Lower Trent Conservation is celebrating its 50th anniversary! To commemorate this milestone occasion, we have released our ’50 in 50′ historical blog series. This special series features 50 articles highlighting some of the achievements, milestones and events of the past 50 years. We hope you enjoy them!
This is the 50th in our 50 in 50 blog series. Over the past year, we have captured a glimpse of the past 50 years of conservation in the Lower Trent watershed.
Fifty years ago, local communities joined together to pool their resources in an effort to protect the natural environment of the Lower Trent watershed region and, on May 16, 1968, our Conservation Authority was born. Funding for the Conservation Authority came through a cost sharing initiative between the Province of Ontario and local municipalities located within the watershed region.
In the early days, Lower Trent Conservation focused on acquiring land – the Conservation Areas you know and love! Today, we own approximately 1500 hectares of land – special places in the watershed where the natural world comes first.
Following a large flood in 1980, the next 10 years focussed on the construction of flood and erosion control structures to protect existing homes and businesses from potential flood damages. Our flood control structures include a dam, weirs, flood walls, berms, and overflow channels. During this period, flood plain mapping was also prepared to guide future development away from flood prone areas.
As time passed, the breadth of environmental issues expanded and the Conservation Authority adapted to emerging environmental, community, and legislative demands and it became necessary to scope out new sources of funding. Today, in addition to traditional government sources, we rely on grants, user fees, and donations to support our conservation program.
For the past 50 years, our work has contributed to building healthier communities, improving the quality of life for residents, making our area more appealing to visitors and new businesses, and helping to ensure a more vibrant regional economy. Many thanks to all our partners, the public, volunteers, donors, and staff for their past contributions and for their important work in the years to come.
Lower Trent Conservation Watershed Blog 