Muskoka Watershed Council

Mission, Goal & Objectives

 

Our Mission
To champion watershed health.

Our Goal
To sustain and enhance the air, water and terrestrial ecosystems of the watersheds of Muskoka for the environmental, health, economic, spiritual and intrinsic values they provide.

Our Objectives

1.  Evaluate the Watersheds
     Develop and implement science-based
     programs to research, assess, monitor and
     evaluate the health of Muskoka's watersheds.

    Strategies

· Undertake research to better evaluate, understand, benchmark and monitor watershed health;
· Develop collaborative research relationships with governments, agencies, business, industry, NGOs and associations with shared interests in watershed health, including water quality and quantity, habitat protection, air quality, climate change and land use planning; and
· Identify watershed health degradation, impairment and poor program delivery, along with watershed health improvement, quality and good program delivery.


2.  Advocate for the Watersheds
     Advocate for sound air, land and water use planning and management practices and policies that
     sustain and improve the health of Muskoka's watersheds.

    Strategies

· Develop timely and informed policy positions on watershed health;
· Advocate for environmentally sustainable urban, rural and waterfront development design standards and best practices that enhance the traditional small town, rural, waterfront and wilderness character of the watersheds;
· Advocate for sustainable use of natural resources including soils, forests, aggregates, bedrock, water and air;
· Advocate for behaviour change that supports healthy watersheds;
· Advocate for development of plans and programs to rehabilitate degraded areas; and
· Provide comments to municipal governments on matters related to watershed health policy.


3.  Communicate and Educate
     Develop and implement public information and education programs that promote understanding of the
     impact of human actions on the watersheds and encourage lifestyle choices that are compatible with
     healthy and functioning watersheds.

    Strategies

· Develop and publish the Watersheds Report Card every 4 years;
· Enhance and promote access to the MWC resource library on watershed health and management;
· Publish science-based position papers and best practice information;
· Utilize state-of-the-art methods and techniques to communicate and educate, including publications, electronic media and face-to-face contact; and
· Regularly meet with the Councils of the watersheds’ municipal governments.

 

4.  Promote and Demonstrate
     Promote and facilitate demonstration activities and best practices that support an environmentally
     sustainable economy and a healthy community structure.

    Strategies

· Promote environmentally responsible behaviour by individuals, government, business and industry by demonstrating lifestyle and best management practices that enhance the economic, social and environmental well-being of watershed communities;
· Seek out external funding sources to support watershed partner collaboration in demonstrating best practices;
· Participate in and strongly support various national and international environmentally sustaining behavior awareness initiatives such as Earth Day and Earth Hour; and
· Develop and promote our own Muskoka-based, local environmentally sustaining behavior awareness initiative.