Muskoka Outdoors Network

The first annual Muskoka Stewardship Conference will take place at Nipissing University in Bracebridge on Saturday, April 30, 2011.

A joint initiative by the Muskoka Watershed Council, the Muskoka Heritage Foundation and the District Municipality of Muskoka, the Stewardship Conference will feature more than 20 speakers presenting to landowners during eight concurrent sessions throughout the day. The presentations will cover topics related to water, land stewardship and research, and will arm participants with an array of strategies they can use for their own properties, rural or urban.

Dr. Norm Yan of York University will be the keynote speaker for the day. He will speak about multiple stressors in our environment.

The goal of the conference is to encourage environmentally-minded people to network and learn from each other, and the theme for the inaugural event is Get Involved!
 
      “We want people to get involved in the stewardship of their land – whether it is waterfront, rural, or urban,” says Rebecca Francis, stewardship coordinator at the Muskoka Heritage Foundation.  “Many of the speakers are landowners who will be sharing their experiences of stewardship projects they have undertaken on their own properties.”
 
      Waterfront property owners will learn about water quality monitoring and what it reveals about Muskoka’s lakes and overall environment. There will be talks for people concerned with urban issues, such as planting native species gardens. Rural property owners will benefit from the informative session on the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program.  And for those interested in stewardship research, scientists from the Dorset Environmental Science Centre will be on hand to speak about benthic monitoring, crawfish and algae blooms in Ontario’s lakes.

The 2011 Muskoka Stewardship Conference will take place from 9am-4pm on Saturday, April 30th, 2011 at Nipissing University, Muskoka Campus, 125 Wellington Street, in Bracebridge. To register and view the full agenda, visit http://www.muskokaheritage.org/watershed/MSC.asp