What Water Wants NEWSLETTER Beaver River Watershed Initiative

Message from the Chairman

What Water Wants, and, BRWI – Beaver River Watershed Initiative, acronyms, when combined, (WWW-BRWI) de-scribes a local geography that was formed thousands of years ago, and an undertaking that began only three years ago, that is really starting to get traction and interest.

The WWW-BRWI initiative is a non-profit association of grass roots volunteer individuals, stakeholders, landown-ers, friends of the environment and partners with a single purpose – To create awareness of our watershed heritage, and to leave it in a better state than we received it.

The Watershed covers an area of greater than 609, square kilometers meandering through portions of the Munici-palities of Meaford, Grey Highlands & Town of The Blue Mountains. A vast area of recreational land for fishing, hunting, camping, skiing, boating and many other activi-ties, including significant agricultural enterprises, and resi-dential towns and villages.

The WWW-BRWI association was formed in 2012 by a lo-cal group of like minded enthusiasts that realized from other watershed histories that if we wanted to preserve and maintain the integrity of our watershed legacy, we had to take community action.

We have crafted a Governance structure, with policies, procedures, rules and regulations consistent with Bill C-65. We are a working group and sub committee of Grey Sauble Conservation Authority through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). As well, we have a great inter-est from local fishing, hunting and sporting clubs, associa-tions and private individuals.

The Memorandum of Understanding provides WWW-BRWI with grant opportunities, safety training, insurance

protection, administrative resources, permitting, CRA tax receipts for individual/corporate donations, advice shar-ing and networking for the management team and our volunteers.

The BRWI Management team meets once every month, at the Marsh Street Community Centre, to review plans and projects, progress, committee and subcommittee re-ports.

Respectively, Tom Kennedy , Acting Secretary

Committees & Sub-Committees Project Management Andy McKee Group Management, Chair Tom Kennedy, Chris Hachey, Jack Morgan, Joan Gaudet Promotions, Chair Ellen Anderson, Jesse Gibbons, Debbie Crosskill Operations—John Bittorf, Patrick Kitchen, Andy McKee, Bill Remus Membership—Chair Debbie Crosskill Can be downloaded from Website or available at Marsh Street Centre Finance—Vacant If you would like to volunteers enquire at the Marsh Street Centre (Laura)

Mission Statement—To preserve and enhance the Beaver River Watershed—Involve like minded enthusiasts and volunteers—Educate and promote awareness and stimulate positive water activity.

Help us on May 9th @ 9:00 am We are Tree Planting and need your help!

Please contact us at

info@whatwaterwants.org

Join us in helping the

Beaver River and in reduc-

ing our Carbon Foot Print.

Spring 2015 www.whatwaterwants.org Contact us info@whatwaterwants.org

Spreading the Word! BRWI met with We have made a deputization to the Town of Blue Mountains council in January of this year, and are planning another to attend the Town of Grey Highlands council, in the near future. Our activities and successes over the past 2, years have been documented in our Annual General Meeting re-port, which is available on our updated website. (www.whatwaterwants.org) Volunteers wishing to par-ticipate in any of the watershed work projects please contact us through the website, or, at the Centre, or, speak to any of the Committee members. We have purchased/acquired quality portable, promo-tional equipment (audio/visual) using a grant from the MOE (Ministry of the Environment) and EC (Environment Canada). We are in the process of creating a Watershed brochure on the BRWI (Beaver River Watershed Initiative), which will describe and illustrate what has/is to be accom-plished.

Events Looking forward, we are planning numerous education-al and promotional projects such as: (in addition to the planning and execution of various watershed projects currently in process or pending). *Eco Fair - Meaford - April 18/15 *Feast in the Forest - Beaver Valley - May 24/15 *Display @ L.E. Shore Library – Town of Blue Mountains -TBA *1 Year BRWI display @ Craigleith Depot Museum – Starting July/15

Join Us, Get a Membership! We have a significant membership of volunteers and donors to help us achieve our goals. Membership is open to all who wish to help move the initiative forward and, is very affordable. (Students $5.00, Adults Others $10.00, annually). The more hands, the lighter the load! We plan to issue 2, newsletters, annually, to keep our members updated. Our website (www.whatwaterwants.org) is updated regularly, and, will contain all approved minutes of the Management team’s meeting activities and agreements.

Life on the Beaver River

Photo Credit, Deb Crosskill

Photo Credit, Deb Crosskill

Photo Credit, GSCA

Donations can be made through

Canada Helps.org - select Beaver River Watershed Initiative Projects