboration with local partners, and by leveraging external funding sources. Some special projects that MVCA will be implementing in 2022 include:

• Northern map turtle nesting habitat enhancement project at Morris Island Conservation Area, in partnership with the Canadian Wildlife Federation
• Pollinator habitat restoration projects at the MVCA office property and the Mill of Kintail Conservation Area, in partnership with the Canadian Wildlife Federation

For more information about MVCA’s Stewardship Program, call or email our office.