WWF’s Loblaw Water Fund donates $25,000 to NVCA

Willow Creek

News release from the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority

For the second year in a row, the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF Canada) Loblaw Water Fund awarded the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA)’s Healthy Waters Program with $25,000 to improve water quality and provide habitat for wildlife.

“This funding allows landowners, farmers and volunteers to help restore our streams and rivers through our Healthy Waters Program,” says Shannon Stephens, NVCA’s Healthy Waters Program Coordinator. “Last year’s toxic algae bloom in Lamont creek, low oxygen ‘dead zones’ in Willow Creek, and high bacteria and nutrient levels in our streams demonstrate the critical need to continue this work.”

The new trees will help improve drinking water quality and provide habitat for wildlife. Farmers will see better sustainability and profitability on their farms and recreation enthusiasts have cleaner places to swim and fish in.

“The Nottawasaga rivers will be a little cleaner thanks to the WWF’s Loblaw Water Fund,” added Ms. Stephens. “In the Nottawasaga Valley watershed, 95% of the land is privately owned. The support and environmental stewardship of private landowners and volunteers is crucial to the environment in our watershed.”

The new funds will cover 30-100 percent of the cost of stewardship projects, to a maximum of $10,000. Eligible water quality projects include:
· Tree planting and habitat restoration
· Clean water diversion from livestock yards
· Livestock exclusion fencing from streams and wetlands
· Planting streamside buffers between cropland and streams
· Retrofitting farm tiles with controlled drainage boxes
· Well decommissioning

For more information on applying for funding or volunteering with the Healthy Waters Program, visit www.nvca.on.ca or contact NVCA at 705-424-1479.
For more information about the WWF’s Loblaw Water Fund, visit wwf.ca.